A Harris Interactive study that found 80% of Americans are not passionate about what they do. That’s 4 out of 5 people who are just working for money, not for their passion. Everyone knows passion is the key to success, but for people who don’t know what their passion is, finding it can be a mystery.

The Passion Test is a simple, yet powerful way to get clear about things that matter most to you and then a process to make those a priority in your life. Passions are clues to your destiny. In order to Live Life on Purpose, you must first know what that means for you.

When you are clear about your desires, what you want will show up in your life, however, only to the extent of your description. It’s all about Intention, Attention, and No Tension.

Intention is consciously stating what you want. Most people don’t even take the time to put in writing what they intend for their life. You can and should make intentions for each portion of your life, such as this day, this meeting, this relationship.

Attention has to do with what you want to create in your world. Your life is a result of what you have been putting your attention on, whether you realize it or not. The good news is, if you like your life, keep putting your attention on what you have been and if you don’t like your life, switch what you are putting your attention on to something you are passionate about.

The No Tension part is accepting that whatever is happening in this moment is the absolute best thing that can happen for you. Let’s face it we are not the General Manager of the Universe. Our reality can show up in many different ways and we have a choice to either resist what is happening or accept it and know that we may not see the big picture right now. Accepting is crucial to the No Tension aspect of life. .

If you are part of the 80% of Americans who don’t love their job, you can do something about it and it doesn’t take a lot of money or time. It just takes knowing how to do it and focusing on what makes you happy.

Think about what a different world we would live in if everyone loved what they did for a living!

Join me on this journey of joy and fulfillment by finding out what matters most to you in life and then start living it! Carol Hasbrouck www.IntentionalLivingOnline.com

photo credit: chenutis

photo credit: h.koppdelaney

Where has this sense of entitlement come from that has spread like a plague? Since when are employers, educational systems, or governments responsible for individual financial well being? What happened to personal financial education, personal development, and self motivation to make the most of our own life?

Our lives represent the cumulative amount all the decisions we have ever made. Once you know and understand that you will have the ability to decide whether to participate in the recession or choose not to accept it.

The largest fortunes are created during a economic slump. This is the time of opportunity. Just the other week the DOW rebounded back 53% from its low in March. So over 5 months time there was 53% increase! You can view this one of two ways,

1) There were significant losses, and we are only back to the numbers of 1999. We still have 47% left to go to get back to where we were so we can break even.

OR

2) Wow what any opportunity there was in March, maybe we should have made the attempt to learn about trends and how to capitalize on them so we can identify an opportunity like this in the future.

There were still investors out there who at the time lost money, but were intelligent enough to know that market would rebound and chose invest significantly more money than ever before. Now they have come out on top.

It is all perception.

We are entitled to nothing. We live in the greatest country in the world, we have our freedom to choose. There are no other resources we can ask for that gives us the ability to create success. It is up to us to create our dreams. The resources are available, we have the internet, and libraries which have more resources than we could possibly go through in one lifetime.

USE THEM! Self educate yourself and lets build some long lasting wealth together!

Life is way too short to live in complacency. Get out there and start kicking open some doors!

With all of the changes going on in the country right now it is prime time to start doing what makes you happy. If you have been one of the thousands of people just working to exist and want something more, make the choice to do something about it.

The time to make a change and take action is now, every minute is precious. If you have the courage to step out of the box and live the life that you have dreamt of don’t wait another minute. If you are out of work or being over worked and under paid get out there and start networking.

Networking is key, take some time recharge and identify what you truly desire. Once you can pinpoint your ideal life, business opportunity, and desired income get out to some networking functions and you will not be disappointed.

Not only will you get closer to accomplishing your goals you will have the potential be helpful in assisting others in accomplishing theirs.

Questions you can ask when you identify what you want to do, especially if it is starting something on your own, are: Why would someone pay me to do this? What value do I personally create? How can I accomplish my goals and help others get closer to accomplishing theirs in the process?

If you have the desire to be an asset to others before asking for anything in return, not only in business but in all areas of life, success and prosperity will find you.

Good luck and have a spectacular day!

What are you in position for this year?

Are you ready for victory or prepared for defeat?

For those of you who believe the Universe is operating perfectly and your life is no more than a parenthesis in eternity this is your time! Think about parenthesis for just a moment, you use them in a sentence to add value or information, correct? If they weren’t there the sentence should still make sense. Allow the principle of constantly adding value become your life mission.

Think about the value you add to others lives. Are you prepared to help others unconditionally? This is where fortunes are being created. Those who can help the most people will receive the most reward. Whether is a spiritual reward, personal gratification, financial compensation, you rarely see people unhappy when they know they are making a difference and contributing something to someone else without the expectation of something in return.

