Are Your Relationships Holding You Back?

John Lee

Dr Robert Anthony was apparently one of the first people invited to appear in the hit movie, ‘The Secret’, which probably brought self-help and the much-discussed ‘Law of Attraction’ to more people around the world than ever before. Yet he turned down the offer, with no regrets.

He’s spent 30 years unravelling the mysteries of the human mind, earning a Ph.D. in behavioural psychology and working as a psychotherapist, NLP practitioner, master hypnotist and personal performance trainer.

He’s also created some of the finest personal development products on the market, in my opinion, including the ‘Self Confidence Creator’, ‘Deliberate Creation Instant Self Hypnosis’ and ‘The Secret Of Deliberate Creation’.

But what I really like about Robert Anthony is that he regularly offers eye-opening insights and information – without expecting anything in return – through regular emails that come past customers such as me.

And I just wanted to share one that recently dropped into my inbox on the subject of who you spend your time with and how they – quite innocently – affect your thoughts, behaviours and success in whatever you may be aiming for. So I’ll simply repeat the email here and hope you find it useful:

“Here is something that I find holds most people back from achieving the riches they deserve, but it is one of the most difficult things to change. It concerns relationships.

As you expand and grow, so will your relationships. When you choose to become great, people around you will line up in force to convince you to stay where you are and keep you stuck. Not because they are bad. They're not. It's because they value security and dislike uncertainty.

If your objective is to vibrate at a higher level and attract higher and higher results in your life, you will find it difficult, if not impossible to do so, if everything around you is reinforcing the contrary.
If you look at the people you are close to and they are not going in the same direction, or at least not supporting you in the direction you are going, then they are most likely not thinking the things you are thinking or doing the things you are doing. They will hold you back, plain and simple. If you want to grow you must surround yourself with like-minded people.

Are you spending time with people who support you and are helping you move toward your intentions? Or, are you investing your time and energy with people who are holding you back?

This was a hard lesson for me to learn. At one point in my life I tried to "ration lies" in my mind that I could still surround myself with the same people that I had outgrown. I tried to make it work, but in my heart I knew they were bringing me down to a level where I was no longer comfortable.

I decided I no longer wanted to spend high quality time with people I didn't want to be around. It wasn't easy, but I have never regretted it. I started spending time with people who aspired to values, traits and accomplishments similar to mine. It wasn't long before I had new friends who supported who I was becoming and where I was going. It is without a doubt one of the most empowering things I have done.

Just accept that when you choose to pursue your greatness that your peer group doesn't possess, they will try to stop you or slow you down. Surround yourself with people who share the vibrations that you are giving to the universe and you will find that you will achieve your dreams and desires much faster and much easier.

Today will bring you a new awareness, a lesson or a manifestation that you are making progress - IF YOU LOOK FOR IT! No matter how large or small, please record it in your Evidence Journal. It will only take a few moments and will AUTOMATICALLY put you in the Flow.

Truly Caring for Your Success!

Dr. Robert Anthony"

Four Valuable Lessons We Can Learn From Mercedes-Benz

By Reg Scheepers

I'm a great fan of the German cars, Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz, but in particular, Mercedes-Benz. Since childhood I believed that Henry Ford invented the motor car, and then I learned that Karl Benz actually did, way back in 1886 when Henry Ford was still playing with Lego. Not to get down on Henry, he did conceive the production line which sped up production of all cars.

I can't remember when I started adoring and respecting Mercedes-Benz above all others, but I can tell you why...

They have put a couple of principles into practice and taken some decisions that I really respect and that I think we can learn from:

1. They are pioneers

Mercedes-Benz has pioneered more automotive technology than any other car maker. Often times on the car forums, people will bash Merc and insist they're copying others in design or in technology. I always respond that even if that was true, they have every right to do so - they invented the car, so all car makers, simply by the act of producing cars, are copying them.

That's just some light hearted kidding around, but the point is, Mercedes have been pioneers. They developed the engine ignition system so you don't have to start the engine with a wrench, developed the first supercharged car, pioneered crumple zones, created ABS for cars, were the first to introduce airbags in Europe, developed the collapsible steering column and Electronic Stability Program (ESP), which was later introduced in other cars by many other names like DSC, and this is just a very short list.

