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Are Your Fears Worth Fearing?

​If ever decide to become a world class tightrope walker, you should know the most important rule.

Don’t look down!

Here’s an interesting mind experiment. Think of a long, very sturdy, two by four going across two hundred story buildings. Ten meters across. No wind. 

Just a bunch of people down below watching. Some hoping you do OK, some with their smartphones ready in case you plunge to your death, so they can film it and become YouTube famous.

Would you do it?

Probably not.

How about for ten million dollars? Maybe, maybe not.

Now think about the SAME board going across some grass. With NOBODY watching.

Would you do it?

Why not?

How about for ten grand?

Hell yea!

Obviously, the two SEEM very different, but only based on what happens if you fail.

On the grass, if you fail, you just step onto the grass.

But how likely is it to fail? Walking on a board that’s four inches wide is pretty easy. You’d have to walk across while texting your friends or something in order to fall. 

In fact, if it were on grass, you could probably do it blindfolded.

Now, if it really were across a hundred story drop, it would be kind of a stupid thing to do, even if you COULD get a big stack of cash. After all, if you fall, you die. Even if the odds of falling are REALLY tiny, those really tiny odds could kill you.

But how many times do you imagine doing something, only to stop yourself because of what you IMAGINE the “fail” would be like?

Like talking to a stranger, or starting up your own business, or asking your raise for a boss.

Not only is failure not likely, but even if you DO fail, it’s no big deal.

So why does it seem so scary?

Inside all of us is a very ancient, and very scared caveman (or cave girl).

One that hasn’t learned that some “fails” are worse than others.

One that hasn’t learned that MOST “fails” are actually necessary, because they teach you some valuable lessons.

Your inner caveman thinks every fail means DEATH. Or exclusion from the tribe, (kicked out of the social circle) which also means DEATH. Cavemen and women didn’t do a good job surviving on their own. So we developed this HUGE FEAR of social rejection.

But just like our HUGE DESIRE to eat everything in front of us whenever we see food, sometimes our instincts are CONTARY to living a conscious, awake, rationally chosen life.

How can you quiet that cave dude down?

Like this:

Automatic Brain Upgrade

Which Software Are You Using?

Which Software Are You Using?

​If you have a Windows computer, then you know how often it automatically updates.

It seems like at least once a week before I go to sleep, I shut down my computer but then I’ve got to wait while it goes through a bunch of updates.

Then the next morning, when I start it up, it takes longer than usual. Like this morning!

Lots of software is like that. It gets released, but they are always working on improvements.

Some software does this automatically, in the background. You never know it happens.

Other software requires that you download the new version and reinstall it. First it removes the old components, and then it installs the new components.

Sometimes the upgrade is so significant you’ve got to buy the newer version.

This is a good metaphor for the human brain.

Whether or not you believe in evolution, we DO have several different “layers” in our brain.

The reptilian, mammalian, and “neo-cortex,” which just means “new brain.”

But unlike software, “they” didn’t remove old versions before putting in new versions.

They just put in new versions on top of old versions!

Imagine if you were creating a document in Word 2013, and elements of Word 1997 started popping up!

But that’s what happens in daily life.

Sometimes we’re living consciously, using our new brain (neo-cortex) but then something happens that reminds our deeper brain of our ancient self, so the reptilian brain takes over.

Usually when we suddenly get really nervous or anxious for some reason.

Our conscious brains are thinking, “hey that person looks interesting, maybe I should go and talk to them!” But the reptilian, fight or flight brain is screaming, “RUN!”

It can be difficult to deal with this if you don’t know what’s going on.

Some people call this “self sabotage,” some people refer to the “parts” theory, where “part of you” wants to talk to them, but “part of you” wants to run away.

These are all very useful metaphors.

And the more metaphors you can “try on,” the more choice you’ll have in different situations.

One metaphor is the “Chakra” metaphor.

Meaning we’ve got all these Energy Centers in our body, that are responsible for “lower” and “higher” functions.

If they are closed off, certain things frighten us.

If they are open, those things won’t scare us.

