The Five Benefits of Multiple Incomes

The Five Benefits of Multiple Incomes

When any form of financial crisis develops you recognise the importance of establishing multiple incomes. The reason I mention this is the uncertainty that has come from the whole Brexit situation. I have noticed a general consensus of un-ease and people curbing their spending in the environment I work within. Hang on... Work? You're an author aren't you? Well I am and I freely admit that I don't just work as an author. I also work in a large corporation in the capacity of business analyst, social media team leader and a project leader. In fact, whatever the corporation can do to use the skills available then it will. In addition, I worked as a photographer for eighteen years and submitted work to photo-banks and finally I worked as a creative writing lecturer for evening classes. You may wonder why on earth I did all of that. Well I have always been a firm believer in being able to support yourself. There will always be crisis, financial ups and downs and times when you want to sit back and enjoy. Yes there is more to life than money; however, money enables you the freedom to enjoy ]'the more to life.'

After watching the markets this week, I wondered about people and their incomes and their spends. So many people put their money on credit cards in the hope of better times. The way I see it is the best time is now. Times do change; however, facing your finances, modulating your income and being inventive in establishing multiple ways to generate income can become a pleasure. I know people that have foreign students who study English stay in their house. Others allow people to stay in their spare rooms or park on their drives. There are so many ways to generate incomes yet so many individuals become fixed in their financial beliefs and consider only one option. Consider how money can be made on Ebay, it can be made by writing, not just books but articles. Art works, web designs even speaking can all generate incomes and those incomes can be funnelled into paying off mortgages, generating rainy day fund and paying off debt. There are so many ways to make money, it is just a case of putting your mind to it.

I know this is obvious, yet when I speak to people about multiple incomes they say that I am lucky. No it is not luck, it is a decision. You make a decisive decision to determine additional ways to make income and action it. Consider how many hours people sit inanely in front of the television. One of those evenings could be spent generating extra income. That little bit of extra money generated over ten years makes for a sizeable sum.

Over the years I have read plenty of books on the money making subject such as The Rules of Wealth, The Richest Man in Babylon, The Automatic Millionaire, The Four Hour Working Week and Think and Grow Rich - to name but a few. The thing is one can make learning how to make money a hobby and the by-product is moving towards financial freedom. There aren't many hobbies that enable that are there?

So my Five Benefits of Multiple Incomes are:

1. Being able to have money to play with, for rainy days and general reserves.
2. Being able to pay off debt quicker and save quicker.
3. Not relying on one income when the job market is unstable.
4. Learning that money making can be fun, learning adaptable skills and money making skills.
5. Money dictates your tolerance level and reliance on a job. When you have multiple incomes if something annoys you then you have the power to say 'stuff it'.

Enjoy my books at the following link:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=Ruby+allure&filterby=field-keywords&x=0&y=0

5 of 5 stars A brilliant, well-written, compelling read. 11 Jun. 2016

By LMS#YOM - Published on Amazon.com

This is a fascinating and powerful book that delves into the workings of financial institutions perfectly. After a lot of soul searching and personal debate the main character, Gillian, joins M.O.N.E.Y but then she quickly realises what a cult-like existence it is. Gillian bears witness to the extreme pressure to fit in and become part of the clique, but does she really want to conform? The challenges and demands put upon the ‘chosen’ ones to constantly improve and achieve their optimum is intense. The deceptive tactics used are all a part of M.O.N.E.Y’s control, but then comes the devastating feeling of being owned. Is it all too much for Gillian? Will she survive M.O.N.E.Y? A brilliant, well-written, compelling read.

MONEY FARM PAPERBACK LINK ON AMAZON: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Money-Farm-Ms-Ruby-Allure/dp/151230526X#customerReviews

AUDIBLE LINK: http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Money-Farm-Audiobook/B010BOM9A8/ref=a_search_c4_1_1_srTtl?qid=1467218674&sr=1-1
HELEN IS AN AMAZING NARRATOR!!!!

WRITE.PRODUCE. RELEASE...

WRITE. PRODUCE. RELEASE.