Pioneering has its price, but its worth it. Mercedes spends more than any other manufacturer on research and development (these days it's around R90 million per day! In 2006 they spent R140 million every day on research and development), so they walk away with less profit, but in the minds of the majority of the world's population, they have a name of prestige, respect and admiration right up there with Bentley and Rolls Royce.

When people need to refer to a benchmark, you'll only hear one of two things: They are the Rolls Royce of their field, or they are the Mercedes Benz of their field.

As a testament to Mercedes' pioneering spirit, see how much technology present in Bentley and Rolls Royce was conceived and developed by Mercedes-Benz. You'll note that this distinction doesn't apply the other way around. Another testament is that roughly 9 out of 10 royals and statesmen (presidents, diplomats, rulers, ministers, kings, queens, chancellors) drive or are driven in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Maybach.

2. They are not selfish and greedy

The thing about Mercedes that I respect and admire more than anything else, something which no other car maker to my knowledge has ever done, is that they licensed their safety technology for use by their competitors.

That meant that other car makers could use Mercedes' safety technology in their own cars without paying royalties to Merc. And that means that countless people are alive today, countless children of those people are able to be here today, because of Mercedes' pioneering technology present in Volvo, BMW, Audi etc etc etc.

OK, corporate greed is everywhere and I'm not going to say Mercedes don't try and maximise their profits like any other car maker, or for that matter, anything maker. But licensing your safety technology to others, which you spent millions upon millions developing, is not something a company with greed at its core does.

3. It's vital to choose your mentors and leaders extremely carefully

Mercedes-Benz went through the ugliest period in their history between 1995 and 2005. Unfortunately, the wrong person was chosen to head the company, someone who didn't understand the principles of excellence. He decided that Mercedes should cut expenses to increase their profit. Mercedes dropped in the customer satisfaction ranks until they were second from the bottom. It's an amazing testimony to Mercedes' established reputation that they managed to go through that period with minimal damage.

Then a new CEO took over - a man who understands excellence very, very clearly, and Mercedes has never made better cars before in their history, despite the fact that with computers and electronics, it's harder than ever to do so because there are many times more chances for faults and bugs to occur.

The most recent technological development by Mercedes as of this writing is PRE-SAFE, a system that goes beyond protecting you in a crash, it actually predicts the crash and prepares the seating position and airbags, closes the windows and sunroof, and fires the seatbelt pre-tensioners BEFORE the crash happens. If the crash doesn't happen, the systems all reset to normal.

The materials and engineering are again top class, and the decade before is now just a bad memory.

4. They value family

Couples often lose the passion and spark in their marriage because they don't have a common goal and vision for their lives. Then one day they say things like, "I just don't love her/him anymore" or "We just drifted apart over time"! Um, yes, so don't let it happen. Make your family part of your story. Don't see your wife/husband as a separate entity to your purpose in life. We are called to do this thing together.

If you look at the Mercedes-Benz story, you can see a family theme throughout. Bertha Benz drove Karl's car over a long distance in a well publicised tour. At the time people didn't understand the gasoline engine and thought the thing must be driven by demons. They were very superstitious.

Bertha Benz's trip, made without her husband's knowledge, made people more comfortable with the idea of the automobile and curiosity was peaked setting the stage for success.

Other family references in the amazing history of Mercedes Benz include its very name. Mercedes Jellinek was the daughter of Emil Jellinek. Emil Jellinek was a wealthy man who drove early Daimler engine developments because he raced their cars and required more and more speed.

Gottlieb Daimler worked on an automobile design around the same time as Karl Benz, but since his was a converted horse carriage, instead of a purpose designed chassis like Karl Benz's, Karl Benz was credited as the father of the automobile.

One of the Daimler engines was named after Emil Jellinek's daughter Mercedes. Eventually Emil Jellinek named his racing team Mercedes. He clearly adored his daughter. Eventually, Karl Benz merged his company with Daimler's to form Daimler-Benz.

