“I may not be there yet, but I’m closer than I was yesterday.” ~Author Unknown

I have been trying to write a book, actually a number of books, for nearly 3 years now.  Some are nearly done, others are ready to present to publishers - title, 3 chapters or so, concept and market research; still none of them are done!  Time to change that.

The reasons for completing the first book are compelling.  The excuses for why the first book is not yet published are seeming trivial now.  So here is my commitment: By 5pm, Central Time Zone, Wednesday September 17th, my first book will be for sale - in at least 2 versions - in at least a physical paper version and a downloadable version.  That is my commitment to myself, my readers, my family and friends and my clients.

What will the book be about?  I haven’t decided which one to bring out first. I will make that decision soon and you can read about it here.

Till next time…Jack

“People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are.  I don’t believe in circumstances.  The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can’t find them, make them.” ~G.B. Shaw, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, 1893

Hi everyone.  Just a quick update.  I closed out my last Colorado phone number last week and activated a new phone account in this region.  My phone number, for at least awhile, is: (515) 360-4711

All the best and bye for now…Jack

“The greatest masterpieces were once only pigments on a palette.” ~Henry S. Hoskins

So how are you doing? Are you on track for making this your best year ever? Are you on track for making your dreams come true? I don’t know about you, but some of my dreams have been waiting far too long and this is going to be the year that they become part of my everyday reality!

To help you on your path, I wanted to give you my weekly planning sheet this entry. This sheet is the result of many years of testing and is simple as I currently know how to make it, while making sure that it is comprehensive. Use it, use it every week and it rapidly helps to transform your life. Here it comes…enjoy! Read the rest of this entry »

“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

I said last time that “if there are mistakes that you made that you are still thinking about, then I think you should consider an exercise to change that. I believe that energy and attention put into the past, into attention on the past, is energy and time that cannot be available, cannot be used, to operate in the here and now to create our desired future.”

I am talking here in this entry about releasing the past…releasing ourselves from the past in order to be fully present in the here and now…the only place you can really take action. Your ability to effectively grow your small business, to achieve your life dreams, to thrive as an executive in a major corporation, these are all going to be achieved by your ability to take effective action. It is great to learn from the past, in fact it is absolutely critical, but when the time comes for action, you can only do that now…right now.

So why do we still think about the past and is that always a bad thing? Read the rest of this entry »

“I love quotations because it is a joy to find thoughts one might have, beautifully expressed with much authority by someone recognizably wiser than oneself.” ~Marlene Dietrich

Questions! I love em! I believe that the ability to ask myself, and others, well formed questions is a foundational key to success. What does this have to do with annual planning and making your dreams come true? That’s right! It is going to be all about questions.

Before we begin, find yourself a nice clean pad of paper, or a decent tape recorder, or turn on your voice recognition software and let’s begin.

I always recommend starting the planning for a new year by a careful review of the past year. In my personal experience, and my experience in working with many thousands of clients, this has proven to be a worthwhile part of the process.

• What did you learn last year? Read the rest of this entry »

“Work should fund your life; it shouldn’t be your life.” ~Jack Bergstrom

I absolutely believe this to be a very useful statement to consider. It is of course also a belief…and this entry continues, with a field trip, our discussion of beliefs and affirmations.

So, what did you do this weekend? If your time off comes during the week: What did you do on your time off this last week? My wish for you is that you got out and did something great, or unusual, or new. Perhaps you visited some friends or did some traveling or went to the theater. Maybe you tried out a new restaurant or made a great recipe from a great cookbook. I personally like to do at least one thing, each and every weekend, that is new to me…a new experience. Sometimes I find something great and I know I will do it again. Sometimes I find something not so great that I hope I will never do again! So for me, I am always looking to do and experience something new. This is my behavior and it is very consistent and this behavior is driven by beliefs.

For me to always go out and look for new things to try and do, Read the rest of this entry »

“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C s. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of all is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.” ~Walt Disney

Thanks Walt! Pretty much what I believe myself. There is that word belief again! It is hard to have a decent conversation without it.

Affirmations are used to change limiting beliefs. So what is a limiting belief? Read the rest of this entry »

“I’m not crazy about reality, but it’s still the only place to get a decent meal.” ~Groucho Marx

In order to use affirmations in a useful way, for now I am going to describe useful as … helping us to achieve our goals more quickly and elegantly, we are going to do just a bit of exploration about “Beliefs”. Now, in my opinion, there is no such thing as a belief. The entire concept of “belief” cannot be proved. In fact, the entire concept of beliefs and what I am going to tell you about them is a lie! But it is a very useful lie! Read the rest of this entry »

“To succeed, we must first believe that we can.” ~Michael Korda

Affirmations have been around for a very long time. I have used affirmations myself quite successfully and commonly recommend that my clients use them as well, once they know how! Reading affirmations is not enough to elicit change. Reading affirmations written by someone else to address their issues is not enough to elicit change. You must be using affirmations, both state and becoming affirmations, that specifically address limiting beliefs that you hold.

A great way to start, to identify areas of your internal beliefs that would benefit from analysis is to read affirmations and as you read be aware of your reactions. Do you already believe this? Do you believe something else that serves you better? Does this affirmation feel false or untrue? Do you wish that you believed this? You can have an entire world of responses to affirmations, and your responses are your first guides.

So, simply read this list of affirmations aloud and see what happens. Read the rest of this entry »

 “Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt.”  ~William Shakespeare

I am giving a seminar in Boulder Colorado next week called “Fearless Self Promotion”.  I could have easily called this seminar “Getting Past the Fear of Rejection”.  The fear of rejection and the failure to promote yourself and your business are tightly wound together.  I can tell you from my own experiences in getting past the fear of rejection and the experiences that I have had in helping hundreds of clients to get past this same fear: Nothing will cause you more stress and make it harder to successfully grow your business and make it more likely that you will ultimately fail than the fear of rejection.

This fear is so common and often operates at a completely unconscious level.  It manifests as procrastination, and stress, and confusion, and illness and so many other reactions and behaviors that it is commonly missed and the person trying to grow their business from a core state of “Fear of Rejection” has no clue what is going on.  At the same time, I have worked with clients so disgusted with themselves, and their fears, that they are literally hating the entire aspect of their personality that is controlling this fear.  Here is a strong belief of mine based on experience: If you hate part of yourself, you cannot possibly win.

The process of getting past the fear of rejection is a process that I mastered.  I mastered it initially to help myself; Read the rest of this entry »