Is Limitation Focused Thinking Holding You Back?

By Tamara Aw


I recently had a conversation with two very lovely women. Both are wonderful mothers, fiercely loyal friends and in possession of hearts of gold. They have hopes and dreams that far exceed their current situations and are both equipped with the knowledge and personalities to achieve their goals and then some. What holds these women back is the fact that they both allow their thoughts to focus on limitations.

For instance, during the conversation, dreams were shared and then immediately shot down by negative limitation focused comments. Phrases like "I can't even think about it until my mortgage is paid off." and "It takes money to make things happen." were spouted out before the dreams even had a chance to be explored. I made a few attempts to share stories of friends and acquaintances who have overcome odds that far outweigh what any of the three of us had ever endured. I even shared specific examples that were very similar to the situations of these two ladies, but finally opted to remain silent after realizing I was trying to force the horse to drink. That said, this message is specifically targeted to the parched and thirsty.

What if I told you that I personally know college drop outs, single mothers, former welfare recipients and many others who faced insurmountable odds that have achieved extremely impressive levels of success? Do you realize how many of America's greatest leaders, business professionals, althletes and entertainers struggled for years before they achieved their goals?

We look at these people swimming in abundance and tend to feel resentful, jealous or envious because they are living our dream lives. What we must do instead is triumph over the temptation to think and feel negative. We need to study successful people and copy their behaviors and habits. You want to stay broke and unfulfilled then do the things that the broke and unfilled do. You want to remain complacent with mediocrity then do the things that the mediocre do. But if you want to follow in the footsteps of the Bob Johnsons of the world then you need to get serious about doing the things that the very successful do.

After literally devoting a little over a year to studying very successful people, especially those who have overcome great odds, I noticed a few common traits. All I personally know and most I have read about have unwavering faith. They also accept the fact that life gets extremely rough at times. Additionally, they absolutely refuse to allow themselves to be defined by their circumstances and balk at the label of Victim. Instead of choosing to let the cards they have been dealt control their lives and limit their potential, they push through perceived limitations, change the rules and dare to be different.

Mr. Donahue Peebles, who I was recently blessed to meet said that "If the key doesn't fit, change the lock." That is how successful people think. They do not let the lack of anything, be it a degree or cash limit their lives in any way, shape or form. They go for it knowing that they are aiming to live their God given purpose and do not let anything or anyone stop them.

If you take a look at several of the people listed below, who make up the top ten on the Forbes list of wealthiest African Americans, you will notice that many of them entered this world with the deck stacked against them: Oprah Winfrey was born into extreme poverty, battled with her weight and suffered through years of abuse and molestation; Don Peebles was a black man born in one of DC's hoods to a single mother without access to much that most of us take for granted; Magic Johnson was diagnosed with an incurable and deadly disease. None of those mentioned allowed challenges to limit them. They all dug in their heels, pushed forward with faith fortified hearts then made it happen.

I ask you, if they can achieve great heights after having endured terrible situations similar to those of most, what is preventing you from doing the same?

FORBES TOP TEN RICHEST AFRICAN AMERICANS
1. Oprah Winfrey - Net worth of $2.7 billion,
2. Tiger Woods - Net worth $600 million
3. Robert Johnson – Founder of BET - Net worth $550 million (he took a hit during the recession)
4. Michael Jordan - $525 million
5. Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Jr. - $500 million
6. Bill Cosby - $450 million
7. Sheila Johnson – Robert Johnson’s ex-wife – Net worth $400 million
8. Don Peebles – Runs Peebles Corp. a real estate development company – Net worth $350 million
9. Berry Gordy - Founder, Motown Records - Net worth $350 million
10. Quintin Primo III – Founder of real estate financing company Capri Capital - Net worth $300 million

Best regards,
Tamara Aw

Copy and paste http://www.forbes.com/2009/05/06/richest-black-americans-busienss-billionaires-richest-black-americans.html into your browser window in order to read the full Forbes article.

Tony Robbins: Musts vs Shoulds

Absorb and enjoy!

Tamara Aw

Footprints in the Sand Video

This song and video cause me to bawl like a baby. I am speechless and can only give thanks to Him for blessing me as He has. We all need to be thankful and recognize the blessings He bestows upon us. Sometimes it takes witnessing the suffering of others to realize just how often He hands His blessings down to us. People, we are blessed and this video shows just how much.

If you are reading this in relative comfort, be it in your living room or in a coffee shop, then consider yourself blessed. If you are reading this in relatively good health, then consider yourself blessed. If you are reading this while your kids run and play in the background, then you are blessed. If you are reading this from the job you absolutely hate, but show up for because it pays the bills, then consider yourself blessed. We are absolutely blessed and must remember that.

Hope you enjoy the video and reflect on its message.

Does Attitude Really Count?

by Michael Beck

For as long as I've been a professional I've heard that a person's attitude makes a difference. You've probably heard all the cute sayings about attitude - "Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude", Attitude is Everything", "The Only Thing You Can Control is Your Attitude". Every sales manager talks about attitude. Every leader talks about attitude. Every entrepreneur hears about attitude.

Let's face it. No one is against having a positive attitude. It's kind of like mom and apple pie. There's nothing to be against. But anyone who has worked with me knows that I don't go with the crowd. I tend to be an independent thinker and as such, often see things differently than others. Over my professional career, I've been a student of human nature, and one of the areas I make note of is attitude.

Attitude has an interesting dynamic around it. I've observed, for instance, that people with a positive attitude tend to hang out together and people with a negative attitude also hang out together. Of course, each group tends to support the views of each other person within their group. The positive people see themselves as optimistic and forward thinking. The negative people see themselves as realists. Additionally, each group tends to view the other group somewhat unfavorably. The people in the positive group tend to look at the negative group as complainers, while the negative group tends to view the positive group as naïve, unrealistic, and/or overly "cheery". I guess it's a matter of your perspective. Each group feels they have an accurate view of reality - or more precisely, THE accurate view of reality.

One thing I'm sure of in life is that a person's perspective determines their reality. And here is where these two groups begin to differ. I've noticed very different behaviors from people depending on their attitude. You see, attitude not only determines how a person sees things, but also affects their consequent actions as well. Our attitude determines our perspective, which in turn determines our reality. How does attitude and perspective affect our reality? Let me share a story as an example of how this happens. A number of years ago I had a friend who became focused on the potential problems surrounding the change of the millennium (Y2K). As he began to "research" the topic, the foretelling of upcoming disasters became his reality. In fact, the more he listened to radio talk shows the more he accepted their topics as "reality". The more articles he read on the subject the more he accepted the writings as "reality". The more websites he visited about Y2K, the more he accepted their perspectives as "reality". By the time the end of December came around, he had stockpiled water and food, and was pleading with me to move up to the mountains to escape the impending terrorist attacks, falling planes, food shortages, crashing cars, and lack of water. January 1, 2000 came and went without incident. He never spoke to me again.

Obviously none of us are worried about Y2K any longer, but this story underlines how our attitude definitely affects how we conduct ourselves and our life. Our attitude creates our reality. But be clear, it's OUR reality, not THE reality.

I've observed that positive people tend to view challenges as speed bumps while negative people see them as obstacles standing in the way of success. Positive folks often face the same challenges as negative folks, except that negative people have their thoughts and energies focused on the problems and the consequences of the problems, while the positive people focus their thoughts and energies on succeeding despite the problems. (Yes,... including rate increases.)

Does attitude really count? Can attitude really change your reality? I guess it all depends on your perspective...

Destiny's Calling, by Dewall

This video and song are absolutely inspiring and uplifting. I am proud to say that I know this extremely talented man and I am happy to share his talent with you all. Enjoy!



Most humbly yours,
Tamara Aw
Director
MEG Staffing LLC

Does Positive Thinking Work?

By Joyce Shafer

http://www.freewebs.com/joyceshafer

I received an e-newsletter with a comment from a highly successful individual arguing that positive thinking doesn't work and why. He also claimed that when he expresses this opinion, some people get their knickers in a knot, especially those who've spent decades reading the books and attending seminars and, he added, without any significant change in their lives. Here are some other points he made.

