Thursday, November 14, 2019

Hill's Notion of Setting for Ideas


For those who have read, perhaps more than once, the legendary paperback
"Think and Grow Rich" by  Napoleon Hill, perhaps you recall him explaining the process of
"setting for ideas".

It is a profound respect for the process and value of simply being still, and solitary and thinking productively..

I have been enjoying my read of Edward O. Thorpe's book "A Man for All Markets"....which is available btw in both print and audio format.

One of Mr. Thorpe's remarkable discoveries when he began to conquer some gambling games successfully, was illustrated in this one statement of his:

"What intrigued me.....it was the possibility that merely by sitting in a room and thinking.....I could figure out how to win".    (found in Chapter 5: first page, of his book "A Man for All Markets".)

I want to ask you today. What incredible ideas could you create if you gave your mind the credit and space and time to work that it requires?

Perhaps you live and/or work in noisy places. Noise can clutter your thinking power, unless of  course it is predictable white noise which your mind may find comforting and conducive to concentration.

But if you find you are chronically distracted and unable to focus, you may need to carve out for yourself an authentic "thinking spot". It may be a picnic table isolated by the creek  or lakeside so that yu can look out on some moving water. Or perhaps you may find yourself able to think simply by downloading some white noise onto your smart phone so that you can listen to it, as you walk solemnly around the block.

Everyone is different. But we are all the same in that we are much more productive when we have access to the space and time and place that is conducive to thinking in solitude.


Be blessed, my smart friends and colleagues. You have unlimited potential.

Peace,
Carla





Monday, November 11, 2019

On the Hunt to Audio-Ize

Over the years perhaps you have noticed that  I have a particular fondness for soaking in nonfiction books via audio recordings.

It has become a passion to hunt down the most cost effective format in which to locate an audio  version of my current book of obsession.

So today I went to go  see some computer nerds. I brought in my fave crisp new book,ready for them to magically transform into an audio format for me....only to be shocked by their retort. Perhaps the dude had just spent an all-nighter coding, because his reply was rather chalky.
He stated that it would cost  thousands of dollars for him to manually feed my book   into a scanner which would then be turned into a text file which would then be fed into a software that could transform text into a computerized voice file. He said the computerized voice would suck....why would anyone want to listen to that......and would most  likely contain errors from either the paper to text file conversion, or from the text to computerized voice conversion process.

He seemed  to be quite adamant that my request was not ideal....nor reasonable. What a waste of a treacherous drive up our slippery newly snow covered streets.

Sigh..... But alas,  i am not one to give up too easily! I considered briefly the idea of contacting our  local CNIB to see if perhaps they had more user friendly methods for their visually impaired clients when transforming some written works into audio formats.

Instead I called our local book  store. The clerk did a search for me, to see if there was any kind of audio version for sale globally for my current book obsession. Woot woot! They found one. And guess what .....it was very easy to purchase on my phone via Kobo.

I had thought that Kobo was only an e-reader type of gadget.....like an ipad  for e-books.

But lo and behold, because the clerk in the book store was willing to do a search that did not in any way benefit  her employer, I have been able to listen to my fave new nonfiction book on my phone.

Perhaps some day  computers will have advanced so far into artificial intelligence, that it will  be a simple and cost effective feat simply to convert a paperback or hardcover into a seamless audio book.....but for now at least I have another method with which to chow down on my next new must-hear non-fiction book.
Be courageous friends in your lifelong learning. It leads somewhere good.....and is worth the effort.

Peace,
Carla




Friday, November 8, 2019

Why You Just Might Succeed

You just might succeed because  when your friends...your family and perfect strangers giggled at your goals ......you persevered.You plodded onward.

Even when u ran out of money u didn't back down. The money finally surrendered to your will as you conquered it's mystique. You now have more than you need and plenty to share.

You finally understood that success does not always rest upon the prettiest, the fastest or the affluent. You waited for wisdom to reveal herself to you. You were patient and alert.

You tore through books. You asked questions. You weren't shy to speak your goals aloud and often to yourself. You tweaked your list of goals as often as needed...
but not to please anyone other than yourself. You became the creator of your own destiny.

