Ignite Your Mental Pilot Light

We woke up one morning last week to find that our central heating wasn’t on. We had very fierce winds during the night and the draught whistling through the keyhole had blown out the pilot light on our boiler. No pilot light meant that there was no heating and no hot water. I hate cold showers!

Your mind is blessed with a similar mechanism, a mental pilot light called The Reticular Activating System (RAS). Your RAS is ignited by your goals - goals that are written down clearly and that you strongly desire.

Written goals are catalysts for change and growth, success and achievement and act on your RAS by providing it with focus. This focus ensures that your RAS will identify opportunities to manifest your goals and desires and increase your successes.

In other words your RAS is a mental pilot light that powers up your brain and turns on the connections between your conscious and unconscious minds. This enhances your ability to focus on the important activities, people, events and opportunities that will drive your goals forward.

Everything you see, hear, smell, feel and touch is a message entering your brain. Your RAS filters these messages, decides which ones should get your attention and communicates these to your conscious and unconscious minds. This makes it easy for your conscious and unconscious minds to recognise and then alert you to opportunities you might otherwise have missed.

The RAS brings to us the people, places, and things that we focus upon, for example:
· Buy a new car and you’ll suddenly start seeing more of the same car.
· Someone will say something in passing that is exactly what you needed to hear.
· You’ll be introduced to someone who knows (or knows someone else who knows) how to get or do the one thing you’ve been seeking.
· While flipping through a magazine you suddenly find the answer to a problem.
· Entrepreneurs will find opportunity popping up in the unlikeliest of places.


All of these things were there before, but because you did not activate your RAS through proper goal setting and focus you never noticed them. As a result you missed out on so many wonderful opportunities.

How much of the abundance of this universe are you passing by every day because your brain has been filled with unimportant or even limiting ideas and pictures instead?

Focusing on your goals switches on your mental pilot light, which in turn sends a powerful signal to your brain: "Wake Up, Pay Attention, Don't Miss This Detail!" Once you write down a goal, your brain will be working overtime to see that you get it. It will alert you to the abundance of opportunities that were there all along but you never noticed before.

Change Management Lessons From The Wilderness

Staying with the biblical mood for a moment. I don’t know the source for this one, if you do please let me know so I can acknowledge it accurately.

Even a great leader like Moses faced a trying test of his leadership when managing change. But he was up to the test, so take note of some of his methods:

Magnify the plagues
To make the old system (i.e. Pharaoh) ‘let go’ of his people, Moses called down plagues – and didn’t stop until the old system gave way. During change, problems are your friend. Don’t solve them, because they convince people that they need to let go of the old way.

Mark the ending
What a symbolic ‘ending event’ Moses had! After his people crossed the Red Sea, there was no turning back!

Deal with the ‘murmuring’
Don’t be surprised when people lose confidence in your leadership during change: Where are we going? Does he/she know the way? What was wrong with Egypt anyway? In periods of transition, look for opportunities to have contact with the people in transition, distance will be interpreted as abandonment. Show your concern for them by engaging them in conversation about the issues most on their minds, you may think there are more important things to talk about, but they don’t think so.

Give people access to the decision makers
Moses (aided by his OD specialist, Jethro) appointed a new cadre of judges in the wilderness to narrow the gap between the people and the decision makers.

Capitalize on the creative opportunity provided by change
It was in the wilderness, not the Promised Land, that the big innovation took place: the Ten Commandments were handed down. It will be in the change that many of your biggest breakthroughs will occur.

Resist the urge to rush ahead
It can seem at times as though little is happening or changes are not happening quickly enough, but transformation is taking place. Don’t jeopardize it by hurrying.

Understand that change leadership is special.

Moses did not enter the Promised Land. His kind of leadership matched the time of change, where things are uncertain, confusing and fluid. But it was Joshua who could lead in the more steady state of the Promised Land. A literal new leader isn’t needed, but a new style of leadership is. Establishment of a new beginning requires a much more logical approach with an appeal to people’s understanding, while the fluidity and ambiguity of the change zone makes an emotional connection between the leader and the people more critical.

Everything I Need To Know, I Learned From Noah's Ark
(With thanks to my daughter for this one.)

1. Don't miss the boat.

2. Remember that we are all in the same boat.

3. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.

4. Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.

