Is it Time for A Clean Slate?
“Do not worry if you feel low; the sun has a sinking spell every night, but rises again all right the next morning.”
-Anonymous
Have you ever just wanted to start over? To wipe out the past, or even the present, and begin again? Do you ever feel like if you could just start over in some area of your life, you’d be able to attain the wealth and success you desire? The lure of a clean slate is a strong one.
It’s a powerful concept yet one that seems impossible to achieve. I mean, you can’t really start over, can you? Perhaps, with the right information, tools, and attitude, you actually can.
What Is A Clean Slate?
A clean slate means all past history is wiped away. It often has both negative and positive connotations. For example a divorce, a potentially negative experience, can result in a do-over when it comes to relationships which are a freeing experience. You get to start with a clean slate. Financially, a clean slate may mean that all your debt is paid off or forgiven and you get to start over.
An emotional clean slate gives you the ability to look at things from a fresh perspective
A physical clean slate, starting over financially, paying off debt, reinvesting, gives you the power to look at the future, not the past.
A clean slate means:
No judgment
No hindrances or false conceptions
A fresh perspective
A positive outlook
Rebirth
How You Can Get A Clean Slate?
A clean slate can be accomplished by exploring where you are right now and asking some questions.
What’s holding you back? Think about the things in your life that are preventing you from achieving what you desire most. Is it a skill or education? Is it time? Is it money? What is holding you back? Write down what is holding you back and spend some time thinking about why it’s holding you back. Perhaps you’re giving this circumstance more control than it should have.
What do you complain about? Often the things we complain about are the things that are limiting us either emotionally or physically. For example, if you’re often complaining about finances then that may be where you need to focus your problem solving skills, beliefs, and attention to wiping the slate clean.
What do you wish were true? This is key to focus on this ‘wish’ and eliminate the barriers. That may mean taking some time to contemplate what exactly is preventing you from achieving your goals and then creating a plan to wipe the slate clean.
“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desires bring weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.”
Napoleon Hill
What’s preventing you from taking action? Fear? Finances? Time? There are many reasons, and excuses, for not taking action. Write down what is preventing you and then create a plan to eliminate these or overcome these hurdles and start taking action. This of course may mean wiping the slate clean. We’ll take a look at how to accomplish this in the next section of this article.
Taking Action To Wipe The Slate Clean
What Resources Do You Have Access To?
“No one lives long enough to learn everything they need to learn starting from scratch. To be successful, we absolutely, positively have to find people who have already paid the price to learn the things that we need to learn to achieve our goals.”
-Brian Tracy
Often, in order to attain a fresh start, we need help. Mentors, mastermind groups, coaches and even spiritual guides can be exactly what you need to set the past behind you and focus on the future.
Therapists and counselors can also help wipe the slate clean. Dr Joe Vitale talks about a Hawaiian cleansing process called Ho’oponopono and there are other modalities, like EFT and hypnosis, designed to accomplish the same cleansing process.
What Rituals Can You Do To Symbolize A Clean Slate?
Sometimes a simple ritual can help you attain an emotional or mental clean slate. For example, people often use New Year’s Eve as the beginning point for a fresh new year and a clean slate.
Many religions and cultures use burning as a symbolic gesture- “burning the negative things from the past year” ritual.
In Japan, to start fresh, people clean the house, pay off all debts, and clear all obligations before the New Year. They throw “bounenkai” or forget-the-year parties.
People take cleanse or fast in order to start their health over with a clean slate.
Smudging is the Native American ritual of burning sage and cedar to exorcise bad energy and invite good energy into a home.
In Rome, Italy there was a tradition of throwing large household items out of the window on New Year’s Eve in anticipation of getting a better one. You might want to make sure no one is in danger of getting whomped by your couch before you toss it out the window!
What Tools Do You Have Access To?
Part of wiping the slate clean is planning how you can accomplish it. For example, if you determine that your financial state, debt, is preventing you from approaching your dreams with all the energy and focus you need, then you will need to plan how you can wipe your financial slate clean.
That may mean taking out a consolidation loan, getting a second job and setting a time frame to pay off your debt, launching a new promotion designed to generate the income you need to start fresh. As you’re planning, take into account the tools and resources you have to help you.
Whether you need to wipe the slate clean emotionally, mentally or physically, wiping it clean is entirely possible. It’s a powerful process which can help you gain the focus and attitude you need to achieve your goals. When you feel as if you have a fresh start, it enables you to focus on the present and the future and to let go of the past. Desire, when it is free from limitations, has no limits to what it can achieve.
