Wishing, Hoping and Believing

Wishing, hoping and believing. The three are close in definition. But there's a huge difference. I think people too often get them confused and use them interchangeably to their own disadvantage. I think it is best to know exactly what they mean. Words have meanings and using them incorrectly can cause a disadvantageous situation.

Wish is an intransitive verb. Merriam Webster defines "wish" as, "To have a desire for (as something unattainable)." Related words are, "crave," "hunger," "covet," "desire."


"Unattainable"? Well, that's no good. It looks to me here that "wish" is sort of a waste of time.


"Hope" is defined as, "To cherish as desire with anticipation," or "to desire with expectation of obtainment."  "Expectation of obtainment"? Well, that's a bit better.


How about believing? "Believe" is defined as "To have a firm religious faith" or "to accept something as true, genuine or real."


I think, often times, that wishing and hoping can be a waste of time... Wishing is fine for children... Hoping too... But hoping, for adults, can be an awful waste of time.... I often hear from people at work situations that they "hope" things get better... Folks, "Hope" is a terrible business plan.


Hoping that things get better at work is like being a leaf on the ocean being blown every which way. Is this your plan for your future and for your families well-being? Hope?


Belief....Believing, and only believing, is the only one of the three that can deliver your hearts desire. Believing, along with doing the necessary preparation in order to achieve your beliefs, is what must be done.


Think about when the Wright Brother's made their first airplane flight or the old story in the bible when Jesus walked on water. It was impossible for man to fly. Did the Wright Brothers fly because of hope or because of wishes? No. They flew, in spite of all, because they believed that they could and they made the preparations in order to do so.


I also believe that the story of Jesus walking on water is a parable. Everyone knows that it is impossible for man to walk on water (even if he is the son of god - you and I are the son, the children, of god.... Don't they say we are all god's children?) So, I think the story of Jesus walking on water is a representation that if you believe, really believe, then you can do the impossible. After walking on water Jesus said, "I told you. All you have to do is to believe."


Belief moves mountains.


Also, instead of always wanting more and always climbing that mountain towards success, you also need to stop and make base camp. One cannot simply climb and climb Mount Everest. They must stop along the way to daily create base camp to rest before they can continue the journey the next day. You must do the same. You need to stop and to take an assessment of what you have and to give thanks to your loved ones and to your god.


Here's what I do, and I do this religiously everyday; I write down in my notebook this, "Thank you god for all the truly wonderful things I have and all the truly wonderful things I am about to receive."


I do this because, instead of always wanting and wishing, and hoping, or desiring things, I want to give thanks for the great things I already have. If I can wake up everyday and know in my heart, really believe, that I am one of, if not thee, most fortunate people in the world, I will create a positive and happy existence for myself and my loved ones and all the people who I come in contact with.  


I have another friend who has an ill partner. We met the other day and I related this story to him:


When my 1 1/2 year old daughter was diagnosed as having a rare, deadly childhood cancer, I was devastated. She was given a very low chance of survival. That particular type of cancer is extremely rare and, in Japan, about 2 or 3 kids get it a year... Most of them die within the first 6 months.


I sought out the help of a professional priest to help me and guide me with the battle I was about to enter alongside my daughter and my wife.


One day, at the beginning when I was especially distraught and worried, I told the priest, 


"I have realized how to cure my daughter and have come to understand the way. All I need to do is to get the doctors and nurses to believe, to really believe, in their hearts, that she will recover and then she will. That's what I must do."


To that, the priest replied,


"Mike! It doesn't matter what they believe. All that matters is what you believe."


Those words! That moment! It was like the skies opened up and god reached his hand down to me. 


Of course! It was all so simple! Why didn't I see it sooner? It only matters what I believe! My belief can move mountains! 


From then on, I didn't wish nor want, nor hope, that my daughter would recover from this rare and terrible disease, I knew. I knew it without a doubt. I also prepared and did what was necessary for that outcome because I believed. 


That was 16 years ago. My daughter is now a healthy, happy, beautiful high school student looking forward to college someday soon. 


She is only the second child to have ever overcome that cancer in Japan's history. She won't be the last.

At 16-years-old

You can do this too. Anyone can. Like Jesus said, "All you need to do is to have faith."


From today, take account of all the good things you have. Be thankful for them. If you have a sorrow, then take account of that too and do what is necessary and what is required so that you can believe in a positive and good outcome.


The only things that can be borne out of fear and worry will be more of the same. Prepare and do what is necessary and believe in the positive outcome.