* No amount of positive thinking will create a shift for a couch potato.

* Nor for someone who has deeply held negative feelings about what they can accomplish.

* The 20% for whom positive thinking works were achievers to begin with.

* No amount of positive thinking will ever shift how life is experienced for a pessimist.

He makes some good points; but I'd like to look at and expand on them.

Positive thinking and repeating or writing affirmations without taking action is like looking at ingredients in your kitchen and wishing for a particular meal to happen. Now, it's possible you could feel hungry for something in particular, say, lasagna, and a neighbor invites you over or brings you a serving of lasagna. These are delightful occurrences; but more often than not, you'll have to get into the kitchen and cook.

If someone identifies their nature (some of it learned) as pessimistic, that's a huge step in the right direction. A pessimist doesn't need to become an optimist; he or she just needs to acquire, develop, and rely on tools that move him quickly to where he prefers to be. The writer of the article is correct about positive thinking not working because what we attract to us is based on our deeply held feelings. And, thank goodness. If the average person thinks over 12,000 thoughts each day, we could really get ourselves into some unpleasant situations if all of them came true.

I don't know if the commenter is correct about the 20:80 ratio but more than likely, some of the 80% he placed into non- or underachiever pessimists have probably had some successes in their lifetimes. What he feels will create results is visualization. My thought is that positive thinking, affirmations, and visualization work if and only if an individual can touch a feeling of having it.

Previously, I wrote that my triggered reaction (learned behavior) falls into the category of pessimist. Because I decided that it doesn't feel good to sustain this feeling, I've developed tools that help me move away from it so I can feel the way I prefer. My biggest motivator, and not just because someone wrote or said it but because I live it, is that whatever I feel the strongest is what I expand more of into my life. A significant distinction to get here is that this doesn't mean I never have challenges enter my life, it means I choose my thoughts, words, actions, and feelings about everything.

It's okay to identify what you don't like or want then identify the opposite or what's appropriate for you. The key is you have to let your feelings about what you prefer be stronger than what you want to change. Otherwise, your feelings stay on what you don't like and you get more of that.

You have to intend what you prefer. You have to commit to it, no mater what it takes. Think about anything you've ever been determined to do. You did it, right? Go ahead and write your vision or goal down. Visualize it. Affirm it's yours. But if you really want to charge it up, you're going to have to believe it will be yours and allow it.

How I get in touch with a feeling is to recall a moment when I felt a particular way, let's use successful as an example. I may start out bringing to mind what was going on and who was there, but I end up at what it felt like to know I'd chosen a target, taken aim, and hit it. I "stand" in the middle of the feeling until it's so familiar I can call it up at will.

Some of the actions you take may not work. Those are called Lessons about How Not to Do It. If you're committed to success about anything, your mantra can be, "There's a way and I'm going to find it or create it."

The way to do positive thinking may be to state, "I'm positive I can choose to feel differently at any time. I'm positive I can choose to be open to good things happening in my life. I'm positive I can find the actions that create the outcomes I choose."

It's not about what comes to us in life, it's about what we choose to do with what we have, who we are, and who we intend to be.

CCG & Associates

By Tamara Aw, Director of MEG Staffing

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Fredia Pryor, Owner/CEO of CCG & Associates. CCG & Associates is responsible for helping hundreds of business owners acheive their dreams.

What sets CCG & Associates apart from their competitors is that they cater to small businesses, they care about more than just the bottom line and they offer true one-on-one support to their clientele. Having started off as a client of CCG & Associates, I personally vouch for their effectiveness and must state that although I was one of many clients, I honestly felt as if I were the only one. My calls never went unanswered and the personalized attention I received was priceless. Additionally, the CCG team provided more than business advice, but also provided the emotional and mental support that was necessary to push me to the next level. Whenever self-doubt started to creep in or distractions threatened to become too much, CCG & Associates was there to steer me back on track.

The interview with Fredia Pryor, Owner/CEO of CCG & Associates follows.