I don't know about you, but family is very important to me and so this element of the Mercedes-Benz heritage puts them head and shoulders above the rest in my book. To me, Ferrari and Mercedes have the most reason to be proud and have the richest heritage of all car companies, but even Ferrari can't claim to have invented the automobile ;)

This entrepreneur and author shows you How to Become a Make-It-Happen Person by relating lessons learnt while doing everything from training with an Israeli Special Forces slash Mossad agent to practicing exotic, sensual Salsa Dancing.

Visit http://www.RegScheepers.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Reg_Scheepers

Is It Worthwhile to Imagine Your Preferred Future?

By Joel Bruce Wallach

...Given all the challenges in the world?

Recently, I have noticed increasing fragmentation, and a somewhat stunned or overwhelmed vibration in many people's auras. This seems to result from reading too much news, and taking it in too deeply. Some so-called realists insist that their emotional and mental condition must be defined by the news.

However, the news is a collection of pictures, words, and feelings that have been packaged to tell a powerful story. You might prefer to tell the story in a different way. When you let the newsmaker's typically narrow and gloomy story into the interior world of your own heart, mind, and soul, you are giving your power away. When you begin to choose your own thoughts about yourself and your reality, you take your power back.

But why choose your own reality, amidst a world that seems to be presenting only problems and offering many limitations? You can think of your consciously made choices as vibrations. Why vibrations? Because everything in the universe follows the laws of resonance.

You're familiar with how a struck tuning fork, held near a piano, causes the corresponding string that has the same note as the tuning fork to spontaneously make a sound. That's resonance, and it is the basic principle that affects everything in the universe. And that includes you, your thoughts, and your reality.

Why should the nay-sayers define your future, when they have no understanding of resonance? If they believe that the outside world is forcing them into a limited future, they are entitled to believe that. Maybe it's ok for them to be stuck in a narrow world, but you have the right to align with the energy of your preferred vibration.

When you understand resonance, you realize that it is not naive at all to choose your thoughts, to choose your future, and to choose your state of consciousness. But wouldn't making such choices be a denial of reality?

It may look naive when you actively choose to align with a reality, and you move towards that reality, at least from the point of view of others who lack an understanding of resonance. They assume, from what they believe is a reasonable point of view, that everything outside of them is making them be a certain way. They see you making new choices, and they assume that you just don't understand, or that you are denying reality, or that you are hopelessly naive. And in a curious way, you are all these things, but not in the way that they suppose.

When you choose your state of consciousness, and choose where to focus your attention, you are following a higher principle. Not higher in the sense of better, but higher in the sense of following the essential method utilized by the creator of the universe. When you are guided by your intuitive mind and by your soul, you are using a more divinely aligned form of resonance. This is because your intuitive mind and your soul essence are living expressions of the creative force that actually created the universe. And so your willingness to create and choose your reality expresses a cosmic principle that is closer to universal truth.

But then, if you are using the example of the creator and the creation, wouldn't it be just as natural to let yourself be brought into a lower condition by world conditions and beliefs? Wouldn't that be a natural example of resonance, too?

Perhaps it would be, if you were a pebble on the side of the road, because a pebble is not capable of the creative thought that you are capable of. Pebbles have been given a lesser capacity than you, and so you don't have to be guided by their example. Unless, of course, you are learning about stillness, and this is a perfect example of when it actually would be wise to be inspired by the example of a pebble.

The person who does not make conscious choices, but who meekly accepts that the outer world must define their reality, is not guided by their higher divine aspects of self. They are stuck in a lower quality expression of resonance, because they passively fall into resonance with the narrow options presented by news and by well-meaning, but similarly limited friends.

Many well-intentioned people are afraid to create their life based on their own chosen state of consciousness. They have been led to believe that it would be uncompassionate to follow their own higher inspiration. Or, they may fear that if they let the media's version of reality go, they will find themselves adrift, as if floating outside of the comforting solidity of the well-accepted, victim-oriented world view.

So what can you do about a feeling of fragmentation or confusion? Isn't that a natural response to modern situations of this modern world?

