Extra, extra – read all about it  !  Just about everything you hear, read, and see in the media and discuss around the water cooler that relates to the economy and job market is negative. 

Unemployment is up… blah, blah, blah.  Unemployment is down but long term employment problems prevail… blah, blah, blah.  If congress doesn’t act to pass economic tax reform, the economy will be heading towards a fiscal cliff… blah, blah, blah.  The president is not acting swiftly enough to encourage GDP to rise anytime soon; which translates to no job growth… blah, blah, blah.  Businesses continue to outsource jobs overseas, creating an employment epidemic throughout the country… blah, blah, blah. 

Become unstoppable !

Human innovation, creativity, resourcefulness, and determination are what separate you from all other living life forms.  When engaged and operating on all cylinders, there is nothing that can prevent the human spirit (and human will) from attaining its goal.  When you rekindle your natural and instinctive entrepreneurial and intrepreneurial flame of achievement… and acknowledge that there is no lack of opportunities available to you; and no restrictions on what you can do for a living or income you can earn… you become unstoppable !

You don’t need to invent something new to make a good living

Wayne Huizinga built 3 billion dollar companies based on old ideas… trash collecting (Waste Management), video rentals (Blockbuster Video), and used cars (AutoNation).  Oprah Winfrey made a fortune doing what others, like Merv Griffin, had been doing for years… talk shows.  Ted Turner made his wealth on an old idea… news (CNN).  And Meg Whitman made a pretty good living on an existing idea… garage sales – online (eBay). 

Yes, there are unlimited opportunities and income to be made by creating new ideas and promoting them.  But you don’t have to come up with a new idea, a new invention, or a new technology to earn a great living.  Millions of people are taking existing ideas and improving or reinventing them.  There are virtually untold numbers of services and products that can be improved or taken to a new level.

When you begin to reply on your own creativity and resourcefulness, rather than an employer or the government, you will come to understand that you can easily and enthusiastically provide your own job security. 

Plenty of jobs / unlimited opportunities !

Regardless of what you see in the media, hear from the US Bureau of Labor, or discuss with your friends, neighbors, or relatives… there are plenty of jobs out there for job seekers who follow Jay Block’s 5 Steps to Rapid Employment program. 

More importantly, for those who transition from job seekers to opportunity seekers… there are unlimited opportunities.  No, this is no smoke-and-mirrors bugaboo.  Below is a link that exemplifies an excellent example of our Protean mantra of unlimited opportunities.  

View the videos and read the short article about Genevieve Thiers – the millionaire mom who created a million dollar opportunity from her dorm room… innovating a very old idea !

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/driven/millionaire-mom-creates-com-sensation-dorm-room-145332435.html

“People are as happy as they make up their minds to be.” – Abraham Lincoln

 Character

Character is defined in the midst of adversity and setbacks.  It takes no special skills or disciplines to enjoy life when things are going well.  When you consciously make an effort to focus (pay attention)  on what makes you happy and use the power of focus as a platform to meet and overcome your challenges; you will be successful in doing just that… being happy and peaceful.

 You can easily empower yourself and others to be happy in the midst of life’s tough stuff – from unemployment and relationship issues – to life threatening diagnoses and tragedies.  I have asked thousands of people what they do to be happy to and to find peace in the wake of chaos and calamity.  Below are 8 of the most popular tips they shared with me.   

1. Focus on what you have; not what you lack

Most people tend to focus on what is wrong with their lives; not what is going right.  Be grateful for all you have in pursuit of all that you wish to accomplish or overcome.

2. Hang out with upbeat and fun-loving people

Your environment determines who you are and who you become.  If you spend time with negative people, you’ll become a negative person.  But when you spend time with positive and optimistic people, you’ll be positive and optimistic, no matter what you have to face.

3) Slow down and just “be”

Most people are NOT human beings; they are human doings.  A Zen expression says “If you don’t go within; you’ll go without.”  Slow down, meditate, or just find time to relax; especially in the midst of adversity.  Stop doing… and just “be.”

4) Join a group of like-minded people… and play !

Do you play cards, swim, do yoga or palates, bike ride, read, play chess, garden, cook, play golf or shuffle board, walk, or ceramics? If you don’t play, you may very well just waste away.

5) Do something nice for a stranger

When you tell a stranger she looks nice or he does a good job cleaning tables in the food court, not only will they feel great, you’ll feel greater.  When you pay compliments to others on a regular basis, you will get more joy and peace in your life.  Remember, what goes around comes around.

