A Thanksgiving Reflection

Here in the U.S. we celebrated Thanksgiving on November 28. It’s a day to pause and give thanks for all of the blessings we have in life and enjoy the day with people we are thankful to have in our lives.

I always reflect on things to be thankful for on this day and the ones after it. Many other people do the same. However, this year I am doing some extra thinking about things to be thankful for. This is because I have learned more than ever before about gratitude this year, mainly due to a book I read by Rhonda Byrne called, “The Magic”. The book takes the reader on a 28 day journey on being grateful for all of the blessings in all areas of life now, and those yet to come. The goal is that it becomes a regular habit to be thankful each day.

For me, the book has for the most part accomplished that purpose. Sure, there are days where I forget to thank God for my blessings, and others that I complain about injustice or what I don’t have. For the most part though, gratitude has become a regular part of my life, and  I am thankful for that in itself.

I have come to realize that the more we appreciate the small things in life, the bigger blessings we receive, and the more reason we have to be thankful. I especially reflect on that this Thanksgiving season.

I share this to portray my own thinking, but also challenge anyone else to strongly consider the blessings you have in all areas of your life. As I mentioned before, this will not only add more joy and happiness to your life now, but will provide more reasons to be thankful as you continue to make gratitude a regular habit.

As long as I am being thankful, I will thank all of my wonderful readers from the bottom of my heart. I have received a far greater response in this space than I could have ever imagined, and I thank you all for visiting, spreading the word, and sharing your input. It means the world to me. Have an excellent day : )

Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us

I was sharing some old hockey stories with my daughter the other day. She enjoys hearing these stories because she recently became a die-hard hockey fan herself and appreciates the present and past of this great game.

I grew up a New York Islanders fan (I still am very much a fan today). I became a fan at 10 years old (the same age my daughter is now). At that time in the mid 70’s, they were just getting good and growing into the championship team they became.

I shared some of this story with my daughter. The year was 1980. After two good, but not quite-there-yet seasons, the team won their first division title in 1978, and were the best team of the regular season in 1979. However, in both years they were knocked out of the playoffs early and did reach their championship goal.

In ’80, they started slowly as a discouraged and confidence-rattled team. They ended the regular season well, but the team had actually regressed a bit. That was until the playoffs began. All of a sudden, things came together, and this team started playing to their potential. Fast forward to the semi-finals. They had been here before, but had never advanced to the finals. Now they were one game away, playing in front of their home fans. This scene has stuck with me forever.

After all of the past losses and frustrating ends to seasons, everyone from players to fans just knew they were going to win this game. The fans cheered loudly through the national anthem and never stopped once the game started. Within one minute, the other team scored to go up 1-0. What happened? The fans cheered even louder, and the players played harder. After another minute, it was 2-0. Worried yet? The fans got even louder, and the players played even harder.

At that point the opposing team was stunned. Here they did everything right, yet they couldn’t stop the Islanders onslaught and couldn’t quiet the fans. After that, the Islanders scored 5 straight goals and won the game easily. They went on to win the championship that year, and the next three after that.

I apologize for the long story, but I refer to it often to prove a point. Nothing was stopping that team from achieving their goal. They KNEW they were going to win that game and accomplish it. Early obstacles stopped the progress momentarily, but it was only temporary before they reached the goal.

Things come up in life all the time that can frustrate and discourage us. However, I challenge you to take this same mentality. Focus so clearly and confidently on your goal that no one and nothing can or will stop you. Yes, the cheering in your head may be stopped momentarily, but if you absolutely know that nothing will stop you from getting to where you want to go and you KNOW without a doubt that you will get there, you will. Then you can savor your victory. Enjoy the blessings : )

How To Receive The Absolute Best

I am lucky enough to be on some great mailing lists from people who provide excellent information and advice about personal development and mind power. I received a great e-mail today that I wanted to share with my readers…

Be your best and you’ll get the best.

That’s because you’ll not only attract what you are you’ll
also get what you give.

Give your best and you’ll get the best in return.

So give your best, I mean really be your best when ever you can.

Be the best employee, the best father, mother, brother, sister,
husband, wife, son, daughter, business person, entrepreneur,
student, professional, – just be the best you can and you’ll
end up attracting the best.

People will recognize your efforts and come to help you be even
better than you are today – so that you get more and have more.

By being your best you also program your subconscious mind
to go out and bring you the best. You’re telling your subconscious and
your inner powers that you want the best, you’re giving your best and
you expect nothing but the best in return.

You then give your subconscious mind no choice but to go out
and bring you the best so that you always have the best and get the best.

Now sometimes your best won’t be good enough.
When that happens, learn and grow – push yourself to be even better.

You may want to be the best employee of the year so you could win
a great prize – but if you fall short, that’s okay. You gave your best, you’ll
get better when you learn and force yourself to be better the next time around.

Professional athletes practice everyday and they try to give their best
in every competition. But not all of them will win. So they learn and grow by
practicing and working to be better.

As you work to be better, your subconscious and inner powers work with you
to bring you a better life so that you get exactly what you want.

Today and everyday, give your best. Do the best you can at
everything you attempt. Learn and grow.

Your subconscious and inner powers will soon follow up and bring you
the best and that’s when life becomes a lot more pleasant.

So be your best and give your best.

Have a terrific Monday and a fantastic week…

Karim Hajee
Creating Power

What Thoughts Are You Choosing?