If you systematically go through and open them, life will be much easier.

How do you do that?

Like this:

Why Einstein Was Wrong

Model Of The World

That’s An Interesting Model

​One of the reasons I like quantum physics so much is the process by which it was discovered.

You had a bunch of the smartest guys in the world, (Einstein, Bohr, Plank, etc.,) sitting around this “black body.” 

No, it wasn’t that! Just a hunk of stuff. They would heat it up, and then measure the energy as it cooled down.

They kept trying to describe what was happening through various “models” or ideas about what they THOUGHT was happening.

And guess what? They were WRONG way more often than they were right.

In fact, they were right only ONCE. But once was enough. Einstein was wrong. Neils Bohr was wrong. But some young dude, Max Plank, was right. (That’s right kids, the dude who “discovered” quantum mechanics was in his twenties).

The reason this was so cool was they DIDN’T try and force the world to fit into their idea.

They didn’t fall in love with their own theory and then try and FORCE the world to “behave properly.”

They were SMART ENOUGH to know it’s ridiculous to keep believing in something when there’s evidence right in front of you proving it’s NOT TRUE.

Compare that to people today. Everybody’s got their own theory. And when they find that “reality” doesn’t match with their pet “theory” (which they likely copied from somebody else) then they get mad at reality. It doesn’t even occur to them to change their “model of the world.”

Because models are just that.

Models. Guesses. Approximations. Estimates.

And if YOUR model isn’t working very well, maybe you should CHANGE your model.

How do you do that?

Just play some mental “what if.” 

What if those “other people” who are the opposite side are more right than I give them credit for?

But this requires you to ask YOURSELF a very important question:

What’s more important, being RIGHT, or finding an accurate model so you can more easily GET WHAT YOU WANT?

Because it’s pretty tough to do both.

That’s why Kundalini is so powerful.

It could be completely mystical and esoteric.

It could be based on metaphysics.

It could be a metaphorical description of biological processes that are TOO COMPLICATED for the human mind to understand.

But the concept has been around for a LONG TIME.

Even if it’s “just” a system for reducing stress, so you can live healthier, live longer, make better decisions, get better relationships, develop better communication, it’s still pretty valuable.

Learn More:

Who Is The You Inside?

Open Your Heart

Open Your Heart

​I was watching this movie the other night.

One of the characters had been injured, and another one was trying to save him.

The guy trying to save him kept saying, “Stay with me!”

There’re plenty of easy to memorize and easy to say “truisms” about life.

Most of the time, though, they merely sound good.

Especially when they are given as “advice.”

Don’t let them get to you.

Keep your chin up.

Avoid eating certain foods.

The problem is that while these sound good, and nobody would really argue against them, it’s unclear exactly HOW we are supposed to do those things.

Like if you’re at school, getting bullied every day, and your teacher says, “Just ignore them,” HOW are we supposed to do that, exactly?

That’s what’s missing from a LOT of “advice.”

This is where NLP, and many of the processes therein, can come in handy.

There ARE specific strategies to “forget” certain things, or to “avoid” certain things.

They’re not magic, and they take some mental effort, but they work.

Take the advice, “open up your heart.” Now, they don’t really mean get a knife and start hacking through your sternum.

But it does mean to relax your chest area. To be less constricted. To be more “open” to your feelings.

To be more accepting of your feelings. So when you feel  them, you can appreciate them, and respond in kind.

Rather than pretending you don’t feel anything.

One way to do this is to simply close your eyes, and visualize your heart area. See it as a big, open source of energy, both sending and receiving. Every time you breathe in and out, feel the energy going in and out of your heart.

Modern medicine has come a long ways, but many cardiologists realize the power that something as simple as meditation has on your stress levels, which are the underlying cause of most illnesses.

Simply be focusing inwardly once or twice a day, you’ll find that you become more “open” to interpersonal connections, which will further your emotional, spiritual and physical health.

What’s the best way to go about doing this?

Any way that works!

Learn More:

Your Ancient Ally 

Listen To Your Friend

Listen To Your Friend

​Deep within you is a desire.