6) Set one exciting goal every day

Whether your goal is to enjoy some ice cream, take a brisk walk, catch-up with someone you haven’t spoken to recently, or just read a good book – set one simple goal a day that is exclusively for you.

7) Learn something new everyday

Children are the happiest beings in the world.  Why?  Because they are always learning and creating.  When you stop learning, you stop growing.  And when you stop growing, happiness is nearly  unattainable.

8) Don’t judge

Evaluate and observe – yes.  Judge – no.  Set expectations and goals for yourself, and live up to them.  When you judge others (and yourself), negatively, resentment, anger, and destructive emotions run rampant – and happiness and peace-of-mind are impossible.   

Be happy… and pay it forward !

The Industrial Age workplace is over

The Industrial Age workplace is over and has been replaced by the Protean workplace.  There are no jobs or careers for life and no job security.  And businesses and organizations can no longer rest on their laurels.  If businesses and organizations don’t improve and keep up with constant change; they’ll be overtaken by competitors that will.

The Protean workplace is the new workplace; and it’s here to stay.  The Protean workplace is one where individuals, businesses, managers, and employees MUST take personal responsibility, anticipate the future (and future trends), and act to adapt to the future they foresee.  

No more job security for employees

Today, the only job security that employees can depend on is the job security they provide themselves.  All employees in all sectors of the workplace (private, non profit, federal, etc.) must accept that many variables have created an uncertain, complex, and volatile workplace.  Technology and outsourcing are replacing jobs. 

American companies are experiencing global competition from formidable rivals; and must do whatever is necessary to compete and survive.  No longer isAmericathe superpower of manufacturing.  And no longer isAmericathe only economic superpower. China,South Korea,India,Japan, theEuropean Economic Community, and now – developing nations have become real economic powers to be reckoned with.

Protean employees:  4 tips to thrive in the new Protean workplace

Protean employees can no longer depend on companies / employers or the government for their livelihood; they must depend on themselves.  Protean employees must assume personal responsibility, anticipate the future, determine where they fit into the future they anticipate, and act and adapt according.  Below are 4 strategic tips for Protean employees to take advantage of… that will lead to greater job security and a better future.

1)      Become an intrapreneur (entrepreneurial employee) and approach your job as if it’s your own enterprise.  Arrive earlier, work harder and smarter, and stay a bit longer.  Always go the extra mile and give more than what’s expected or required. 

2)      Bring more value to your job everyday.  Before you turn on the television, turn on your mind. Invest 30-60 minutes everyday reading a book or an article that will benefit your employer tomorrow.  Get online and seek out strategies, processes, ideas, and tools that will help your employer grow, perform more efficiently, and thrive.  If you don’t bring more value to your job everyday, you will become worth less (worthless) to your employer over time; and place your job and your future in jeopardy.  

3)      Be responsible for your own self development and your own professional training. Never begrudge the investment you make in your own personal and professional development.  Don’t depend on the company to provide training; depend on yourself.  Take courses, attend seminars and workshops, and invest in skill and qualification enhancement.  It will benefit your employer and it will benefit your future as well.

4)      Adjust your attitude and arrive at work everyday with positive energy and an abundance of enthusiasm.  Employers state that ‘poor attitudes’ represent the most significant skill gap and performance deterrent over any other specific skill.  Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing can stop a person with the right mental attitude from achieving his and her goal; but nothing on earth can help the person with the wrong mental attitude.”

That sums it up rather well.

Today, the world needs a new kind of manager – one who understands the new world. 

Indeed, today, companies must be lean, mean, innovative, future-sighted, resourceful, quick to adapt, competitive, and bold.  And today’s managers must realize that business success, even survival, depends on managers creating a team that is lean, mean, innovative, future-sighted, resourceful, quick to adapt, competitive, and bold

Protean managers are the front line leaders

Protean managers are very much like coaches in sports.  Whether Protean managers are head coaches (executive managers), assistant coaches (mid level managers), or assistant-to-assistant coaches (supervisors), all Protean managers must embrace and master 8 key Protean management concepts.

8 Key Protean Management Concepts for High Achievement

 1)     Bring more value to the company and to your department through continuous process and personal improvement.  No longer can a day conclude without new ideas, new strategies, and new possibilities being identified, discussed, or implemented in a collaborative forward-thinking manner.

