Principles on Prosperity

I had the opportunity to travel out to Chicago on a business trip.  I was going to learn from the top business minds in Physical Therapy, how to grow and build a successful company with the right team.  The ticket to the conference and hotel was extremely pricey.  My employer was so awesome to cover all the expenses but the plane ticket.  

I didn't exactly have a bunch of cash that I wanted to fork over to plane tickets, but I really wanted to go.  So I found another way.  My brother has been learning to use Credit Card promotions and miles to travel with his family.  He sent me a deal for a Chase United card that included a bunch of benefits including 55,000 miles.  All I had to do was spend $3000 in 3 months.  With my student loans and every day bills I figured that would be easy enough to do, but because I was short on time we recruited my wonderful Mother In Law to help us spend.  I gave one card to my wife and one card to her.  Between the two of them they accomplished spending the $3000 in relatively concise time, giving me eligibility to fly to Chicago for 50,000 miles and only having to pay tax fees.

On my travels I needed something good to listen to or read.  I was going to have a lot of travel time, so I figured I might as well listen to something productive.  Reading can make me have motion sickness so I opted for a lecture series I had been given by my brother.  

The 13 principles on prosperity is a series by Rick Koerber.  Many are familiar with Rick and what he does for work and even the recent legal problems he has had.  There are many critics out there and have accused him of many a things.  Despite the rumors and critics out there about him, I can't help but find truth all over his 13 principles of prosperity, which are:

1. Principle #1 – God is the Author of Prosperity
2. Principle #2 – Faith Begins with Self-Interest
3. Principle #3 – Agency implies Stewardship
4. Principle #4 – Perspective Determines Action
5. Principle #5 – People Are Assets
6. Principle #6 – Human Life Value is the Source and Creator of All Property Value
7. Principle #7 – Dollars Follow Value
8. Principle #8 – Exchange Creates Wealth
9. Principle #9 – Profit is the Tool of Validation
10. Principle #10 – Productivity is the Standard
11. Principle #11 – Force Destroys Freedom and Prosperity
12. Principle #12 – Collective Action has no Unique Moral Authority
13. Principle #13 – Personal Liberty Requires Private Property

Here is the introduction video to the 13 principles (see link below).  You can get the lecture series off his website and listen about each in more detail.  The principles that he teaches are profound and have really changed how I view money and wealth.  

The key to it all is what I have blogged on recently...creating value and exchanging that value for something else that you value.  Although many don't agree with Ricks ethics and ideas, I found that he delivers truthful and powerful statements on realizing your "human life value" and how that can be used to accomplish your goals.

It just makes sense that the more value we create in ourselves through learning, education, developing skills and trades increases our value.  If we are more valuable other people are willing to give us more in return for our abilities.  This is how we achieve greater wealth in this life.  Take a listen for yourselves, it's very interesting and informative!

13-principles-of-prosperity

"I AM CAPABLE AND WORTHY OF ACHIEVING ANYTHING I DESIRE"

This phrase "I am capable and worthy of achieving anything I desire" is what I wrote on my affirmation statement specific to passing my exam.  I liked it so much I put it everywhere.  On my vision board, above my desk at work, on my daily affirmation statement!

This is such a powerful statement.  We have to have ardent confidence in ourselves and our abilities in order to obtain success.  There are times when very few, or even no one, will believe in what you are trying to accomplish.  This is when we must believe and have confidence in ourselves that we can do and become anything!   For me this confidence has strengthened as I have studied and come to understand that I am a Child of God with infinite potential!  If I am Daily talking to God and studying His word, how can I not have confidence and know I can achieve anything.  Using the affirmation statement and above phrase convinces my subconscious of what God wants us to believe about ourselves!

It mustn't be forgotten that you still have to be wise in what you pursue, and always consider what others suggest and say. But if you have researched it out, humbly asked God, and you know it is a good decision, then go forward with confidence that you, yes you, are capable of achieving anything.  

I will say "I am capable and worthy of achieving anything I desire" every day for the rest of my life!  Combine that with my daily affirmation statement, and my subconscious will have to believe it, and in turn become me!

Here is a Darren Daily on the same topic:

http://www.darrendaily.com/the-success-factor/

One of the GREAT lessons I learned through the process of failing my exam so many times is that of gratitude!  Being Grateful for who I am, what I am, and where I am!  It is so critical that we learn to enjoy our current situation in life.
However, often when we become grateful or content with life, we forget to keep working for something better.  That is why we should always continue to be grateful, but remember that we always have room to grow...and do something about it!  Just thinking about how we need to grow, and doing something to grow, lead to two very different paths.
One this same note I feel it is important to bring up Materialism and The Love of Money!!!
I seek after greater riches not because I love money, but because I love what I can do for my family and others with money.
If I have to hold a full time job until I am 65-70 years old and then have to live my retirement pinching my pennies, what time or resources do I have to help others?  If I retire when I am 40 and have ridiculous amounts of money, what time and resources could I not give to those that are sick, poor, or need help.  The Good Samaritan Parable from the Bible is a great example of this.  What if the Good Samaritan had taken care of the injured man and then had no money to leave him at a hotel? He could have still cared for him and maybe found a home to leave him at, but because he had the finances he could not only care for him but leave him at a comfortable Inn with someone to continue to care for him!  Having wealth didn't determine whether he could help the man in need, but it did enhance how much and the quality of help he could offer!
It is easy to become obsessed with trying to get money and become selfish with a love for money and things.  If I can be grateful and give back to others as I receive more, what a great service I can be to others when I have a resource like money.  Financial wealth significantly contributes to the opportunity that I am looking for to be money rich, time rich, and spiritually rich.
Yes, with great Power (Riches) comes great Responsibility...Thank you Spiderman!  

EXAM PASSED!!!

First and foremost I thank GOD for making this miracle come to pass in my life!  My second thanks goes to all those who have prayed, hoped, and supported me through this process to achieving this goal!  According to the academic world the further I got away from my class room work the less likely I had of passing!  Good thing I trusted in God and not Academics!
{If you know anyone going through difficult times in any aspect of their life, forward this on!  Let them know they can achieve anything they desire If they follow the steps I took!  If nothing else I hope my story will help motivate and inspire others!  I encourage you to let my trials be someone else's motivation, and hopefully they can learn and have success more quickly than what it took me!}

I took the National Physical Therapy Exam 8 times over the course of 2 years 6 months almost to the day.  I was only to be allowed only one more attempt to take the exam if I didn't pass.  I have gone through HELL getting to this point.  I suffered depression, frustration, bitterness and pain, more than I thought I could ever bare.  Yet, over the time I have learned and grown in ways I never thought possible.  I have grown in faith and trust in a loving Heavenly Father.  I learned to appreciate and be grateful for what was good, and what I do have.  I learned to see bad events in my life as just that, an event, not a determining factor in my life.  

I feel like I was directed in starting this blog and using the Law of Attraction!  It really works!!! I would not have had the confidence and the ability to pass had I not used the principles that I used.  I have been so blessed in achieving this, now I hope every person that reads this can use the same principles to achieve their goals.  I will continue on the same path to continue meeting goals and become all that I am capable of!

TEST PREP and OVERCOMING ANXIETY!!!!

I started studying for my July 21 NPTE exam about 5 weeks ago!!!  This will be my 8th attempt.  I have had professionals examine my previous test results and no pattern has been found to where my weakness lies.  I miss questions all over the board which means I have limited knowledge everywhere or there is a more sinister issue going on like...test anxiety!!!
I didn't think I had test anxiety, even after my councilor said I did, and was even able to acquire for me special testing accommodations.
A few weeks ago I started studying with my best friend who is in PT school currently, and he was kind enough to offer his time to help me.  He is a very good test taker so we decided it would be beneficial to just study questions and how they are asked.  While studying questions he started asking questions, examining me, and talking about his personal experiences he has had with subtle anxiety and mental blocks that can seriously hinder test taking abilities.  The windows started to open and the light trickled into my realization that when I get to any question or information that I have a difficult time with or dislike, I get a tightness across my chest and my heart rate begins to increase.  I then start to subtly question and tell myself things like "how do I not know this", "what is wrong with me", and "this is a stupid test anyway".  Although I dislike the exam, thinking that and other negative questions increase my negative self talk which then closes down my subconscious, and conscious brain, and ultimately my thoughts to clearly focus on the task at hand.  
So my object is to apply the same process I have been using to achieve goals through use of the Law of attraction to get this exam passed!