You can create your own reality. You can accomplish the impossible. And when you do, don't be surprised, you won't have been the first and you certainly won't be the last.

Jesus Walks on Water Mark 6:45 ~ 51

⁴⁷ Later that night, the boat was in the middle of the lake, and he was alone on land. ⁴⁸ He saw the disciples straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. Shortly before dawn he went out to them, walking on the lake. He was about to pass by them, ⁴⁹ but when they saw him walking on the lake, they thought he was a ghost. They cried out, ⁵⁰ because they all saw him and were terrified.

   Immediately he spoke to them and said, “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” ⁵¹ Then he climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. They were completely amazed.  


For Wendy... You amazed us all (except daddy. I knew you could do it). Thanks for your love and inspiration.

My Best Friend Died

This is a very difficult post to write.


My best friend's name was David. His picture was on the front page of the newspaper. The newspaper said, "David, Father Die in Boating Accident." 

"That's impossible!" I thought. I didn't want to believe it. I read and reread the newspaper article over and over in the hopes that I was misunderstanding what I was reading. I was hoping it meant that 'David's father died. But not David.' 


Forgive me for wishing such a morbid thing, but that's what I thought.


...But there was no misunderstanding. David was dead.


I cried and cried. How could that possibly have happened? I just saw him the day before and we talked and had fun. We always had fun. David was my very best friend.


I think David was everyone's best friend because he was such a nice guy. 


When I heard the news, and realized it wasn't a mistake, I cried all day. I desperately wanted to know how it happened and why it happened. I wanted to know the exact details. I called my friends and, a few days later, they had a school meeting for classmates and explained to us about the accident. 


But I still wasn't satisfied with the details. Besides how and what, I wanted to know "why"? Why did god allow this to happen to my best friend? Why did god allow this to happen to such a good person? 


After all the questions I asked and all the details I found, I found out that they were fishing in the Lake of the Woods. The boat was overloaded and slipped under water and that the dad had tried to save David but the water was too cold and they both drowned.


That's how it happened. That still didn't answer the question for me as to why it happened. 


I was upset. "Why did god allow this to happen?" "Why does god allow bad things to happen to good people?" 


David was 7-years-old and he was boating and fishing with his dad in a lake in Minnesota. The photo of him on the front page of the newspaper was the class photo they took of him from our second grade class. I recognized it immediately.


That was 47 years ago. In 1964.


What a waste. He was a handsome kid. I think I was jealous of him because I thought he was more handsome than me. I wonder what he would have become had he lived? 


I have thought about David off and on over these past decades. Yesterday, memories of David suddenly came back to me like a shot to the head.


My own seven-year-old son was off to a friend's house to play with some other of his friends. I was sleeping on the sofa in the living room when my wife returned from the friend's house and she was very flustered. She woke me up. Her face was all red and she seemed like she was about to cry.


I was still half asleep. She started rambling on about something and it was difficult to follow what she wanted to say. It was concerning one of the boys who was supposed to come and play with my son and the others but couldn't make it that day. When my son's friend's mom had called that boy's father to ask about his absence, the father had said something like "He can't come to play as he is, 'no more.'"


He is "no more?"


My son's friend's mom is not a native English speaker so when my son (and her son) heard this "no more" they were sure she merely misunderstood and laughed about it. Why not? They were just playing with him at school yesterday and kicking the soccer ball around together.


This boy was happy as can be and as fit as a fiddle and had the whole world and his entire life in front of him... He was one of the top students in class. He was one of my son's best friends; he was everyone's best friend. He couldn't be "no more." That couldn't happen.


My son goes to a school with a large international enrollment. There are children at that school who come from all over the world. Some of their parents do not speak English well so sometimes there are miscommunications. My wife told me about this conversation and asked me to confirm if, "...he is, 'no more'" means what we think it means.


I called the boy's house, there was no answer. Then, against my better judgement, and against common courtesy, I called a cell phone number that is listed on the class schedule given to parents to be used in cases of emergency. I talked to the father.


I knew immediately from the tone of his voice what the meaning of "No more" was. It was exactly what you or I would fear it meant.


The poor boy had died the night before. I said, "I'm sorry" and "God bless you all" and hung up the phone. 


I thought immediately of my friend David from so many years ago. Here he was visiting me again. 


I also immediately thought of what I was going to tell my son and his other seven year old friends. Like I said, they didn't believe it. Why should they? It is unbelievable.  


How did this wonderful little boy die? We don't know yet. We will know how someday soon, I reckon. But we will never know "why."