2)     Maintain high expectations and achievement standards.  Protean managers  enthusiastically and professionally lead their teams through interactive and proactive participation; not by dictatorial and demeaning approaches.  They communicate stringent expectations and achievement standards in an exciting and passionate manner.  There is no place for insecure managers.

3)     Communicate and empower individuals and teams to meet achievement standards.  Protean managers identify and capitalize on new and untapped opportunities in a synergistic and inspiring environment.  This is accomplished by creating an esprit de corps; where all team members fully understand and perform their role and given credit for the team’s successes and achievements. 

4)     Anticipate obstacles to success before they become obstacles to success.  Not unlike generals who predict what the enemy might do – and prepare accordingly, Protean managers take the same approach.  They are prepared for the unexpected, and challenge all team members to master this skill.  Protean teams anticipate, adapt, and respond  quickly in an ever-changing marketplace.

5)     Deal with adversity in a constructive and dignified manner.  Protean managers keep their cool in times of crisis and when things don’t go according to plan.  They don’t blame others or make excuses.  They don’t yell or degrade others.  They inspire and empower improvement and adjustment in a calm and confident manner.  Protean managers invest 95% of their energy on solutions; not problems.  They rally their troops to quickly and expeditiously turn adversities into opportunities.

6)     Earn respect of their subordinates, peers, and superiors.  Respect is earned; it can’t be demanded or manipulated.  Fear and intimidation are not strategies used by Protean managers.  Reverence and admiration are earned based on demeanor and action.  Protean managers lead by example and know that “respect” is a valued characteristic of all success.

7)     Reputation is achieved by producing benchmark results and unparalleled levels of success. Protean managers set aside their egos and always take a little more of the blame when things go wrong, and a little less credit when things go right.  Effective Protean managers know success is about results – not ego.

8)     Make sound decisions; are wise in judgment.  Protean managers make decisions that must be made to achieve results that must be achieved.  And they do so with class and dignity.  Protean managers benchmark best practices, maximize efficiency and productivity, and integrate technology with human capital.  And when difficult and unpopular decisions need to be made, Protean managers do so with compassion, empathy, and by treating others as they would want to be treated themselves.

The Industrial Age workplace has been replaced by the Protean workplace.

Consider this

* No jobs or careers for life anymore; no job security

* No guaranteed benefits, vacation days, sick days, pensions, or even paychecks

* Companies, industries, and jobs that are here today but gone tomorrow

* High unemployment and no new significant “labor intensive” industries on the horizon

A SHIFT to a new transformational workplace

The workplace has experienced a MONUMENTAL  SHIFT where employers no longer take care of employees.  Today, individuals must assume full responsibility for the management of their own careers and livelihood. 

The 2 key factors that have contributed to this workplace shift are 1) technology and 2) globalization.  Technology, automation, and robotics are eliminating jobs as is globalization.  Freed from the shackles of communism in the early 1990’s, 1.8 BILLION new inductees have entered the free market system from countries once dominated by theSoviet Union.  It’s not justIndia andChina that businesses are outsourcing work to. 

Protean careers

The Protean Career is a concept that requires everyone to 1) monitor and assess the job market; 2) anticipate future developments, trends, and industry shifts, 3) gain the necessary skills, qualifications, relationships, and assets to meet the shifts, and 4) adapt quickly to thrive in an ever-changing workplace.  The word “Protean” comes from the Mythical Greek Sea God “Proteus,” who was best known for 1) predicting and foretelling the future and 2) his versatility and adaptability to acclimate himself to successfully meet and thrive in the future he envisioned.

In today’s transformational, constantly changing workplace, everyone must master the strengths of Proteus!

Unlimited Opportunities !

There may be limited jobs, but there are unlimited opportunities. Today, anyone can reach out and touch 7 billion people around the globe for jobs, business opportunities, new markets… for almost anything —  and for FREE !  But each of us must take personal responsibility for our futures.  We can no longer depend on businesses / employers or government.  We MUST depend on our own creativity and resourcefulness. 

Job seekers must become opportunity seekers

The entrepreneurial spirit must be reignited throughout our society, our educational system… everywhere !  The NEW career coach will teach Protean Careers.   Authors, educational career center staff, and One-Stop trainers must acknowledge that we live in the post Industrial Age workplace – and thus, prepare students and “opportunity seekers” to thrive in the new Protean workplace.