5. Don't listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.

6. Build your future on high ground.

7. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.

8. Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.

9. When you're stressed, float a while.

10. Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

The Power Of Thought Part 2


In Part 1 of this article I attempted to counter some of the criticism levelled at the message conveyed in recent movie The Secret i.e. that thoughts become things. I shared scientific evidence of the power of thought to turn possibility into reality. For many critics of such concepts the problem is that that their existence cannot be proven.

There’s a lot more to reality than the material world we are able to see. We cannot see gravity, but firsthand experience teaches us not to attempt to defy it.

In the book The Universe in a Single Atom The Dalai Lama sums it up well when he says, “There is a fundamental difference between that which is ‘not found’ and that which is ‘found not to exist.’ If I look for something and fail to find it, this does not mean that the thing I am seeking does not exist. Not seeing a thing is not the same as seeing its non-existence.”

The first thing you need to know is that twenty-four hours a day, nerve cells in your brain are generating electrical impulses that fluctuate rhythmically in distinct patterns called brain wave patterns, or energy that closely correlates with your thoughts, your emotions, your state of being, the functioning of the various systems of your body, and, in essence the entire quality of your life.

Scientists have conducted numerous studies of how the brain works when generating thought. It has been found that brain neurons fire when thoughts are created and that when we concentrate on a single thought for some time up to 100 billion neurons are fired. That’s one heck of a lot of energy.

It therefore stands to reason that if you are able to tap into this infinite power source, your own power is theoretically unlimited. And if your power is unlimited, it logically follows that you should be able to have a great deal of control over what you attract into your life.

Harv Eker author of Millionaire Mind outlines the Process of Manifestation as follows:

T-> F-> A-> R

Thoughts lead to Feelings.

Feelings lead to Actions.

Actions lead to Results.

In other words if you want to change your results you will need to change your thoughts.

Your thoughts dictate the quality of life you manifest. How you think works like a magnet. What you must be consciously aware of is that like attracts like. In other words negative thoughts create negative energy and attract negative things into your life. And positive thoughts create positive energy and attract positive things to you.
So the golden rule is – manage your thoughts. Become consciously aware of how you think and the kind of self talk you engage in. If your thoughts and self-talk aren’t positive make some changes fast. Then watch as more of the positive stuff flows into your life easily and consistently.

The Power Of Thought Part 1

Have you seen the ground breaking movie The Secret? The Secret shows how we can easily create abundance in our lives by learning to manage our thoughts. I purchased a copy of it shortly after it was launched and was so impressed by its powerful message that I have subsequently bought copies for family members.

As the popularity of The Secret has grown, there has been some criticism of it in the press and on various websites/blogs in recent months with critics appearing to share 2 concerns:

1. The message is simplistic

2. Disbelief that thoughts become things

What really bugs me about many of the critics is that they are not satisfied with questioning the message but feel compelled to attack the ‘gurus and experts’ who have shared their knowledge, experience and wisdom with purchasers of the movie and then go on to suggest that those who have purchased The Secret are stupid and gullible. This type of derision is not uncommon in the UK where it has become something of a national pastime to denigrate those who are successful.

I would like to add my two pence worth in response to these criticisms and to include some thoughts shared by others whose knowledge and expertise of things metaphysical are without question.

All that we are is the result of what we have thought.” Buddha

In 1993 the renowned author Deepak Chopra wrote a small and easy-to-read book entitled Creating Abundance. In it he describes the nature of the quantum field - that realm that physicists have discovered beyond the atom and even subatomic particles:

"Physicists tell us that as we go beyond the realm of subatomic particles into the cloud of subatomic particles which makes up the atom, which makes up everything in reality, that when we try to examine and understand these particles - which have fancy names like quarks and bosons and leptons, and so on - these particles are so small that we can never measure them. In fact, they are so small that we can only think about them.

Now, there is another very interesting fact about these particles: they have never been seen. So, if you can't observe these subatomic particles, if you can't see them, how do we even know they exist? And the answer is, we know they exist by the evidence of the trails they leave behind in particle accelerators. In places where they are doing research on subatomic theory, one can see - and even photograph - the trails that these particles leave behind. And by looking at the trails, one knows that they did, in fact, exist. But there is another very interesting facet to these particles, and that is that they come into existence only when we observe them.