To Your Success!
Jeremy Gislason
SureFireWealth INC
SureFireWealth.com
Follow us on Twitter at:
http://twitter.com/SureFireWealth
What do you think about this article? What tips do you have to add to this? Leave your comments below…
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February 16th, 2009 at 2:07 am
Yes you are right! A clean slate would be good but very hard to achieve. One needs to be able to deal with finances effectively to help wipe the slate clean. Thanks!
Jim Maginity
February 16th, 2009 at 3:06 am
I have hit the ground to my knees so many times and than came up running more times than I am willing to admitt. I heard a old saying that seemed so wise to me at the time. “I am going to ride this bicycle till the wheels fall off” I have been working on building my own site for 9 months. Not much success to date but I keep learning. Everyone thinks I am crazy because I had only 1 purchase. That is why I have bought most of you memberships. It’s a learning game first and foremost. Thank the good Lord for solid, informative, imformation that you provide. So many useless quick rich schemes on this internet.
Best Regards,
February 16th, 2009 at 3:30 am
Another great post Jeremy. As you said, we sometimes do a review like this at New Year, but really we need to do it regularly. Set the goals, take the action & review progress.
I’ll be sharing this one. Thanks, Trish
February 16th, 2009 at 3:56 am
I believe anything is possible if we really want it. I believe understanding the past can make us stronger not weaker. How can you understand the future if you do not understand the past. We have to learn to forgive ourselves and move on. What I want from life I mainly have eg; love, allowed to be myself and not wear a mask, material things are not entirely important to me but I would like to be in control of my time so I can at all times spend it with my loves eg; my husband, my animals, my friends, ect. If I can do that I will be very happy, just to know that I can pay my way, Live how I want to, be free to spend my time as I want to and be independent while always learning. Age really is a state of mind and our mind is really a powerful weapon – whether good or bad. Thank you Jeremy for making me think and remember just how lucky I am, I just have to remember that and listen to postitive people like you and not listen to doubting Toms. Thank you again. Best regards, Wanda………
February 16th, 2009 at 4:23 am
Starting over does not necessarily mean starting “all over.” Change is the only consistent thing in our lives and we adapt every single day – in a thousand different ways. Jobs change, people change, environments evolve, and we learn, mature and evolve with them. Every now and then we do opt for a whole new way of life – - but, you are the sum of your life’s experiences.
Look for the good things within yourself , the things that you like and banish the ones that don’t serve you well. Taking that part of you and building on it is the very best way to “start over”, and that can often mean that the biggest change needed is the environment you are caught up in. That was the secret for me.
February 16th, 2009 at 4:25 am
You are so true Jeremy,
A lot of times we don’t think of these things until it’s tool late, and sometimes the road does seem bleak and beyond despair.
But if we take a good hard look at where we were, where we are, and where we want to go, and take a moral and spiritual look inside we will find that we have all the tools we need to repair our lives and start anew.
But like anything it first takes that commitment to want to make a fresh start, then we need to take action on that commitment. And sometimes that’s where we stop. Without taking the action, even if only in small steps, we will never accomplish a fresh start.
And this is something that we must do on a daily basis, not just a one time shot.
Thank you so much for your honesty and sincerity. You don’t hear that to much in the IM World
Timothy
February 16th, 2009 at 4:56 am
The Basic principle of Christianity is that a clean slate is possible. I John 2:1, speaking of Jesus, says, “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” As a result, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (II Corinthians 5:17). As you mentioned, a clean slate may require help. God has provided help.
I John 1:9 tells us how we can maintain a clean slate. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to for give us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Acknowledging our mistakes is essential to correcting them. Denying them only perpetuates the problem.
Don
February 16th, 2009 at 5:08 am
You are right in what you say but I think that there are extensions to all the clean slate methods.
For instance, sometimes when debt becomes unmanageble, it may be a good idea to declare Bankrupt, this may sound like a drastic measure but can be not only be the cleansing but the learning also.
Declaring ones self bankrupt is better than being declared bankrupt by ones creditors for sure. With the declaration comes the release of all debt, in effect the wiping clean of the slate but with it comes restrictions a price to pay, since during the bankruptcy period you are not allowed to accrue further debt, not allowed to hold a credit card, not allowed to obtain credit without informing the prospective creditor that you are bankrupt.