6 tips to thrive in the new Protean workplace

1. Reduce television time and spend an hour a day contemplating the future and where you fit in.  You can’t change anything tomorrow with the same thoughts you have today.
2. Don’t put all your financial eggs in one basket; consider multiple sources of income.
3. Bring more value to the marketplace tomorrow than you did today; invest in lifelong education and increase your worth, so you are compensated accordingly.
4. Create your own job. You don’t have to invest big bucks to start a business.  Just seek out opportunities and go for it!  Become a painter, a cook, an electrician, a subcontractor, or form a web-based business. Be resourceful and identify ways to self-generate income.
5. Downsize your life and live within your means. The federal government is broke and most states are as well.  All of society must become fiscally responsible.
6. Invest in good health. No one can build a thriving future with poor health, no energy, and a negative mindset.  We all must work as hard on ourselves as we do on our careers.

For more information join the LinkedIn Protean Careers group at:

http://www.linkedin.com/groups?about=&gid=3533493&trk=anet_ug_grppro

Would you revisit a movie you loathed time and time again? 

Of course you wouldn’t.  So why would you go back, in the theater of your mind, and revisit thoughts that cause you pain, stress, and dis-ease?

 Almost every minute of everyday your head is full of thoughts, beliefs, and expectations.  You have more conversations with yourself, in the course of the day, than you do with everyone else you communicate with COMBINED!  And the truth is, your self talk or, inner chatter, is mostly negative and self-limiting.  In other words, your inner chatter limits your potential, impedes achievement, and severely damages your “authentic” self confidence and self esteem.  And if your inner chatter is negative and self-limiting, the chances are overwhelmingly favorable that your communications with others will be the same.

 One success principle that is indisputable and immutable

One success principle that is indisputable and immutable is: The quality of your inner chatter determines the quality of your life.  Perhaps you believe you are a positive and upbeat person.   And maybe you are.  But the important question is, are you really listening to your inner chatter?  How many times a day do you tell yourself you love yourself; that you’re darn good at what you do; and that you are a highly valued  member of your family, circle of friends, and employer?  How many times a day do you applaud your achievements and praise yourself for even minor successes… like dressing well, driving well, or ignoring an argument without resentment?  The truth of the matter is, if you are like most people, you are totally unaware of your own inner chatter day-to-day.  And unconsciously, you will beat yourself up far more often than you will appreciate all that you are.

 Consistency is key

The best way to remain happy, inspired, and confident – even in the wake of some of life’s tough stuff – is to consistently be aware of your inner chatter; and know you have the ability to manage it.  When you allow your inner chatter to run rampant involuntarily – happiness, achievement, and a sense of calm is impossible.  But when you manage your inner conversations and ensure your inner chatter is constructive, positive, and loving on a “consistent basis,” this positive inner chatter will produce an extraordinary life.  You see, it’s all a matter of your inner chatter !

 5 Specific Ways to Improve Your Inner Chatter to Live a Life of Abundance

 1)      Alleviate ALL trash talk and foul language.  When you raise the level of your vocabulary consistently, this will automatically improve your own inner chatter.

2)      Praise yourself 5 times a day.  Five times a day will lead to 10, 15, and 20 times a day.  And this will automatically improve your inner chatter and quality of your life.

3)      Make a conscious effort to praise 5 people every day.  This, too, will lead to 10, 15, and 20 times a day and will automatically improve your inner chatter.  What goes around comes around!

4)      Be keenly aware when you begin to have negative inner conversations (thoughts).  Then ask yourself, “Do I need this conversation?  Is this who I want to be?  What positive thoughts can I substitute here?”

5)      Be aware of the root causes of your negative chatter.  Then, begin to work on resolving those issues in a constructive manner and positive inner chatter.  You can’t correct what you are unaware of or don’t acknowledge.

Are you waiting for someone to come along and “turn you on?”  Well, what if they don’t show up? 

A Burning Desire is the Generation Plant for Creating Your Own Electricity

Real success and pure happiness come from within.  It comes from self-motivation.  Regardless of where you are in your life, what you are experiencing, adversities you are facing, or the goals you have achieved or failed to achieve, passion and personal ambition are the sources of inner power that lead to success and happiness.  External stimuli are fleeting.  Internal enthusiasm is ever-lasting. 