Here are the steps I have been taking:

1.  Draw on the Powers of Heaven!  
I am a religious person and believe that through Faith all things can be accomplished.  I also believe that we must align our will with God's in order to accomplish all things He wants for us.  Through prayer I feel I am in accordance with God's will by trying to pass this exam.  We all have different trials that we must go through to become the best person we can.  This is a trial that can either bring me closer to, or further from Heavenly Father.  I choose to let it draw me closer.
In order to draw on the Powers of Heaven I have been reading three important resources.  The Book of Mormon, Bible, and a book by Grant Von Harrison titled "Drawing on the Powers of Heaven".  This has given me great insight into what I must do to increase my faith, improve my prayers, and better communicate questions and needs to my Heavenly Father.  I have learned that I must do everything I can to live the commandments of God and be as clean and good as I can, then use prayer and faith.  Then no matter what happens the right opportunity and success will come my way!                                                                    

2. Control my anxiety and create focus!  
I talked to a sport psychologist and he pointed out that when he trains his athletes to deal with stress and anxiety he has the focus on an external focus...usually a number.  He says the brain functions well with numbers, it is something it can focus on and understand as a measurement.  He said I should use my heart rate as my focus.  Use a chest strap monitor to determine my resting heart rate.  Wear the monitor when I go to study or take a practice exam and watch my heart rate.  If I see it increase, pay attention to how I feel and how my body responds (I won't have a heart rate monitor while I am in the exam so I need to be able to recognize how my body feels when anxiety and heart rate increases).  Then use my meditation techniques to calm my body and return focus to my mind.  This gives me an objective measure I can use to make sure I am staying calm.  During the test I can manually check my rate by feeling my pulse, use the wall clock to see how many beats in 10 seconds, and multiply that by 6.

3.  Positive Affirmation!!
Much of achieving great things, I believe, is overcoming the negative and limiting beliefs of our subconscious mind.  I prepared an affirmation statement for a positive change in my life and to help me reach goals.  So why not prepare one specific for this test.  I wrote up an affirmation statement that I read at least 1x per day.  I try to read it before I study and after I study as well.  I must convince my brain that it is capable of anything, especially passing this exam.
I wrote my statement on the back of my previous statement on a 3x5 card and then took a pic of it and stored it in my phone so I always have it with me.

I have all capabilities and knowledge to pass the physical therapy boards exam.  I have precise critical thinking skills that allow me to easily identify what is being asked in each question and what answer is correct.  I have a calmness and peace throughout my body and mind that allows me to have exceptional focus and reasoning while I study and take the exam.  I love studying and preparing for the exam.  It is exciting and I easily recall all numbers and information.  I am worthy and capable of achieving anything I desire.  I demand a passing score of 80% from my subconsious and consious mind on the July 21, 2015 NPTE. 

4.  Study Happy
The last thing I have been really trying to work on is to enjoy what I am studying.  I have been over the information so many times and am so bitter and tired with the process, that having a good attitude going into studying is really difficult.  However, I know that the more you enjoy a topic the easier it is to study and to remember the information.  So I have been trying to approach it differently, thanks to some good council from my councilor.  I try to apply every bit of information to people I have worked with or could potentially work with.  By trying to make it "real"  it makes it more interesting to study and helps my attitude stay positive.  I have not mastered this by any means but I'm sure trying.

Why I stopped asking
"Why ME"
(and what I ask now)

MELTDOWN:

I have begun studying for my exam (hence the reason for decreased blog posts) and it has been difficult.
I am having a really hard time creating a desire to study even though I want more than anything to pass...which means I have to study!
So last weekend I was trying to study.  It was late, I was tired, and I was fighting this internal battle of I need to study vs. I don't want to study.  During this epic internal battle I lost it.  I started getting very frustrated and started talking myself down.  My wife kindly reminded me of the damage of what I was saying.  With the frustration building inside, but realizing she was right, I stood up and walked to my bedroom where I decided I better have a little convo with God about my current situation.  As soon as I got in my room I completely broke down.
It was as if I couldn't control my emotions and every feeling of depression, anger, and frustration all coming pouring out of my face at once!   I couldn't control nor did I want to.  After a few minuets of this my body slowly receded out the emotional shock I was in and I decided to continue on with my original idea to pray to God.
I can't say anything amazing happened such as an angel appearing to me or all of a sudden I knew everything was going to be okay.  But as I approached Heavenly Father in prayer I realized that asking "Why am I going through this", is not the right question for me.  I knew that the questions I needed answered was WHAT do I do now?  WHAT do I need to do to study correctly to pass?  WHAT can I learn from this experience?  WHAT do I do today that I didn't do yesterday?

