What controls the decisions you will make in your life? Is it your surroundings? Your friends, your family, your upbringing? Perhaps your level of intelligence (or the lack thereof)… Or, is it your beliefs?
Anthony Robbins compares the human mind to a kitchen table. In his audio book, Awaken the Giant Within You, he speculates that thoughts are a table top and the things that build your table are the legs, which are references (References here meaning lessons, experiences, and visual interpretations). When you get 3 or more references that you make up for yourself, whether they are real or totally made up (because your subconscious mind can’t differentiate between what’s real and what is fake), you combine your reference with a thought and poof!… You have a belief! To make it plain, a belief is simply an extreme certainty.
To make this simple I will illustrate this through a story… The Peanut and the Spider Monkey

The spider monkey is considered a new age monkey. This simply means that this breed of monkey is underdeveloped with a smaller intelligence capacity than the traditional monkeys we learn about in school. South American hunters prey on the spider monkey. By nature, spider monkeys are protective and defensive which makes them difficult to corral. In order to avoid fighting the elusive mammal, the hunters instead choose to trap them. Using a heavy container with a small opening in the top, and a wide bottom, the hunter strategically drops his lure. The bait: a special nut that is irresistible to the spider monkey. After the hunter has disappeared, the monkey will come down from his treetop hideaway, attracted by the scent of the nut. The monkey reaches into the container, his flexible hand barely fitting inside. Now here’s the kicker, once the monkey clenches the nut in his palm, his hand is too big to be removed from the container, and the container is too heavy to be carried away. Defeated, the monkey, instead of simply letting go of the nut, will sit down and hold on to the nut still inside of the container. The hunter has only to pick up the monkey and carry it away to its demise.

Now some of you are wondering why the stupid monkey doesn’t just let the peanut go, (well it’s a banana in the picture, but you get it)
I ask you the same question, with your silly peanut beliefs…

Are you happy with your life right now or are you holding onto the same peanut beliefs that will leave you broke…not just financially broke, but also emotionally or worse yet, spiritually bankrupt?

You can place blame on other people, or situations, or circumstances, but you never take a step back and look at the common denominator…YOU!
Excuse me, I forgot, you’re perfect and you just live in an imperfect world.
“Your beliefs are the first thing that will change things for you, yet when searching for a solution, they are the last place that people will look.”-Rob Coats
The truth is, perhaps that your beliefs and your perception of self is simply distorted. You believe that the life you currently lead is all that you deserve. You do the same things because it’s all that you know. Einstein says that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is insanity. So what you have to do, is change the way that you believe.

Begin by questioning your current set of beliefs. Identify the things in your life that are holding you back and try to evaluate the connection these setbacks have to your belief system. Search to find the “3 references” that have solidified these beliefs in your head. Keep a close eye on your “intake”. The things that we see, hear, and feel are directly related to what we believe. If you want to reshape what you believe, change what you put in your mind.

Finally; you have to stop beating yourself up! Stop believing the lies or deceptive agreements that were made up for you before you were old enough to make your own decisions, or that you created yourself. This way of thinking is only a prison that will hold you hostage until you are ready to let it go. Never believe that what is in your hand is more valuable than the life you could have if you simply opened it up.

Please leave a comment and Share this post!

“I would rather attempt something great and fail than attempt to do nothing and succeed.” – Robert Schuller

Relationships are everything- In the 21rst century Relationships are everything as a matter of fact all selling will be relational selling.

Customers and people are naturally suspicious and they have a right to be. People or customers consider the relationship to be more powerful then the product that you are selling. I hate to tell you this but your product or service is usually somewhere else. They don’t have to buy from you… They can buy right from your competitor or not buy at all. The only reason they are going to buy from you is because they know, like, and believe in you and feel what you are saying is true.

Please take a moment to “Comment” and tell me Your Thoughts on this. Thank You

So your going to a connecting function that you have never been to before (or maybe even one you have) determined to crack the connection code and start building priceless business relationships. Here are five proven strategies for making contact at connection events.

1. Go it alone. When attending connection functions, go by yourself or at least communicate to your carpool buddies that you should all fan out. Moving about an event solo encourages people to approach you and makes it easy to mingle and initiate conversations. It may be more comfortable to have a friend right there with you, but remember: you are there to grow your network, not hang with the people already in your network.

2. Study the tags. If name tags are pre-printed and on display at the registration table, scan the tags of the other attendees to see what opportunities await you. Here’s something, though I have not tried this myself, Rachel Wood, a top financial advisor in the Boston area who introduced herself to me after one of my CODE Crackers Networking seminars, does something pretty neato. If she spots a name tag on the registration table of someone she would like to meet, she asks the people manning the table if she can clip a note to their tag saying she would like to meet them. She swears by it.

3. Circle and scan. Before diving into the event, try circling the room and checking out the name tags for people or companies you definitely want to make contact with while there.

4. Look for people standing alone. These folks may be nervous, and your initiative will often endear you to them. Plus, one-on-one connecting is the best connecting.

5. Sit between people you do not know well. If the event is a sit-down affair, do not sit by a friend or business associate. You already know that person! Plan who you want to sit by, but wait until the last minute to actually sit down so you can keep making new contacts.

Share how you’ve stood out at a networking event in the comment box below.