 Being dependent on anything or anyone to create your own electricity is like hoping that the sun shines every day.  But when you depend on your own inner thoughts, passions, and zest for life, you know the sun will shine every day, even if it’s behind dark clouds and stormy skies.  You can turn on your own electricity and never turn it off once you understand you have the power to do so!

 Napoleon Hill, in his classic book Think and Grow Rich, suggested that the #1 principle for living a rich and rewarding life is having a burning desire. Hill said, “When you have a burning desire and place all your energy and willpower toward that desire, dreams come true because desire is the force that makes all dreams come true.” 

 3 East Tips to Generate Your Own Electricity

 1) Focus on what you have not on what you lack: 

What are you grateful for in this moment?  Your eyes can see; what it you were blind?  Your ears can hear; what if you were deaf?  Who loves you whose love are you taking for granted?  What opportunities are waiting for you if you just generated enough electricity to focus on what you have rather than on what you lack.  When you change your focus, you’ll generate your own electricity to be happy and successful.

 2) Focus on what you want not what you have

The Wright Brothers didn’t focus on the fact that flying was impossible.  They focused on what they believed was possible when it wasn’t.  NASA didn’t focus on the fact that going to the moon was impossible.  It focused on what it believed was possible even when it wasn’t.  When you change your focus and focus on what you want and what is possible for you, not on your current reality, you’ll generate your own electricity to be happy and successful.

 3) Focus on what you can control not what you can’t control

Focus on your own thoughts and beliefs, not those of others.  Focus on your dreams and ambitions and let them pull you forward; don’t let other people or circumstances push you back.  Spend your precious energy on all that you can control and let go of what you have no control over.  When you focus on what you can control, not what you can’t control, you’ll generate your own electricity to be happy and successful.

In a Protean world / workplace, there is a significant difference between time and attention. Time is the ticking of the clock where minutes and hours pass by with or without you. Attention is how you are “clicking” while the clock is ticking. Time doesn’t matter. What matters is the quality of your experiences. And your experiences are determined by what you pay attention to.

A job seeker spends 2 hours at a networking function. His attention is on the food. And he converses with a few people he knows. He’s not building new relationships to land a job. He’s at the right place with the wrong attention. The clock is ticking but he’s not clicking.

Nancy, a single mom, has a full time job, seeking a better one. She returns home from work and prepares dinner for her children. She assists them with homework and discusses their day’s events. Once the children are in bed, Nancy meditates for 20 minutes and then fires up her computer. She identifies three companies she would like to work for and emails her resume to those companies. She sends out 12 resumes a week this way. And then, if she has time, she’ll watch a little TV or read a book before bed. Nancy is clicking. She is “paying attention” to what is most important.

A PROTEAN SUCCESS PHILOSOPHY:
“Pay attention to what really matters most, to get the most of what really matters”

5 Tips to Help You “Click” In a Fast-Paced, Short-Attention-Span World

1) Know what is really important to you and “write it down!”

▬ Pay special attention to what you really want, what will make you happy, and what constitutes a joyous, quality life.

2) Pay attention to what you’re paying attention to!

▬ When you begin to pay attention to what you’re paying attention to, you’ll realize how often your mind is off track. Attention requires disciplined concentration. you need to check in often to what you’re paying attention to, so you remain on track!

3) Just say “no!”

▬ Beware of, and avoid, distractions and disruptions from well-intentioned people, friends, family members, and even your own thoughts! They’ll consistently try and steer away from what you really want, what will make you happy, and what will constitute a quality life. One of the most valuable words in the English language is “no.”

4) Whatever you do and wherever you are – be totally there!

▬ If you are introduced to people, focus and remember their names. If someone is speaking with you, be there – interested and engaged. Stay focused and be present in every moment.

5) Slow down!

▬ Let others race to the finish line, but not you. Relax and smell the roses along the way. Learn to pay attention and appreciate the beauty and wonder of everyday moments; even in the midst of a busy, often chaotic and stressful life.

So pay attention – and “click in” before you “click out.”

Innovation, and what we have come to know as entrepreneurship, has NO VALUE, until it creates something a customer wants.

THE GOLDEN RULE

Successful entrepreneurship, job growth, profitability, and business success is dependent upon identifying and pursuing customers who have “the ability to pay” and “the desire to buy.”

