Part 2 - Steps to Personal Transformation

Step 2 – Thought

Wayne Dyer says “Thought is much more than something you do. It is in fact what you, and all the rest of us, are as well. Thought constitutes our entire being except for the portion of us that is form, or the packaging that carries around our minds… Here is a mini-lesson in what thought is. Your desire to improve your life is really your thought to improve your life. Your will to live is really your thought to live. Your attitudes about your entire life are really your thoughts on these matters… Your determination to succeed is nothing more than your thought to do so. The idea of success is really the thought of success.”

Why is “Thought” such an important part of personal transformation? Have you ever heard of Stinking Thinking, and the opposite, positive thinking.

Your thoughts and what you believe about yourself are probably the most important key to personal transformation. Henry Ford said “Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can’t, your right.” Your thoughts really do determine who you are. If you read this and think to yourself, “this personal growth and positive thinking is just a bunch of garbage, my thoughts are not going to make me wealthy or a better person, only my actions and abilities are going to do that.” Well where do you think your actions come from? Your thoughts. You do not just get up and start doing something, you have to think about it first and then you do.

Now positive thinking is not going to give you the ability to do everything to want to do, but it will help you do everything better than negative thinking will. Our physical being does limit us in certain ways. Positive thinking is not going to make 6 foot 5 NFL offensive lineman win the Kentucky Derby as a horse jockey. But with the right positive thinking and research, that offensive lineman might be able to buy a horse, hire a tiny jockey, and win the Kentucky Derby as an owner.

The biggest problem people have today in my opinion is a lack of perspective. That lack of perspective leads to negative thinking. People complain all the time about their jobs and how much they hate going to work. it makes me want to tell them to be grateful that you even have a job at all. There are probably a million people who are out of work and would love to have your job or any job at all. If you just sent half the time thinking about the positive things at your job, or ways to make your job more enjoyable, you would enjoy your job more, and with a positive attitude an progressive thinking, you might even get promotions and raises. Very few people who constantly complain about their job ever get raises and promotions. People complain when they are at McDonalds and there fries are not piping hot and ready the second they place the order. What about the people and children in third world countries who have to wait days before their next cold scrap of a meal. And so on and so on and so on. There are thousands of examples of like these. I don’t know if it is the way I was raised, my faith, the type of books I have ready, or the seminars and tapes I have listened to that help me to have perspective on the important things in life, but perspective and a positive attitude are two of the things that I have struggled with the least in my life.

If you want to transform yourself you must first start with your thinking. No matter what you want to change, whether it is your income and wealth, or your health, or your relationships, or anything, you must start with your thoughts.

To finish up here are 4 points from Wayne Dyer’s book to help thoughts become positive reality.

1. “Your actions come from your images. All of our behavior results from the thoughts that preceded it. If you visualize yourself as incompetent in a given area, and you continuously reinforce this with a mental picture, eventually you will act out this scenario… Apply this notion of thoughts as things to the acquisition of wealth. If you picture yourself acquiring abundance, if you keep this vision in your mind regardless of the obstacles you encounter, and if you absolutely see it for yourself, then you will act on this image. You will allow this picture to be the dominant image in your mental world. You will make fifteen calls a day instead of three or four. You will find yourself saving part of your income thereby paying yourself first, a crucial step in the acquisition of wealth.”
   
2. “Tell yourself that everything you visualize is already here. Remember what Einstein taught us about time! Time does not exist in the linear world-it is man’s invention because of his limited vision and his need to compartmentalize everything.” If there is something you want, you need to see it in your mind as already being yours, that will help you obtain it.
   
3. “Be willing. Forget about the word ‘determination’! Forget about perseverance! Forget about personal drive! These are not concepts that will help you understand the visualization process and bring it into your life. Over and over I hear, ‘I gave it my best shot.’ ‘I really tried hard, and it still did not work out.’ ‘I persevered for months, and I still did not get what I wanted.’ The key word that is missing from these statements is willing. In order to make a visualization a reality in the world of form, you must be willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.” Also we have to remember that most of the time it is a matter of being willingto have patients and allow for time. In our fast food, gotta have it now, environment, we forget that we have to be willing to pay the dues, put in the time, and put forth the EXTRA effort. Millionaires do not make their money overnight. Most millionaires worked 30 to 40 years before they achieved that status.
   
4. “Realize there is no such thing as failure. Keep this in mind and you will achieve all that you conceive in your mind. You never fail, you simply produce results. Always results. If you make an attempt to hit a golf ball one hundred yards and it dribbles off to the right, you have not failed. You have produced a result. Your concept of failure comes from believing someone else’s opinion about how you could have hit the golf ball. But in our reality, you could not have hit the golf ball any other way than how you hit it. You have produced a result. Then you either berate yourself, or you place the ball back up on the tee and proceed from the result you produced. If you do this two hundred times, you still have not failed, you simply have produced two hundred results.” Zig Ziglar says “Failure is an event, it is not a person, yesterday really did end last night, and today is a brand new day.”

It's a Good Life!!!
Greg Novak MBA
Office - 386-756-8228
Cell - 386-846-6686
Fax - 386-756-8108
Web site - www.MyNationwideLender.com

Oh, by the way, if you know someone who is thinking about buying or refinancing a home, please give me a call with their name and number, I will be happy to follow up with them for you.

Part 1 - Steps to Personal Transformation

Step 1 – Transformation

To start this series on personal transformation, I feel it is necessary to take a close look at the word transformation so that we can better understand the rest of the series, and not only the points and purpose of personal transformation, but also how we can transform ourselves, and WHY we might want to.

