Month: August 2023

BEGIN BY MASTERING THIS 🤔

In my first two books, A Happy Life for Busy People and Living the Dream, we discussed how our inner world affects our outer world. Your mind can either be your biggest obstacle, or done right, your biggest ally. Anyone interested in the law of attraction, has heard this countless times. It is true. What we think determines what actions we will take. The actions we take, in turn, will determine, to a great extent, the quality of life we live. If our minds are positive and encouraging, we will take actions that will lead to a positive and fulfilling life. If our heads are filled with self-doubt and negative thinking, we are unlikely to put ourselves out there and take many, if any, actions at all.

Like many self-improvement actions, this is simple, but not easy. Improving your inner dialogue and thoughts is a lifetime endeavor. It is an investment that is worth its weight in gold. The time you invest on improving what happens inside your head will manifest itself as a greater sense of well-being, inner peace and increased opportunities and accomplished goals. I recommend beginning this journey right now. You can pick up either of my first two books mentioned earlier, or even search “Improving my inner dialogue on YouTube or Google. There are so many resources available.

Working on improving the workings of your mind may seem like just one more thing you do not have time for. Let me assure you that it will be the most profitable investment you make. It will also be one you cannot lose. What you gain in knowledge and confidence will be with you the rest of your life and positively impact every area of your life. As Earl Nightingale once said, “Never give up on a dreamjust because of the time it will take to accomplish it. The time will pass anyway.” If you know of a resource that you have found especially helpful with helping you get control of your mind and thinking, please share it with the rest of us.

DOES YOUR DAY LEAVE YOU FEELING INVESTED OR DRAINED?

We have all been there. So exhausted at the end of the day that we could be knocked over with a feather. Haven’t there also been days when you feel that you could keep going and skip sleeping? Usually, our days fall somewhere in between. What is the secret to having more days that leave us inspired instead of drained? That is going to be the entire subject of my upcoming fourth book. In short, it is living a life of purpose. There are countless books dedicated to the subject. We here at Secret2anamazinglife.com like to give you quick tools and strategies to incorporate while you are researching a more in depth solution.

FIND WAYS THIS WEEKEND 🙏

One of the best, and most fulfilling things we can do is to find ways to help others. The great thing about that is the repercussions of doing so. You not only make the person you are helping feel good, you also feel good for doing so. As an effect of that, you make the world a brighter and better place for everyone. It is a no lose situation.

Even if you are too shy to help in person, there are so many things you can do virtually. From posting an encouraging comment on a friend’s social media page, to sharing a positive and inspiring post (take this one for example)

If we all do one little thing to help others, it will make a big impact. What are your ideas to help this weekend?

A MORNING MANTRA 🌄

This site is all about finding tools and strategies to set ourselves up to win at the game of life. To turn our lives from one of striving, to one of thriving.

I came across this little saying in one of the many positive pages I subscribe to on social media. Not only do I like the message, but I thought how powerful it could be as a daily morning mantra. Can you imagine having this printed out, hung on the bathroom mirror and reciting it out loud to yourself every morning? Can you imagine how that might impact and change your life? You don’t have to imagine! Print, or write, this out! Hang it on the mirror. Look yourself in the eyes and recite this every morning. Try it for 3 weeks and watch the magic happen!

SPEND A LITTLE MORE TIME ON THIS ⏰️

I am big fan of the 80’s. Not only is it the decade in which I grew up, but I feel a lot of great music and films came out of that era. John Hughes, was a great filmmaker in the 80’s. One of his most popular films was Breakfast Club. A coming of age film that helped launch several careers. In the movie, kids from several different social cliques are forced together to serve detention on a Saturday afternoon. The principal requires them all to write a paper explaining who they are and why they are there. What is supposed to be a punishment, turns into an opportunity for the kids to transcend their peer created barriers and discover they have a lot more in common than they knew, or willing to admit.

You would think the lessons learned in a movie 38 years ago (I am feeling old now) should be something we mastered. Yet, in 2023 we can feel more divided than ever. People are being attacked for their color, their religion or their political beliefs. High school kids, disconnected through a world existing mostly online, never are forced to get to know each other. We still belong to certain social cliques. Not only as children, but as adults. As we grow older we tend to limit our exposure to those who are different than us. In some cases, we even vilify them. In the same turn, we often work to impress those we are associating with.

If we were to change our focus to bettering ourselves, I think we would discover a great deal about ourselves as well as others. That lesson is that despite our differences, we share many of the same struggles and aspirations. By focusing on bettering ourselves, we can be both an example as well as a source of hope for others. You only learn something by exposing yourself to something new. That not only holds true for books and experiences, but for people as well.

Let us all take a lesson from this movie from the 80’s. (watching it again might not be a bad idea) Let us take the time to really learn about those who are different from us instead of judging them. Let us change our focus from impressing others by making our life look perfect, to admitting our faults and vulnerabilities and working on improving them. This way, our life will not only look better, it will actually be better.

2 SITUATIONS TO AN AMAZING LIFE 👏

As so often happens, as I was writing my last post, a revelation occurred to me. There are 2 words that can really help us in living an amazing life. We are going to share those with you today, and hopefully you can find ways to apply them in your own life. Even better, you can share how you do so with all of us on this site. The more ideas we have, and the more we work together, the more likely we all are to live an amazing life.

The first word is tradition. In life, I find it is helpful to have traditions. We are not talking about traditions that you feel obligated to do. Quite the opposite. These are ones that bring you joy, inner peace or any other wonderful feeling. I mentioned that I had my yearly vacation at the Wisconsin State Fair. Without even knowing it, I applied these two words to make it one of the best years I have spent there. Which is saying a lot.

