Have you ever noticed that thought and attitude are contagious? 

For example, let’s say you take a vacation to Jamaica.  The laidback nature of the people, the culture, is more than just a vacation phenomenon.  If you were a fly on the wall, i.e. not on vacation but simply spying on the locals, you’d notice that they’re significantly more laid back than say your average Manhattan inhabitant. 

If you live in an environment which is very religious, chances are that religion even if it has never been on your radar or part of your upbringing, will become part of your life.  Now you may not start going to church regularly but religion and religious theory is going to enter your life – it’s almost guaranteed.

The collective consciousness is defined by Robert Kennedy as A mode of awareness, in which we directly experience, through an intuitive felt-sense, our union with the interconnected wholeness of life, and recognize ourselves in others. Our identity extends beyond our individual boundary and embraces the collective, through a free and conscious act of identification, rather than through definition by convention or external authority.

Simply, if it can actually be simply defined, we’re connected.  You can use the power of the collective conscious to bring more into your life.

You’re familiar, I’m sure, with many rags to riches stories.  The story of Chris Gardner for example, he is the self-made millionaire, entrepreneur, motivational speaker and philanthropist who, during the early 1980s, struggled with homelessness while raising his young son.  He surrounded himself with mentors, people whose goals were the same as his, people who were focused on success in the same industry – stock brokers. 

It’s just one of thousands of success stories.  It goes beyond mentorship thought that is certainly part of it.  Our lives are directly affected on a deep level by the people we surround ourselves with.

You want to be more artistic – go live in an artistic community – Paris for example – and surround yourself with people who inspire you artistically.

You want a laid back lifestyle where money is secondary to the lure of the sun, sand and sea?  Go to Jamaica, Costa Rica, and Fiji.

You want to become a novelist, surround yourself with writers. 

You want to become a wealthy business owner?  Surround yourself with wealthy business owners.

It’s about more than learning from the masters.  It’s about tapping into the collective consciousness of such an environment and utilizing it to create your vision of your future.  To create the success and prosperity you desire.

Step One:  Determine what it is you desire.  If it is wealth and prosperity in the software development industry then write it down.  Create a vision statement so you’re 100% clear on what you’re setting your sights on.  What you’re striving for.  Place that vision statement somewhere accessible, somewhere you can see it every day.

Step Two:  Ask yourself if you’re surrounded by the right people?  Now this isn’t an invitation to leave the life as you know it behind. It’s merely a time to assess your present situation.  Is there anyone in your life who is a negative force?  Someone who is constantly telling you, your dreams are impossible?  You can’t do it?  Now may be the time to ask that person to support you.

Likewise who are the positive forces in your life?  The people who are supporting you and want to see you succeed?  Make a point of telling those who do support you ‘thank you’ and spend more time with them.

Step Three:  Make a list of people who are successful in your industry or relevant industries – meaning they’re not competition.  Try to list at least 20 people you’d like to talk with, have coffee with, and do business with.  Don’t set limits.  If Bill Gates is on your list then great!  If you’re aspiring to get into a sports industry and you’d love to chat with Peyton Manning then put him on your list. 

If you aspire to open a thriving home organization business then by all means put Martha Stewart on the list!

Step Four:  Gather the contact information for the people on your list and create a schedule for connecting with them.  For example, if Bill Gates is on your list then find out how to contact him and set a date to contact him.  Simply let him know you’d like five minutes of his time to learn the secret to his success. 

Step Five:  Surround yourself with people who are on the same path you are.  This means participating, or even forming, mastermind groups.  Finding a mentor or a coach who is dedicated to your success.  Simply put – put yourself on the path to success by engaging the help of others.

Step Six:  Read.  Inspiration comes in many forms.  Reading about the success and the path to success for people both in your industry and outside your industry will not only help you stay focused on your goals, it will also inspire you to reach perhaps beyond your goals.  Reading about the lives, successes and failures of others, will show you perhaps a different way of doing things.  It will give you compassion and understanding, for others and for yourself, and it will move you to pursue your dreams. 

Of course you have to choose the right books to read, you don’t want to read something that brings you down or has the effect of squashing your dreams.  Try the four hour work week by Tim Ferris if you want an enjoyable read and insight from someone who definitely thinks outside the box.