A lot of people might read the first part of this and think to themselves that they like who they are and that they do not need to change, and who does this guy think he is telling me that I need to make some personal changes. First let me state that I am not talking about changing, or that you need to be a different person, I am talking about transforming, and that is a total different thing. I am married, and for those of you who are or were ever in a relationship and have tried to CHANGE your significant other, you know that does not typically work to well. So please understand I am not trying to change you, this series is more about growth than change.

Let’s take a look at the word transformation.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Transform as the following 1 a : to change in composition or structure b : to change the outward form or appearance of c : to change in character or condition.

Wayne Dyer defines transformation as “The ability and willingness to live beyond your form”

I am going to copy an excerpt from Wayne Dyer’s book You’ll See It When You Believe It, because I really like how he describes what transformation truly is.
“I feel as if I have gone through a gate which will not allow me to go back to the place where I used to live. To me, going through the gate symbolizes transformation. But what do I mean by that?
Start with the word “form,” the center of transformation. It is a term that describes the physical you. It includes all of the physiological properties that you have come to associate with the human being that is you… Now consider the prefix ‘trans,’ which means ‘beyond,’ ‘above,’ or in literal terms, ‘over.’ When we place that prefix in front of ‘from’ we get ‘transform.’ We now add the suffix ‘ation,’ which means ‘action’ or ‘result,’ and we have the word ‘transformation.’ To me this word means the result or action of going beyond one’s form...

The ultimate in becoming a transformed person is seeing ourselves as unlimited by our form.
When you live exclusively in form, you live in a world of limitation. Think about all of the limits that are placed on your form. Limits are boundaries that dictate things. You can only lift so much weight. You can only run so fast… But limits are all in the dimension of form.
Now consider the part of you without physical limits, the dimension of thought. There are no limits to your ability to think. You can imagine yourself doing anything… You can be anything, go anywhere, experience all that you want in this dimension of thought, exclusive of form…
The emphasis in our culture is on the value of the external, the physical appearance. I am suggesting that the emphasis be shifted to a concern for the formless self, being ever mindful that the form houses the real you.”

I am a father of a 5 year old and a 3 year old. I sometimes watch my kids playing, and it seems like they are not bound by their physical form, or their surroundings in anyway. They play imaginary games, and build an imaginary pirate ship and put on paper hats, and they are pirates. When I watch and listen to them play, they are NOT playing pirate, for that time, they ARE actually pirates.

Do you remember when you were young, and some of the games you would play using your imagination? Do you remember not just playing in, but actually being in that imaginary world.
What happened? Why as adults are we unable to use our minds like that anymore, why do we feel that it is unproductive, or a waste of time, or bad to be a dreamer.
Did you know that the most successful people in this world are dreamers, and have the ability to use their imagination, and then let that imagination control their “form” being. Unfortunately, for the majority of adults, they allow their physical form and the objects around them dictate their limits instead of their inner being and their minds.
If you are unhappy with the way you life has gone, or what you have done with yourself after middle school, it is most likely not a matter of physical limitation, but that of mental limitation. If you are not happy with your job, or your income, or your life, it is most likely a result of simply forgetting how to go past physical form, and not using your thoughts in a more productive way. I understand times are tough and people are losing their jobs, and often that has nothing to do with being able to use your imagination or not. However, tough economic times don’t necessarily mean that you have to lose everything or that you cannot be successful. Some of the most wealthy and successful people made their fortunes during the worst economic times in history. They did it because they did not allow their surroundings and the outside forces dictate their thoughts and attitudes.

In closing, the first step to personal transformation, is TRANSFORMATION. Once again, transformation is the result or action of going beyond one’s form. You have to throw out what you think you know about yourself, or what you think defines you as a person, and reinvent yourself mentally, and then take that mental image and break the barriers of FORM to make it a reality in the physical.
Your mother was right, you can be anything you want, and accomplish anything you desire, if you just put your mind to it.

It's a Good Life!!!
Greg Novak MBA
Branch Manager
Eagle Nationwide Mortgage Company
Office - 386-756-8228 Cell - 386-846-6686 Fax - 386-756-8108
E-mail - Greg.Novak@ENMCdirect.com
Web site - http://www.mynationwidelender.com/

Oh, by the way, if you know someone who is thinking about buying or refinancing a home, please give me a call with their name and number, I will be happy to follow up with them for you.

Intro - Steps to Personal Transformation

I recently finished a series on the 7 Qualities of a successful person.

I have been searching for a new topic for my next blog series, and I came across a story that really impacted me and made me think about my business and things I can do to improve my service.

I copied the story below, and in the story, the subject references a book by Wayne Dyer called “You’ll see it when you Believe it, The way to your personal Transformation”.

As you know, I try to focus my content on positive / personal growth information, and after reading the first part of this book, I feel that it will be a great base for my next series.

Please read the story below as an introduction to my new series, I promise it will impact your day.


Intro- Steps to Personal Transformation

No one can make you serve customers well....that's because great service is a choice. Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.

He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey.

He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.' Taken aback, Harvey read the card… It said: Wally's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice...' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'

Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.'

As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him. Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day. He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.

'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always… In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.

He had just written a book called - You'll See It When You Believe It. Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. *Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally. 'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said.

'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. You were lucky to get me today.. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'

Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting. Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

How about us? Smile, and the whole world smiles with you... The ball is in our hands! A man reaps what he sows. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.. let us do good to all people.

Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar. SORROW looks back, WORRY looks around, and FAITH looks UP!!! "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain."


It's a Good Life!!!
Greg Novak MBA
Branch Manager
Eagle Nationwide Mortgage Company
Office - 386-756-8228
Cell - 386-846-6686
Fax - 386-756-8108
Web site - http://www.mynationwidelender.com/

Oh, by the way, if you know someone who is thinking about buying or refinancing a home, please give me a call with their name and number, I will be happy to follow up with them for you.