Many desires, to be more accurate.

Most people never spend a lot of time thinking about them, why they are there, how they got there, and whether or not they will ever go away.

On a deep and ancient level, they were put there to keep you motivated. So you would have to consciously choose to do things.

Eat. Breathe. Sleep. 

And for most people, getting these basic desires fulfilled never requires much conscious thought.

Just kind of go along with the flow. Follow the crowd. Societies are kind of built to serve that purpose.

People just keep doing whatever they’re good at, and things tend to work out.

People get their needs met, and if they’re lucky, a little bit extra. So you can not only get what you need, but you can get what you want as well.

And if you’re REALLY lucky, getting what you want will spur you to do something to get MORE of what you want.

After all, deep within you is a program that says, “If doing something gives you a reward, do MORE of that thing!”

And if you’re REALLY REALLY lucky, whatever that “thing” is will come natural.

That’s why MANY people with MASSIVE wealth don’t really know or even understand how they got it.

They just kept “doing things” that came natural to them. They just happened to be born at a time and place in history where whatever they liked, and whatever they were good at, whatever came “natural” to them got them more and more of what they wanted.

We should all be so lucky!

The truth is that EVERYBODY has something like that. A certain “thing” that just comes naturally, that will keep you getting more and more of what you want.

You may say finding that “thing” is the whole purpose of your life.

I know, you’re saying, “Why should I have to keep looking, when everybody else is finding theirs right off the bat!”

Well, consider what happens to people that find success REALLY early in life.

They kind of fall apart. They go nuts. Child actors, for example. Sure, money, fame, all that stuff we THINK we want, they get it without much effort, and it usually RUINS them.

You might say there’s a “magic middle.” You don’t want to discover your own “secret” too early in life, but on the other hand, you don’t want to suddenly realize what it is just as you take your last breath!

How do you FIND that magic middle?

Relax. Release. Look within. Listen to your friend. The ancient one.

He’ll tell you.

Learn More:

How To See The Big Picture

Develop Perspective

The Power of Perspective

​When I think of all the toilets I’ve been to, there are two that stand out in my mind.

One is in the Strathisla distillery, where they make Scotch. Strathisla is not the best known brand, but it’s the main Scotch in Chivas, which is a blend, rather than a single malt.

The reason the toilet stands out is that it was fantastic. The walls on the inside were real wood. The door went all the way to the ground.  The toilet seat was the most comfortable I’d ever sat on. It was for tourists, as they have regular tours.

The other toilet that stands out in my mind is the one on top of Mr. Whitney. A buddy and I had hiked to the top, but we didn’t take the most popular route, at least that time. The most popular route is super crowded. You can’t go more than ten or twenty minutes without running into people.

On that particular trip, we went the back way. We started about 50 miles north, and hiked our way down. We also slept on top, which is not exactly allowed. 

Why was that toilet so memorable? Well, a week before, a huge storm came through. Tearing off the roof and the front door. So it was really an outhouse (they have to build them up there because there are so many people).

Three walls. And as I sat there, doing my business, I looked out over the vast mountain range that we’d just spent four days hiking through.

It’s one thing to look at a beautiful mountain range. It’s something else to look at one you’ve hiked through, slept in, caught and ate fish in. It’s something else entirely to be looking out over said mountain while sitting on the highest toilet in the continental United States!

This is what happens with perspective. Seeing the same thing from different angles, different sizes, and different time frames.

You can look at any event like this. That one public speech may be terrifying. But it could also be one small part of an education that may earn you millions of dollars.

That one walk across the room to talk to that attractive person may be the scariest you’ve done in your life.

But it could also be the start of a wonderful relationship that could lead to NEW life.

Your mind, your body, your ideas, all can be seen as forests, or trees, or both.

The more perspective you have, the more you’ll see.

Learn More:

Ready To Cross The River?

Cross The River

Action Feedback Action

​Once a buddy of mine and I went hiking on this local trail.

Neither of us had been there before, and we’d been talking about it for a while.  

