Welcome
to the LifeExcellence Newsletter!
Written & Published by Brian E. Bartes
http://www.lifeexcellence.com
===================================================
LifeExcellence:
Dream It. Plan It. Live It.™
Welcome to
all new subscribers! If this newsletter was forwarded
to you and you would like to receive your own FREE copy, you can
subscribe at our website at http://www.lifeexcellence.com
or send an e-mail to: LifeExcellence-On@letters.webvalence.com
Please give
yourself and others the gift of forwarding this
newsletter to at least 3 of your friends, clients, and associates.
They'll thank you for it!
===================================================
Table
of Contents:
1.
Baby Steps
2. Feature Article: What's Holding You Back? - Part 1
3. Quotes
4. Recommended Resources
5. Self-Care: Cherries
6. Final Thoughts: The Butterfly
===================================================
Baby
Steps:
Success is often determined by the extent to which we are able to "escape from" the obstacles that stand in our way.
===================================================
Feature
Article: WHAT'S HOLDING YOU BACK? - PART 1
Harry
Houdini is one of the most famous magicians, escapologists and
stunt performers of all time. I recently read an account of how
he introduced the straitjacket into his act. While touring an
insane asylum in Canada, he witnessed a “maniac” struggling
to “free himself from his canvas restraint.” Houdini,
fascinated by the device, began experimenting with it immediately,
and soon integrated the escape into his repertoire.
As I read
about handcuffs, ropes and straitjackets, I began thinking about
“devices” that restrain us; that is, the obstacles
that hinder us from achieving our full potential. For Houdini,
his profession consisted of overcoming these obstacles, and escaping
from various devices. For us, our success is often determined
by the extent to which we are able to “escape from”
the obstacles that stand in our way.
In this article,
and also next time, I would like to discuss a couple factors that
hold us back. After that (to give you a sneak peek on where we’re
headed in the next several issues), I will share a few “tricks”
for achieving success in any (and every!) area of your life.
There are
two points in an endeavor when people have the hardest time: the
beginning, and when the endeavor is about 80% complete. The beginning
is represented by the metaphorical straitjacket. When constrained
in this way, it is very difficult to begin the task, or the project.
Now, we’re
obviously not physically constrained as we start on the journey
to achieving our goal. So what is it that holds us back? Limiting
beliefs. You know what this sounds like, right? “I can’t
do this.” “Sure, it worked for Jane. But she’s
_____ (fill in the blank) than I am.” And my favorite limiting
belief, “I don’t have enough time/money/etc.”
Limiting beliefs
are stories that we tell ourselves. While there may be some validity
to the belief, we often magnify the issue. When this happens,
we talk ourselves out of even attempting the endeavor. Limiting
beliefs ensure failure, and the saga continues with us being the
victim of our “misfortune.”
What a shame
that people give up before they even start. It’s like being
an escapologist, donning a straitjacket, then deciding not to
even attempt an escape. Remember that success in your next task,
project or business venture is probably easier than escaping from
a straitjacket—a feat that Houdini was routinely able to
accomplish.
Next
time, I’ll talk about why it is sometimes so hard to finish.
=====================================================
Quotes:
If
you really want something you can figure out how to make it happen.
Cher
A year from
now you may wish you had started today.
Karen Lamb
In each of
us are places where we have never gone. Only by pressing the
limits do we ever find them.
Dr. Joyce Brothers
=====================================================
Recommended
Resources:
Mastering
Work Less Make More:
Stop Working So Hard and Create the Life You Really Want!
by Jennifer White
This four-CD
series provides a proven 10-step program for unlocking your
potential. Uncover exactly why you aren’t getting the
results you want and then learn how to take action. Put the
passion back in your life and work…starting today!
To order, click
here.
Dare
to Win
by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen
This
book, written by the dynamic duo who wrote Chicken Soup for the
Soul, provides techniques to help you achieve the things you want
in life. Read the book, and begin applying its ideas immediately.
To order book, click
here.
=====================================================
Self-Care:
Cherries
Cherries
have been eaten and enjoyed for centuries. According to recent
research, the taste isn’t the only reason to love them.
Cherries
are a rich source of antioxidants, which helps fight cancer
and heart disease. In addition, they contain compounds that
help relieve the pain of arthritis, and even headaches.
The secret
to the health benefits of cherries is anthocyanins, the pigments
that give cherries their color. In addition to their colorful
characteristics, anthocyanins contain powerful antioxidant properties,
the consumption of which provides protection against cardiovascular
and other diseases.
In addition
to the antioxidents, cherries are also rich in two important
flavonoids—isoqueritrin and queritrin—that are potent
anticancer agents.
As
the recent Newsweek article said, given the health benefits
of cherries, “the day when doctors say ‘Take 10
cherries and call me in the morning” may not be that far
off.”
=====================================================
Final
Thoughts: The
Butterfly
A man found a cocoon for a butterfly. One day a small opening
appeared, and the man sat and watched the butterfly for several
hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole.
Then
it seemed to stop making any progress. It wasn’t moving,
so the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of
scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly
then emerged easily.
But
something was strange. The butterfly had a swollen body and
shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly, because
he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and
expand to be able to support the body, which would contract
in time. Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the
rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed
wings. It was never able to fly.
What
the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that
the restricting cocoon, and the struggle required for the butterfly
to get through the small opening of the cocoon, are nature's
way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its
wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved
its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes
struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were allowed
to proceed through life without any obstacles, that would cripple
us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. Not only
that, we would never be able to fly.
=====================================================
Thank
you for reading the LifeExcellence Newsletter.
Have a “magical” week!
- Brian Bartes
_____________________
Services
I Highly Recommend:
Our
Shopping Cart – Are you selling products or services online?
Turbo Marketing System has helped thousands of successful
businesses take the guesswork out of capturing more online
orders quickly and easily. And unlike other systems, this complete
shopping cart solution does not require any additional software,
order forms or database programs. Test-drive
it for 30 days at www.TurboMarketingSystem.com.