Step Seven:  Stop planning and start acting.  Action speaks louder than words – this is true both with personal relationships and with the universe.  When you start taking active steps to achieve your goals, the collective consciousness helps you remain active.  You can simply by your actions start changing the collective consciousness around you.  That means you can not only change your life – you can influence the lives of others around you.  Pretty powerful stuff!

Still doubting the power of the collective conscious?  Think about the current mood on the state of the economy.  It’s gloom and doom and the mood is spreading faster than dandelions on a summer lawn.  Even people who are relatively unaffected are feeling poorly about the state of the economy.  The collective consciousness is that the economy is bad and we’re all suffering, even if we’re not.

The converse can be true and you can take part in a collective consciousness that has hope, sees opportunity and refuses to participate in that line of thought.

Wealth and prosperity are still very real opportunities.  Take advantage of the people out there who support you, who believe that wealth and prosperity are possible, and who inspire you to realize your dreams.  Find or create your own collective consciousness and let it lead you to your goals.

What do you think about collective consciousness? Leave your ideas and comments here

Is It Possible To Profit In An Economic Downturn?

“You define abundance. You decide whether or not to shrink or expand.  You choose whether or not to participate in this line of thinking. This is wealth.”
Christine Kane

Recession?  Seriously? 

Okay, fine.  The market is having some troubles.  What do you do?  Do you cower in fear, doubt, and uncertainly like the masses or do you…please forgive me for the cliché; do you make lemonade from lemons?

It’s true.  Right now we’re living in some pretty uncertain times financially speaking.  However, there’s always opportunity.  The online world is still thriving.  In fact, it’s growing.  The self help and home based business is booming!  The investment market is actually thriving – people are anxious to learn how to invest their money, protect their money, and still live the same quality of life they’re used to. 

Warren Buffet just invested 5 billion into Goldman Sachs.  Of course he had 5 billion to invest in the first place but this is a guy who isn’t casual with his money.  And he just invested 5 billion in what many would consider the most unstable sector in the world. 

Why?

He sees an opportunity.

It’s what successful entrepreneurs do.

Successful entrepreneurs are typically risk takers.  Not blind risk takers who jump into a pool of hungry sharks without looking first. 

Instead, they spend a bit of time evaluating the risk and then deciding whether it’s worth jumping in.  That doesn’t mean that every single light is green and it’s 100% okay to make the jump, or investment.  But it means they know what they’re getting into.  They understand the risks.

Along with understanding the risks, successful entrepreneurs understand, and look for, opportunity.

Think about Amazon, Paypal, and even the folks over at MySpace.  They saw a potential opportunity and took some very big risks – boy did they pay off. 

Despite what the mainstream media will have you believe – those opportunities are still available.  The only difference between five years ago and today is the collective consciousness – if the media is telling everyone that the economy is good and invest, invest, invest – the collective buys into it and boom – everyone and their brother are taking huge risks with the comfort that the financial guru they saw on CNN the other night said it was a good thing to do – the economy is great.

Now the same financial guru is telling everyone to buckle down.  Save money, don’t spend.  Hold tight to your investments.  Don’t take any risks. 

And the collective conscious believes it.  They hold tight to their money.

The result…missed opportunity.

Assuming you do your homework, analyze the market, and understand the risks – the risks are the same as it was 5 years ago.  The opportunities are the same.

What is required to recognize and take advantage of these opportunities?

A good attitude is a must.

A good attitude means you’ve established the desire to be wealthy.  Now that may sound very simplistic.  Everyone wants to be wealthy, right?  No, not really.  Some people are quite content at their current income level what ever it may be. 

And many of those who do desire great riches let other desires, beliefs and myths about money get in the way.  Napoleon Hill outlined six steps to achieving Desire as it relates to attaining wealth.  They are:

#1  Fix in your mind the exact amount of money you desire.  (This is very much part of the visualization and goal setting process and is critical to success)  At first you may think, “Oh okay, I want a million dollars.”  Then you’ll think, “No, this is a visualization exercise, right?  How about six million dollars?”  Then the doubts will start to enter your mind and you may drop down to $100,000.  The goal here is to let go of those limiting beliefs.  If you want six million then fix that amount in your mind. 