Fragmentation and confusion represent instinctive responses to overwhelming stimuli. So don't blame yourself if you find yourself in these unpleasant states. Do know, however, that you do have choice about whether you get stuck there, because you can choose to use your consciousness in a more effective way. This higher way is the conscious choice response. Examine how this works, because this is something you can do...

When you took the news into your heart and mind, did you realize that you could release it from your heart and mind as well? Did you think that you had to keep the energy of that news story in your personal space?

When you release the energy that you took in from the news, you are simply releasing the emotions and pictures from your body and aura that have been holding you in a helpless condition. This sounds strange at first, because the idea that you can release the energy of something that influenced you sounds either mystical or silly, but here's how to do it...

Understand that everything is basically energy. This is the key to understanding much of metaphysics and spiritual healing. Look at the news stories, and the popular beliefs that you allowed into your personal space. You allowed their energy into your body, heart, mind, and soul. This practice of observing what you've let in helps you separate the content of the news, the story, from its basic existence -- as energy. When you know that you let some energy into your personal space, you can more easily choose to let it out again. Here are the steps to releasing the energy...

Imagine -- just pretend -- that the energy of the news that you allowed into your heart and mind is now wafting out of you like a wispy cloud. Why a wispy cloud? You know that clouds are light, and they change their shape easily. You've seen how clouds flow gracefully across the sky, and eventually dissolve into nothingness. And that is what you want, because you want to be able to change the shape of a thought or an energy that you let into yourself. You want to be able to let it shift easily, and dissolve easily.

Ah, but the realists say, just because you dissolved that energy from yourself, that doesn't make it vanish from the world. Quite true. But you've released the lower vibration influence from one person, and that person happens to be you.

And here you see how the law of resonance comes into this, because when you have released a bit of negativity, or the so-called news that is no longer in your personal space, you have created a clearer personal environment. That clarity lets you more easily create the world that you prefer. Why are these distinctions so important?

The world that you choose to manifest is likely a better world than the gloomy energy that you had let into yourself. However, even this idea of releasing vibrations perturbs some people, because they still insist that by releasing the energy of disturbing news, you are failing to have compassion for the world, and are failing to recognize problems. Here is where they are misguided...

When you are able to access the vibration of your preferred reality, you are creating a better world, starting with the level of pure vibrations. And when you do this, you are no longer a victim, but an empowered being who is making a difference -- for yourself, and for everyone.

This happens because when you clear your heart and mind of external chaos, you are holding positive resonance for the kind of balanced and healthy world that you seek. And whether people who regard themselves as realists understand this or not, you are truly making a difference through that higher quality resonance, and through the good that such higher quality vibrations tend to cultivate.

This inner energy shift may look like a subtle shift. And it is. But subtle is still real. And real shifts accumulate. So it's ok for you to release energy, and to consciously choose where your attention is focused. Whatever anyone else may think about it, you are utilizing higher principles of resonance for a positive purpose that creates good for yourself and others.

And in spite of whatever the news presents as "what is happening," your positive resonance may be one of the more healthy things that you can do to lift the world into a better condition. You won't lose your mind, and you won't lose your connection with reality, but your higher resonance will make it easier for everyone to function more easily and effectively. Know that your choice in these matters is helping to co-create heaven on earth, by resonating it into being in this very moment.

Many Blessings,

Joel Bruce Wallach
Founder, Cosmic Living teleclasses for spiritual empowerment

Do you have a strong desire to align with your spiritual essence? Are you wondering how you can activate your divine potential? Experienced practical mystic and teacher Joel Bruce Wallach helps you learn practical self-healing and inspiring metaphysical teachings in a centered, guided, sacred space. Live teleseminars, self-paced learning via mp3s, and inspiring articles and the transformational tips blog are available now.

I'm Joel Bruce Wallach, and I look forward to sharing step-by-step methods and insights with you, so that you can develop practical cosmic awareness, and experience your higher potential with ease and grace. Listen to mp3 samples of the teleclasses here:
http://cosmic-living.com/group-sessions-archive/

Activating your cosmic consciousness is easier than you had realized, when you know how to place your awareness, and have steps to guide you. Spiritual realizations and energy healing are within your capacity, because the power is already within you. In this amazingly accelerated modern age of spiritual empowerment, self-paced learning is the key to realizing your potential. I am honored to share these step-by-step teachings with you.

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Your Beliefs Are True For You

By Linda C Davies

It takes courage to be able to uphold your own beliefs when the majority of people in our culture do not support them. Even if a billion people disagreed with us about something, this does not mean we dismiss our own beliefs in order to seek their approval. Despite their protestations, they may be wrong about something and we may be correct.

If we look at human history, we can find many examples of people who were ostracized for attempting to come up with a new theory or idea about something that challenged the current paradigm of that time period. To their credit, many of these individuals did not waver in their strong beliefs or succumb to pressures that were imposed upon them by others to dismiss their own beliefs even at the expense of losing credibility within their professional or personal communities.

Although it may have been unpleasant for some people to have remained strong in their convictions, this does not mean everyone who has stuck to their beliefs have had negative experiences. There are probably just as many cases of people who were supported by others who trusted their newly creative endeavor or new idea would eventually materialize into something concrete or be recognized by society.

Thus, faith in themselves translated into others having faith in them. Even so, this does not mean others lack of support has necessarily deterred some who have a strong sense of self from believing something to be true.

Sometimes when an individual makes a statement about something that is seemingly unpopular, support for their opinions may come from the most unlikely individuals. It is not as if what they have said is not believed or felt by these people before; rather, these people who now support them have been too afraid to express the same thought or idea for fear of rejection and criticism by others who they assumed held opposite beliefs.

I often wonder when I am in a group setting how many people actually believe what they are saying or are they saying something in order to avoid others disapproval. I have found myself sometimes saying nothing rather than something about what I believe to be true in order to avoid others condemnation. However, more often than not, I find myself expressing what I believe to be true because I want to be true to myself.

It is important to be open to others opinion and realize even if they adamantly disagree with us, this does not in any way invalidate what we believe to be true. When we all come to terms with accepting what is true for ourselves, it will no longer matter what others think about us.

Although what I have just said may seem cliche, I think it is important to heeds these words. When one considers how group conformity is sometimes adhered to more often over individual opinions and expression, it is important to express one's uniqueness in order for this world to show her wonderful and colorful self to the fullest.

© 2012 Linda C Davies

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A Message From the Big 'U'

By Carol James

I am your best friend.

I am your confidant. You can tell me anything at all and I will always understand and love you. I know that you always do your very best and that sometimes your fears get the best of you. I know that you have come a long way and have grown and matured in immeasurable ways. To me, you are a beautiful, bright shining light, beaming with courage and soul.

I am always here for you, waiting at your beck and call. Tell me what you want. Tell me all your dreams and I will be delighted to help you live them. I can find people and arrange circumstances in ways that you could never imagine. Sometimes my orchestrations are called miracles, but I just see them as doing my job.

I am here for you. I have always been here for you, even when you did not know I existed. I am the one who brings people and circumstances to you. All that you experience is a result of that which I bring to you. All that I bring to you is a result of that which you ask for, even if you don't understand how you are asking.

It's really a simple relationship we have, you and I. It's one of master and slave, dreamer and dream maker. You are master and I am slave. But I love my job. I get to grant your wishes for a living so that's okay by me. Your wish is my command.

I am good at what I do. I am predictable, consistent, flexible, fluid, accurate and timely. You can always depend on me to give you exactly what you ask for when the timing is right. Be careful what you ask for, you might get it. I don't decipher or question your requests, I follow them to the letter.

I am compelled to bring to you all that matches what you focus on, regardless of how that focus causes you to feel. It doesn't matter whether you want it or not, because from my perspective if you didn't want it you wouldn't be focusing on it, so if you are focusing on it then you must want it. My job is to find stuff that matches your tone - your point of focus - and orchestrate the connection between you and it.

From my perspective, it's easy to see why you don't always like what you get, but I know that eventually you will come to remember all that you have forgotten. In the meantime, I will continue to be here serving your needs and fulfilling your wishes.

I am here for you. Ask anything of me. I have nothing to do but to serve you. The rest is up to you.

