2011 was quite a good year for me and in many ways a mirror of 2010, and exact opposite of 2009.

For sure this is not the case for so many people around the world.  And though I’m a self-confessed activist against TV and bad news, I’m feeding information out of beyond mainsteam historical and time-tested interpretation of what’s going on around the planet today.

We’ve heard of America’s problems since 2008 as well as Europe, a number of unusual disasters, and of course the population of the earth just turned 7 billions a few months ago.  Most of these if not all are manmade.

Digging deep into such stories we find on TV and even the internet makes no sense to me anymore and the more we look at it only makes people feel victimized, disempowered, and thereby hope less.

To me this is one of the greatest disasters of them all, and that’s what most people love to play and feel: victimized.  Failure to master and ultimately take control of our own world within our minds, by experience and personal research would only compound the influence of these bad spirits.

On the other side of it, not everyone allowed themselves to be controlled by these bad spirits.  Many people are experiencing abundance and are thriving within the same environment we are in, the same planet, the same set of circumstances, the same economy, maybe perhaps the same job, etc. 

Let me share with you my guide for 2011. Some of you may have read it last year in my facebook note.  I believe it still and perhaps even more applicable for the New Year and the whole decade ahead.  Enjoy..

If you consider yourself living the kind of life you want, you may want to take it to the next stage.  Or if you think you’re in a deep valley called “nowhere”, would a simple trick from heaven excite you?

How does it feel getting what you terribly wanted for the longest time?  How does it feel to be in control?  How does it feel to find certainty in every aspect of your life?

If it means you now, beyond expectation have amplified your CAPACITY to give, to nurture not only to your family, could be your friends, and many others, etc., what kind of joy would that bring you?

You have moved beyond being a victim and a complainer to being one of the top guns..  You’re now the aggressor!  What kind of self-worth would that be?

So what if I tell you about something that can help you find the changes YOU want in 2012?  I couldn’t think of any better gift for you this holiday season. I wrote this note for you.  I picked it up somewhere and I feel it’s going to be worthless until I give to somebody.

2012 is just around the corner.  This could mean a fresh start for all of us yet for so many people, what else is new?  It’s just the same New Year we celebrate at the beginning of a new calendar: food, friends, family, and pleasant noise, and hangover.  That’s all it is.

And there’s nothing wrong with it.

Yet there’s always that person within all of us that keeps on shouting for something better, for something new.  Have you heard this guy before?  This might be a source of dissatisfaction, a chronic problem, or just plain boredom.

Have you noticed this guy’s voice at the beginning of each year saying: “Hey man, let’s make 2012 a little bit different from 2011.”

So before I get you bored let me show you a 2 step process you can use to make 2012 a year to remember.

Step 1.  Know What You Want 

You can look at your life in five areas so you don’t get perplexed with so many things at a time.  Try looking at these:

Mental - this is about what you need to know, what you know, what you know that you don’t know, and what you don’t know that you don’t know yet.

Physical – this has something to do with your body.  For me this means how many kilometers I must walk or run in a week all year, what I eat or drink, and how much nicotine I’m allowing in my lungs.

Social – this has something to do with people: your networks and all.  I’m (!) not very good at this (My excuse is: I’m an INTP!) to be honest. But no doubt it is one of the most important.  You could be looking for mentors, business partners, a soulmate, or friends that share your passion.  This could determine the level of your indispensability on the job or elsewhere.  They’ll keep you if they like you.

Spiritual – this has something to do with your belief system which controls our emotions: the things you believe is true and the invisible powers around us.  There’s Someone bigger and far greater than us that sets the rules about everything.

All we have to do is to learn the rules, be grateful every single day, and trust that everything happens in preparation to your best life. We need to learn how to tune in and be a friend with these powers that ultimately gets us what we want for 2012.

Financial – I added this area because in so many ways it affects the first 4 items I listed above.  It’s simple: it will be easier if you have the resources eventhough it isn’t the main thing.  The main thing is how we’re going to be resourceful about what we have at this point.  It doesn’t matter if it’s so limited or even in the red.  You can fix it.