But when we were driving in my old Toyota Corolla, we came to this river crossing.

It was on this dirt road with a LOT of potholes, and this crossing was just before the trailhead.

Only it was pretty deep. Driving across, the water was about 3/4 of the way up my tires.

My little Toyota looked pretty funny next do all those big trucks!

In retrospect, it probably wasn’t the best decision. After all, the benefit was a hike in the local mountains. The risk was losing my car, or doing some significant damage and having to pay a tow-truck to come all the way out there.

Metaphorically speaking though, I’m glad I did it. We had a goal, we weren’t sure how we were going to get there, we came up against some obstacles (the pot-holed road and the unexpected stream) and we plowed right through.

Another time when I was in boy scouts, we went on this week long hiking trip in the Sierras. We’d come across these rivers we’d have to cross, and sometimes it took a while to find a decent place.

But once there were NO places where we could cross without getting wet. So that’s what we did.

We stripped down to our tighty-whitey’s, and walked across carrying our packs over our heads.

Cold! But REALLY cool.

Again, same principle. You have a destination, and you have an obstacle. You could either turn around and go home, or power right through.

Most people, when they think about what they’d like to achieve in life, everything’s fine until they come up against an obstacle.

Then they suddenly change their mind.

The secret of getting ANYTHING you want is to make the decision to do WHATEVER it takes.

Most people are simply NOT willing to do that. Sure, they’d love to RECEIVE whatever they want. But as soon as somebody starts talking about “risk” or “trial and error” or “feedback” or “obstacles” they run home to re-read their favorite books on the Law of Attraction or something. That’s EASIER than actually getting their hands dirty.

Which is the sad truth about most folks today. They’d rather believe in fairy tales that deliver NOTHING, than actually get out into the world and do the work.

But if you are willing to do the WORK, you CAN get anything you want.

Belief. Action. Feedback. More Action.

Keep that up, never stop, and the world is yours.

Get Started:

Create Subconscious Magic

Delayed Gratification

Save For A Rainy Day

​Many disciplines have things called “best practices.” 

Meaning they are things you do that aren’t always important in and of themselves, at least in the moment.

But they are VERY important in the long run.

For example, coders see writing plenty of comments within their code as a “best practice.”

Not that it makes the program run any better, it just makes it MUCH easier later on, if they need to go back and tweak anything.

If you are a gun enthusiast, a “best practice” would be to always clear your weapon (make sure there’re no bullets) before handling it or showing it to others. Even if you consciously remember that there’re no bullets, it’s still a VERY good idea, because otherwise you might forget and kill somebody.

Most “best practices” are closely related to certain disciplines.

But there are also “best practices” when building a successful life.

Delayed gratification is one of these. A very important one.

Think of the NOW you and the FUTURE you.

If you enjoy all your pleasure NOW, you won’t have anything in the future. That’s fine if you’re pretty confident that you’ll ALWAYS find something good.

But that’s a pretty risky assumption.

The idea of “saving something for the future” is built into our DNA. Otherwise our bodies wouldn’t be so adept at taking consumed energy and storing it for future use.

A more “modern” version of this would be to save money. Plenty of books speak about creating several different savings accounts. One for bills. One for fun. One for education. One for any future unknowns.

Many people are put off by this. “I can barely pay the rent! How the heck am I supposed to create a savings account for vacation! I can’t even afford a bus ticket!”

Here’s the thing. Even if you ONLY save a nickel a month, in each of the above categories, it will send a very POWERFUL message to your subconscious.

That you are taking your future SERIOUSLY. That you are taking your dreams SERIOUSLY. That you’re not just rattling off a bunch of wishes, and waiting for the magic fairy to come and give you free stuff.

Once your subconscious realizes you’re SERIOUS, your mind will shift. You’ll see opportunities you never even noticed before. You’ll think in ways you never thought of before. New ideas for making money, getting in shape, finding a relationship, etc., will start popping into your brain.

Like magic!

Only it won’t be magic, it will only seem like it.

Take action, and trust your subconscious.