Maybe the "why" is for each of us to decide for ourselves. I'm not sure.


I went to my son's friend's house to report the news. When the mother saw my face, she knew the news. I asked that she sit down and the kids playing to sit down also. I didn't beat around the bush. I told them the truth. 


There was stone silence. 


I'm not a priest, minister or man of the cloth so I didn't know what to say, but everyone was looking at me expectantly so I knew I had to say something. I spoke,


"I'm sure you will find out at school next week what happened to your friend. Now, I don't know. But, even when we find out what happened, it will always be difficult to understand why it happened.... 


When I was a little boy, I had a similar experience; my best friend drowned in a lake. I was so sad. I found out later how he died, but I never found out why. That's been many years ago and I still don't know why....


...All you can do now is to pray that he is happy and in a safe, warm place. And you must thank god for giving you the time you had to spend with this wonderful friend. Of course, you are sad and will miss him, but always thank god for the time you had and shared with your wonderful friend.... he will always be with you in your hearts...


Also remember that life is very short and we have to be very careful everyday. Accidents happen and, even though I am happy and healthy today, I could be hit by a car and killed or put in the hospital tomorrow, so we must be very careful when crossing streets or when walking near cars. It's always the car you don't see that is the one that hits you....


Pray for your friend and his family and always appreciate your friends that you have now. Give them a hug; give your parents a hug and thank god that you have such good friends and a mother and father who loves you very much."


I stuttered and stopped... I looked at their faces and they seemed to be thinking, "What is he talking about?"


I wanted to say, and should have said, something profound but I couldn't. I wanted to say something that would have made it all alright and set things straight. But I couldn't. What I said was lame. It was the minimum that had to be said, I suppose. 


Still silent, the kids all stared at me, eyes wide open and expressionless. The silence filled the room.


I sighed, paused and awkwardly looked at the floor. I didn't know what to do or say. I lightly slapped both hands on my knees and stood up. I meekly told the mother that I'd be back in a few hours to pick up my son as the kids held hands.


The kids were sad but they weren't crying. I think they still found it unbelievable that their friend could actually be gone so it hasn't sunk in what exactly has happened.


It may not sink in for 40 or 50 years. It didn't for me. Even then, as with me, they might know how, but they will probably never know exactly, "why"? 


Come to think of it, is there really ever a reason "why"?


There are lessons, I suppose. The lesson for me is that bad things do happen to good people. That can't be stopped. The only thing we can do is to try to learn something from it that can help the survivors to lead happier lives and become better people.


Later on when my son comes home, I'm going to hug him and try to explain the saying my good friend Ken always lives by. Ken says,


"Dream as if you will live forever. Live as if you will die tomorrow."


I hope the lesson of David and my son's friend helps my own son and his friends. I also hope it helps others as it has helped me, to become, if even a little bit, a better person (I hope). It has taken me nearly 50 years to write down this tribute to my dear friend David. Now, his death taught me a lesson that I can teach my son.


Remember to hug your kids today and tell them that you love them and that they are beautiful. And, of course, teach them to dream and to live each day to the fullest and to appreciate all the wonderful things this earth and god has given us.


They say that tomorrow never comes, but tomorrow, I think, tomorrow often comes much too quickly.

Recurring Dreams and Alternate Universes

I think most people have recurring dreams. If most people don't, then maybe I am just weird because I have had the same five recurring dreams over and over for these last 27 years. Do you have recurring dreams? 

Since moving to Japan, I have had basically five recurring dreams. But, now that I think about it, one of these dreams, the dreams of me flying like a bird or a jet plane, stopped a few years ago.


I wonder why my dreams of flight have disappeared? Maybe because I turned 50 and stopped dreaming like a 17-year-old? No, I don't think it is that because I still feel like a 17-year-old many times (just won't be doing the crazy things I used to do).


The first of the five recurring dreams I've had was flying in the skies. They started when I was a small boy. In my dreams could fly like Icarus. Can you fly in your dreams? Those are fun dreams... Sometimes, I guess when my condition wasn't so great, I'd have a hard time achieving lift-off in my dream. I'd have to run and flap my arms as hard as I could until I took off. Sometimes it was a great effort and I had to try over and over. Other times, I was just like a graceful bird; a tiny step and jump and I was off soaring like an eagle in the clouds.


Then, when I got to about 30 or so, I could fly like a jet plane. In fact, many times I knew I was dreaming and that I was flying. I figured it was some sort of alternate universe and so I rode it like a snow-boarder rides the snow or a surfer rides the waves. I knew I was dreaming but didn't care. When  could really fly and fly like a rocket, doing a thousand miles and hour, I would consider flying over the Pacific Ocean and going to the United States to fly over my parents house.


