PFR Notes January 30, 2010

We are getting ready to use the work we have done pushing past our blocks and being resolved to be our personal best to create changes in our life. We are going to aim our new power at targets and hit them one after another. We will spend 2010 continually setting and achieving our objectives. We will do this by creating commitments. Each commitment we make will be one brick in the new house we are building. Really, GET EXCITED, you are about to build a new house, a house designed by you, the house of your dreams.

Each brick in the house you are building is solid, it is thick, it is sturdy and strong. Each brick carries the same strength as the brick before. Each brick is reliable and will not break. Do you remember the story The Three Little Pigs? The first little pig built his house out of straw, and the second little pig built his house out of sticks, and the wolf was able to blow each house down. However, the third little pig built his house out bricks, and no matter how hard the wolf huffed and puffed he could not blow the brick house down.

Why couldn’t the wolf blow a brick house down? Because a brick house is solid! The bricks we are going to build our house from are made up of commitments. Commitments have to be solid, otherwise your house will get blown down. How do you make commitments solid? By keeping them. We cannot turn commitments into another powerless word like goals where we make them but then do not follow through.

We will start out by making sure that we are making small commitments that we want and will do, and we will build our commitment muscle. Before we know it we will be so strong at commitments, anything we commit to, we will know that we will do. Then we will build that house, brick by brick.

We will provide a commitment making checklist and a surprise to assist you tomorrow.

Get ready to lay your bricks down and start building…

PFR Notes January 29, 2010

Most of the goals that you have set in your life, you started with thinking, “I have to do this.’ That was your first mistake … ha ha! As soon as you said that, you not only made the experience miserable, you aided the possible failure of the goal. As soon as you say, “I have to” you are now relying on “Will Power.” Will power breaks down and leaves you exposed to all the blocks we have been talking about. Those voices telling you to take a day off, that you deserve a treat/reward and everything else.

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PFR Notes January 28, 2010

As we are coming down to the end of PFR, we want to take the power of being resolved to be our personal best and aim it at creating some results that we want to create in our life. For most of our lives, and as we have studied self help, we have learned to call our objectives “Goals.” When we started PFR we agreed to not set any goal, and now we are going to end with the elimination of goals. NO GOALS!

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PFR Notes January 27, 2010

With only a few days left of the PFR program, we are taking time to answer your questions.

Two of the main questions being asked is when and why is the PFR not going to be available.

The When

On February 28, 2010, the PFR will no longer be available.

This will give anyone starting late, time to complete it and time for those just finding out now to take advantage of it as well.

The Why

The PFR has been a huge success! Which of course begs the questions, “If it is helping so many people, why are you taking it down?”

We want to now take a look at all the material and improve it. We will re-introduce a “New and Improved PFR” later this year. So please send us your comments, what you liked or didn’t like, what helped you, what you feel you could have used more help with and any other thoughts you have.

For more questions being answered, listen to the Podcast and we will introduce a once week segment in the Podcast series to continue to answering your questions, so keep asking…

We want to thank all of you for your participation, you have done an amazing job and we appreciate you!

PFR Notes January 26, 2010

Today we are learning about PC behavior. No, not being “Politically Correct,” but learning to “Pause and be Conscious.” It is through being consciously aware of what is going on that we then can become consciously aware of the choices we have. Through consciousness we can choose to be our personal best. Being our personal best is only possible through being conscious. Being conscious to change is mostly only possible through the power of “Pause.” If we do not learn how to pause, we revert to our reactive, impulsive and automatic behavior.

The power of pause is one of the greatest Tools you can learn. The idea of it sounds so simple, “Pause, become conscious of what is going on, and make a choice to be your personal best.” Wow, when I say it like that, it sounds really-really easy. As easy as it sounds, at first it is actually the complete opposite, it is really-really hard.

It is hard to pause because we are hardwired in our reactions, impulses and automatic thoughts. However, it is these reactions, impulses and automatic thoughts that are giving us the results that we want to change. If we cannot slow down and pause so that we can become conscious, then we never have the opportunity to create the changes we want.

Create opportunity for yourself by pausing. The amazing part is that we all claim we want more opportunities and they are already there. There are endless opportunities around you at all times. You simply are not aware of all the opportunities because you drive right by them. It is like you are on a highway and you don’t ever slow down to see or be able to take an exit. Trust me, the exits are there, but you need to slow down there Speed Racer.

The Power of pause and becoming Conscious will change your life.

Pause

Become Conscious

Pause

Become Conscious

Pause

Become Conscious

PFR Notes January 25. 2009

When there is a crime, there is a culprit. In the case of our lives, there is a crime being committed everyday, all day long. We are getting robbed of our peace of mind. If we want to stop the robberies, we have to find out who done it. The who, is a thought we are having that sets into motion feelings and behaviors that lead us down a path of not being our best, or even worse, self destruction.

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PFR Notes January 24, 2010

Look around at your life … Look at your body, your career, your finances, your relationships, your moods, your addictions, your enjoyment… are you satisfied? If you are, WOW! Congratulations, you own it.

Guess what? … Even if you are not, you own that too.

