Is This The Worst You Tube Debut Ever?

Last night (or rather early this morning) I made my first ever video and posted it on You Tube.  It is awful!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUBe05Ys0j8

So why am I sharing this with you?

You see I have been putting this off for longer than I care to admit.  I KNOW that video is the future of blogging, and in fact the rest of the internet and social media, but I would keep giving myself good reasons why I was not starting to do it.  I did not have the right camera, the lighting was bad, I needed to have a trusted and skilled assistant to hold the camera and start and stop it in the right time, and I needed to get video editing  software and learn how to use it.....You get the idea.

Anyway last night while doing something else I saw a headline on upoading videos to You Tube so I decided to bite the bullet and go for it.  After all, I would delete it straight away if it was awful, right?

So about 1.00 am in my home office with just the webcam in my laptop and a desk lamp I shot my first, stumbling video.  I had not even changed my crumpled shirt, I stumbed over my words, and I was relieved as hell to press the "stop recording" tab!  Phew, it was done.  I allowed my wife to see it and emailed the link to my daughter (who is my business partner) warning her not to fall off her chair laughing and hurt herself.  I went to bed knowing that I would take it downfirst thing in the morning.

But in the morning I thought, hang on, isn't confidence about being OK about having a go, about not getting it perfect or even half right the first time, and about admitting our mistakes and having th courage to laugh at ourselves and admit that we still have a lot to learn?

So dear friends here it is, warts and all, but if it encourages anyone else to have a go: Start a new business, learn a new skill, try for a new job, pick up the phone and make a challenging call, or anything else that they have been putting off for too long, it will have been worth it.

Stuck into the top of the fax machine in my home office is the following quotaton, sent to me by Bob Proctor:

"Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you're ready or not, to put this plan into action." (Napoleon Hill)

Whatever your dream, your desire, create a plan and go for it, ready or not!

How to Let Go of Limitations? Here Are 4 Steps to Help You Get Started

Have you ever made a decision to make a change in your life? Then came up with a plan on how to implement it, made a start and within a couple of hours or days you were right back in the same old behavior? A little more frustrated and discouraged, and wondering why it's so hard to change? Learning how to let go of the limiting beliefs and behaviors that block our attempts at positive change is a process that requires due diligence.

If you've ever tried and failed to make changes in your behavior you'll know that consciously directing your willpower alone is ineffective most of the time. For change to be effective and long-term, it has to happen with the cooperation of the subconscious mind where our ingrained beliefs, blocks and barriers reside. After all, your mind with all its negative thoughts, excuses and poor decisions is what created this mess in the first place!
Letting go of limitations requires a deeper level of investigation and correction as outlined in the following four steps:

Key to career success is confidence, not talent

The secret to career success is not talent, hard work or education, but sheer, unashamed confidence, a study has suggested.

By Hannah Furness

Although workers with big egos will often perform poorly and make more mistakes, their colleagues consistently fail to spot their errors and continue to believed they are “terrific” or “beloved”. Their personality means they are often promoted over those who are more competent, as colleagues mistake their confidence for talent.

A study of more than 500 students, academics and workers, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, showed that those who appeared more confident achieved a higher social status than their peers.  Within a work environment, higher-status individuals tended to be more admired, listened to, and had more sway over group decisions. 

Prof Cameron Anderson of the University of California, who led the research, said that, as a result, “incompetent people are often promoted over their more competent peers”. He said those who were overconfident often sought power, fame or success and that overconfidence was encouraged by the prospect of increased social status, respect and esteem.

“Our studies found overconfidence helped people attain social status,” he said. “Those who believed they were better than others, even when they weren’t, were given a higher place in the social ladder, and the motivation to attain higher social status therefore triggered overconfidence.” The researchers found that many of their subjects believed sincerely that they were more physically talented, socially adept and skilled at their jobs than reality reflected. In one study, 94 per cent of college professors were found to believe that their work was above average.

Heaven, or Hell? It's a matter of attitude!

I am grateful to my former foster Son Richard Sheldrake for this story.  How are you Richard?  we lost touch a bit but with the opportuirues of the internet we should soon be back in contact.

So, the story....

