Hero worship, we all indulge in it. We all have people we look up to it. People who we think can do no wrong. We place these people on a pedestal. We think very highly of them and are greatly offended if they are spoken against.

Ten years ago the heroes would have been political leaders, war veterans, inventors, scientists, royalty or social workers. Today we worship actors, singers, super models, socialites and anyone else who may be a minor celebrity. Some of these “so called” celebrities are truly not worthy of such worship. They are shallow, tactless and sometimes even lack general intelligence or at least that is the image they like to put across.

Then there are celebrities like Oprah Winfrey who deserve to be looked up to. I do not take issue with the fact that we worship these people, simply because they are famous and live glamorous lives, my concern is that we aren’t worshiping something that is real. I understand that heroes are never really what we think they are. We can never know the real people, but at least the hero’s of yester year had a real core. We could back up the image we created with actual work that they did. Some of the newer batches of heroes seem to have attained their status just for being who they are.

It irks me that most people today cannot find role models that have true achievements to their name. On the other hand, I can’t help but wonder, if a person inspires you, gives you confidence and encourages you to be better, does it really matter who they are and what they have done? Does a hero really need to be heroic to inspire us, or is us simply thinking of him/her as heroic enough for inspiration to come?

Do you have hope for the future? If you don’t, you should! Hope is a crucial first step in building a better future. Make that hope realistic by believing in a positive future for yourself. Believe that good things are coming your way. Know that you deserve it. You really do. If you don’t believe that, then you have another step to work on – acceptance of your inherent worthiness.

Since you are wondrously made, isn’t it only natural to believe you deserve to live a satisfying and contented life? The universe is open to you! Just ask and, with the right thought patterns, you will receive.

Sounds simple, right? Well, yes and no. The key is “right thought patterns.” Those thought patterns mean being positive in all your thoughts, whether it be your self talk or your visualizations. Thinking positively can be difficult, especially if you’ve grown up with a lot of negativity surrounding you. In order to think positive, you will have to make a concerted effort to do so. It takes practice, as well as setting aside time each and every day to practice that underused “muscle.” Once you have mastered positive thinking, you will have hope for the future. And having hope will lead to bigger and better things: the manifestations of your dreams. Pretty soon you’ll be thinking: “The future’s so bright, I gotta wear shades!”

Hope for the future. Build for the future, and believe in that future you so richly deserve! And get some good sunglasses while you’re at it. *wink*

A lot of people think black cats are unlucky. There is a popular belief that says a rabbit’s foot brings good luck. You should never open an umbrella inside the house and a three leaf clover is a sign a good fortune. I couldn’t help but wonder, why a rabbit’s foot? Why not a rabbit’s tail? Or ear? Why not a mongoose’s foot? Why is it ok to wear a raincoat inside the house but it’s not okay to open an umbrella?

Is there any truth to these beliefs? If yes, what gave these objects their power? How come a rabbit’s foot is lucky, but a mongoose’s foot is just a foot? What makes these objects special? Do they have some intrinsic power? Or is it that they are special because we believe they are. Do black cats really bring bad luck? Or is that bad things sometimes just happen and we blame them on the cat?

We associate feelings to everything in the world around us. We have convinced ourselves that cockroaches are disgusting. The scientific fact is that they are the cleanest insect alive. We associate fear and disgust with a cockroach. The cockroach itself is just a cockroach. Just like a foot is just a foot, we are the ones who believe it is lucky.

If holding on to a rabbit’s foot gives a person peace of mind, if it makes them feel a little more confident, does it matter if their belief is false? Is there something wrong with associating good feelings to an object to make your self feel better? Is it really such a bad thing to believe in something ridiculous if it eases your anxiety? No it isn’t. There is no harm in having beliefs, just remember that life is only as good, or bad as you think it is.

Achieving goals takes perseverance. While some people may think all they have to do is click their heels and say “I believe” to get what they want in life, they’re in for a rude awakening. It takes more than just airy fairy thinking. There’s a lot of hard mental work involved in achieving your goals. You will face challenges along the way – not only challenges from situations and other people, but challenges from yourself.

Yes, sometimes we are our own worst enemy. We buy into the quick fix notions that if we just visualize what we want in a positive way, and then put it out into the universe, that our work is done. Not so. This isn’t a one way street. The universe isn’t a big vending machine in the sky; we have a responsibility to do our part. We must concentrate on what we want and focus on achieving our goals several times a day.

Achieving goals takes a lot of perseverance, which can be difficult to sustain. Keep your eyes on the prize, as they say, and that means not letting up. Keep believing, keep dreaming, keep positively affirming that your goals and desires are manifesting themselves. Persevere through the biggest challenge: negative thinking. You’ve probably lived a lifetime with the pattern of worry and negative thinking. You need to change that; when the least little negative thought crops into your mind, immediately stop and change it to positive thinking. Soon, with much perseverance, you’ll be able to change your negativity and doubt into positive thinking and the manifestation your goals. Work through the challenges your mind throws at you, in order to realize your dreams. Achieving goals takes perseverance. You can do it!

They say that perception is reality. If you accept this to be true, then it stands to reason that by changing your perception, you can change your reality.

Most of the world around us is influenced by our perception. For example ‘Fear’ is born when we perceive something to be scary. The same thing could be an object that brings immense peace to someone else. For example a swimming pool is thought of as a ‘death trap’ by some people. On the other hand the same pool would be anything but a death trap for someone like Michael Phelps. The pool itself is not scary nor is it peaceful in nature. It is nothing more than a body of water; it is our perception of this very same body that makes it either a thing to be feared or to be reveled in.

It is nothing but an extension of this thinking that brings us to the new philosophy of ‘manifesting’. Manifesting is the art of creating what you want at the time that you want it. One of the techniques of doing this is ‘visualization’. This entails visualizing what you want and then actively making it happen. For instance, if you are having trouble riding a horse, visualize yourself on the horse riding well; following all the instructions you were given. Visualize it so clearly that you believe it is actually happening. The next time you get on a horse you should have no trouble riding your steed. So the next time you want something try ‘manifesting’ it into your reality. By telling the universe what you want, visualizing it happening and perceiving it to be true. You can bring into reality anything you want.

A single drop of water is not even enough to quench your thirst, but keep adding drop after drop and you could end up with enough to fill an ocean. You don’t have to be a genius to realize that there is strength in numbers, and that two heads are better than one. This holds true even in business.  This is why business organizations have grown from sole proprietorship’s to the gigantic joint stock companies of today. Not all businesses can become corporate giants.  Does this mean that they cannot achieve the same amount of success nor have the same impact as their much larger peers? Alone it would be near impossible for any small business to compete with corporate entities but by collaborating with other small businesses it could be as easy as a walk in the park.

In todays market every businessman faces keen competition against dozens of other organizations. There are very few takers for the services being provided by many. So instead of acting like a pack of hungry dogs fighting over a scrap of food it makes a lot more sense to pool resources and share revenue.

Instead of spending significant amounts to out shine a competitor the smarter thing to do would be to make that competitor a partner and collaborate on business activities. Instead of trying to beat each other why not join each other? Gone are the days of cutthroat competitiveness. There are new rules to this old game. It is a lot more beneficial for all involved to collaborate and co-operate in business activities. By pooling resources we can increase our strength and attract more clients, and by sharing revenue we ensure steadier and greater gains not to mention we significantly reduce competition.

They say “The advent of Global recession is the death knell for small businesses”. This cannot be more untrue. Recession is nothing more and nothing less than an opportunity for smarter, positive thinking businessmen to take advantage of the unique circumstances existing in our market. Recession simply means, the market is more cautious and the number of potential clients has reduced. All you have to do to ensure success is to find these limited clients and establish an instant business relationship with them. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? That’s because there’s a way to make it happen.

There’s an ancient quote that says “The power of God will unite us all.” Whether the ancients were speaking with insight or whether they took a shot in the dark; they hit the nail on the head. Recent studies have proven we are all connected to one another at a molecular level. It is through these unseen connections that we affect the world around us. When we think negatively we invariably attract ‘negatives’, similarly, when we think positively we attract ‘positives’. One should understand, when we think on the lines of ‘I want more’ we are focusing on something that is lacking, and will thus attract only ‘negatives’. Instead of thinking ‘I want more’, think ‘I have more’ and ‘more’ will come. This is known as ‘The Law of Attraction’ which states that ‘like attracts like’.

It is with the help of this law that you can make sure your business flourishes. If you believe you have success, success is guaranteed. After all victory and defeat both begin in the mind of the competitors. Train your mind to think in such a way that it believes it already has what it wants. This sends out a siren call for anything that your heart desires and desires come and find you. It’s time to stop being cautious and think only of success. It’s time to believe, believe in yourself, and believe in the fact that if you want it you already have it.