Believe me everyone starts from nothing as I did.  This area could mean learning how to be a friend with this thing called money.  Learn more about it, how to use it to your family’s advantage, and just stop denying it.

You can further classify all of these into the roles you play on a daily basis: you can be your own leader, the family’s bread winner/ provider, your own athlete, your own learner, business-owner, employee/ professional, your own planner, bookkeeper, musician/ rockstar, investor, etc.  So what are those roles you’re playing?

List them down and assign your targets for the whole year to effectively play the role. This reminds me of one movie by Eddie Murphy, one of my favorite comedians who played multiple roles for a single film.  Amazing.

The Klumps

Step 2: Determine Your Switching Strategy

Know what excites you.  Notice the things that get your attention, and makes you focus  on just one thing. I say this could be the most important step in the process.  It sets your direction and focus.  It’s like a building a corridor in the sky aimed at your target.  If you can’t do this for yourself then just drop this note.

Often times unhappiness does this trick of switching you to focus.  Someone or something pisses you off, threatens you, or just plain dissatisfaction.  You don’t like this and that, something that pushes you to move or change course, or scramble in disgust.

What type of enjoyment, fun, power, strength, advantage you’ll never experience if you miss the target? Make, update, and keep a list of these things.

It could also be the opposite.  You find comfort in something.  You can see real value and the benefits.  It turns you ON the same way.  It’s so irresistible that makes you want to get crazy regardless.

Very often this approach is more powerful than just looking at the negatives in the previous paragraph. Make a list as long as possible for these items.  More exciting reasons will make you unstoppable.

What worked for me very often is dissatisfaction.  I absolutely disagree with the thought to be satisfied with what you have, and be happy with it.

This would only justify the current negative situation and will feed this sucker forever.  It won’t empower anyone to experience something better or perhaps the best life everyone deserves regardless of the global economy.

In many ways it robs you opportunities because it constantly degrades your capacity.  You tend to be complacent until you loose everything.

To be dissatisfied means acknowledging the fact that you deserve nothing but the best, expect only the best.

You’re tired about your own performance at work, in your personal life, or anywhere else. Stop and try to look at yourself first.

Most people automatically turn to the outside and pick a lousy toy gun called blame.  Only losers do this.  I’m not talking about you.  I’m talking about that loser in you and me.

So what’s that loser costing you?  Make the list.  This loser wants to steal the target by making so many excuses. He’s terrified or just indifferent.  Everyone will say these things and that –against me if I do that.

In almost all cases that loser is the fear inside.  Fear of failing, fear of rejection, fear of poverty, fear of criticism of others.  Would you let that guy run your life?  You only got one remember?

This should at least prime you up to take charge of 2012.  It sets your focus and makes the whole deal so personal, you get so attached to it.  It makes you want yourself to be the best, and get serious because now, we’re going to a war with that loser!

There you have it.  I hope this prepares you for an exciting 2012!  I wish you only the very best!!

Happy New Year!  

Hi there dudes, here’s Core Step 2 still in our Four-Step Goal-Setting Process.   I already showed you a little preview of what’s in store for you as soon as you start taking massive action on your goals, what attraction really means, and of course I showed you what you’re going to be up against in this part of the process.

Please don’t let those fears stop you.  Focus on the advantages and your targets long and frequently enough, talk about them, learn about them, and for sure you’ll find yourself rockin’ and rollin’ towards progress.

In this post I’m showing you six simple stages to Organized Action as follows:

1. Leadership
2. Investigate
3. Shift
4. Lift Off
5. Control, and
6. Follow

As you may have heard, decades ago, American President JFK dreamed to send a man on the moon and returning him safely back to the Earth.  It was a Vision seemingly so impossible that time when technology wasn’t so evidently advanced.

I could remember one Thursday afternoon, at the office with some of the bosses arguing about the American dream to the moon, and how the Americans tried to organize such plans together with other European nations.

The problem as I followed (the conversation), was that the Americans went ahead alone with the project because they wanted to do it but were not willing to share technology with others.  And the boss told Germany backed out believing only the Nazis had the technology to send a man on the moon that time.  