With over 25 years of business and personal development experience under her belt, Carol James is an Entrepreneur, Business Consultant, Mentor, Speaker, Writer, Workshop Developer and Facilitator and Email Newsletter Publisher. Her highly successful InspiredLiving.com web site has over 900 pages of products, resources and education to help people achieve a healthier lifestyle, cleaner environment and better attitude about life. Visit the web site at http://www.inspiredliving.com

Carol is passionate about helping people to achieve their highest vision of themselves, and loves working as a mentor to business owners, entrepreneurs and anyone who desires a healthier, happier more rewarding life experience. Her many workshops have met with lots of enthusiasm and high marks for excellence. For more information about speaking and workshop options and her professional background, visit http://www.caroljames.com

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The Rules of Hamster Thinking

By Douglas R Kruger

When you're the older brother, growing up with an unspeakably pretty kid sister is a recipe for stress. You invest in karate lessons and basic firearms training. You start early with the Prozac.

With a twelve-year age gap between us, I had already moved out of the house when I received the inevitable call from my parents, explaining, "We all knew this day had to come. Lauren's brought home the first one. We'd like you to come around and meet him, but a word of warning: He's surly, has a bad attitude and his hygiene is...questionable!"

This, of course, was Lauren's very first hamster. So I arrived to meet the new addition and there he was in his tiny cage.

As I leaned over him, the hamster got a fright and tried to make a break for it. But he started by jumping into his running wheel. When his frantic efforts finally fizzled, he got out of the wheel and turned to see if I was still there. I was. Hot on his heels. So he jumped back into the wheel and ran like a hamster-possessed all over again.

I watched him repeat this fascinating display over and over. Somewhere in the hypnotic episode, I came up with a new philosophy on life. (Some people have epiphanies at monasteries, some on mountain tops - what's wrong with having one in the presence of a fluff-ball named 'Chuckles'?). I called it: "The Rules of Hamster Thinking."

The Rules of Hamster Thinking Are:

1. Hamsters make up rules that work against them
2. Hamsters do things the way they've always been done and
3. Hamsters do what all other hamsters would do.

And Hamster Thinking is not limited to fluffy pet vermin. It's all over the corporate corridors too. 98 per cent of corporate employees are firmly entrenched hamsters. The other two per cent have an odd habit of moving the world forward.

So, what's the difference between them? The reasonable and the unreasonable? The hamster-ridden and the hamster-free? Grasp that distinction and not only can you begin your own hamster-exorcism ritual, but it might change the way you approach your business.

Can I Have A Volunteer?

In my keynote address on Hamster Thinking, I carry out an experiment. It tells me a great deal about the way people think and it works like this. A member of the audience joins me on stage. Without giving any instructions, I place a piece of string in front of their feet and a tennis ball in their hand. I walk to the far side of the stage and place a bowl on the ground. Then I issue my instructions: "Your mission is to get the ball in the bowl. Three... two... one... GO!"

Most people try to throw the ball across the stage into the bowl. Why? Because they are assuming they have to stand behind the piece of string. They have made up a rule that is working against them. And even if they lobbed that sphere with Glenn McGrath-like accuracy, it would simply bounce out, or knock the bowl over.

The hamster-free individual would simply walk over to the bowl and set the ball down gently within it.

The String Inside Your Mind

I've experienced this phenomenon many times myself, in the course of initiating big projects. It's all too easy to waver emotionally in front of a perceived piece of string. It's easy to make up reasons why it won't work. And yet, on the occasions when we take the risk, we often surprise ourselves with remarkable results.

The Piece of  String at the Radio Station Door

I can recount three separate occasions on which I wanted to present for different radio stations. Each time I felt the fear of the perceived piece of string. Each time, I reminded myself of the Rules of Hamster Thinking and opted to step over the string, walk through the front door of the station and try.

And each time, to my surprise, I got to see the person I needed to see and ended up presenting on that station. More often than we realise, the string exists only in our minds.

Don't waste time thinking about how everyone else does it. Instead, think 'end results.' You'll be surprised how this little Copernican Revolution jump-starts the creative part of your brain. Crystallize the goal and your creative mind can find the means. And the chances are that the means will not be conventional, because the results of convention are almost always 'average'.