Tamara: Can you tell us a little bit about CCG and the services you offer?
Fredia: CCG & Associates is a business consulting firm that specializes in both the development of the entrepreneur and the development of the business. The services we provide are geared to target key areas to are vital the success of not only new businesses, but established business as well. We provide services that assist with the start-up of a new business, to services that help obtain and retain clients.

Tamara: How did the idea for CCG come about?
Fredia: CCG & Associates started initially as a resume preparation business. The services provided were solely for the advancement of the jobseeker . As time passed, CCG Staffing evolved into consulting and coaching. CCG Staffing has now grown in to an independent staffing agency that has recently partnered with Meg Staffing, LLC.

Tamara: I notice that you focus on small businesses, what do you say to people that think you should target large companies?
Fredia: CCG & Associates targets the start-up, newly established and established (less than 5 years) businesses. I am asked often why not target large companies, and my answer is this: Larger companies have more opportunity to succeed than that of the smaller businesses. The aspiring business owner may not have the tools available to him/her that the larger , more established owner would. My role is to provide assistance where it is needed most.

Tamara: What gave you the strength to step out there on your own?
Fredia: I have always had a niche for planning and organizing. I always knew that my position was to help others succeed and that is what I have been successfully doing since 2003.

Tamara: If you could pass on one piece of advice to a budding entreprenuer, what would it be?
Fredia: If you have an idea, make it happen. Don't think about what you need to for a long period of time, you will only talk yourself out of it. Document everything you want to do, prepare a timeline for accomplishing your goal(s), have a realistic schedule and FOLLOW IT!

Tamara: What can we expect to see next from CCG and Fredia Pryor?
Fredia: Next, I plan to expand CCG by providing another service that will be beneficial to my clients. Right now, I operate Career Consultation Guide, which is focussed soley on Entrepreneurial Coaching & Development. There is CCG Staffing with has now partnered with Megstaffing to provide a personal approach & a cost-effective solution to staffing for small businesses (50 employees or less). CCG also provides Entrepreneurial Benefits at very affordable rates to ensure the unemployed and the small business owners are able to receive healthcare coverage for their families. The next venture will be a seperate entity , but will remain under the CCG umbrella. It will provide an additional solution to the issues plaguing small businesses, their owners and their success.

http://ccgandassociates.com/

The Seven Simple Secrets of Naturally Lucky People

By Charles Burke

Charles Burke is the author of "Command More Luck," a book offering powerful suggestions for getting more cooperation from life, luck, and your own mind. Whether you call it synchronicity, serendipity, or just plain old luck, you CAN become more "naturally lucky." Learn more at www.CommandMoreLuck.com

We've all seen people who are just naturally lucky. They're the ones who manage to sail through life with more unexplainable "lucky breaks" and fewer disappointments than most people get. Success just seems to come easier for them.

Where most folks have to struggle just to get ahead, lucky people regularly have opportunities just plop down in their laps. Of course, they work hard, but that doesn't fully explain the special treatment that life seems to reserve for them.

It almost appears that they were born with the proverbial silver spoon in their mouths. Or born under a luckier star than most mere mortals.

Well, cheer up; neither stars nor spoons are at work here. All they have is seven simple secrets. These secrets are easy little things that you can begin applying in your own life. And when you do, things will start to change for you. Your career will begin to blossom in unexpected ways. And one day you'll realize that now everyone has started calling you naturally lucky, too.

Ready to command more luck in your life? Here are the seven simple secrets of naturally lucky people.

SECRET #1: LUCKY PEOPLE DON'T BELIEVE IN LUCK

I recently interviewed ten unusually successful business people for a book I was writing about the role luck plays in the lives of successes.

Nearly every one of them stated plainly they don't believe in luck.

In the next breath, however, they told about unending streams of "serendipitous" or "synchronistic" events that routinely happen in their daily lives.

I believe they don't like the word "luck" because it implies there's no way to control it. They've learned that there is.If you prefer to call it serendipity or synchronicity rather than lucky, that's okay. The message here is not which term to use. It's about what you can do to get these kinds of things happening for you. When they do happen, you can call them anything you want.

SECRET #2: "BAD" STUFF HAPPENS TO THEM TOO

There are several ways to have good luck. The most common (and the most useful) is to find opportunities in problems.