Like a lightening strike I realized it doesn't matter Why!  Answering Why is not going to change my situation or help me improve!  Knowing WHAT to do next is really the only important question.
I'm not saying that finding an answer to why something has happened is bad, it can help us understand and release emotional confusion and stress.  But answering the What questions is how we overcome and become all that we want.

Asking WHAT is the question for progression!

The Best Investment with the Highest Return

Charles Schwab

"I really think people should make their first investment in themselves.  you start with yourself because that's where you are going to  have your highest returns ever"

This is a comment Charles Schwab made to Darren Hardy in an interview about what Billionaires have in common.  Darren asked the investment guru what the number one investment opportunity is out there, and the above quote is how he replied.  

To invest in yourself can and should mean many things.  I don't think it is just about gaining knowledge, or becoming the best in your occupation, but also finding time to do what you enjoy, develop hobbies, read, help others, and develop personal relationships.  

If I'm not growing and developing internally, how can I expect to grow and develop externally?

I believe in giving 10% of my financial increase to God, and then 10% to myself.  This is a principle that I have been taught for many years.  So I have decided as well that 10% would be an appropriate amount to invest into my personal development.  That is 10% of my time and resources.  Added up over time, that is quite a hefty investment, but I think the payout will be well worth it

Invest 10% into your own person development 

How can I be happy for others when they succeed where I have not?

Two weeks ago the boards for the National Physical Therapy Exam (NPTE) took place.  The state of Idaho did not allow me to take it, for whatever reason, and I am required to wait until the end of July.  Two students that are working at my clinic both took it.  One had failed his first attempt and the other was taking it for his first time.  This last week they found out their scores and yes, both of them passed.

This was great news initially!  I am always glad to hear when people pass this demon raised exam, and I hope no one has to go through multiple failed attempts like I have.  However, the day that they passed I also found out my buddy, who is in the same boat as myself, had not passed.  He had worked so hard and is studying with tutors and has put in the time and effort and he is a brilliant man.  It also became very fatiguing listening to the student who passed, talk about how great it was, what a relief it was, and now all the things he could do now that he had passed.  I was frustrated and annoyed with the situation, as well as down on myself for not being able to pass this thing yet.  Why does it seem like everyone else in the world is passing this thing and my buddy and I am still struggling, despite our best efforts and although we know the information very well?  

My initial happiness for him began to fade and I began to feel bitter and depressed.  Then on Thursday a letter from the NPTE came in reply to a letter I had sent requesting a 2 point increase due to poor questions related to my testing anxiety (two points or 1/2 question is all I needed to pass the last test).  They refused to add points and give me a passing score, but it was just one more thing to add to the frustration of this exam and my bitterness towards those who are having success.
I was looking for some amazing solution to getting rid of my bitter feelings, but then I realized it's not as complicated as I make it out to be.  As I was doing my morning reading, meditating, prayer and affirmation statement I realized most of those unwanted feelings drifted away.
The solution to being happy for others was to calm my mind and realize that my brain was lying and trying to deceive myself...MINDFULNESS!!!  I find that I do this to myself a lot, where I allow my brain to exaggerate and lie to myself.  Using the technique of mindfulness means being in a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience. 
I am used to telling myself lies.  Lies about what I can't do, lies about who I am, and lies about how awful my life is and everyone else has it better.  When I meditate I try and practice mindfulness, which is why those nasty thoughts and feelings dissipated like dew on a summer morning.  I became aware of what I really had, who I really am, and stopped judging myself for things out of my control.

I keep finding the benefit of the BASICS!  Read and educate myself, meditate for mindfulness, Pray and Scripture study for spiritual growth and retrain my subconscious with repeated positive affirmation statements that I have created!

Success Will Be Mine

I Stayed HAPPY ALL DAY, despite the Puke!

In my video update of week 2’s proceedings, I talked about the recognition that I was starting my day off right with my meditation, vision board, affirmation statement, reading, and exercise but was finding it difficult to stay positive throughout the day.  I kept finding myself down, frustrated, and feeding my mind the slow doses of negative self talk poison. 

I didn't know what to do to keep my mind as positive and invigorated in the evening as I had in the morning, especially since every night I face my dreaded “Grumpy Gills” activity of putting my children to bed!  
Bedtime is misery time because I’m tired and my kids are tired, which causes them to be hyper.  Hyper children equates to kids that have a difficult time listening and staying on task.  At the end of a full day my patience is as thin and strained as a trip wire on a land mine!