I am very lucky because I have a friend who is quite brilliant. This friend managed to simply accumulate wealth. She does not have to try... Money quite literally gravitates to her. It is amazing. The thing is, because she is removed from the wasted mental energy needed to pay bills and make ends meet, she provides some fantastic insights. Last night's insight was about why we do things. What is our motivation? How does that motivation change as we mature?

Admittedly we have both matured in the last ten years. The way we approach things have changed dramatically. She has watched my writing journey with amusement. In the beginning there were heady ideals and great aspirations which gradually whittled away to become the purity of creation. My delusional ideals were quite hilarious now when I look back; however, they are what drove me to write daily. They motivated me to create discipline and conquer the inner critic, the inner saboteur and the deluded grandiose egotism that demanded that I prove to the world that I was special. I now write anonymously because I have no desire to be known. That is quite a reverse of the dream of standing in the spotlight!

On my journey I realised that I knew less than I thought, that ego was a dick and that actually the outcome is nothing in comparison to the beauty of being immersed in creativity. For me creativity is like being suspended in this beautiful light space where everything is possible. It is a space filled with magic, dreams, laughter and manifestation. I love it there. It has fairies, mythological creatures and all manner of hero waiting to take part in adventures. All the pieces of the puzzle are suspended in all directions and it my job to waft around the creative realm pulling all the pieces together into an adventurous narrative.

Over the years I must have written about forty books. Not bad going. I think about twelve are on the market, the thing is I actually stopped caring about the market, the acclaim or money. I have a good job which takes the pressure off the writing. The funny thing is when you stop caring about money or acclaim they come to you... What I have learned is there is a sense of privilege in being able to provide entertainment for others. There is a great feeling of gratitude in being given a creative idea that can run to completion and more than anything there is the true love of dreaming and imagining.

My friend then, in her own special way, pointed out creativity and writing was the opportunity to 'give' something of you to the world. That creativity is between you and your maker; however, once made you can share your creation with the world. That is why I publish the work - to share and to come to completion. Another great learning is that no one owes you anything, no one needs to read your work and no one owes you an income from what you create... This then leads people to the question then why create at all? THE ANSWER IS JOY AND THAT YOU ARE COMPELLED TO CREATE. Creativity has picked you to be the vessel to transmute an idea into reality. Isn't that a privilege?

This goes back to my friend and her insight: she arrived at a point in her life where she no longer needs to toil. Simplicity became the answer. She came to the conclusion after numerous successes that they meant nothing. The mastery comes from finding beauty in the mundane and when you master that then what do you need? It is funny how we both arrived at the same conclusion from very different paths. I was always competitive and taking part in sports competitions whilst writing books and climbing the career ladder. At the same time she set up businesses, developed property and had a family. Two very different paths but one conclusion - the joy is truly in the journey and learning to be authentic. By taking such paths we are open to learn who we truly are. At first we may aspire to be something or to have something. Yet the journey reveals us all the facets of self. During the journey we discover new pieces of the puzzle which can be slotted into the spaces that needed to be filled. During the journey we see our shadows and conquer our own dragons in search of the treasure. However, we are the treasure and yet we have looked outside for that validation. So with all that in mind, my approach is WRITE. PRODUCE. RELEASE. Today The Hairy Legged Mystery was released on audio. Fantastic job Lisa. Thanks for being the voice of the story! The amazing thing is that it already sells and I guess that is because I loved writing it. Those who have read it say they can feel the fun in it. What more can you want than that? People ask me about the money side of things - that is no longer the motivation - it is nice; however, the royalties become the by-product of the joy I felt in the creation. The value for me now is in creativity because ultimately money is a piece of paper with a stranger's face on that is used for exchange. Money is not the motivation the experience is and that is when things truly changed...

LINK TO THE HAIRY LEGGED MYSTERY ON AUDIO:
http://www.audible.com/pd/Kids/The-Hairy-Legged-Mystery-Audiobook/B01H2HF0XU/ref=a_search_c4_1_9_srTtl?qid=1466104902&sr=1-9

Why do you do what you do?