A great Chinese sage was granted a vision of Hell, and Heaven. (This seems culturally dissonant, but bear with me!)  In the first vision, of Hell, he was taken into a banqueting hall where there were tables laden with dishes of the most rare and delicious food, their appetizing aromas filling the hall with mouthwatering scents.

Around the table were the damned, unable to taste the delicious banquet because they were provided only with chopsticks 9 feet long!  Unable to feast on the delicious food they were condemned to eternal hunger and frustration with their sustenance and reward eternally out of reach.

Full of sorrow and pity for the fate of the eternally condemned the sage was led from this sad place t another hall, where again he was surprised to see tables laden with dishes of the most rare and delicious food, their appetizing aromas filling the hall with mouthwatering scents.  As before, the diners were provided only with chopsticks 9 feet long, but in contrast to the first hall this was filled with laughter and merriment as everyone enjoyed the wonderful food provided for their sustenance and delight. 

They were feeding each other!

Who have you fed. or helped, today?


 

365 Steps to Self-confidence:A complete programme for personal transformation

Confidence is not something you can have instantly, or without effort, but this book by David Lawrence Preston takes you by the hand and in just a ew minutes a day builds your confidence for any situation. This essentially practical book will enable you to

• Feel good all the time
• Lrarn to love yourself
• be confident with the oppsite sex
• handle job interviews
• cope with rejection
• have the courage to take a step change - like start your own business, or
• advance your career

If you need more confidence, or know somebody else whose confedence is low then you can do yourself or them a favour and get this book!

How to Develop Self Esteem

Our self esteem is instilled in us during our youth. Being constantly criticized by family, friends, and society tends to slowly strip us of our feelings of self worth. Our low self esteem strips us of our self confidence to make even the smallest of decisions. Improving your self esteem increases your confidence and is a first step towards finding happiness and a better life. Read on to find out how!

Don't let the wedge of discouragemnet come between you and your dreams!

Bob Proctor recently quoted this old fable, but many versions exist dating back over many decades, perhaps centuries.

One day the devil was having a sale, hawking the many diabolical tools of the trade. On display, with their price tags attached, were all the devil's tools and weapons: The arrows of jealousy, the hammer of anger, the dagger of worry, the slingshot of doubt, the axe of hatred and numerous others.
But one tool stood out above them all. Displayed prominently on a pedestal high above the rest of his wares was showcased, "The Wedge of Discouragement."


Intrigued by this little tool, which was dented and worn with use, a curious shopper inquired about the price, because the wedge cost more than all the other tools combined.
"Ah yes," said the devil, "THAT is my favorite tool of all. You see, it's so easy to use. It hardly takes any effort. All I have to do is get the very tip of the wedge into my victim and the rest is easy. Once the wedge is in, I just tap it ever so slightly and it slides in deeper and deeper.
"Sometimes I don't have to do anything - my victims drive the wedge in deeper all by themselves! A small opening soon becomes a gaping crack, making room for the rest of my tools. Before you know it, my wedge has completely split a person's dreams, hopes and aspirations in two."
"That's why the wedge of discouragement commands such a high price - because it's my most effective tool. It has opened more doors for me than all my other tools combined."


He prized discouragement because of its enfeebling, demoralizing effect.  Anger, worry, doubt ot hatred may lead an immature person to act unwisely, to fight, or to run. But at least they act. Discouragement on the other hand, hurts the person more than any of these. It causes the person to sit down, pity himself or herself and do nothing.




Now this doesn't have to happen, but unfortunately it all too frequently does. Not until we realize that discouragement is often a form of self pity, do we begin to take stock of ourselves and our predicament and decide to act ... to do something that will take us out of the unpleasant situation.



Most of us have experienced discouragement at some time in our lives, some more than others.  But it can be defeated, often with the help of a loving partner, a supportive coach or mentor, or through reading about the challenges that others have overcome. As well as the love and support of others, and coming to love ourselves, we need to continuously develop the muscle of determination and the fuel of our vision, our great purpose and our reason to keeping on keeping on.  That way setbacks or criticisms are no more than temporary events, and in overcoming them we grow stronger, not weaker.

Chris Howard used to say "When tou meet an obstacle, get Excited!  It means that you are getting closer to your goal.  No goal, no obstacles, so get excited and overcome it!

To Success in all your ventures!

David