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PFR Notes January 23, 2010

According to the Cognitive Model, our perception influences our emotions and behavior. Therefore, you could argue that there is no such thing as reality, only what we are experiencing. This means that the same situation has no finite definition. Each individual could perceive the same reality in any moment differently, thus creating many realities for the same experience.

A professor announces a pop quiz, Student A hears the professor as encouraging and supportive. Student A (her) is confident and looks forward to taking the quiz. Student B (he) hears the professor as threatening and angry, Student B fears the quiz. There are endless scenarios in-between, all based on perceptions, not what is actually happening in the outside world, but created from what is happening inside ourselves.

The perceptions that we experience are experienced by automatic thoughts that we have when confronted by situations we encounter throughout the day. When a situation presents itself we will form automatic thoughts as a result of our core beliefs. Let’s take a look at core beliefs of Student A and Student B.

Our core beliefs trigger our automatic thoughts that then create our perception of the situation that translates to our emotion and behavior. However, if we were working with Student B, we might ask what evidence he has that he would fail? Has he ever passed a pop quiz before? Isn’t it possible that he might pass? What would be the worst outcome if he did fail? The answers might come back as, I have no evidence that I will fail, I have passed pop quizzes before, I very well might pass. If I fail, I am sure I could study more and take a makeup quiz, or do better the next time.

We would then translate this into taking over the automatic thought and creating a new thought. Over time, the core belief can shift to I am competent, and catching the negative automatic thoughts can come quicker and easier. This is a very general beginning basic explanation of an entry level of cognitive therapy. To further examine how to understand automatic thoughts we would have to delve into feelings and images that create mood shifts and find the thought behind them. Then we would also examine how the core beliefs developed. The work is very effective and is a fundamental part of many of the exercises in Tools To Life.

Right now, as we are using affirmations, we are creating a shift in beliefs and emotional responses to situations we encounter. We will further examine why we State Out Loud, and then we will go into triggers. Triggers are what we define as automatic thoughts that we continually have that create a pattern of wanted behavior. We will learn how to identify these thoughts and then change the channel to create new behavior.

Keep Stating Out Loud!

PFR Notes January 22, 2010

By this time, most who made a New Year Resolution and got started, are just about stopped. The gyms are returning to normal and seem as quiet as a library. No one is talking about resolutions, because that would be an unwelcomed conversation. It’s fun to talk about all the things you are going to do, no so much when the conversation is about all the things you failed to do.

Even though the Personal Freedom Revolution had no end goal in mind, so there is nothing to fall short of, other than falling short of simply doing it, still there is drop off. The drop off is greater than just the check offs on the challenge. The drop off is on the intensity to which those who are still in there are really doing it.

What do I mean by that? Well, we either are not saying the affirmations or we are saying them with less energy. Maybe we are hitting the grateful list in the morning, but missing it at night. More likely, you skip in the morning and say I’ll do it tonight, but then you might forget to say them at night and will make up for it in the morning. You are not looking at every choice and asking yourself what should I do to be my personal best. The Reverse Tool sounded great the day you read about it, but when is the last time you used it?

You figure it is okay, because you are still watching the videos, listening to the Podcasts and reading the notes. It is okay, because you are learning a lot and you get it. In fact you are having tons of light bulb moments. So let me ask you a question, if you watch the videos, listen to the Podcasts, read the material on how to workout, and you understand it all, and you never workout, or workout sporadically, are you going to get into shape? Never mind, I figured that one out on my own.

Listen, do you really want this year to be different? If you do, then you have to dig inside yourself. It is in the doing that change is created. The entire Revolution Program is a Boot Camp to get you ready to make commitments. I know it can seem pointless at times, boring, or the blocks are hard to get through, but you need to dig inside yourself.

How are you going to use the Commitment Tool and create the changes you want, if you cannot keep with this commitment now? I don’t care how well you think you are doing, do better. That sounds harsh, but that is how it is. If you want to create real change, dig inside yourself and push, push and push and make that commitment. I know you can do it, I know you have it in you. I know that you really want to break free of the prisons of not living the life you want. The freedom you want takes you pushing harder. You have the power inside of you, you have to be committed and you have to dig in.

Dig in and it might hurt a little, but you will feel better than ever. Dig in and soon we will make commitments and they will seem like taking a walk on a sunny day. You will smile at how easy it is to create the changes you want, once you learn how to make a commitment.

So…DIG IN!

PFR Notes January 21, 2010

Think about it, there is always a reason why you can’t do something, why you are doing something and why things are the way they are. We all know that there is never enough time, don’t we. Therefore, not having time is always a reason why we can’t do this or that. We are so good at the reasons that we think that they are reality.

We have been working to achieve change this year through resolving to be our personal best. That means at every fork in the road where there is a decision, you are choosing to make the choice that will lead towards life improvement. We have discussed many of the reasons why you do not take the better road, that there are literally blocks that barricade that choice. The block of excuses is one that we build consciously.

We say, I can’t do it because of, I did it because of, it is that way because of. In truth the only reason it is because of is…you. In order to truly be at your best, I want you to make another resolution today, the resolution of “No Excuses.” You have to be resolved to not give energy to a reason why you cannot be your personal best.

Be resolved, “No Excuses”, and truly be your personal best.