Weird thing is that I would fly out a few hundred miles from the coast of Japan, look over the water, and turn around because I'd start getting scared. Scared that I would wake up and be flying over the cold ocean, fall into it, and have to swim back. I used to be a good swimmer, but not that good. Being so high over such deep water freaked me out so I'd turn back. Even though I knew it was just a dream.


The other problem with flying to the USA like a 747 in my dreams was that, at such high speeds, I had a difficult time turning and would often continue on a straight line when I wanted to make a hard left turn.


Sounds ridiculous because it was all a dream and I knew it, but I also felt that, somewhere in my heart, dreams were and alternate universe and a reflection on reality. I guess I still do.


Another dream that often occurred was fishing. I love fishing. Before I moved to japan, I went fishing every week. Sometimes two or three times a week. Fishing is heaven. Fishing is spiritual and fishing is close to God.

There is a saying about fishing. It goes like this: "Do you know what the difference is between a religious man and a spiritual man? A religious man goes to church and thinks about fishing. A spiritual man goes fishing and thinks about god."


I am a spiritual man. I'd go fishing everyday of the week if I could.


I used to dream about fishing at least once a week when I first came to Japan. Sometimes I dreamt about it every night for days in a row. That's because it is difficult to go fishing in Japan and I had been an avid fisherman since I was a small boy living in Minnesota. Minnesota is known as the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" so fishing is a lifestyle there.


Fishing in Japan, Tokyo especially, though, is a chore. Japan is a crowded place and the good areas for fishing on the coastline are usually taken by the local fishing collective so they don't take too kindly to your fishing in their good spots... In fact, they might give you the boot up the ass if they catch you fishing in their prime areas. Going fishing in Japan is not like the USA where you can just grab a rod and reel and head off to the lake or shoreline. In Japan, fishing is an all-day expedition like 18 holes of golf: You need a plan and it costs lots of money.


My other two recurring dreams, or maybe I should say nightmares, are related to work. Whenever work is going poorly or I worry about bankruptcy or the economy going down the tubes (an understandable and common recent worry since 2008) I have bad dreams of returning to the USA and going back to my old jobs. 


The worse job is returning to Prudential to the same old office and working with those dishonest people that I wrote about yesterday in Working With Thieves, Liars and Crooks. The weird part of the dream is that I am always scheming about returning to Japan and, even after one year, haven't sold one single contract yet they do not fire me in my dream.


Talk about being able to live off one's laurels!


The other work-related dream is that I go back to working at a Sears, Roebuck and Company in Ventura, California (it was in Oxnard when I worked there, but has since moved causing the city of Oxnard to sue the city of Ventura, but that's another story about the insanity of the USA).


When I was 17 I started working at Sears in the catalogue ordering department and then transferred to commission sales in the Photo & Office Equipment department. As a commission salesman, I made a heck of a lot of money in the late 1970's.


In my dreams, for some bizarre reason, I go back there and have to work in the sewing machine and vacuum cleaner department selling poorly made and badly designed Sears equipment. The nightmarish part of the entire thing, besides selling this poorly designed and quite unstylish junk, the same management is there at the company running around doing their weird hijinks.


There is the store manager, whose name escapes me, but he was a very short, yet handsome man. He dumped his beautiful wife and four beautiful daughters (whom he often brought to the store) to marry another woman (who he soon also brought to the store). I always noticed the daughter because they were very beautiful girls. He got his lightening strike from god when, soon after the divorce and marriage, he was diagnosed with some sort of brain cancer. No kidding. I think he soon died after that. 


Then there was a guy named Walter who was a section chief who was married but he ran around unable to control his libido and was trying to take every woman working at the store to bed. I guess his wife got fed up with it one day and dumped him and got another boyfriend.


Walt, being like the immature little boy he was, then decided that he wanted his "toy" back (the wife he disrespected and treated like sh*t) and, from what I understand, went screaming drunk to the boyfriend's house while she was there and started banging on the door and breaking it down.


The boyfriend shot him and killed him.


Later, after the funeral that I didn't attend, many Sears employees were complaining that the wife was wearing black but didn't seem sad. I heard them complaining about that and said nothing. It did nothing for me but confuse me as to what was really important to these people and what they were thinking about. 