The end product is possibly the feeling of release but the learning is far greater, as one learns to become more careful with the assets left, more careful with the spending of income No more purchase of unecessary goods and luxury items, more astute in spotting that bargain and deciding if it is really needed , will it really benefit.
Emptying out of sheds and cupboards of clutter that can be sold.
Breathing Space !!!!!.
” I will lay me down and bleed a while, then rise and fight again ” (Unknown).
Shirley V. Livesey
February 16th, 2009 at 7:06 am
Hello Jeremy, your article on starting with a clean slate is an eye opener for the newbies,who have
great hopes of making the IM as the source of their income. They have to shed the baggage of the
past to start a new phase in their life;the old concepts,the old techniques and the old ways which do not hold good in this fast changing high-tech world. This is possible only with a clean slate.
Best regards
February 16th, 2009 at 7:36 am
Jeramy, I agree with Shirley. And that we need to get off the merry go round and have a good look at where we are failing in achieving our goals. We sometimes need a reality check and realise that no one is going to make us rich, earn money, make our lives better, but OURSELVES. You can start afresh, but you must not forget what you have learnt already from any success you had, and your failures.
If you know what you did right and what you did wrong, then you can start with a clean slate. To make life better, or to be a better internet marketer, it has to start with ourselves, we have to take the actions needed to start the process.
Cheers, Glenda
February 16th, 2009 at 8:18 am
I’ve often thought about throwing my computer out the window – but never my couch!
While a clean slate might be hard to accomplish, a fresh start is not. You can start a new habit that will bring you closer to your goals. If you want to lower your blood pressure, you eat more vegetables. If you want to lose weight, you eat better and get exercise. If you want to improve your skills, you turn off the TV and read. Get the house cleaned, and stay on a schedule. There are a lot of things you can do to give yourself a fresh start.
Be open and willing to change things. Most people just moan instead of taking action. Or if you’re like me, you hang on to a losing proposition far too long. Sometimes we just have to wake up and smell the coffee. When it’s time to move on – Move on!
February 16th, 2009 at 3:13 pm
Jeremy,
That’s an excellent and very timely article for me.
I realised only yesterday that I seem to be making more money in areas where I’m not trying to make money.
And I’m actually not making any where I’m trying to – ironic, huh?
So, I’ve decided to educate myself on those areas which are making money and that means leaving everything else aside and just studying for a while.
Here’s hoping it pays off, God willing.
February 16th, 2009 at 4:05 pm
This could be a very timely message to the unfortunate people who have just been made redundant. Instead of rushing off and hunting for a new corporate position, take the time now and discover what you really are lokking for in life. It doesn’t have to be the 9 – 5 job, you’ve always been programmed to expect.
February 16th, 2009 at 4:28 pm
I have found this out ask your self what have I done
with this product before moving on. Before jumping
in another. If you have done nothing with the last
and got nothing. Well that explains a lot.
I join the IVE in hopes to make money online. I find my one problem is patience I don’t
have any. Jeremy and Louis has tons of information to help with the IVE 83 video’s is a
lot to watch. In addition to that I keep getting offers from them to look at other programs
well here is where I found out what to do. First l should learn what I’m doing with the
Videos before I join another offer. The offers sound great, but it does not change the fact
I’m viewing the video’s to learn how to make money. Also selling some information in the
videos will make me money. The key here is to stay Focus one thing at a time and be
patience while learning.
Thanks for the help Jeremy and Louis
Wrhump
February 16th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
Nice article.
Thank you for posting.
Michael
February 16th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
An interesting article. The quotation from Napoleon Hill is very true,
but what do you do if you don’t have any fire? I find a great many
things interesting, but I’ve never felt passionate about anything. How
do you acquire passion if you weren’t born with it?
The only thing I have going for me is that I never quite give up.
Regards,
Nicola
February 16th, 2009 at 7:54 pm
I was just thinking it was time for a fresh start and then I received the note
about your article. Funny how things fall into place!
Thank you for sharing,
Lisa
February 16th, 2009 at 11:05 pm
Jeremy,
It is refreshing to see you back off for a bit and speak to some of the core problems that are driving people to the internet businesses. It is a travesty to see so many sites that play on the stress and distress of people in poor jobs, bad situations, and under duress from their previous pood decisions.
We do need to resolve the core issue – fill the void of striving for material gain with the God who is eternal and above all this. Then we will be able to, by faith, patiently work toward building a business that has a foundation to withstand the coming financial firestorm.
Thanks for the “time out.”
Wayne
February 17th, 2009 at 7:07 am
Jeremy, this must be the week for me to do a review because your article arrived just as I started to re-read ‘Is It Too Late To Run Away and Join The Circus?’, which is about taking stock of what needs attention.
My ‘clean slate’ doesn’t involve money, that’s a good thing. Learning to ask for help has always been a sticking point for me, this year part of my ‘clean slate’ plan is asking for help from the online community when I get stuck.
Thanks for this post, it definitely hit home.
February 17th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Jermey, I was coming to this conclusion all week! I have to say that there has only been one time that I have been sucessful in a start over, completely turn over a new leaf, to come to a conclusion, and mentally restart your thinking to think different. From that point, not to look back! It was when I was 20 and I made my mind up to quite drinking, smoking, and start eating healthy foods. From that day on I did what I set forth to do!
Of course the first week was a real challenge. The second week was a little easier and so on. For the most part, now looking back, it was just getting used to doing some things different. The main thing was making sure that I stayed productive. That I think was key! I changed what I did as far as my day structure. I really didnt change my playgrounds! But I had my mind made up and a huge desire! I managed to stay fit and not didn drink a single ciggerate for nearyly 3 years!
These days I look at things a little diffrently ! I kind of look at it this way! I did’nt start living this way overnight, and most likely am not going to change and stay changed overnite! I do it a little at a time!! Until my objwective are completely met! This way I create new processes (or habits) a little at a time, adding just one or subtracketing one at a time. This has made what I’m attempting to Quite/start, (doing) less/more, of seem almost effortlessly!
And I still have the enjoyment of the refreshing feeling, and sense of making a huge stride of accomplishment. Only now I have more of a confidence to what I’m doing because first of all my sucess rate has been 100 percent so far, and of course the change is really so incremental. I don’t have to face, or worry, feel overwhelmed, with the huge sums/or amounts that your mind/ or body is left to try to adjust/ or adapt, when making such a abrupt changes!
Of course this is ancient technology, like I’ve come across a new discovery! For me, I’s always been to the extremes of what ever I do. And I bet to guess there are a lot of people that are trying to quit or do more of a positive action in there life. Forget that these simple easy steps are there! In the world we live in so many things are being served to us in such a manner that our mind set gets a program to always think in more being better or more less however,
I think of starting over, reprogram or your life, wipe the slate clean is a wonderful concept! Cleansing to the soul, will add to self respect, confidence really I could not think of a negative. When a person pauses and thinks or to dream of what they really would like to do. Or, being in the sense of accomplishment threw their life if they could step out and see themselves and design their life to the way they would like to see it lived. From that point on you wipe the slate clean start the program that you organize and implement. From their start making your life become the life of your dreams is going to usually be a process. To start changing those life choices is the biggest and the foremost I think main ingredient that people struggle with other than right attitude! And setting, same place, different place, new people versus same social setting. For me, to wake up and change everything 100 percent. That is what makes me go into the process that I mention of add a little to each day works for me.
Or the only way that I can make a change in that form! Does that still qualify? Or still considered being called starting over? Or is that called changing for the better to better ones life? Is their a difference? If you can do that “better yourself” and your getting results!?! Is their any need to start over? Sorry for the writing a book? Thanks ! Great topic! Have struggled with this a lot? N.B.
February 19th, 2009 at 2:46 am
Hi Jeremy,
Very interesting and very timely as I am having a mini review as I am a
member of the Fortunate 500 group and earlier today have come to the
end of the course I have been following from Alex Jeffreys.
Whilst it may not be possible to actually physically, emotionally and/or
mentally wipe the slate totally clean just the awareness of one’s own clutter
in all of these departments and the willingness to deal with as much as we
can is surely a good start to our way forward.
Rome wasn’t built in a day reminds us that whatever we set out to achieve
takes patience above all else. From this excellent article on wiping the
slate clean I will be more aware of what needs to be swept away, and will
be more focused on achieving this.
I also link it to my approach to internet marketing, and my internet
marketing so far. There is much stored information that needs to be
swept away too (both mentally and on my hard drive), and, along with
my mini review, I anticipate a cleaner, clearer focus and direction to
assist me in achieving my goals.
Is there anyone else who is making the same links as I am?
Valerie