Being tired is when I tend to get down on myself anyway.  This is why getting to bed on time is so important!  Getting to bed early has become my nemesis, and although I am doing better I am still not getting to bed by my goal of 11pm.  Getting to bed late and waking up early wears me down.  My mind becomes weak and susceptible to focusing on negative, unable to sway it to focus on my potential and the good things that happen every day.

So, how do I stay positive all day???

I didn't know until this week!  I decided to experiment and find out if I could make some minor adjustments to make a big difference.  My day is busy enough, I didn’t see how I could make more time, but I could use my available time more effectively. 

So I did!  I made a few minor adjustments that dramatically improved my mood and attitude throughout each day.  
My week started with difficulty sticking to my schedule and obstinate children, a Thursday of trying to fix plugged plumbing at the bathroom sink, and a Friday night of my little girl puking!  To be honest and fair, I was not in a good mood when my little girl woke up crying, not telling me why she was crying for 10 minutes, then proceeding to upchuck her dinner all over the floor.  I wasn't cheerful and happy as I scooped up chunks of lunch and dinner and mopped the floor and sink!  I may have used other words besides awesome, happy, and cool during the first and second puking episodes in the late night hours!  However, by the time I went to bed I was not upset, and I woke up with energy and excitement for the day.  That type of incident normally would have created a storm cloud over my head, socked in for at least a few hours the following day. 

Now being at the end of the week I have a much more positive attitude and happier countenance.  The cool thing was that I felt like I learned more and had more ideas come to me!  By staying upbeat it seemed to keep the heavy door to my subconscious slightly cracked to inspiration! 

Below is what I did each day this week.  I thank God for the inspiration and direction he gave me that proved to be so beneficial...

A couple lessons learned: 

• When I am tired or upset I try and escape it by watching a movie or mindless activities online.  This is a temporary fix that does nothing to solve the problem.  I learned this week that when those emotions arise I had an elimination of negative emotions by studying uplifting and educational material, by either reading or watching a video.  
• I also learned that talking and reaching out to others has a powerful effect in helping me to be grateful and happy, versus sitting by myself in a wallow of self misery.  Being with Happy and Motivated people will do nothing but good for me!

Monday:

            I spent the evening with my wife and kids singing songs, playing games, and having a spiritual discussion.  Monday night is our family night, but rather than just go through the motions I tried to play with the kids more and enjoy it when they are silly.  Once they were in bed, my 10-11pm study time was spent listening to an audio cd on using a vision board and reading the fantastic book “The Alchemist”.

Tuesday:

            I took a picture of my vision board and placed it as my background on my phone.  Every time I looked at my phone I was reminded of my goals and what I needed to stay focused on. I didn't realize how often I looked at my phone…it’s a lot of reminders through the day.  After work I was able to go visit a friend who was having some serious struggles, then I followed it up by talking with another friend about this topic of Thinking Big and achieving my goals.  I was so motivated and psyched by the time I went to bed Tuesday night I could hardly sleep!

Wednesday:

            I spent a brain busting half hour talking with my business mentor, Jay!  He motivated me and gave me some great ideas for business and how to be successful in that realm.  He then gave a link to Darren Hardy’s website where I signed up for daily mentorship.  The first text was an amazing story about Steven Spielberg’s success which you can listen to here http://www.darrendaily.com/be-foolish/.  I would encourage everyone to sign up for Darren Daily, which you can do here for free http://www.darrendaily.com/

Thursday:

            I took my little girl on a daddy daughter date, an idea I have been trying to establish but haven’t consistently performed.  It was simple, but we had a great time and some yummy food!  I also tried to keep my focus on others by taking a condolence card to a friend who just lost his mother, and finished the evening by making a little more time to reading “The Alchemist”.

Friday:

            In the evening I listened to 3 different TED talks!  You can select a video or choose a topic and time duration, which is what I did.  Here is the link for where you can choose the type of talk you want to listen to and time frame https://www.ted.com/surpriseme or just by topic https://www.ted.com/topics

This Easter Weekend I will finish it all up by celebrating the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.  I will do that by watching the General Conference from the LDS church www.lds.org, and spending time with family!  Only because of Jesus Christ is all opportunity and the goodness of my life possible.  I am grateful for such wonderful knowledge!