There were lots of really weird things going on at Sears at that time. I found the same types of problems when I got myself transferred to the Sears in San Fernando Valley and found that store, too, was full of some very twisted people whose priorities were not success of the business and success of their personnel and staff but protection of their position and attempting to continue their lives acting like high school students with their idiotic politics and clicks.


But, I digress....


These are the recurring dreams I often have. Even in the case of Sears or my old jobs, it is nice to be able to see my old friends and to remember them in their beautiful youth. Even when I have nightmares, I am able to realize that they are nightmares and am able to view them like a movie so they rarely scare me. 


I went to see my sick old dad a few weeks ago. He wasn't the same person that I will always remember. In my dreams, he is a young and handsome 30+ some year old Marine wrestling with us kids in the yard. For the sick, aged and ill, dreams are an escape. Back to better times and the treasures of youth. 


Surely, dreams are one of the best things about living that there could possibly be. I look forward to sleeping every night and I look forward to the dreams of my youth.

How about your dreams? I think if you wake up and think, "Today is going to be great" and you keep track and write down your goals, you can control your dreams and make sure they are positive. Try it. For more on that, read, One Easy Step to Becoming a Better Parent and More Successful at Life.

Preventing Disasters in Business and Personal Affairs

Disasters happen all the time. No one likes disasters, even the little ones we joke about in our daily lives, like spilled coffee. Natural disasters cannot be prevented. Personal and business ones often can.

JOHNNY NASH - I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW

Of course many disasters may hit us unexpectedly, these we must use our wits to react to positively. A negative or defeatist attitude to any sort of disaster will only make things worse. For example, you are diagnosed with a disease like cancer. What do you do? Do you take the defeatist attitude and worry and fear for your life? Or do you take this as just one more challenge, like all the rest, to be overcome?


Everyone knows what will happen to you if you fear and worry. Everyone knows of the "Self-fulfilling prophecy." 


The self-fulling prophecy works both ways too. It can be a terrible result or a positive result. You are the one who controls what the prophesy is about.


If you are stuck by disaster, then the best thing to do is to start training your mind for positivity. A sick or depressed mind will yield sick or depressed results. A positive mind will yield positive results. Is there anyone who can deny this? 


Two people have so-called terminal cancer. The first person is devastated and becomes clinically depressed. The second person accepts the condition and takes a positive attitude and decides that they will recover.


Which person do you think will have the best chances of a full recovery? Why is it that some people recover and others don't?


Great things and great ideas and conditions are borne out of positive thinking and cleanliness. Good and great things are not borne out of fear, depression or darkness. Depression and fear can only result in negative outcomes.


Besides positive reactions to disasters, often times many disasters can be prevented! Really! Preparation and thought can often prevent disasters or, at least, mitigate their damage, especially when it comes to business and personal affairs.


Once again, a positive attitude comes into play.


If you have that important meeting and, before that meeting, you worry and consistently run over and over in your mind the possible negative results, or the worst-case scenario, then you will probably create a self-fulfilling prophesy; You most likely will create that worst case outcome. But, if you use your mind to run over positive results, through positive mental imaging, then your chances of getting those positive results increases exponentially. 


We cannot prevent natural disasters. We can only dampen or moderate their damage through preparation and forethought and a positive attitude. 


Personal and business disasters are much easier to control as we can often prevent them from happening through mental imaging of positive outcomes and considerate forethought. We must work proactively instead of reactively to problems before they happen. 


If you practice positive imaging before an important meeting, imagining a positive outcome, instead of fearing the worst, you can create your own reality. You can create that positive outcome that you so desire. 


A positive attitude is everything. Preparation and forethought are priceless forms of insurance. Don't wait for others to bring you good news or positivity, bring it to them first.


Always spread the light to others first and, by doing so, you bring the light to you. 


Remember: You spread the light; you win.


You can do it today and everyday. It is just the flick of a switch from "on" to "off" and from "positive" to "negative." They are all, after all, two different sides of the same coin.


It's up to you to decide which face of that coin is "up."

LOUIS ARMSTRONG - WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD

Watch the videos! Be positive! Have a great day! 

Positivity After the Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Accident

“I am tomorrow, or some future day, what I establish today. I am today what I established yesterday or some previous day.” - James Joyce

So many things have changed after the March 11 disaster. Golden Week is over in Japan and, definitely yes, life is returning to normal here in Tokyo.


Many people lost their lives, loved ones, their homes and livelihoods. The world turned upside down for so many people that day. There are a very many who continue the struggle. Our prayers are with them.

“Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.” - Charles F. Kettering

Even for many of us far away from the epicenter of the disaster the effects are still being felt today.