In terms of traditions, there are plenty we have. One of which can be found in the first photo. It is food from one of the stands, Krautland. We enjoy the family that owns it and the amazing hospitality they provide. The second, a more recent addition, is a picture of the dog diving. These dogs compete by catching toys the owners toss into a 40 foot pool. Both the crowd and the dogs have an amazing time. When we take part in either of these events, we are not only creating new memories, but reflecting on the great memories of the past. It always gives us something to look forward to.

The second word we touched on last post. That word is new. I think finding something fun and new is the key to keeping life fresh and exciting. We want to avoid falling in the trap of feeling like we are in a rut. Nothing can deflate the spirit more than feeling like there is nothing to be nervous or excited about. Again, I will use my recent vacation as an example of how to incorporate this. We discussed how we used tradition in the paragraph above, here is how we used newness. People often ask how I do not get bored going to the fair every year. Simple, I enjoy the traditions, and incorporate new things. This year, we did new foods such as a sweet potato latte, and the brat-e-o. We also went to different parts of the park such as the new Valentine coffee shop. I discovered a new local band I like. These are only 4 of the new things we tried among many.

In our lives, it is important to blend the traditions we know will bring us joy with the excitement of the new and unknown. When it comes to both, keep and open mind and be flexible. Perhaps the new restaurant you try may not be to your liking. That is ok. Maybe the tradition you enjoy may not work out as it has in the past. That does not mean you have to give it up. All of these are just stories and memories to create and share together. Tradition and new may seem like opposites, but they can work together to create an amazing life. How about you? What traditions and methods for incorporating something new do you have?

FIND YOUR PARADISE AND GO THERE OFTEN 🏝

Today is my first day back at the day job after 2 weeks of vacation. I enjoyed every day of the Wisconsin State Fair. I made new friends. I created some new opportunities as well as learned some new things. I just realized that is a lot of ‘new’. One of the best discoveries was a new tradition that my lovely Margie and I started. The State Fair opened daily at 10am. As someone who usually gets up at 4am for work, I was usually up with plenty of time to get myself ready and enjoy a leisurely cup of coffee. Margie has started a new workout schedule with her daughter. Can I mention how proud I am of her? This meant she was usually up early as well. We sat on our porch and drank a cup of coffee together. Shared our plans for the day and thoughts that were on our mind. Reflecting on that, it was one of the best parts of my vacation!

As I return to work, I realize that paradise may not be available to me. Being that I leave for work around 420am, I do not see Margie, or myself waking up at 3 to sit on the porch and enjoy a cup of coffee. Another great paradise that occurred happened when I was attending the fair with my mother. It was early and the crowd was still light. The temperature was around 83 degrees. After enjoying a breakfast burrito and pancakes, we got a hot cup of coffee (perfect on a hot summer morning) and a doughnut. New to the fair this year was a shared stand with a local bakery, and my favorite local coffee, Valentine. We took it to the ‘Central Mall’ area of the fair and got a table in the sun. As we got our dose of vitamin D, the band Banana Wind, which neither of us had heard of, began to play. They filled the air with songs of the topics. The sun was shining, the music was tropical, I had my favorite local coffee and a sample of 3 different local doughnuts. In the middle of January, when the temperature falls south of the zero mark, this will not be an option. Actually, it never was an option again, as that band only played that morning.

This post may begin to sound a bit depressing. “Great Neil. You found some amazing experiences and now you can’t do them anymore.” This is true to some extent. This is where asking yourself the question, “How can I use this?” comes into play. There are two words that come to mind – adjust and reflect. I will not be able to sit on the porch every morning and sip coffee with my love. However, I do know that on my days off, that will be something to look forward to! We can also do so when I get home from work. What a better way to unwind? As for the second episode, reflecting on what a great time my mother and I had that day in the sun, will be good to ponder when winter days get me down. It will also be fun to share that memory and reflect together! As I always say, just because you can’t be there physically, doesn’t mean you can’t be there mentally.

How about your life? What are the moments of paradise you have? Is there a way to visit them often? Maybe create a photo album of that vacation to the tropics? You can look through it and take yourself back whenever you need a little escape. How about special times with those you love and care about? It is a must to schedule those into your routine, and do so often. I would love to hear about your paradise and how you go there in your life.

LISTEN CORRECTLY 🎶

Today, take a pause from reacting to what others say. Instead, really work to understand them so instead you may respond intelligently. If you really listen to understand what the person is telling you, not only will you have a better chance of knowing what they are truly saying, but you will deepen that relationship.

This week, do not listen to reply, but listen to understand.

AND SO IT ENDS…

Today marks both the end of the Wisconsin State Fair that I enjoy so much, as well as my vacation. Next week I will be back with my nose to the grindstone, as they say.

In order not to feel down, I must switch my focus to what will begin. I’m joining a new gym, or two, since mine closed without warning. Work on my fourth book, which I am very excited about, will begin in earnest. There will be a return to healthy eating and delicious meals prepared by the love of my life.

There is more to look forward to, but shifting your focus to beginnings helps us all feel better about an end. Just a thought to dwell on today.

WATCH YOUR DIET THIS WEEKEND! 🥞

This is the last weekend of my vacation. I have not been eating the best, to put it eloquently. We should all keep an eye on our diet this weekend. As the picture above says, that is far more than just food or drink.

Diet is what we also put into our minds. This can be the depressing news show we are watching. It can be the inspiring book,or blog post, you are reading. Are you listening to someone complaining, or a great audiobook? How about what you put in your spirit? We may not help having to be stuck in traffic, but we can balance that with a walk in nature. Do something everyday that brings you peace.

Pau attention to your diet this weekend. Watch what you put in your body, but also in your mind and your spirit. I would love to hear some things you put in your diet to be healthy. These can be for you mind, body or spirit.