Sometimed people listened. Sometimes people laughed.

And now....now they who once mocked you are calling you desperately for advice. Folks who criticized you openly are now bragging of those times long ago when they knew you.
You smile gently.

You learned to smile when folks were cruel. You learned to let nothing disuade you from your chosen path.

It is righteous. It is good.

Now you have reached that pleasant plateau...where not only have you reached your own personal goals....but you can help others reach their's too.

It is so well.
It is so good.
Thankyou God.

Peace.
C.

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

There for the Taking

My local city libraries have approximately 170,000 items on their shelves. That total spans two library branches located within our city limits. i dont live in a particularly large city. however, our local libraries are well used by residents and highly valued by city planners.

I so enjoy that legendary Robin Williams film entitled "Good Will Hunting". It's main character, a rebellious genius, gets into a verbal battle with an Ivy League brat, by stating quite convincingly.... that he was able to get all the same knowledge as the ivy brat simply by paying less than 5$ a year in late fees to his local public library. i can't help but applaud. 

Now  before u think i am just some bookworm with a penchant for books....permit me to enlighten you otherwise. I am not a mere reader of books.

i read to learn. THEN i take what i have learned and try it out in the real world. I put into practice what i personally study. Through trial and error i tweak my strategies until i receive the desired outcome.

Much of what i have personally put into practice which has propelled me forward in life, has been eagerly gleaned from free or low cost high quality books. Sometimes i splurge on a high cost book and usually discover it is worth every single penny...even if the cost is over a 100 dollars. Good timely accurate information is priceless.

Some of my learning curve has stretched from written pages to dance playfully with websites, podcasts and blogs.  i have also , on more than one occasion, taken it upon myself to personally contact a well respected author with the intent of being able to ask more precise questions. 

 I pride myself on having the courage to contact well accomplished authors for the sole purpose of learning more about a vital subject of interest.

You must bet on yourself sometimes, to use the skills u already have to get u moving towards your written life goals. 

Well, i am going to be brief today. i am simply going to ask u  a question. Are u sure that u have taken full advantage of what your local public library has to offer?  Have u maxed out it's advantages for the attainment of your life goals?

It just may be possible, that somewhere, hidden in a massive library book shelf or in a stack of audio book cd's..... lies the next bite of information u have been waiting for. Don't u want to get that much closer towards the accomplishment of one of your life goals?You are passionate about your life goals aren't u ?

in peaceful productivity , 
Carla.

Friday, October 11, 2019

How to Stay Out of Debt: Warren Buffett - Financial Future of American Y...





You gotta love Mr. Buffett's simple way of explaining things to people...and in this video he kept it really straight forward, for the sake of the youth in the audience.



One of my favourite statements that he makes in this video is this:

"They can't tax what is in your head".



In Peaceful Productivity,

Carla

Thursday, October 10, 2019

The Secret to Think and Grow Rich Revealed | Bob Proctor



One of my favorite things to do, is simply assist other people to understand little tiny simple things that they can do to improve their lives. Nothing in life is guaranteed, but as Tony Robbins like to say 
" Success leaves clues". 

Therefore, I do not shy away from making suggestions, from sharing ideas which can help nudge you forward.

So....my nudge for today is this. Stop looking for mysterious answers from dead air. What is dead air? It's the nothingness that you are listening to when you are staring at the sky or looking out the window...listening to nothing.

Yes, I know that people can receive random directions from God...and they describe how they received a message from God which helped mold and create the success they now have. 
But I think it is fair to say that most of us do not hear God's audible voice on a daily basis.

Therefore, from where are you getting your guidance??? And just to be frank....have you sought any guidance at all from people of value? Who are people of value? People of value, are people that you respect and admire......people who have accomplished similar goals to what you are aiming for based upon your own list of written goals.

It bothers me sometimes, with the onslaught of new age dogma, how "gurus" are teaching people to "empty" their minds.
What are folks supposed to do with any empty mind? Do you think Elon Musk has an empty mind? No, Elon Musk's mind is full and working at full speed towards creating new projects and businesses. He has grand ideas and because he knows how to inspire people, they willingly invest their money into almost anything he tries to invent.