Perhaps you need to do a little bit of thinking, meditating, or even planning on how much money you want.  That’s fine.  Take your time.  It’s important that you’re comfortable with the number you’re seeking.

#2  Determine exactly what you are willing to give in return for the money you desire.  It’s the old you don’t get something for nothing philosophy.  This is actually a great way to help let go of your limiting beliefs about money particularly if they relate to money being inherently bad.  What would you do if you achieved the monetary goals you’ve set forth?  Will you donate a specific amount to charity each year?  Will you volunteer your time?  Will you employ people and offer a great salary and benefits package?  What are you willing to put out there?

#3  Establish a specific date for receiving or earning the money goal you’ve established.  Tomorrow, right?  You’d like that six million dollars tomorrow, please.  Okay, now step back and consider what may be more reasonable.  Not too reasonable mind you, you probably don’t want to set your goal 20 years in the future however 12 months isn’t unreasonable is it?  Neither is six months, or even three. 

#4  Carry out a plan to begin – Mr. Hill recommends taking action whether you are ready or not.  You can’t spend your life planning, it’ll just pass you by.  So how are you going to make this money?  What’s going to happen or change in your life to make it happen?  Are you going to write the next Harry Potter?  Are you going to develop a software product or game that sells out all over the world?  What skills, talents, and knowledge do you have, or you have access to, to make it happen? 

#5 & #6  Create a written statement for the first four actions described above and then read it aloud twice a day. Once when you’ve just woken up and once before you go to bed.

This process as it was laid out by Napoleon Hill in 1937 and supported by wealth coaches, personal coaches, professional coaches and mentors all around the world, may seem a bit simplistic at first glance.  However, upon implementing it you will see it has a very powerful effect on not only your attitude but your motivation as well. 

Visualization is a technique that successful people in all walks of life utilize to improve and to achieve their desired results.  It doesn’t matter if you’re a stay at home parent who aspires to build a six figure business or an Olympic athlete – visualization and establishing a desire to achieve are a necessary first step to real success and wealth. 

An economic downturn matters.  Of course it does.  However, where there’s the desire to succeed, where there’s openness to success, wealth, and the power of opportunity, there’s a real chance to profit – desire is the first step.

To Your Success!
Jeremy Gislason
SureFireWealth INC
SureFireWealth.com

What do you think about the current economic conditions? Leave your comments here

Read each word again, what feelings or emotions come to you as you read them?

Success…Health…Wealth…Power…Happiness…Freedom…

Really think about this for a minute or two and think about what it is you really want.

Maybe you would like to be successful; everything you have tried just never works out and you’re frustrated as hell from pulling your hair out. Wouldn’t it be nice to just be successful for once you may be thinking to yourself?

Or maybe you would give anything to lose that extra 20 pounds and be able to feel the vigorous energy of youth again. Quit smoking, over drinking and whatever vises you may have. You’d be turning heads as you walk down the street because you look so good.

Or could it be you just want your freedom again, to be able to never have to live by a schedule again. To quit your job, leave your business and live the lifestyle of your dreams.

Now here’s hypothetical question for you…

You’ve been granted one wish and one wish only. Whatever it is you wish for will absolutely come true for you instantly. You could wish to be successful, healthy, wealthy, powerful, happy or free but you can only pick one.

But, here’s the deal, you have 1 year in which to use that which was granted to you to grow your business to the point where you can walk away from it and it will continue to pay you enough passive income, every month, for the rest of your life to live the lifestyle of your dreams. The amount could be $5,000 a month, $50,000 a month or $1 million dollars a month…whatever it takes to live your ideal lifestyle.

If you do not accomplish this task, your wish will be taken away and everything you accomplished in that year will be reversed.

What would you wish for and how would you use it to accomplish the task?

To make things more interesting, the best answer by August 31st gets a $100 Amazon gift certificate. (To qualify your answer should be at least 50 words, be honest and be one that shows the most promise.)

Answers can be as long as you want but the real point of this is to get you to think about what you really want and how you would use it to improve your business and life.

Post your answers here: