What's my intentions?

Welcome to 2012 at last we are here? I always find that it is amazing to notice that when you are at the other end of time, how fast time seems to have gone. It was over ten years ago that I started to look into 2012 and learn about all the amazing things that ancient civilizations and indigenous tribes have talked about for centuries. Now all of a sudden we are here and it only seems like yesterday.

At the start of any year it’s important to get clear about what you want to achieve for that year. In business terms this might come in the form of a business plan, blue print or a mind map. In life terms this might come as a vision board, manifestation list or New Year eve resolutions. Either way setting your intentions for the year is all about setting the tone and direction for your business and life. The more clarity we have around our intentions the more likely they are to manifest.

When I finished my downhill ski-racing career I turned my attention to aerial and freestyle skiing. Back in those days, and now I sound old, it was a very new sport, unheard of and yet to be an Olympic event. One of the things I was taught was that when you are going to do a summersault your body will inevitably follow your head. In other words wherever you look and intend to land your body will end up following. In some respects what they were talking about was that wherever you place your focus, that’s where your body will end up. Now I never did attempt any grand aerials just a little bit of trampoline training, but the memory of that tip is still with me today.

So what about the relationship to business and my intentions, well if the theory that my body follows my head is true then maybe my body will follow the intentions that my mind focuses on. If that is the case, and it is, my intentions then become my reality. Now this ties beautifully in with research now being done in Quantum Physics on the nature of reality and our involvement in its creation. Some say that our reality is just a manifestation of our consciousness and that without consciousness there would be no universe. A sort of modern day Japanese kone, you know the one, if a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it does it make a noise? Well from a Quantum Physics point of view, no it does not. Anyway back to the point of the story and that is whatever we chose to focus on or draw our consciousness to, is what inevitably manifests in our life.

If we venture back to my ancient civilisation reference at the start of this blog one of the things that is believed to be happening this year is that our intentions will manifest faster. In the past there has been a great deal of lag between a thought and the manifested effect of that thought, thank god. Can you imagine if our thoughts manifested instantly, now there is some major trouble if my thoughts are anything to go by… This year that lag time is meant to greatly decrease. Now I am not sure if that is going to be the reality but I’m not waiting behind to find out.

So maybe 2012 is the year of faster manifested reality and if so then our intentions are everything. Our focus and what we think about, give consciousness to, will be the most critical thing we can do in growing our businesses and our lives. So what are my intentions this year? To take a leaf out of the Thought Leaders book of wisdom (www.thoughtleadersglobal.com) my first intention is to:

Do what I love, with people I like, the way I want.

Now I have a list of specific intentions, a game plan if you will, together with a mind map and blueprint of all the things I want to have happen in my business this year however at the core of it all is the above intention. If my more defined and specific intentions do not meet that brief then they don’t make the list for this year.

So what are your intentions? What is your main mantra for the year? It’s going to be a great year so get clear about what you want to manifest, write it down and tell someone about it. The four golden rules of manifestation, think it, write it, speak it and action it…and if you need to tell anyone send me an email I’d be happy to hear.

If you want to take your intentions to the next level I have setup a group at the Intrinsic Success Hub (wwwintrinsicsuccesshub.com) it’s free to join and to get involved. Once you are there and have signed up go to groups and join the ‘My intentions for 2012’ group and let us know your intentions for the year. I’ll be putting mine up later today so why not join me and let’s all make 2012 the most prosperous and successful year yet.

Have a great week…

Marcus

Success Happens - The Magic of Alignment

As we look out across the landscape of success and see the many who have reached the heights of what we might imagine is success, we so often think that success just happens. We sometimes get caught in the illusion that people get famous, successful or rich over night. Now there is no such thing as overnight success, unless you get on Australia's Got Talent or win at the lottery, and even then most people have been working all there lives to achieve the success that they finally receive.  However in some small way over night success can happen. In some respects there is a truth to this seemingly immediate success, there is some magic that can and does happen when the planets align.

In most cases those that reach success have been working at it for a very long time. They have fought through rejection after rejection trying to get someone of influence to recognise their talent. Be it a book they have written, a song they have sung or a program they champion, most of those that have reached success have worked hard at it. However there is a faster way to reach success, or at least to assist the process of the climb to fame and fortune.

There are a lot of things that need to come together for success to manifest, right product, right place, right time, right meeting, right connection, right attitude, right mindset, it can seem endless. In most cases there are a lot of things that need to line up for the magic of manifestation to deliver the success that you desire. In some respects when all the things that need to happen align, then often dreams do come true. Often when alignment happens dreams come true very quickly. This is the touch point that we are so very often exposed to since the advent of the internet and reality TV. 

So can we influence alignment or is it just right place and right time?

What if we could influence the planets aligning, train the ducks to get in a row and hit a bulls eye each time we through the dart? In my experience alignment comes down to four things.

Mindset

Is our ability to get clear and focussed, to be able to control those negative thoughts, emotions and feelings so that we can push through belief and self doubt. It demands that we have belief in our selves our product and the dream that we are aspiring towards.

Action

Is our ability to get off our back side and get moving and do what we need to do to get the job done. In most cases things don't manifest because people are waiting for it to happen... We make it happen by getting out there and facing the fear but doing it anyway.

Energy

Harnessing our energy and engaging in who we are and what we do at the deepest level allows us to attract all manner of good fortune towards us. Aligning our energy to the thing we are being called to do, that book, that song, that program, you know the one that sits there under the surface dying to get out. How we are being effects everything we are, or are not receiving. How we engage with the world will inevitably determine what we get from the world.

Potential

Unleash your true potential and believe in yourself, hell no one else is going to. Make things happen from that deeper part of who you are and live up to yourself, you only have now!

As we align it's like a rainbow appears, all the conditions are just right for all of the colours of the palette to shine, and when they do there is always a pot of gold at the end...

Have a great week and may all the instant success be yours, after all the work is done...

Cheers Marcus

A Tribute to Steve Jobs

Love him or hate him Steve Jobs built some of the most admired, well known and most successful organisations in the world. From Apple to Pixar, Steve developed businesses that have touched the lives of billions of people world wide. From Toy Story to the Ipod his dedication to developing innovative yet 'sexy' products was endless. This week however his journey came to an end as I am sure we are all aware.

For me Steve and his organisations have been a great inspiration and a lesson in the success of congruence. The 'sexy' nature of the products that these organisations delivered have lead to a passionate following of customers. To the degree that many of these customers fall in love with the products. Regardless of price these products have stood out in a very full market place and have commanded loyalty and a dedicated following. More on this next time...

Apart from his corporate life which some may see as ruthless and hard nosed, Steve had a tough fight with Liver disease and then Pancreatic cancer, which eventually led to his dimise. Along this journey he connected with the deep wisdom that lies inside all of us. At many of my workshops, and also with my clients I often ask them to write there message to the world. What would you tell the world if you knew you were going to die tomorrow? What wisdom, life lessons would you impart to the rest of us before you left this life? Well Steve got his opportunity when he presented his version of Message to the World at Stanford University. If you have not seen this very different key note speech it is worth watching.


So here is Steve's Message to the World.

I hope you enjoy, until next time live like it is your last day because one day it will be!

Cheer Marcus

What do you believe in?

I came across this amazing video the other day on ted.com and during my week off I thought I would leave this one with you. Belief, connection, vulnerability as a key to success in work and life. A truly inspirational and insightful video which everyone should see.

I hope you enjoy....

Cheer Marcus

Interference Wave and the Breakthrough to Success

It got me thinking the other day that fear seems to be the biggest block to success for most of us. Fear of failure, fear of success, fear of the past, fear of the future, fear of what others might say or do, fear of speaking in public and fear of our own magnificent. It reminds me of a quote which one of the participants in my Double Your Client in 90 Days workshop shared;

‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond imagination. It is our light more than our darkness which scares us. We ask ourselves – who are we to be brilliant, beautiful, talented, and fabulous. But honestly, who are you to not be so?
You are a child of God, small games do not work in this world. For those around us to feel peace, it is not example to make ourselves small. We were born to express the glory of god that lives in us. It is not in some of us, it is in all of us. While we allow our light to shine, we unconsciously give permission for others to do the same. When we liberate ourselves from our own fears, simply our presence may liberate others.’
- Marianne Williamson

And yet the list of fears goes on and on and I am sure you could add one or ten of your own. These fears consciously and unconsciously holding us back from moving forward into our light and manifesting the life that we dream of, stopping us breaking through to the success that we all deserve.