Nothing is nothing. Nothing is not inspiring. It is blank and empty.
It has no value and is devoid of truth.

We want to be full.....full of wisdom and creativity and knowledge and inventions. We want to embrace life with vigor and joy. We want to chase our dreams with passion and energy. We want to work with like minded people who challenge us to grow.

Well, that's all for now. I've included a sample of a positive video from Bob Proctor. He has a knack for making people feel good and energized . 

Today, try to fill your "dead air" time with videos or recordings, or music and teachings that encourage your life goals and empower you forward.

Productively yours,
Carla.


Friday, October 4, 2019

What the Church Does Right and What It Wrecks

i have had the privilege as well as the challenge of being in churches throughout much of my life.

Therefore, my perspective includes the beauty, the grace, the courage , the power and the intelligence that comes from being a part of a christian church. I am always grateful for being introduced to the study of the holy bible from a very very young age. My childhood was filled with adults who took  the time to read the holy bible aloud to our family on a regular basis..

So what are the challenges that growing up in a "churchy" lifestyle bring? How could something so beautiful and gracious bring any challenges at all?

Well, for today I am just going to keep it short. I will list simply 5 reasons that a religious background can sometimes bring struggles that others from different backgrounds do not struggle with.

1/ A sense that it is not "right" to be ambitious or pursue your own self created goals. Religious mindsets often preach the idea that followers of God must allow God to form their future, and therefore seem to send a message to their young followers that they are not "permitted" to make their own list of personal life goals. The message seems to label being goal oriented as selfish or self centered.

2/ A sense that women are not encouraged to be "all that they can be"....but must simply become mothers of children and dress modestly. Some religious circles strongly frown on any sign of a "freedom loving" female agenda. Such religious groups refuse to spend money on educating the women in their congregation, and show an outright preference to sending the young men to higher educational places, but not the women.

3/ Some church communities frown on the use of certain medications. They seem to have the attitude that it shows a "lack of faith" to submit to the use of prescription medications suggested by "secular" doctors. This attitude has very dire results in some church communities, as those who are trying to please that church's leadership may wind up depriving their loved ones of lifesaving medications.

4/ Time gobbling.. There is no other way to describe some church community cultures. I have seen some Christian leaders apply extreme emotional pressure to their congregation until they feel obligated to spend many days of the week attending church meetings and other religious activities. These leaders refuse to acknowledge that when church attendance is so extreme, that other obligations in a normal family can go unattended, such as work duties, wealth building, education (both self led and formal) as well as regular housework. Such pastors are hungry for absolute control over their congregation and they perpetuate their control by having access to the presence and ears of their church members for as many days of each week as possible.This perpetuates a church culture in which the church members are chronically under-educated and mentally dull.
I believe that this deeply grieves God's Spirit, who rejoices when we embrace our own intellectual potential.

5/ A Disrespect for money. There has been much written on this subject. So I will keep it really short.
Some church leaders have no business experience and often limited formal education. Therefore, their personal understanding of finance, in both the personal and commercial realms, is extremely limited. Therefore, these pastors preach from a perspective of financial immaturity. If a pastor does not understand how money works, and does not respect the time and effort it takes to create wealth and maintain wealth;  the church members will discover that this pastor will not empower them to prosper. His or her messages will be filled with naivete and even a chronic disrespect for those who are rich. These type of church leaders often lift up those who live on little money as "more pious and spiritual" than those who are setting their sights on creating or maintaining wealth.
Ironically, it is often these very same immature pastors who are the first to walk up to a rich church member and apply extreme persuasion to try to apply guilt and manipulation to try to convince or force the rich church members to donate much of their wealth to that very same church.

Well, that's all for now folks. Sorry to write negative things. But some of these things still need to be understood.

If you choose to attend Christian churches, be blessed and do so with joy. However, be aware that you should never completely lower your guard, no matter where you worship. Do not let anyone, or any organization steal your time or your money, or your health. Make your own decisions with prayer and your own common sense. Don't be inordinately vulnerable to pastors and preachers....and always hold their advice up to the sniff test. If it don't smell right....toss it out.

In Peaceful productivity,
Carla.