So, if we are looking at a quantum field, every time we look at it these particles (in the cloud of subatomic particles) blink into existence. And every time we turn our attention away from them they disappear into a void. They blink on and off like little lights in a dark room. The dark room you can imagine as infinite, unbounded space, and the particles that blink into existence do so by the mere fact of putting attention on the field.

When you put your attention on the field, then they come into existence. When you're not putting your attention on the field, they are just a probability amplitude in the field of all possibilities."

In other words the things we think about are scientifically capable of turning possibility into reality. And likewise, when we get distracted from what we want and fail to pay attention to our dreams and goals, they become simply "a probability amplitude in the field of all possibilities". The real magic happens when we keep our thoughts focused on our dreams and desires and consistently use the power of our attention to literally bring our goals and our dreams into existence.

In The Power Of Thought Part 2 I’ll be discussing the power of thought and the energy to attract and manifest that flows from it.

Feeding Your Roots And Your Heart

Be patient as I share a recent experience with you, because it led to one of life’s amazing coincidences – as always the universe provided me with an amazing and insightful solution to a dilemma I faced and a quest I started earlier last year.

I have a confession to make…I try to write poetry. In 2005 I wrote the following piece:

TORN

Britain, my birth country

Part of my DNA

My roots are here

But not my heart

Africa, you fostered me

Nurtured me

My heart is here

It beats to your rhythms

I am incomplete always…

All ways.

In the months after writing this poem I began writing a number of articles on the 'Get Connected' theme. I never consciously made the connection between the poetry and the articles. Then the universe intervened...

Last year I went on a fabulous nostalgic holiday in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Although I was born in the UK, I grew up in Zimbabwe and my return after twenty years was a very emotional one. We had a fabulous guide called Pius, who looked after us during our stay at Victoria Falls. He is a member of the Cindebele tribe from the Bulawayo area, where I lived for a number of years in the 1970’s. One evening we were chatting, and I remarked that being born in one country and growing up in another led to a sense of never being complete in either place. Pius told me that in Cindebele culture a person’s roots would always belong in the place where their umbilical cord was buried but that their hearts would choose their places of belonging. ‘The wise person’ he said, ‘learns to feed both the roots and the heart for without either they must die.’

For a couple of seconds it felt as if the world fell silent to allow Pius’ words to seep into my consciousness. I realised that the universe had just presented me with a challenge – to find ways to feed my roots and my heart.

Ever since this conversation, my head has been bursting with exciting ideas - one of which is to run a ‘Get Connected’ event in Africa. I plan to run an ‘ Africa Connects Seminour’ – a combination tour, retreat and seminar. I love Africa, and would enjoy taking others to the places that feed my heart and soul and guiding them to reconnect with the things that feed their roots and hearts.

For those of you who have dreamt of visiting Africa, make a plan to do it this year and block out the period from the 6^th – 14^th May in your diaries. Then take a look at the teleseminars and events page on this website.

Loyalty

Loyalty is one of those word that sounds old-fashioned and rather passé, but nothing could be further from the truth. Loyalty encompasses truthfulness, faithfulness and integrity, values that are as relevant today as they were in the past.

Perhaps the reason we don't hear very much about it is because we're not entirely certain we really aspire to it, or don't want to be held accountable for disloyalty?

Loyalty is an unswerving allegiance, faithfulness and fidelity to a commitment, person, nation, organisation or a cause. It provides the gold standard for relationship excellence. It's steadfast in good times and tested in bad.

Loyalty is found in what you do and what you say. It is willingly given, with a person's whole heart and soul. Loyal people are faithful to their word, and demonstrate this in action, service, and sometimes through sacrifice.

Where do your loyalties lie? How do you demonstrate your loyalty? Is that demonstration consistent in both good times and bad?

The absence of fidelity, loss of reputation, lack of trust, cynicism, loss of peace of mind and self-worth are the terrible consequences of disloyalty. Ask yourself: "What would it cost if I choose to be disloyal?" The answer is: your integrity, your ability to be authentic. It's not only what you take away from the other party, but also what you steal from yourself when you choose not to be loyal.

Without loyalty we lack a moral centre in our lives. Loyalty is a universal good, which binds people to a moral order and to one another. Hence, a conflict of loyalties is disastrous. It is like a civil war waging in our souls.