Let's say you and I are neighbors, and our whole city has a common problem. Maybe it's infestation with insects. Or it could be a serious pollution problem from a nearby plant.

While almost everyone is griping and complaining about the problem, you might decide: "Hey, if I can solve this problem, it will help my neighbors, and it can also make a profit for me." Your neighbors only saw the problem, but you looked deeper and found an opportunity.

All great fortunes have been built upon solving great problems. That's probably the most common and the most controllable way to generate your own luck.

SECRET #3: MORE PEOPLE QUIT THAN LOSE

If you knew ahead of time without a doubt that your success was guaranteed, how much would you go out and do?

Would it make any difference in the kind of things you would attempt? How much higher would you direct your aim?

Well, a funny thing happened to me a few years back. I was sitting and feeling sorry for myself one day because of all the failures that I had been through.

Then it suddenly occurred to me that one particular case hadn't been a real failure. I admitted to myself (reluctantly) that I had simply quit too soon. I had quit before I'd really had a chance to fail.

Then I thought of another non-failure. Then another.

And before long, I was buried under an avalanche of similar cases. In fact, I couldn't think of a single time when I had actually kept on trying long enough to fail. In other words, I had never experienced failure in my entire lifetime.

Only quitting.

A realization like that will realign your reality. After that, it's hard to consider yourself a failure because you've never failed. Who knows what you might really be, down inside?

I began to wonder: what would have happened if I had stuck with even a few of those situations just a little longer? What if I stopped being so ready to throw in the towel and surrender too soon? Would I start seeing the number of clear successes in my life begin to grow?

I started finding a new resourcefulness within myself. My "keeping-on" average began to go up, and my "failure" average started declining.

I count that one realization among the most important in my life. Not because it solved a problem, but because it identified one. Once I could see that the problem wasn't even what I thought it was, I was then able to work on doing something else instead.

And you know what? My luck began improving.

SECRET #4: BETTING ON LOSING HANDS MAKES LOSERS

Successful poker players don't play every hand they're dealt.

If you keep count, the hands they fold far outnumber the hands they hold.

That's because a good card player knows the odds for every possible card combination. They know whether a flush beats a full house and which is more likely to occur. Good players don't bet on risk, they bet on probability.

Lucky people are very similar. They know longshots when they see them, and they may bet, but it's a calculated bet.

Lucky people are some of the most tenacious people on earth when it's appropriate. But they're also some of the quickest quitters when the odds don't favor them. In fact, they'll usually opt out of most situations before they even begin because they have learned to recognize and rank opportunities.

What makes a good opportunity? First, does it solve a WIDESPREAD problem? Second, do the people with the problem have enough money to pay for solving that problem? Third, is it easy to reach the people with the problem? Fourth, is the solution a really good one?

If they don't find all four factors, a lucky person will walk away because they know it's a losing hand, no matter how much they personally love the idea.

So if a lucky person sees he's holding a losing hand, he quits quickly and cuts his losses.

SECRET #5: MOST GOOD LUCK COMES THROUGH OTHER PEOPLE

Good luck almost never happens in a vacuum.

Several years back I read a book by Max Gunther titled "The Luck Factor." Most of the details in that book have dimmed, but I've never forgotten the core idea: Most lucky breaks are brought to you by other people.

Few people find significant amounts of money on the street or buried in the backyard. Perhaps even fewer win lotteries. Instead, luck comes more often in the form of opportunities.

You're with a group of ladies (or guys) who are sitting around complaining about how it's hard to find respectable men (women) to date. Everybody is really getting into the problem.

The person next to you leans over and whispers, "Don't you wish everyone would just quit whining?" But instead of complaining about all those complaints, a little lightbulb clicks on in your head. You realize a good computerized screening service for romantic introductions would fill a real need here.

You don't say anything, but weeks later, when you announce the new service, and you're flooded with calls from singles all over the city wanting safer introductions, all your friends whisper, "She's so lucky. Where did she get that great idea?"

You know where the idea came from, but you're not telling.

A great deal of "good luck" is manually created out of discomfort often someone else's.