▬ Innovators versus Entrepreneurs

Indeed, there is no shortage of innovators and inventors in the US (or around the globe). The problem with the American economy and workplace is not a lack of “idea creativity.” The problem is a significant lack of commercialized execution and implementation of ideas that exist. In other words, most entrepreneurs don’t have working models and strategic plans to identify paying customers and to provide value propositions to entice customers to part with their money.

▬ To Rebuild Our Economy and to Create New Jobs

Neither the “left” nor the “right” has the answers for rebuilding our economy, creating jobs, and generating a nation of world-class entrepreneurs. According to Gallup Chairman and CEO, Jim Clifton, “World leaders – especially American leaders – and city leaders are spending the majority of their time and billions of dollars on innovation. They’re digging in the wrong place in their frantic search for quality GDP growth and job creation because they’re concentrating solely on innovation.”

Clifton suggests that what is really lacking are highly efficient “working models” (or strategic plans) to find and pursue new customers. Clifton says, “Few leaders understand that the best ideas and inventions in the world have NO VALUE until they have a (paying) customer.”

▬ Entrepreneurs without a Business Model Are Doomed to Fail

True entrepreneurs are those people who:

1) develop business models that identify or create an endless stream of paying customers

2) fashion powerful value propositions that, in turn, create massive consumer demand

3) and propel profits, GDP expansion, and new jobs as a result

In short, the best way to achieve renewed economic and business growth is to develop working models and strategic plans to “aggressively” attract new customers. Most businesses fail, most entrepreneurs fail, and national and global leadership is failing because they have no strategy to achieve this.

Clifton suggests that “entrepreneurship is affected by supply and demand, but it doesn’t simply supply products and services… it must create demand.” True entrepreneurs increase demand and spending by making their products and services available to those who are not using them or, where products and services are being underutilized. They creatively identify and reach out to new customers; which is a never-ending process supported by ongoing improvements in methodologies.

▬ Summary:

Entrepreneurial success, economic growth, and new job creation is not so much about innovation as it is about creating working models and strategic plans to identify and / or create new or more customers. Then, the working model must have a secondary component that creates demand for products and services; demand meaning where customers are willing to buy!

* In the next blog, I’ll address how to create these working models and plans.

Years ago, a great teacher explained to me that “Absolute Trust” was the most liberating and invigorating means for achieving success and happiness. He also told me that “Absolute Trust” in no way guaranteed success; but that “Absolute Trust” was the most liberating and invigorating means for achieving peace and happiness in the wake of adversity, tragedy, and calamity.

▬ I was totally confused!

What is “Absolute Trust?”
My teacher rarely discusses this subject publically, but did spend a short time with me discussing what he called, “Absolute Trust.” He told me that when I fully realize that “God is in total control,” I can relax, find peace, and direct my energies towards being happy.

▬ I didn’t understand this because I thought I had to always work hard to be in total control !

How do we achieve “Absolute Trust?”
My teacher explained that when you have ‘Absolute Trust” you can “sleep like a baby no matter what events, circumstances, and situations occur in your life.” So I asked him, “How do I do this? How can I have “Absolute Trust” when my entire life has been an effort to always be in control?”

▬ His answer blew my mind !

“Well, how’s that been working out for you over the years?” he asked. “How happy are you in your attempts to be in control? Do you live your life with abundance of peace and equanimity, or with stress and fear?”

What a great set of questions ! Having “Absolute Trust” is a real challenge for me because I feel I always have to be the one in control. But my teacher’s questions opened my eyes to a new reality. Like so many people, I spend more time in the company of stress and fear than in the company of peace and equanimity. And at age 59, I’d like that to change.

▬ Can you relate to this ?

So my teacher provided me with 8 ways to begin the process of developing “Absolute Trust”

1) Be thankful for your problems and challenges.

2) Believe that tomorrow, miracles can appear that you never expected.

3) Know that there are life lessons in all we face; and opportunities in all adversities.

4) To believe that you need what you don’t have is a recipe for lifelong unhappiness.

5) The secret of living well is treating every life experience as just that – an experience; and never let the experience become your life. This is achieved when we live each moment, consciously and mindfully.

6) When you surrender to that which you want the most, you will attract it.

7) There’s nothing to worry; nothing to fear; nothing to get angry about; nothing to complain about.

8) In your world, nothing ever goes wrong. Be happy, grateful, and at peace in every way.

Not easy for sure. But at age 59, I decided to spend “much” more time in the company of peace and equanimity.