Loyalty, like trust, is a two way street – you have to give it to get it. We know instinctively that healthy relationships are built upon both a conscious and unconscious commitment to loyalty. It's an organic ingredient of healthy human chemistry. Think of your abiding friendships and most intimate relationships – aren't faithfulness and loyalty essential?

If friends and family meet in times of comfort and prosperity but leave when hardship and difficulty strike, it is clear that their friendship and love are not true. It is not fair, right, nor admirable to benefit from someone's company in good times but abandon them in times of hardship.

Remaining true to our deepest commitments is life-long work for us individually, as it is for every organisation of which we're a part. Yet, loyalty often takes a back seat to the less noble virtues of convenience, profit, expediency and self-interest. As for us individually, this fickle loyalty to our highest purposes is one of our greatest vulnerabilities.

Loyalty is a word that should remind all of us to honour our commitments to others and to ourselves. It is the rudder of life, giving it meaning and direction. Without a robust commitment to loyalty our lives and credibility are greatly diminished.

Our society is increasingly becoming characterised by unfaithfulness and disloyalty. We need to demonstrate greater strength, loyalty, and cohesiveness in our relationships to others and ourselves.

As a virtue, loyalty is sometimes complex and elusive. Its complexity is due to the fact that the value of loyalty depends both on the constancy of one's commitment to something or someone, and to some extent on the value of that to which one is faithful.

Chicken meets egg. Is it that people are disloyal? Or is it that people don't engender loyalty? The answer to both is yes. We need to give serious consideration to how can we both demonstrate greater loyalty while earning the loyalty of others. This is a question for every business and individual to ponder.

Loyalty is also elusive in our rapidly changing culture, and in the unfolding of our lives as well. Our alliances and allegiances change over time, sometime because of their nature or ours, but not always or only because we lack the virtue of loyalty.

We all become weakened by defections among customers, employers, employees, friends and family. If the primary objective of any relationship is trust creation, then we must never betray nor neglect the virtue of loyalty as trust builds loyalty and loyalty builds even greater trust. Each of us has to choose – either loyalty or hypocrisy - there is no middle ground.

What A MARS Bar Taught Me About Goal Setting

My brother is crazy about MARS bars – actually one of the things that I find most annoying about him is that he eats 1 or 2 a day and remains as thin as a greyhound, I’ll probably put on 10 pounds just writing about a MARS bar! But I digress...

You have probably guessed by now that I am a big fan of setting goals and writing them down. As a speaker, trainer and coach I spend a great deal of time talking to people about the importance of goal setting and have often used the SMART mnemonic to remind myself and others of the qualities of effective goals:

S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Achievable
R = Recorded
T = Timebound

At a recent leadership development workshop I discussed with the delegates the how to’s of holding a goal setting meeting with a team member. We had gone through all the SMART qualities and then I said, ‘Don’t forget the motivational aspects of goal setting.’ This lead to a discussion about what makes a goal motivational, particularly in a work setting where goals are often driven by organisational needs rather than individual needs.

Motivation is key to goal accomplishment. Your motivation is the answer to why. Why do you want to achieve this goal? As I explained to the delegates, it’s the answer to WIIFM – What’s In It For Me’?

Remember W I I F M? It’s the smallest radio station in the world but the one with the most powerful signal.

How do you and your team members benefit by achieving work goals? What’s in it for you and them? Why should they invest time, energy and effort into accomplishing organisational goals? (By the way, if you don’t know much about motivating your people, get on a course ASAP and find out – don’t fall into the trap of thinking that money is the key, it’s not!)

Our motivation drives us to take action. Action is another key to goal achievement. Having goals, even when written down, is not enough. You must take action – big and small actions – if you are to achieve success.

Your goals also have to be relevant for who you are. What is the relevance of your goals to you? What is the relevance of work goals to your team members? When you understand the relevance of your goals you are able to make far better choices and decisions. You will choose and decide on those things that drive your goals forward. You will also more easily identify opportunities for driving your goals forward when you’re clear about their relevance to you.

So there you have it Motivation, Action and Relevance = Success. Or MARS for short. Now you also know what a MARS bar can teach you about goal setting.

Pick up a copy of my workbook Greatest Year, New Pathways and learn how to develop inspiring life and career goals and action plans for the twelve months ahead and every year of your life thereafter.