SECRET #6: GOOD LUCK FAVORS THOSE WHO HAVE PREPARED

Let's say you're appearing in an amateur play in a little theater in your neighborhood. A big-name producer from Hollywood is visiting a sick relative, hears about the play, and for a bit of distraction decides to attend.

She sees a spark of something special in your performance, asks to meet you, and offers you a screen test. Okay, freeze the frame for a second.

Are you prepared for this big break? Have you done all the study and the practice and the foundation work it takes to be a professional? Will you have the technique and the skills necessary to do the job?

Or are you going to try and fake your way through it?

If you're prepared, you're likely to do well. This means a giant step toward your dreams.

And if you're not prepared... well, good luck with your day job.

SECRET #7: YOU CAN ATTRACT GOOD THINGS, TOO

All this talk about finding opportunities in "bad" events and developing your skills is important, but there's a more sunny side to luck as well.

Internet entrepreneur Joe Vitale terms it his "Magic Escalator through Life," and award-winning author John Harricharan has titled it "The Power Pause."

I interviewed both of these men recently, as well as eight other fascinating people, about how they manage to stay so consistently successful.

Every single one of them has techniques for keeping their mind tuned to the things they want. And they attend to this "mind tuning" every day. They're not casual about this. Oh no, they put regular effort into it. Their successes and their luck are not accidents.

If you're tempted to greet this with a dismissive, "Oh yeah, I've read those positive thinking books," then you need to think again.

The hardest part of Secret #7? Taking responsibility for the bad stuff in your life. If you've got uncomfortable situations right now, you'll never have the power to change them until you accept the fact that you created that mess... exactly as it is right now.

Admit to yourself that you created your own problems, down to the last tiny detail, and only then will you take command of the power to change those problems. Fortunately, it's not as impossible as it sounds at first.

Your mind is like a bucket. If the bucket is filled with muddy water, all you have to do is start a steady flow of clear, fresh water into the bucket.

Soon, the bucket (or your mind) is filled with clear, fresh contents.

Steady daily input of clear, fresh thoughts will change the things that appear in your life, without the need for major renovation. It just happens. You work on the inside, and the outside takes care of itself.

This means you don't fight the old thoughts. You give them minimum energy. You don't resist, you don't struggle. Instead, you put your attention as much as possible on the good things you want to appear in your life.

The lucky things you spend your time thinking about just start happening for you, and one day you wake up and realize, "Hey, I'm a pretty lucky person now. When did that happen?"

Be Positive For Once In Your Life

By Hani Al-Qasem

Hani Al-Qasem is the co-author of "Self-Confidence Building in 7 Steps." He is proud and passionate about his dream and vision to help inspire, motivate and support adults and children, of all ages, to be the best that they can be in all areas of their lives.

"You are so negative. Why not try being positive and appreciative just for once in your life?" cried a disgruntled employee as she glared across her general manager's wide desk.

Then she turned on her heels and sternly walked out of his office, shoulders back, eyes wide open, a hint of a smile at one corner of her mouth, feeling especially proud of herself.

The general manager embarrassingly outlined this event to me a few days later, and I could clearly see that he was shocked and taken aback by her reaction. She had always been a calm, level-headed person.

Up until that particular moment, he never considered himself to be a negative or disapproving person, whether at work or at home. And he certainly was convinced that he appreciated all of his staff most of the time.

All the same, that outburst from one of his managers made him sit back and reflect on the event of the past few days, so as to backtrack his steps in an attempt to identify where he might have seemed negative or unappreciative.

After much consideration and unhurried reflection, he was unable to ascertain where and when he might have gone wrong. He even thought he was more appreciative than normal that particular week!

In an effort to clearly and openly study his thoughts and actions, I enquired if he was prepared to do a little test for me. I asked if he would undergo an inventory of his thoughts and actions for the next three days.

I told him to carry a pocket sized notebook with him at all times, and he was to make sure that this notebook was always visible to him where ever he went; this way the notebook would constantly remind him of the exercise.

Under normal circumstances, he would not be alert to his negativity; however, the notebook will bring to his awareness the times he was not positive or appreciative.