Yet who wants to be average? Escaping your own hamster wheel begins with overcoming the first rule of hamster thinking: Don't make up rules that work against you.
After all, what's holding you back?...a piece of string?

Douglas Kruger is a professional speaker, trainer and author of the '50 Ways' series of books. His most booked keynote speeches are: The Rules of Hamster-Thinking, The Big Bum Theory, and How To Position Yourself As an Expert. See him in action or read more of his articles at: http://www.douglaskruger.co.za, email him at: kruger@compute.co.za

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We can all make a difference

As you sit at your desk on a normal working day – whether you love what you do or are less than enamoured with your current means of making a living – do you ever question your situation, as I do? Do you sometimes think to yourself, ‘I could, and probably should, be doing something much more worthwhile – something where I’m really making a difference to the wider world and the welfare of others’?

Since you’re reading this blog, you probably do, unless you’ve already found that calling, in which case, ‘Good on you!’ Really! For myself, I fall into the former category at the moment – and I do mean ‘at the moment’, because change is certainly on the way as I write this. But as I go about my daily life, there are certain sources of inspiration I keep close by to lift me when I need it.

One of these sources is a subscription to website by leading personal development teacher Bob Proctor, which is called ‘Insight of the Day’ (http://www.insightoftheday.com/). Anyhow, from Monday through Thursday, you receive inspirational quotes, to your designated email address, from the likes of Napolean Hill, Dale Carnegie, Tony Robbins, Jack Canfield, John Demartini, Bob himself and many, many other very wise and not so famous folk.

Every Friday, you receive an uplifting story, which often recounts how people overcame great odds to achieve success, dealt with difficult circumstances and relationships, made outstanding discoveries and achieved wonderful things in the face of adversity. And every so often there’s a simple tale of how someone just set out to make a real difference in a particular way or place. One such story recently found its way into my in box and so struck me that I decided to share it here.

As you’ll see, it’s by writer and blogger Sameer Vasta, and has a wider message for us all to consider when we’re sitting at our desk, pondering our current situation. Click on the blue hyperlink and you’ll also be taken to a website where you can find out more about the main subject. Enjoy!

Man grows 1,360-acre forest in India...by himself

A man in India single-handedly planted an entire forest, proving that one person really can make a large difference.

You always hear that one person can make a large difference in the world. Today, we’ve got a story that proves that saying.  When he was a teenager in Northern India’s Assam region about 30 years ago, Jadav “Molai” Payeng began planting seeds in a sandbar near his birthplace.

A few years later, he moved into the area and turned the seed-planting and tree-nurturing into his life’s work, planting seeds and helping them grow over a wide area that was initially left for desolate.

In the past 30 years, his seed-planting endeavors have resulted in a massive, 1,360-acre jungle in Assam, a forest ecosystem that has left an incredible mark on the Indian landscape and stands as a testament to Payeng’s dedication.

Initially, the forest department told Payeng that trees could not grow in that area. He was not dissuaded; instead he dedicated himself to the task of nurturing the forest, and his dedication has produced results.

The Molai woods, in addition to being covered with lush greenery, is now home to a whole host of creatures big and small, including birds, deer, rhinos, tigers, and elephants. Jadav “Molai” Payeng is a hero to those animals, to the ecosystem in the area, and to conservationists across India.

But he is also a hero to us, people living oceans away who don’t necessarily work in forestry or in the environment industry.

Payeng is a hero because he has proven that with commitment, blood, sweat, knowledge, and dedication to making a difference, one person can truly make a difference, and a large difference, to the world.

It’s easy to discount the impact that we can have on the people and places around us. It’s easy to feel insignificant when faced with the enormity of the issues that surround us. But it’s important to remember that our actions, no matter how small they may be, make a difference.

Whether it’s bringing a smile to someone’s day or revitalizing a forest ecosystem, the little acts of kindness and good have enormous impact. Our small actions may not necessarily lead to a forest and safe haven for animals, but they have the potential to grow and flourish all the same.

Sameer Vasta – Writer and Blogger