You must not only have the will to win, but the will to prepare to win. Take the time to set up a game plan and goals. How many people will you talk to today? How many new friends will you make? How will you achieve the financial independence you seek? I love what AL Williams says when he hears of people getting 2nd or 3rd jobs thinking that will create more security. He says “being the only person contributing to your income is not only dumb, it’s double dumb!”

If financial security and prosperity is a goal you are striving for set a goal to have X number of people contributing to your household income by the end of the year and work backwards from there. You must have the destination in mind in order to find the way. It is once you have found the way the life happens, so be aware. Isn’t it typically when you make a decision to accomplish something or quit something that in no time at all a test is presented? You want to quit smoking and the first gas station you go to is giving them away two packs at a time. You want to make 50 business calls, but your friend just called and said we are taking the boat out it’s a beautiful day. Are you willing to make the small sacrifices today in order to live your dreams tomorrow?

Every single person in this country is in the position to earn hundreds of thousand even millions of dollars this year, but the question becomes are you willing to sacrifice. The opportunities are there, the systems have been created, and the time is NOW!

Make a few vocabulary and beliefs changes and watch your world transform. Instead of saying “I need more money,” BELIEVE “The money I require comes frequently and abundantly.” Instead of saying “I need to lose weight,” BELIEVE “I am losing weight everyday because I am making a conscious effort to do so.”

Your vocabulary, beliefs, and actions are what is creating you universal positioning all of which you have total control over. Claim your control, take action, and let make 2009 the most prosperous year ever!

Whose belief systems and ideals are you abiding by?

A friend of mine Rahul, just wrote a great article about dealing with criticism and the challenges we face while doing so, which is a little of what sparked me to write this today.

At 21 years old I decided to leave college and pursue my dream of freedom.  I didn’t care if I had to struggle to get things going, my over all desire was to never write a resume or fill out a job application. Well it is three years later and I have accomplished this goal thus far, not without family and friends criticisms and hours spent enlightening me why I have made poor decisions.

The one thing everyone who had an opinion on my life choices had in common was all of them had not accomplished what I knew I would.  The first rule in my thought process of education is: learn from those who have achieved what you aspire to. Granted you can learn something from everyone, but make sure you being educated on the right subject. It is unfortunate that common sense isn’t so common and people with an outstanding drive and ambition will take advice from those who are lazy and unaccomplished who will inevitably rain on their parade and hold them back from achieving their dreams.

Why follow the norm? Why not be different? All of the greatest discoveries ever where made by those who were seen to be strange and crazy. Einstein, Lincoln, Columbus, the list can go on for days. Take a moment to think about what these people have accomplished and lets kick it up a notch and get a little crazy!

The first thing you must do and realize is you need to have you goals and dreams written down or up on a vision board so they are constantly in your face. If you don’t know where you want to go any road will take you there. I read a few months ago that something like only 5% of people actually write down what they want in life, 5%! It is ridiculous when you think about it, everyone wants more. More money, more time freedom, more cars, more vacations, more stuff, more, more, more! If you want more, do more, and chances are you will probably have to do some stuff you have never done, because “if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.”

The faster you can break away from the norm and change the way you look at things, the less you will end up stepping in you know what.

“If you follow the herd you’ll end up stepping in shit.”

In the overall scheme of things there are only two types of choices, choices that take us closer to success and choices that take us away from success. This is referred to as the “Slight Edge,” by Jeff Olson.

Every choice we make lies either on the success curve which is going up and to the right, meaning closer to our goal, or down and to the right, drawing us away from our goal. All decisions, regardless of how big or small, are somewhere on this curve. At the moment we make choices it may not seem like they make a significant difference, but good or bad decisions compounded over time will be the deciding factors of our life.

You can look at it from many perspectives. One cigarette may not kill you, but the 10,000th or 100,000th just might. Fast food, one or two hamburgers aren’t clogging your arteries, but what about the 100th or 1000th? Let’s look at it from a success angle as well. Five or ten prospect calls may not make a difference, but what if you made fifty or a hundred? Reading a book or so a year may not influence your life noticeably, but how much more effective would you be if you read ten or twenty?

Looking at your decisions from any angle you will notice a positive or negative pattern or habit. Sometimes it is a good habit and sometimes it is a bad one. The only thing that matters is your ability to identify if you are riding the wave up the success wave or down the failure curve.

This evening or tomorrow morning look at all the plans and activities you do throughout the day and find out what decisions you are making that are drawing you closer to what you desire and what are drawing you away. The most important thing is to not blame others for “making you” do anything. You are the only one in control of the actions you make and only you can change your circumstances. Remember anything and everything that has occurred in your life up until this point you are 100% responsible for, good and bad, it is up to you to determine your interpretations of the events. You can look back and use them as motivation to propel you up the success curve or as your excuse that holds you down.

Thank you for your time and have a spectacular day!