I was reading through some old research that I had done while I was studying kinesiology on quantum physics and interference waves. This research shows that when two identical waves are at 180 degrees to each other they cancel each other out. Now this is the whole theory and workings of noise cancelling headphones. I then looked at how I created rapid success for myself, over came two very old fears (money and success) and I got to realising that I matched my fears with the 180 degree action wave and the fear vanished.

In essence I was able to move forward in action because the amount and the speed of action was equal to or greater than my fears. Therefore the greater your fears the greater your actions must be.

Once your reach the magic 180-degree mark then your actions become free of the fear and you can reach the breakthrough and success manifests instantly. Sounds easy right….I guess its going to be a little trial and error and the real message is to get moving as fast and as completely as possible. Remembering that it is the speed and mass of the action that is required to counteract the height and depth of the fear that is stopping you.

Now you don’t have to know what the fear is but rather how big it is and the acknowledgement that it is stopping you. So give it a try:

1. Choose massive action;
2. Fill up every spare space that you have with specific and targeted action.
3. Get moving as fast as possible running toward the fear.

If the fear is still getting to you then you need more action faster. Keep going until you realise that success is manifesting in abundance all around you and the fear that you thought was real seems to be gone.

Have a great week and may the action be with you.

Cheer Marcus

The Many Faces of Fear

I have just finished another Sunday running my Double Your Clients in 90 Days one day introduction workshop for health care professionals and yet again I saw the insidious, destructive and interfering power of fear. I am amazed at just how sneaky and cleaver fear can be, hiding in the most unlikely recesses of our thoughts and feelings. I have seen how fear can stop us in our tracks when moving forward could be the most exciting experience of our lives.

I remember when I was younger, I know a distant memory, although in my mind it was yesterday, it is today and maybe even tomorrow, anyway when I was younger 10 or 12 my father took my brother and I to Disneyland. At Disneyland there is a ride called Space Mountain which, is an inside roller coaster. I can remember walking down the ramp to get on the coaster and hearing all the screams coming from those already enjoying the ride. These screams highlighted an already building fear, to the point that half way through the cue I decided to run away. A little embarrassing considering my brother who is five years younger than me excitedly continued on. I waited out the front for my Dad and Brother to complete their journey into the unknown only to see the exhilaration and joy on their faces when they eventually appeared. My brother shouting lets do that again. It took me at least five of these excited greetings and lots of convincing from both my Dad and my brother before I decided to break through my fear and go on the ride.

I can still feel the fear and apprehension of walking into the area where you got onto the ride, seeing the coaster move off into the distance with the familiar sound of click clack as the coaster climbed the track to its final pinnacle where it dropped into the nothingness of darkness and surely death.

So with the fear still very present and my stomach wanting to release all of its contents, I got onto the coaster. By this stage I was trembling, nearly crying with the overwhelming fear that maybe my life would end in a sea of mangled roller coaster mess as we catapulted off the rails and into the ground below.

As the coaster jerked off into the distance, with me on it gripped by the fear, surrounded by excited patrons including my brother and Dad who by this stage are laughing at me, in the most loving way possible but seeing the silliness of my fear. (Isn't funny how everyone else can see the funny side but when your in the middle of it...IT'S NOT FUNNY!) When we got to the top of the coaster everything turned black and we disappeared into the dark recess of Space Mountain. Now I have to say the first few corners felt like I was going to die but then I began to let go and enjoy the ride. The feeling of impending death disappeared with every up, down, exciting and thrilling turn. Once it was over I wondered what the fear was all about, as I too now joined in on the harmony of my brother and I going “can we do it again…come on Dad, again, again”.

And so the fear of that scary inside roller coaster was gone for good, I had broken through.

Now most fear is not as obvious as that one, but never the less will stop you meeting the exciting and most joyful thing in life…YOU! Fear more often hides as excuses; reasons for not doing the things that deep inside we know we need to do. It will stop us meeting our destiny, of diverting the inevitable and us living the fullest life that we can. Life is a wild adventure and once we get over the fear of meeting this adventure we realise just how amazingly exciting and thrilling it really is.