I was so amused thinking, well, it must be an interesting topic to talk about on the last hour of the usual bloody construction week.  It was fun.  And why not?  History is like that, and I just love hearing stories (of varying English accents) from these guys.

This brings us to the first step I call Leadership.

1. Leadership

For each goal in mind, initiative must be taken to explore your desired outcomes.

In general, we exercise stepping into the future by imagining how the goal looks like and feels when you accomplish it in the future.  Touch it, smell it, feel it, taste it.  What do you see?  Can you smell it?  Can you hear the sounds and surrounding ambiance?  Feel it.  

For OFWs and many expats, notice how JFK phrased his dream:

Achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and

returning him safely to the Earth..

Please take a closer look at the last phrase, also the goal phrase, or anything you may want to call it.

My question for expats is: have we ever set our goal as expats and phrase it that way?

If we take a closer look at this goal, you may have noticed three important segments:

       1. The time frame,

2. Actual Goal, and

3. Exit.

Many expats just went on attacking the resource problem ‘seeking greener pastures overseas’, that’s it.  And guess what?  That’s exactly what most of us expats get.   We found the greener pastures.  Period.

The question is have we ever dreamed going back home safely for good?

Be careful what you wish for guys because you might just get it.  And if you so choose, you might as well complete your goal the same way JFK did about of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely back to Earth.

If not, then expect what you expect.  Please examine your intentions and ask yourself if it’s really what you wanted.  And hopefully you’re not going to be one of the many OFWs whom are never going to retire.

Imagine landing a man on the moon and leaving him there trapped for good?  

At the core, Leadership essentially means you DECIDE exactly what it is that you want.  You take the initiative to set your course and resolve to head on to that direction, no excuses, and whatever it takes.

Meanwhile, it is normal for you to have multiple goals, and all of them must be organized in a manner that they are aligned with the others and if you so choose: support other goals as well.  Examine your goals that could be in conflict with other goals.

Next, to save yourself from the feeling of overwhelm, you can organize your goals into the following Key Result Areas /categories:

• Spiritual (character, mindset, drive)
• Mental (competence, skills, know-how)
• Physical (food, exercise)
• Social (communications, family, associations, recreation, etc.)
• Resources (other people, assets, money, time)

This require a little research and reading to make sure you’re not going to be overly submerged into one area leaving other important areas of your life completely ignored.  There are of course painful consequences if you overlook some areas. 

2. Investigate

The second stage can be found in your CURRENT circumstances and how these influence your actions on a daily basis.  Monitor yourself how you go about each day, everyday, and jot down what you’re doing on the conscious level.  Note them As-Found.

So what do you think most people do on a daily basis?

We all have 24 brand-spanking hours each day on autorun.  It can’t be saved like money, and you can’t rewind them like the good old VHS tape, nor preview them on youtube as if you’re capable of editing what just passed.

When it’s done, it’s done.  And bye-bye that’s all there is to it.    We only get a single chance to consume, create value, or work on each second time elapses.  And we can always leave it running wasted by default.

Take time to analyze your activities and classify them into these quadrants.

How are you spending those perishable hours dude?

Spending so much time other than Quadrant II tells you you could be spending your time and your life irresponsibly.  Only irresponsible and misinformed people do these unconsciously on a consistent basis. 

Why?  The reason is simple and it’s all about awareness.  We stopped learning after college thinking we know it all, or why would I?  I’m done with school- type of attitude.  You totally left your brains out and pride yourself you’re a degree-holder or some kind of state-licensed professional.

I recommend you pick up a book called The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey now before you go on wasting your time and your life.   Or just quit wasting your time reading my blog posts for nothing.

In the following video you learn how you can fit in all activities prioritizing the most important things in your life.  Most important things first dudes.  There’s nothing more that could ever satisfy you knowing you are actually making progress out of this extraordinary chance to life.

The most challenging part is knowing what really is important.

You wouldn’t want to surprize yourself finding out later on, late into your 40′s or 50′s knowing what you’ve been doing all these years is a complete waste, and were never contributing to your dreams. Believe me you wouldn’t want to punish yourself that way.

So get serious about this stuff now.  

To be continued on the next post.