The idea was for him to immediately place an 'X' any time he felt or said anything negative, or any time he felt unappreciative. Everything had to be recorded no matter what, and for this inventory to be all that more effective, he was to include a weekend day.

He will more than likely miss quite a few negative or unappreciative thoughts or actions, yet we will still get a pretty good idea.He took on the exercise with great humour, almost betting me that he was by far more positive than negative; that manager of his merely overreacted.

At our next meeting, we tallied up his negative thoughts and unappreciative moments. We found them to be rather high, in fact, very high."The first step in tackling anything that you wanted changed or corrected is to be aware and acknowledge that it is there in the first place," I explained to him.

The next step is to take action. In this case, the general manager was to practise being aware of his thoughts from that point on. He was to think twice before he would say anything. And when he forgets to think twice, he should notice any negative thoughts that he had, preferably as soon as he started it.

As soon as a negative thought came to mind, he was to stop it and, more importantly, he has to turn it into a positive statement. If for some reason he could not think of a positive statement or comment, he was to turn the negative thought into an appreciative thought.

When he notices he was having a negative thought, one powerful method to stop and counter that is to say, "CANCEL THAT," and then think of something positive or appreciative to think or say.

If you were to catch yourself thinking, or talking negatively about someone or a situation, stop yourself as soon as you can, say the magic word "Cancel that," and change that negativity into something positive or appreciative.

For example, I am grateful for the steady income I have, or I am happy I have a loving husband or wife, or perhaps I am grateful for the food I always have.

Say it with affection and you will definitely reap the rewards.

Mambo Sauce Believes in Miracles

The song Miracles, by DC based Mambo Sauce, is an uplifting and inspirational track that is on regular rotation in my life.  Lyrics such as "Do you believe in miracles?  Maybe we can change the world.  Maybe we can make a better life.  Can you see the light?" are a refreshingly positive vibe, stretched tightly over a rhythmic drum beat, that helps me truly believe in the possibility of the impossible.  

I find myself playing this song on a daily basis, many times on repeat, especially when I need an extra boost to step further out of my comfort zone and into greatness.   Other Miracles lines that particularly speak to me include:

• "No matter what you go through to get through it, you gotta get to it."
• "Hey, they say that we can't do the impossible and I'm like damn, why can't I try?
• "Truth is the proof is in the pudding.  The truth is you get back what you put in."
• "The difference between win and defeat is "N" apostrophe "T".  Either you can or you can't, you do or you don't, either you are or you ain't, you will or you won't."
• "Well me, if I conceive it, I can achieve it and if I dream and believe it, then I can be it!"

Turn up your speakers, press play to view this video and allow your mind to soak in the inspirational spirit of Mambo Sauce's Miracles.  Lay back and enjoy the spiritual bath.

Very truly yours,

Tamara Aw

Director

MEG Staffing

megstaffing@gmail.com

information@megstaffing.com

Zena Contreras Has Partnered with MEG Staffing!

The MEG Staffing family is happy to announce that the incredibly enlightened Motivational Speaker, Life Coach and Author, Zena Contreras, has partnered with the MEG Staffing team.

EACH and EVERY Tuesday night, at 6:00 p.m. PST, Zena will bestow her wisdom and inspirational spirit on lucky callers during FREE 30 minute weekly Coaching Sessions. Do not miss your chance to speak one-on-one with Zena Contreras.

The topic for February 2008 is "What I Know..."
~ Feb 12th - God is Real
~ Feb 19th - I Deserve/Require
~ Feb 26th - Visualization Session

Conference calls require a FREE one time registration. Upon successful completion, the call-in number and access code will be sent to you via email. Click here to register.

The Power of Belief

By Rod Low

Belief is just one principle of success. You can't succeed in life without first believing you can. Thing is, 'belief' is not the only factor you need to succeed. There are, according to Napoleon Hill, 17 principles that form the building block of Success.
In another book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, Kiyosaki introduce a formula with belief in it. He call it the 'Be - Do - Have' formula. According to him, Be = Belief, Do = Action and Have = Reward. So yes...you need to believe before you can do before you can have.