So where is your fear hiding and how does it show up in your life? Remember that sometimes your thoughts and feelings will deceive you. In that I mean that the fear will show up in excuses that appear real and reasonable and understandable but its fear non-the-less. So how much longer are you going to let fear stop you meeting your most adventurous life? How much longer are you going to let it stop you from living the biggest version of whom you really are?

At some moment we realise that time is running out and that eventually the roller coaster is no longer going to be there. When you see an opportunity to get on the roller coaster take it with both hands, jump on board and push through the fear so that you can experience the overwhelming joy of it all.

Its funny but if we run towards the fear, fear tends to disappear. So what ever you fear run towards it as fast as you can and watch it eventually disappear.

Have a great week and remember, when your roller coaster opportunity appears jump on it quickly before the fear overwhelms you. Know that your thoughts and feelings are going to tell you not to. In this case you have to dig deep and connect with that knowing inside that tells you that this could be the most amazing adventure, a life changing experience, that may have you meet your wildest dreams, desires and goals for your life. Oh and go with your first thought or feeling which is usually the one that says yes lets do it. Fear generally comes after that thought and you guessed it the more your think about it the less likely you are to do it. Fear builds over time, it does not get less!

Cheers Marcus

Uncovering the truth about your USP!

There has been a lot of talk about discovering your Unique Selling Point (USP) and to be quite frank, I am sick of hearing about it. Most of the time it is spoken of by marketing experts and is externalised with a view to impressing your market. It is important but not for the reasons that they often profess. Even though most business owners understand and know of the value of having a USP, or at least have heard that they should, most still have not got it right.

We live in an increasingly competitive market place, with tighter margins and often more demanding clients. It is your USP that will help you to stand out in a busy and competitive market place. Where most business owners go wrong is that they look outside of themselves, analyzing and researching their competitors, trying to find a gap and in turn design their USP.

At Intrinsic Success we take a very different view of discovering you USP. In our experience your USP is more about the essence of you and your business than it is about marketing or competition. Your USP should really be your unique stand and place, and less about how you sell. If you really want to stand out and make a difference in the world then discovering the truth of your USP is essential.

So what is it that makes you unique? In a world of six billion people and millions of businesses what on earth could make you unique. Here is where the trick lies, for if you are trying to find your uniqueness in what you do then you are going to come up with the same thing as everyone else. It is interesting to note that so many businesses claim to be unique and then go on to do and say the same thing everyone else does. So what could make you unique? This is where the essence and energy of you and your business comes in. What is it that makes you, YOU? What is the uniqueness that makes you the special person that you are? What would your friends and family say about you that makes you, YOU? It is the same for your business, what is it about your business that makes it your business? What would your existing clients say about your business? What would your team, your friends and family say about the uniqueness of your business?

If you can nail these questions then you are most of the way to finding your USP. It is a little tricky I must admit and can seem like a never-ending pilgrimage to the end of the earth however, once you have it your business is guaranteed to take off. Now, you will know when you have it by the reaction of the external world, your clients, your team, your family and friends. One of the KPI's is when the clients come flocking then you know that you have it. When we get really clear about what we are then our potential clients can get clear about what we are and make a definite decision as to whether or not to engage us. It is when we are covered in fluff and same old same old that potential clients get confused and unsure about what we are and what we have to offer. Clients want businesses that are clear, definite and sure-footed. Our USP will give them most of this information.

Then you want to understand what it is that you stand for and make that stand. In our case we are interested in business owners who are ready to make a difference to their business and their lives. Those business owners who are truly ready to do what ever it takes to grow and expand and make a significant difference in their world and the world at large.

Once you have discovered the thing that makes you unique, are clear about what you stand for, you can then take your place in the market. So where is your place, or where do you want it to be? Go find the most comfortable and receptive place in the market and tell them what your USP is all about. Begin to attract your perfect client based on your USP. Let go of trying to find clients that do not fit into your view of yourself and the world. I guarantee you will be happier, less stressed and more successful. Oh and if you have some that don't fit I dare you to think about changing that...

So go out into the world and discover your true intrinsic USP, then go tell everyone…NOW!

Have a great week and may your intrinsic uniqueness shine for greater success.

Cheers Marcus