Business in many sectors of Japan have been severely damaged and still haven't recovered. Due to this aftershock many people I know have had their incomes cut to the extremes and some have even lost their jobs.


Yesterday, I was floored to hear that one of my dear friends, who has been the program director at a major FM station in Tokyo has lost his position and has been transferred out. He was quite blue about it.


I know of companies whose entire business plan was tossed into the air due to the Tohoku disaster. I know some small companies that even lost over $1 million dollars due to the events of that day.

“They can conquer who believe they can.” - Virgil 

Everyone must rise up and not be depressed. Better days are coming. Yes, we have lost much, but look at how much we have gained. We are stronger for this experience and it will help us grow into the people that we are destined to become.

Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" - Matthew 14:31

Make no mistake about it; if you are one of the survivors then better days are coming and we are destined for greater things and greater personal glory. Believe in the good that is coming your way and have faith in positive thinking and positive actions. Do not despair. The best thing we can do for those people up north and the best thing we can do for ourselves and our children is to get our lives back together and get them back to normal.


Despair is not a healthy state of mind. Being busy, productive and positive are very healthy states of mind. It is up to you to choose.


We must always be thankful for what we have and be ever thankful for all the good things we are about to receive. Today is the first day  of the rest of your life and it can be the best day so far if you make it that way.


Believe Onward and upward!

"Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy." - Norman Vincent Peale

Power of Positive Thinking and Self Fulfilling Prophesy

It's coming to the end of 2010. This year has been a very tough one for many people, myself included.

I think that I am not the only one who will be glad to see 2010 gone.

I am usually sad the see the year end and this must be one of the few times in my life that I was relieved that a year is over. Before, I always thought, "Oh, no! Another year done and great memories past!"

I am very happy to look forward to 2011 as I am certain (I really am) that 2011 is going to be the best year of my life so far. 2012 is going to be even better!

Why do I think so? Well, my friends, finally in my life I really do understand the principle of self fulfilling prophesy and true positive thinking. Not just wanting to be positive, but actually believing in the future. There's a big difference in wishing and knowing.

So let me pronounce in this public forum today that 2011 is going to be the best year of my life so far! Here! Here!

That's why today, for my Christmas present to you, I am recommending that everyone buy The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Dr. Joseph Murphy and read and reread it over and over. If you do, then 2011 can be the best year for you, too!

I read this book about June of this year and it helped get through this very difficult year in shining colors. Even though I say that this year has been rough, I can honestly say that my company income went up throughout 2010 and December saw the highest income of the year! I was very surprised to see these results!

You can do the same, if you really believe.

In The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Dr. Murphy talks about how powerful our subconscious really is. It is the mind that works all the time, even when we sleep. If you are constantly feeding your subconscious negative thoughts like;

"I hate this job!" Or, "Things are getting worse!" Or, "I can't find a job!" Guess what? That's exactly what is going to happen as you are creating your reality with your attitude.

Even in the bible, after Jesus walked on water, he said, "All you have to do is believe!"

It's true folks. Your thoughts will create your reality. Your subconscious will take your conscious commands and thoughts and turn them into your world through the principle of the Law of Attraction.

If you are positive and thinking, "I am a success!" Then those types of people will become attracted to you.

If you are negative and think, "I am poor!" Then that's exactly the kind of people who will surround you.

Here's what Amazon has to say about The Power of Your Subconscious Mind:

"I have seen miracles happen to men and women in all walks of life all over the world." -- Dr. Joseph Murphy. At last, a great new scientific discovery brings the incredible force of your subconscious mind under your control. Here are the simple, scientifically proven techniques and the astonishing facts about how your subconscious powers can perform miracles of healing. How lung cancer has been cured and optic nerves made whole again. How you can use the newly discovered Law of Attraction to increase your money-getting powers. How your subconscious mind can win you friends, peace of mind, and even help you to attract the ideal mate. How your dreams can help you solve problems and make difficult decisions -- or warn you of potential disaster. Prosperity, happiness and perfect health are yours when you use The Power Of Your Subconscious Mind 

I wholeheartedly recommend that you read this great book. If you do, I promise that you will thank me.

Read it, my friends and then you can be sure that 2011 will be the best year of your life so far.

The best to you and yours in 2011!

Let's have 2011 see all of our dreams come true together!

You Have a Product to Sell... You! How to Win-Win at Work.

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers 

A pawn and a king sit on a chessboard. The pawn looks at the king & thinks,
"I'm going to work hard and become king someday."
The king smiles, and thinks,
"The harder you work, the longer I get to be king."

The New Economy has defined a new set of rules governing success in the market-place. These new rules demand a new way of thinking from all of us. Gone are the days of following orders from corporate bosses and "trying not to make waves" in order to climb the ladder of success. The fact of the matter is that the New Economy demands that you do rock the boat or be brushed aside in the new kill-or-be-killed marketplace. White-collar job are being shipped overseas to people who will work twice as long as you for one-third of what you get paid. There are no jobs with "job security" anymore.

The only job security you can have in the next decade is the job security you make for yourself and, come to think of it, that’s the way it should be.

Communism died a long time ago; why do people think the government or their corporation should care for them in their old age? They can’t anymore. Fact of the matter is that you cannot afford to not become successful anymore. You cannot afford to sit back, like our fathers did, punch a card 9–5 and expect to bring home enough bacon to buy a house, a car, and support a wife with three kids. It’s almost the year 2011; get into the eighties, will you?

The last twelve months of my working life have been a wild roller-coaster ride through the ups-and-downs of The Corporate Life. While I was forced to work with people who were still stuck in the old-school mindset, I made the effort everyday to re-educate them and myself. It was a daunting task, but what other option did I have? What other option do you have today? You will re-educate yourself or you will fall by the wayside.

In a previous article, I wrote about the requirements of success that I was luckily self-taught and taught by others. Those guidelines have served me well.

I initially became Chief Music Director of a major Tokyo FM radio station in July of 2006. I was promoted to General Manager in October of 2006. This was when I became the first ever foreign-born General Manager of a major Japanese broadcasting station in history. I left that job as General Manager in July of 2007.

I’ll let you decide if I succeeded or not.

The station I worked for had lost $140 million dollars in ten years. It had never been in The Black even once. It had never once dug itself out of the last-place spot in the ratings sweepstakes in those entire ten years.

As G.M. my assignment was easy to understand, but quite difficult to do. I was given three targets to achieve in the shortest possible time. They were:

1. Kill all the Red Ink and make the station profitable.
2. Make the stations rating competitive (the other Tokyo stations consistently beat our ratings by a 10 to 1 ratio).
3. Create a "Cool" station image by concentrating on the station’s "Branding."

Between corporate restructuring (firing a bunch of incompetent and corrupt employees) and instituting an American-Style database system, we repaired many of our problems in the first 3 months.

By November of 2006, we had killed all of the Red Ink. Even though I was never able to wrestle the control of the weekend shows from the corrupt Good Old Boy network, I was able to easily take control of the weekday time slots. By April of 2007, the stations ratings among 12–29 year-old men and women were #1 across the board from 7 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. Monday through Friday. In fact, we dominated the ratings; the first time in station history.

By April of 2007, the station actually profited $200,000, also a first.

This probably all sounds rosy, but it wasn’t. This was the most difficult job I have ever had in my life. Every day at that station I faced a massive uphill struggle. The challenges involved being a foreigner in an extremely corrupt, very "good-old-boy," network and, by the mere fact that I am a foreigner, I was handicapped by cultural and language deficiencies. Childish jealousies among the Japanese staff who had worked at that company for all these years – while it was losing money – who wanted to become G.M. themselves – but couldn’t – didn’t help at all as they were constantly and maliciously working to undermine my authority and the authority of the president of the company.

Needless to say, about the only thing these people actually did work on was interfering – I couldn’t get most of them to be conscientious about their jobs. But in many ways, it didn’t matter. I decided that I was going to put myself in a win-win situation as that was the only hope for me. I knew that if I did a spectacular job that some people would notice whether the company succeeded or failed.

By June of 2007, the parent company was extremely pleased with station progress. So pleased with progress were they that they transferred my boss, the president, to another subsidiary that was doing poorly. In his place, they returned the epitome of a Good Old Boy: a 67-year-old man who had never worked in radio in his entire life.

Meet the new boss, definitely not the same as the old boss – but the same as the old-old boss; same as the former old-old boss who worked the station into massive debt and bad ratings. Since the new boss was a Good Old Boy, that meant he brought in his pals to work with him. The incompetence and corruption returned. With sadness in my heart and bitterness in my mind I knew it was time to get out. Even though I was hurt, I politely wished them well and bid them adieu.

Was I a failure? No. I don’t think so. I did over and above what was asked of me. Never in the history of broadcasting was a station in Japan turned around in such a short span of time; we had a cool image, our ratings were #1 where it mattered the most and, we were finally profitable…

But I was out of a job…

Or was I?

No. Like I said, I strived to do a spectacular job everyday. When word came out that a new president was being brought in to the radio station, I was head-hunted by three different companies even before June arrived. After talking to them all, I took what I thought would be the most challenging and fun job; I elected to become Head of Music Programming for Gotcha Media. Gotcha Media paid me more money than the radio station did and the working conditions are better and it’s a much more exciting place to be. I believe the word young folks use today to describe this sort of situation would be, "Sweet!"

How did this come about? Like I said, everyday at the radio station was a massive uphill struggle. Nevertheless, I decided that I was going to succeed, I was going to stand out; I was going to be flamboyant, and I was going to be a star. I put myself – and my frame of mind – in a win-win situation. It didn’t matter if the station succeeded or failed. I was going to win.

If the station failed, I was still going to come out looking good because everyone would know that, "Mike Rogers made that station cool." If the station were a success, and it was, then everyone would say, "Mike Rogers performed miracles."

When the president of Gotcha Media hired me he said, "Everyone knows it was you who turned the radio station around. Everyone knows that the president was never there." It’s true that everyone knew that the president was never there. I found it quite flattering that he felt that everyone knew that the success was due to me. I had often felt that I was the only one who thought that way.

How did I, how do you, put yourself into a win-win situation at work, no matter the circumstances? It is very difficult and few people seem to do it. But the way things are going now how can you afford not to? How can you afford to not re-create yourself into a positive force to be reckoned with? How can you not afford to make yourself into your own boss that stands out among the crowd, someone who everyone notices and thinks about hiring?

How can you not think about these things when the stock market dives, the American dollar loses 40% of its value against a foreign currency, and gold prices climb to ever higher and higher prices? You can’t.

You will make yourself successful or you will not succeed. It’s that simple. No one else is going to help you anymore. And, come to think of it, I can’t think of anything more American than the idea that you are going to be independent (even if you work for a company) and do this by yourself – and you are not going to depend on anyone else to help you do it either.

Whether you are a company employee or self-employed or thinking about joining the work-force, you must understand that today, you are your product. Your product is you. You must sell yourself as being a can-do person; a person who is sincere, truthful, dedicated, focused, driven, obsessive, and will do anything to fill your client’s needs. Your clients must know this to be true and to trust you with their money. My clients love me because they know that they can't find anyone else who will take care of them like I do. My clients know that I always do top-class work and my product is always spectacular. I am my product.

The results? Your clients will follow you whereever you go. Actually, this shouldn’t be any surprise, this has always been true in the past; it will be true in the future.

We all must understand that there's a big difference between doing something and a new product and doing something meticulously planned with a great attitude, an aggressive can-do dedication to be the best; an obsession towards success, and a road map with a great new product.

You don’t have a great new product? Yes, you do. It’s you. You are your product.

The truth of the matter is I believe that you can make much more money than you do now, but first, you have to change your thinking. All of us can make much more money together. It's a win-win for me, win-win for you, and win-win for us.

A win-win situation is not just the best way, it's obviously the only way (but most people haven't figured that out).

Are you ready to make big money? Are you willing to strive to make a fantastic new product? Are you ready for the new you? Great! Let’s get started on your new product. Buy this book and read it immediately: The Brand You 50: Or: Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an 'Employee' into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion!

The Brand You 50 will show you why you are your product and why 70% of what you do is un-cool, therefore you should stop doing that 70% and concentrate on the 30% that is cool. Your product is you.

Also buy this book: The Big Moo: Stop Trying to Be Perfect and Start Being Remarkable.

The Big Moo will show you why being "safe" in your career and business is actually a very risky road to take. Everybody is safe, every product’s promotional plan is safe. As the world gets more and more turbulent, people want to eliminate as much risk from their business and their careers as possible, so they play it safe. People mistakenly believe that the way to eliminate risk is by playing it safe… Play it safe like everyone else does, right? Wrong.

Think about it, how can you possibly risk your future by being like everyone else? You can’t. You had better be noticed and you had better be remarkable. And you cannot be remarkable by playing it safe.

These books will show you why you are your product and why your product has to be remarkable in this day and age. They will help you to better your product. They will stop you from being "comfortable" and to start you being remarkable. They’ll teach you to know that you can never compromise yourself because you are all you've got!

I’ll make the effort to write again soon and recommended some other necessary books, but for now, I’ve got a product that needs to be polished everyday and sold: Me! You do too. Let’s get cracking.

This article originally appeared on Lew Rockwell

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Keywords: win-win, work, positive thinking