So this week has been another fascinating week because I have been re-evaluating my motivations for doing what I do. Why on earth would anyone spend hours of their life writing books and posting blogs if it wasn't for money? And that is it... That is why people think that I am bizarre - I don't write to make money. I write because I love writing and that is where the intrinsic and the extrinsic values come in. The extrinsic are the values applied to having a feedback or a response. The intrinsic are the internal values where you simply enjoy a task for creativity or the act of doing it. When my books sell I am excited that someone has the opportunity to share an inner landscape with me.

So let me ask you why do you do what you do? Do you do things because there is money or approval involved? What is it that makes you more happy:doing something for money or simply because you enjoy it? Isn't there a pleasure in simply enjoying a creative process and creating something you are proud off? If you fancy sharing that creation then it is out there for others to enjoy. I admit in years gone by I had those heady illusions of becoming the next J.K. Rowling, most writers do. One has to have a dream and have a fantasy or a delusion every so often. Mine can be somewhat frequent and we won't go into the one about doing a headstand on a paddle-board (I am actually working on that).

So let me ask you honestly: does doing something for money and approval make you happier than when you do something just for the sake of doing it?

Let's consider baking a cake - don't you do that because you love it or have a cakey urge? I would guess you like creating it and then sharing it.  How does that change when the financial dynamic comes in? Will you only make a cake if money is given to you? It is strange how society has developed that something only has worth if you make money from it. Yet you can't make money from being happy. Isn't happiness worth more?

The whole doing something purely to make money is a hard lesson I learned in my late twenties when I had my own photography business - I lost my love of photography because I had to make money from it. I had to take on work that I did not love and spend hours making photographs that I did not enjoy making. When you have been in that situation for a few years then something shifts - you realise that you work in something you enjoy to earn money whilst keeping your passion on the side because you enjoy it.

Admittedly there are people who make money from their passion and I celebrate them. Yet for me when money was assigned to creativity it became like mental constipation. I was having to mentally force rather than simply enjoy a creative release. I wanted to spend my time creating the books that I loved and explore the stories I desired to write. Now the irony about all this is that my books do make an income; however, they were already created and the income is a by-product from doing what I love.

With all of this in mind: what is it that really motivates you to do what you do?

My audio books can be found here: http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_mn_mt_ano_tseft__galileo?advsearchKeywords=ruby+allure&x=0&y=0

Why Hide Your Light When You Can Be Radiant?

Why Hide Your Light When You Can Be Radiant?

 

Are you allowing yourself to be the best that you can be? Or are you hiding your true magnificence through fear of upsetting others? I have noticed a common theme among many of the 'relatively' successful people that I have worked with recently. It seems they are under-selling themselves or now quite allowing themselves to fully radiate their true greatness. Why? When you become truly radiant you are noticed. When you are noticed people pay attention to you. I then noticed the discussions taking place when one person achieved great success. Lines such as 'they have their nose up so and so's arse.'

'They know how to talk and get others to do it for them.' Or the worst for me was 'well they had it easy.' How did they know that. Did they sit behind the scenes observing how easy it was for them? Isn't it a shame that when someone works really hard and gets reward that people would belittle them rather than celebrate them?

 

 

Two of my good friends were promoted this week and I went and found them and made them do a 'bottom-y celebratory dance. Yes I did! Why? Well when people work so hard to succeed they deserve to celebrate and be celebrated. Yet quite often other people get jealous and bring them down. Yet when 'the back-stabbers' are successful they expect others to give a shit. This got me thinking about success and how so many people under-sell themselves or stop achieving their true glory because they don't want to upset other people.  What is worse are the dream breakers. Those who have an opinion or make a snide comment about an idea or dream are ridiculous. I am sure some of you are shaking your heads saying I would never do that... Well think about it - there are so many people lined up to tell you why you can't or why you shouldn't. These people's verbal poison may stopped you completely committing yourself to 110% because you would be concerned how you were viewed. Or you really wanted to do something but were concerned others would criticise you. If this does not apply to you then you are lucky. Really lucky... because so many people hold themselves back through fear of isolation. So many people view rich people as lonely and others fear the haters. The thing is the truth is whatever is said about you is no reflection of you; instead, it is about the person who said it. So where is this going? Well what if you did step into your true potential and share your wonderful gifts with the world? What would happen if everyone stepped up and inspired rather than criticised. What if we celebrated true success without belittling... Wouldn't that set an example? Would that motivate more people to do good in the world?

 

This week I was in a yoga class striking the warrior pose and I had one of those moments where a little voice says something so subtle yet so poignant.... 'Why wouldn't you allow yourself to reach your true potential? What is the benefit?' It is at times like these you think I should not be thinking. I should be focused on the yoga; however, it is at these precise moments that part of the universal jigsaw puzzle assembles in front of your eyes and reveals the way forward. One has to intend to be radiant and to radiate in a world that wants to steal your fire. One has to choose to become one's best and share their talents with the world without fear. One can choose to hide, but in truth when you stand at the edge of the void of life and death would you say well done - you hid your light when the world needed that light to illuminate others. Your light was part of the Universal Lumiere and you chose to suppress it. I know how I would feel. So with that in mind, I intend to be radiant in all I do and I genuinely hope that this will inspire you to be the same. The more light we bring to this world then the more the darkness becomes less fearful. In all the idea of an infectious luminescence fills me with joy and I hope it will do that for you too!

 

 

You can find my books at the following link: Ruby Allure books on Audible:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=Ruby+allure&filterby=field-keywords&x=0&y=0

 



Harnessing the power of your Passion

Harnessing the power of your Passion

Today I have been enjoying everything I feel passionate about... And because of this I thought 'hey why not share the passion and inspire others to live their passion too?' With that in mind, I  created a scribe about passion. In fact I am being passionate about passion. I have to say I could almost bounce about the room. I hope this inspires you. I hope you love it and I hope you access your energy and drive to create great things in this world! Yipee!

Oh and please share on every media available...

I have put calm music on this version because I added music to the first one which charged me and then almost had to go for a run to calm the energy. I know... You know what? Tell me which one you like the best! If you have to go and create something wonderful with the energy it gives you then it has worked! Love it!

You can find my books at the following link: Ruby Allure books on Audible:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=a_hp_tseft?advsearchKeywords=Ruby+allure&filterby=field-keywords&x=0&y=0

Why we need rewards and recognition

Rewards and recognition

 

Would an Olympic athlete compete if they did not win a medal? Imagine all those gruelling hours of training to compete and then… what? How about more hours of training to compete again? The concept of reward for effort is fascinating because it essentially comes down to motivation and why anyone chooses to do anything.

 

 

When you consider motivation the question becomes what really motivates a person? What will keep them hungry and passionate to grow and excel? Numerous studies have revealed that individuals who are rewarded and recognised for going above and beyond are more productive and feel more fulfilled. What’s more, they wish to contribute to an organisation in a more meaningful way. Isn’t that motivation in itself?

 

 

The simplicity of a company-wide email acknowledgment or an announcement in a meeting goes a long way. It makes constant focus and effective work completion worth all that consistent effort. If you add a personal call or the expression of appreciation in person then you will amazed by how much motivational energy is generated. Providing a lunch/dinner/outing for those individuals or teams who have achieved has a huge impact on morale. When an individual genuinely feels that management recognize their contributions to the organization and that they are valuable members of a team working towards a goal then the company they work for feels more than just a place to work.

 

 

The truth is most of us do things to achieve recognition; however, recognising others is just as rewarding! So how are you going to recognise another persons' efforts?

LINK TO MONEY FARM ON AUDIBLE.COM

http://www.audible.com/pd/Fiction/Money-Farm-Audiobook/B010BOM9A8/ref=a_search_c4_1_3_srTtl?qid=1442261913&sr=1-3

 

"Smartly Written, Thought Provoking Read!"

Narration - Helen Lloyd - Kick A$$!
Really Great Narration - Brits and Aussies and Germans and more. Lovely voice to listen to and she even captured the rather robotic nature of the cult-like members of the Money Farm.

This is a really terrific book - and is it bad that for the majority of the book I was thinking "sign me up!" (or at least sign up one of my grand-kids and let me move into one of the retirement neighborhoods).

The Money's are all 'their best selves' due to the nutrition and fitness requirements along with a few other treatments along the way which are tailored to each individual and allow them to reach their full potential. All their needs are met, they have no debts, no worries, they are appreciated and they all live in really nice digs. (like I said...sign me up!)

It's a smartly written and thought provoking book of a Dystopian/Eutopian society where our heroine Jyllian finds her-self jobless with her savings running out. She ends up being selected to join the M.O.N.E.Y.'s as a "breaker" because of her intelligent & rebellious way of thinking. She is to challenge their systems and find ways to break them, all in the name of making them better.

The story follows her and a few other select characters through their introduction to Money, their training, their indoctrination and ultimately through their discovery of what Money's goals really are.

I can't really say much more without giving away too much, but I thought it was a really terrific book. It was hard for me to 'get into it' in the beginning, but I plan to listen to the start again.

It's smartly written and filled with intricate details about these two "worlds". Really an interesting book about the state of the worlds finances! Loved it! I'm actually stunned that I'm only the second review of this book on Goodreads. READ or LISTEN to it! It's a keeper!

 

Do You Have One Of These In Your Office? The Office Stinker!

THE OFFICE ZOO Link: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B013H91D56

 

The Office Stinker!

There is usually at least one Office Stinker. No one likes to say anything in case they offend the stench-originating party. So why is it okay for this stench-emitting individual to offend everyone’s nostrils on a daily basis? The aroma of rotten sprouts, body odour and general death fills the air and everyone tolerates it because they fear offending the stink-acious individual! Come on!!! Really? Instead of confronting the stink originator, everyone makes faces or discusses the rancid aroma in non-stink-infested locations around the office or in the toilet. The fact that people escape to a lavatory to avoid a stink may alert you that something has gone seriously wrong! Subtle hints do nothing to alert this individual to their insidious smog. A surround of air-freshener plug-ins will not change the awkward truth – this person stinks!

 

In truth, someone should provide the stinker with the truth that something horrible is taking place around them or being discharged from them. That courageous someone (who is kind and honest – the office straight down the line/ give it between the eyes) needs to deliver the news politely. ‘Please Office-stinker wash your undercarriage/smell-emitting orifices or leave!

Through careful observation, I have noticed there seems to be two factions of office stink. There are those who do not wash properly or at all. They have a tendency to violate nostrils on a continual basis and over a time-period. You know when they are in the office because there is a waft of rancid bodily odour with a hint of sour garlic. Strangely they appear completely  unaware of how bad they smell, yet have not worked out that shower gel and water applied one’s body on a daily basis increases the number of people who to talk to them. What’s more, greasy hair slicked to ones face can be transformed by using shampoo, a beautiful luxury that makes one’s hair clean and shiny! The other benefit is that one can flick one’s hair without experiencing a soggy slap to the face.

 

The Office Stinker unfortunately never recognised the above body cleaning revelations; instead, those poor blighters who sit in close proximity become accustomed to such a smog, stuff tissue up their nostrils or wear scarves to cover their noses. Appearing like a bandit on a daily basis does not do much for one’s self-esteem or provide the ‘bandity’ individual with a bonus. In truth, this violation to human nasal rights is not fair! Those harassed by nasal invasion dream about an allocated stinker’s desk located outside the building or on a remote island so that fellow workers can concentrate rather than gag!

 

 

BUYERS MAKE THE BEST LOVERS - NO ONE TOLD YOU THAT DID THEY?

OFFICE ZOO LINK TO AMAZON.COM Link: http://amzn.com/B013N51MNC

LINKS TO AMAZON.COM:

LABYRINTHINE AMAZON.COM LINK: Link: http://amzn.com/B012FAYI5U

A SHORT COURSE IN CREATIVE WRITING LINK: Link: http://amzn.com/B01390THLK

MONEY FARM LINK TO AMAZON.COM :Link: http://amzn.com/B010F04W9O

I thought I may as well add the most recent Money Farm review... Love it!

 

Extremely thought provoking...

BySusan Keefeon July 13, 2015

Format: Kindle Edition

Gillian’s world is turned upside down when she is unexpectedly ‘released’ from her job. Her government funding is revoked after the board decides they did not like a paper she wrote on ‘Reactants, resistance, reflexivity and reversal in times of financial and social hardship.’

All of a suddenly her secure life has gone. What will she do? All around her people are getting into debt, being encouraged to spend more than they have, buy things they don’t need. Possessions are everything, all that matters. Why? How had the world gotten into this state, and why didn’t the powers that be want to hear what she had to say?

Not taking her redundancy laying down Gillian’s resolve hardens as she actively strives to understand the financial system and money handling. Living on her savings whilst looking for a job, she soon discovers that it won’t be long before she is homeless.

But what about M.O.N.E.Y? The people who work for M.O.N.E.Y live at the Money Farm, which was a series of huge walled islands, linked by bridges, which has been in existence for over 200 years. Gillian becomes obsessed with the M.O.N.E.Y concept. Who are these people, how are they chosen? M.O.N.E.Y is totally self-sufficient, secretive, she has to know more.

How do you become part of M.O.N.E.Y, this amazing organisation whose employees themselves are intriguing?

Then, one day she follows a M.O.N.E.Y employee out of a shop and asks the man the leading question “How do I become one of you?”

This simple question, and his reply changes her life forever.

As she trains and is inducted into the world of M.O.N.E.Y, Gillian soon discovers that she has in fact been chosen. Her militant nature and questioning attitude allows her to think outside the box. However, I wondered, as the story progressed, did M.O.N.E.Y have any idea of what her impact would be?

This was a fascinating book, deep and very thought provoking, it made you wonder…

I will certainly be looking out for more very interesting books by this talented author.

Passion, persistence and perserverance.

Passion, persistence and perseverance.

If at first you don’t succeed then try again. This is all very well, however, the word ‘trying’ implies forced effort and repeating the same type of effort. The image of a blue bottle colliding repetitiously with a window comes to mind. If I have learned anything, then doing the same thing over and over again never enables a different outcome. So if at first you don’t succeed, find another way to do what you love or an alternative route to the success you desire.

So what is the success you desire? Why are you doing what you are doing? Is it because you desire a certain outcome? Is that specific outcome realistic? If that outcome does not happen then would you still do what you do for the enjoyment of it? If the answer is yes then you can stop trying and simply enjoy your creation as you enjoy the journey to your intended outcome. If the answer is no, then do you carry the belief that without pain there is no gain? Do you really have to put yourself through pain to achieve your goal? Really? If there is pain aren’t you likely to stop? Isn’t that when the mistakes happen? Obviously the old cliché of learning from your ‘mistakes’ is always apt for progress. Yet mistakes don’t always have to be painful. Instead they can be regarded as diversions - where you come to a road-block and are enabled to experience something new or an alternative way of doing things. Another thing to consider is what you consider a mistake. Personally I don’t generally consider any part of working on what is essentially a passion a mistake unless I don’t enjoy it. So what if what you are creating is not internationally successful over night? Isn’t it about the joy of creation?

So with regards to passion and perseverance, this is also how we perceive what we want to achieve. In the last years I have come to the conclusion that the time I spend writing is more about having the opportunity to step into my creative landscape. At one time I would have felt as though I was pulling a jumbo jet up a mountain using a rope because of the unrealistic expectations I had on myself. That has since transformed and nothing about creation is a chore, instead it is a joy. That was the pain that I was causing myself by have huge expectations of sales and general concepts of success. When I shifted those expectations I realised I simply loved writing stories and putting them out in the world. Writing became easy because there was no pressure. Of course, that is when the shift began and books began to sell. I realised I was creating works that were an absolute enjoyment to create without pressure. That changed the quality of my creation and meant that I could persevere without feeling as though it was a struggle. I hope that will help you. These are a few of the questions I asked myself:

What so you enjoy?

Where is your creative passion?

Ask why you are putting pressure on yourself.

Are there more fun ways to achieve your success?

Ask yourself why you do what you do.

Find out what motivates you.

Create a habit of what you are doing regularly.

Link: http://amzn.com/B00ATF8QF2

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ruby-Allure/e/B00M9Y4GAA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_pop_1

 

Excuse-fluenza - the success saboteur

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008Y65FWU

 

Progress and the issue of Excuse-fluenza.

How many people tell you what they would ‘love’ to do or ‘wish’ they could do and then quickly say but I can’t because…. Pay attention to this because the truth is we all do it. We have beautiful dreams that we quickly sabotage because we have a mental sneeze which covers our dream in our doubtful slime. This common mental ailment is Excuse-fluenza – it is the contagious mental disease of positive thought and the mental flu of progress. Now, before we go any further, I want to mention that this approach is not about ignoring reality and realistic situations. It is more about how we sabotage ourselves before we start. You may decide to be an astronaut and everyone will think you are a ‘space cadet’ and tell you why you can’t but you could experience being and astronaut by experiencing weightlessness in a simulation machine. The point is there are other ways of doing things and the dream can be landed in reality if you are open to alternatives. When I was in my early twenties I decided that I wanted to go around the world. I had no money to fund it and everyone told me that I had to work and save to do this trip. Well, that was one way, the classic way, but me being me was not going to be told no. I wrote down a list of all the places I dreamt of going and collected the pictures. A few years later I was offered a job as a photographer on an exclusive cruise ship that circumnavigated the globe. During my time on ships I circumnavigated the world eight times and went to Antarctica twice. I am glad that I did not listen to the voices of doubt. If anything I heard them and thought f* you – I WILL FIND A WAY!

While working on the ships I had the privilege to meet some very successful people. They all had a ‘can do’ attitude and certainly didn’t make excuses. Instead they looked for challenges and ways to succeed. One of my favourite moments was in Antarctica when I was stood on the bow of a ship with two very well know mountaineers who were studying various mountains and passes. These mountains had never been conquered and they were discussing the best way to ascend them. I asked them how they dealt with people who ‘told them they couldn’t’. They said they viewed them sympathetically because they realised they were telling them why ‘they’ couldn’t and that ultimately such attitudes led people to lead mediocre lives with no adventure. That was an insight for me because there are always doubters, there are always those who are jealous and in truth that is them – not you. Transform their doubt into fuel and use it to drive you to succeed!!! Hurrah!!!!

So the issue of success and the mental sneeze… Can we all be successful? I believe the answer is yes. According to all the negative messaging we receive – the answer is no. Well actually if we consider how we all define success then we can shift that perception. Success does not mean we all have to be celebrities or millionaires. Instead success is as wonderful as being a loving mother and nurturing a family. To another it might simply be becoming good at dancing. There are different levels of success and quite often the ideals we are fed destroy the success we are experiencing on a daily basis. I think one of the most under-valued successes is being a good friend. Instead we all chase financial ideals, being a celebrity or object ideals to demonstrate our success. Success can be in the person and who the person is. What is the point of achieving being a millionaire and being a selfish git? Financial success with a personality of an arse? Oh well done!!! Clap, clap! Although that individual may well be a huge success at being an arse!

So before going any further, if you wish to work on your success, write a vision of what success is for you? Is it paying off your mortgage? Becoming a world champion water-skier? Going for a jaunt around the world? Or becoming the best friend, mother, confident… When you know what it is that you want to achieve – write down all you mentally snotty reasons why you can’t. Apply the Excuse-fluenza and get it out of your system! Now it is time to realise that is your inner doubter. Next to each negative write two reasons why you can. That is your inner motivator. Now consider the classic ways to achieve it and now consider the alternatives… There are always ways and means, sometimes you simply have to be open to alternatives… 

In the meantime, look at your excuses and ask yourself why you are stopping yourself.

I can’t do it because…

I can’t do it because I am too old, too fat, too tired, there is not enough time, I don’t have the money.

Now look at the people who are doing what you desire. I heard someone say they couldn’t start yoga because they were too old. I then mentioned that I had a 90 year old yoga teacher who started yoga in their sixties. The response was – but that is not the same. Actually it is! There are people doing the things you want to achieve who had the same issues. In terms of time – know this: we all have exactly the same hours in the day. Can you swap watching television to focusing on generating success?

As I said, this disease of Excuse-fluenza is an accepted state. We all buy into each other’s mental sneezes and infect each other. The only way you can cure it is by noticing the self-sabotaging thoughts and shifting your mental habits. Use that sneeze a momentum to achieve your success. Good luck!

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