Key question: How to cultivate the 'Belief' in you? Answers can be found in the word, 'Autosuggestion.'

Autosuggestion is a technique to 'trick' your mind into believing that what you want is tangible. You see, our mind is split into 2 groups, the sub-conscious and the conscious. For example, those who can't cycle will have to learn how to cycle using the conscious mind. However once you know how to cycle, your sub-conscious mind took over. You no longer pay attention with your movement...it becomes natural. (It's also true with habits)

Same thing happen here. You constantly play a mental picture in your mind the things that you want, over and over and over again and eventually, your sub-conscious mind will believe and make it happen.

If you have doubt about this technique, ask yourself, have you been thinking about the things that you don't want constantly and get it? That's the biggest reason why most people usually don't get what they want. They keep away from things they want and play in the mind about the things they don't want.

But if you can have a very clear mental picture of what you want and keep replaying it on your mind, you will find that the belief in you increase, your confidence increase and opportunities starts to present itself.

Fear of Inadequacy or Fear of Success?

I recently stumbled upon the Marianne Williamson quote you see below and find it to be incredibly true. This short paragraph, brimming with wisdom, summarily resolved my own struggles with fear, self doubt and self worth. I am sharing it with my readers in hopes that it frees minds and releases fear that causes untapped potential to stagnate. Enjoy!

"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 wont 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 is 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. "

Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles," 1992 (commonly misattributed to Nelson Mandela, 1994 inauguration speech)

How to Remove Obstacles to Growth and Progress

By Davis Goss

For more than 50 years, Davis Goss has been a creative consultant with particular expertise in problem solving for a widely diverse client base that has included many of the giants of American business. His latest book, "The Science of LIVING BETTER FOREVER", details his unique scientific problem solving techniques that, unlike any other, are based solely on proven scientific laws and principles.

Any success oriented person with an eye to the future is always alert to exploring those methods and procedures that others have proven to be successful. My professional experiences have shown me that there is only one thing that prevents us from realizing new profits and more positive personal and professional growth experiences is some barrier or obstacle that seems to exist between where we are now and where we would like to be.

People experience resistance to growth because they have been taught that they are the victims of negative situations that have been imposed upon them from some outside situation over which they have no control. This is where the struggle begins. They instinctively feel compelled to confront the situation with sufficient force to beat it into submission. This confrontational approach is the cause of all stress, pressure, anxiety and fear.

It is a self-evident fact that in a universe that functions in perfect balance and harmony, without any help from you and me, there are universal laws and principles that maintain and support their irrevocable continuity and perpetuity. Through my reasoning process, I can accurately conclude that I am an integral element in this system and partake of its perfection and non-confrontational, productive existence. If I am not consciously experiencing this right now, it's my own fault.

The key to resolving any negative, obstructive situation is not buried in some long lost archive. It is found in our own dictionary. It's found in Webster's definition of natural laws and principles which he states very simply as "the creative and controlling forces of the universe". By definition, these natural laws and principles cannot be negative, destructive or be flawed in any way. They are absolute, irrevocable and all-inclusive and are no more subject to debate, challenge, alteration or circumvention than the suggestion that "5" has a rightful place at the end of 2 + 2.

The only action worthy of our attention when confronted with a problem, obstacle or barrier of any kind is to recognize that the harmony or solution is already embodied in some natural law or principle. And if we will keep our thought open and receptive to these laws in operation, and away from the problem's destructive negativism, we will be letting these "creative and controlling forces of the universe" enforce their own nature and we will be a witness to our problem's disappearance.

Think about this. Realize that the only thing that will solve your problems, remove that "glitch" in your world and allow you to break free of any restrictions that may inhibit your business or personal and professional growth, is by allowing natural laws and principles to guide and govern your actions and mind-set. NOT money. NOT technology. NOT academic achievement. NOT personal opinions. NOT intellectual theories or philosophical abstractions. The only thing you can do is to release your own personal feelings and opinions, keep your mental focus on the irreversible operation of "the creative forces of the universe" and allow this mindset to manifest in improved events and circumstances that define your life experiences.