Our thoughts are the tools with which you carve your life story on the substance of the universe. When you choose your thoughts, you choose results.  – Imelda Shanklin.

This quote confirms that we can help create our lives by the thoughts we think. Is that true? You bet it is. I have seen too much proof in my life (both positive and negative) to deny it.

Take the time to control the thoughts you think today and completely feel the corresponding emotions. What do you want? Envision the positive outcome as if you have it right now. Give thanks for it and feel the corresponding joy. It will be a preview to the real thing.

The quality of your thoughts does matter. The great thing is you have full control. Use that control wisely and the world is yours. Enjoy the blessings : )

How Can I Use Mind Power For Rapid Manifestation?

We all have our goals, don’t we? Hopefully, you answered yes to that question. I know from experience that not only do we want our goals and wishes realized, but we want them now. Or at least as quickly as possible.

What are the quickest ways to get there? For years I have learned that, through the power of your mind and the power of God, you can go anywhere you want to go. Prayer is certainly a helpful option, and the two ideas I’ve been told consistently are affirmations and creative visualization. I have shared several posts about each, and I can certainly tell you that they are very effective.

In case you don’t know, I will provide the crash course here. Affirmations are positive words and phrases you say to yourself over and over again. Creative visualization is using your imagination and playing pictures in your mind of you being the person you want to be and experiencing the life you want to experience. They work well because they affect the subconscious mind, which is the part of your brain makes you the person that you are.

In the past, I have done these two things separately. I would spend some time stating affirmations, then later times visualizing. However, I have recently discovered an even more effective way to use these tools to manifest my goals even faster. I have found that an effective key is to use affirmations and visualization together at the same time.

I will say that I am certainly not a multi-tasker, which is one reason it’s taken me this long to realize the power of this. However, it’s not difficult to do, and if I can do it so can you. Keep your affirmations simple. I have said simple statements, like wealth, God-power, love, joy, etc. Then at the same time, I picture a visual representation. For example, if I say wealth, I spend some time visualizing money. Then I eventually see myself enjoying the benefits of having this wealth and living my life as if I have the exact amount I am looking for. It has a very powerful effect. If you know the Law of Attraction, you know that powerful, positive focus and feelings can only bring you what you are seeking rapidly.

Another reason this is effective is because it doesn’t allow the subconscious to question it. Often times when people do affirmations, the mind doesn’t believe it because it has been so negatively conditioned. For example, you can affirm “I am wealthy”, but it is not effective. This is because your mind is then responding, “No I’m not!”. By just saying wealth or power or whatever you are seeking, there is no resistance. Then when you picture it, you start to believe it. That is because your subconscious mind cannot tell the difference between a real or imagined event. Once it is convinced of something, it believes it as truth. That’s how your beliefs are formed, and then you act accordingly.

I have experienced unbelievable confidence and power in my life since I began affirming and visualizing at the same time. I can see and feel my faith increasing, and I am knowing that it’s only a matter of time before some long-awaited goals are reached. The same can be true for you. Affirm great things in your life that you want. Then immediately see it happening in your mind through visual representations and seeing and feeling yourself experience it. You too will be more confident and willing to make your goals happen. Enjoy the blessings : )

Here are some other articles I have written about affirmations and visualization…

Affirm Belief

7 Excellent Positive Affirmation Tips

Painting A Beautiful Picture

Smile!…We’re Leaving Here With A Victory

I had the opportunity to watch one of the biggest college football games of the year a few weeks back. It was between Florida State and Clemson. The game was very important because it would most likely determine the conference champion. The game also had national championship implications as both were undefeated and ranked in the top 5.

The scene was unbelievable. It’s one of the big reasons I watch sports in the first place. A small town in South Carolina is captivated by this event. 90,000 fans create an incredibly high decibel level and wave of excitement that even a non sports fan could easily get caught up in.

One highlight of this event was ABC TV’s pregame show. They did a great job of taking us around the city and stadium to enhance the excitement. The part that most caught my attention was the pregame speech in the Florida State locker room. It wasn’t by the coach or veteran players of the team. It was from a freshman quarterback.

Typically in college football, the freshman quarterback does not have much of a say. However, this one was different. Typically, freshman quarterbacks are intimidated going into a hostile environment where most of the 90,000 screaming fans are cheering against you. Again, this one was different.

The part of his inspirational speech that most caught my attention was when he said…”Smile, boys. We’re leaving here with a victory”. I was amazed. I loved the confidence and wanted to see him do well even though I was more excited for the home team. What was the result? The game wasn’t even close. This confident freshman quarterback and his team destroyed the home team and quickly caused the decibel level to nosedive as Florida State won by almost 40 points. He never wavered at all. He demonstrated the same confidence on the field as he did in the locker room.

I was mesmerized by this speech and the results because it follows everything I’ve been taught in the past few years about success. This quarterback already saw the victory in his mind. He had extreme faith that it would happen. He still did his part and worked hard and smart in practice all week. He led his team in the speech by having them already smile and savor the victory that hadn’t even arrived yet. However, it did arrive within 3 hours of stepping on the field.

Do you want to win your big games in life? I recommend you follow this same advice. Have unwavering faith that not only can you win, but you WILL win. Visualize the victorious results in your mind. As you focus on the victory, take whatever action you can to prepare and make it happen. Also, act is if the victory is already yours. You already have it. It’s just a matter of stepping on the field with continued confidence and going to get it.

If you follow these guidelines you will not only win the big games of your life, but you will become a champion. Enjoy the blessings : )