These Will Help:

What Is Your Ideal Skill?

Do You Have What It Takes?

The Power of Focus

​There’re lots of hobbies you can have.

And a lot of reasons for having them.

Some people have hobbies to help them relieve stress.

Other people have hobbies to have fun.

Some hobbies are exciting, in the moment, and don’t require any kind of goal, other than a short term one. Something like cycling, or playing competitive sports. Other than physical fitness, most hobbyists of this sort don’t have a specific long range goal.

On the other hand, some hobbies are much less “in the moment,” and have a very specific long range goal. Putting together jigsaw puzzles, knitting, painting, model building. One particularly interesting hobby is building those ships inside of bottles.

You’ve got to spend quite a bit of time on very controlled, very precise movements. At the same time, you have a VERY specific outcome in mind. One that you focus on for months at a time.

There’s a story of this town in ancient China that was about to come under attack. So they hired this martial arts trainer, and he was supposed to get them ready.

He said he needed to find somebody to become the town “fighter,” who’d take his place after he left.

He chose the guy who served him tea in the local restaurant. When asked why, he said that guy had the most focus. When he poured the tea, he could tell there was NOTHING ELSE on the guy’s mind.

This, he said, it’s what’s required to be a martial artist capable of defending the town.

That’s kind of the same focus those ship-in-a-bottle builders have.

And it’s the kind of focus you need to develop if you are going to create something magnificent in your life.

Almost everybody dreams of greatness. Few take the day to day actions required to get there.

But consider this:

Experts say that if you practiced something for a certain amount of time, you’ll be the best in the world.

How much time? Well that really depends on what you’re doing, where you’re starting, and how “great” you’d like to become.

Take something simple like playing the piano, or the keyboard. How good would you be if you only spent 30 minutes a day for the next three or four years?

How about the next ten years?

The idea is to take something you enjoy doing, that can also make you some money, in some capacity.

And the better you get at it, the more opportunities you’ll start seeing.

So, what would you like to master in your life?

What skill? What talent? What ability?

Get Started:

How To Collect Yourself

Who Are You?

Who Are You?

​One of the trance inducing parts about NLP and hypnosis is the difference between structure and content.

Almost everybody is always focused on content, the stuff that we talk about, but it’s really the structure that drives everything.

This is why Covert Hypnosis is so powerful. You speak by focusing on the structure, leaving the content purposely vague. The listener then has to fill in the blanks with their own ideas. This makes all the conclusions they come to their own.

We humans are by and large driven by structure. Social proof, authority, scarcity, these are all structural level elements that can be applied to pretty much any content, making that content seem so much more desirable.

Being able to understand the difference can help you save a lot of money, and a lot of grief.

One of the biggest “structures” is the idea of YOU.

Think of the structural you, vs. the content you.

The content you is all the atoms molecules, muscles, cells, neural connections, etc., in your body.

These are ALWAYS being replaced. Every time you eat, breathe, drink, and process waste.

One philosopher said that humans are “energy pumps.” We use energy. We are made of energy. And our long tube down the center of us is ALWAYS processing energy.

So where in all of that is YOU?

When you read these words, and contemplate that awareness you call “yourself,” who is that?

What happens to that self-aware entity five years from now after pretty much all the individual “bits” have been replaced?

This is what happens when you shift from “content awareness” to “structure awareness,” it can get pretty interesting.

But it’s also a great way to reduce stress, relieve anxiety, and find your “center” to which you can always return to.

The more you practice, the easier it gets.

For example, you could be in the middle of giving a speech in front of super important people, pause, and return to center for only a moment, to collect “yourself” and return. Nobody will know except for you.

Inside that brain of yours is all kinds of beliefs, positive and negative about who “you” really are, and what “you” are capable of.

These beliefs can act like filters, between the inner “you” and the “you” you present to the world.

If you were a photographer, the more filters you had, the more pictures you could take in more environments.

One of the most effective “beliefs” to have is that you can switch you “beliefs” out whenever you want, based on the situation.

Learn More: