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Introduction

It has been said that opportunity is all around us. However, most of us unfortunately let opportunity slip-by every day because we are either untrained or unaware of the signals that life throws our way. Other times we see the opportunities that life presents us with, however we don’t take advantage of them simply because on the surface they appear to be nothing more than problems. And who needs more problems to deal with, right?

There is no doubt that people miss out on incredible opportunities every single day. They work hard to achieve their goals and objectives, only to sabotage their own success because they neglect to take advantage of the chances that life sends their way.

While reading Richard Branson’s autobiography* it dawned upon me that this incredibly successful entrepreneur earned billions of dollars because of his uncanny ability to spot opportunities. However, what really separated him from others and gave him the edge he needed in business and life, was his willingness to take risks on the opportunities that came his way. He wouldn’t wait for the perfect time or moment to take advantage of opportunities, instead he would take advantage of them early and quickly, making sure that he had an edge on his competitors. Of course sometimes, after taking advantage of an opportunity he didn’t quite know what his next steps were going to be. However, that didn’t matter, because he was already one step ahead of everyone else, and he figured that he would quickly work things out. The important thing was to take that initial step. He was confident that everything else would fall into place.

Using Richard Branson as our role model for opportunity, I would like to discuss how to go about spotting and seizing the opportunities that life throws your way. However, to begin with, we must first come to understand what exactly an opportunity is and how you can prepare your mind to capture it once it comes your way.

What is an Opportunity?

An opportunity is anything that provides you with a chance to change your circumstances for the better. Of course on the surface this sounds wonderful. There are obviously opportunities everywhere that I can use to help me realize more goals, right? Well… not so fast.

Many of the opportunities we come across are are actually disguised as problems or hard work. However, to the untrained eye — unable to see past the present moment — all opportunities are actually insurmountable problems that make life difficult, stressful and hard. And yet that is where we make a mistake. We see our problems as “problems”, rather than challenges that test and strengthen our resolve.

The moment you shift your perspective and begin seeing your problems as challenges, is the moment you begin training your brain to spot opportunities. Problems may very well be insurmountable. However, a challenge is something you can work with to better your current circumstances.

A challenge is therefore nothing more than an opportunity for change; an opportunity to gain experience; an opportunity to learn something about yourself and your circumstances; an opportunity to make progress and grow mentally, spiritually and emotionally.

Become a People Person

Most challenges that you will confront in your life become opportunities when you realize that people are the source of the solutions and answers you are searching for. Yes, people are the key, because it’s these people who have the necessary knowledge, skills, experience and resources you may need to help you turn a difficult situation into something that can help you move forward.

Who do I know?

Who knows me?

How strong is our relationship?

How can I enhance this relationship?

You must therefore continuously work on building and strengthening your relationships on a daily basis with key individuals in order to gain the necessary support you need to turn your challenges into opportunities to better your circumstances.

One of the best ways to gain the support of others is to give them your support, especially during difficult times. Show them that you are willing to go the extra mile, that you are more than happy to provide them with value along with the solutions and answers they need to help them improve their circumstances. The more you are willing to give to others, the more easily opportunities will come your way during difficult times.

The Opportunistic Mindset

There are certain indispensable qualities that separate a person like Richard Branson from others who struggle to take advantage of the opportunities that life throws their way. And it is these qualities that we must focus on cultivating every single day.

• Curiosity: Opportunity desires a curious mind that is always asking deeper and more insightful questions.
• Generosity: Opportunity desires a generous heart that is willing to give opportunities to others.
• Perseverance: Opportunity desires someone who has determination, who will keep persisting and persevering despite the seemingly insurmountable obstacles that stand in their way.
• Confidence: Opportunity desires a confident demeanor — someone who never doubts their skills, strength, resources and abilities.
• Optimism: Opportunity desires an optimistic attitude that doesn’t waver off-course if things don’t go as expected.
• Playfulness: Opportunity desires a light-hearted approach that is willing to be a little creative; willing to think outside the box, and willing to break conventional rules.
• Responsibility: Opportunity desires someone who is fully committed and responsible for their decisions, behavior and actions; someone who doesn’t make excuses or throw blame on others.
• Hindsight: Opportunity desires someone with hindsight who can see beyond this fleeting moment into the future. This “someone” understands that what might look like a problem now, might actually be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
• Gratitude: Opportunity desires a grateful spirit that is thankful for anything that life throws its way, no matter how dark or grim it might seem on the surface.

How to Identify Opportunities

It amazes me how someone can get disgruntled about how many opportunities others seem to get, while they always seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel. However, more times than not, if you ask these people what it is they really want, they struggle to express themselves in words.

How in the world are you supposed to identify any opportunities that come your way if you are not clear about what it is you want in the first place? Unless you know exactly what it is you’re looking for, than how exactly are you supposed to find it?

What is it that I want to achieve?

What is it that I’m looking for?

What specifically does this opportunity look like?

How will I know when it presents itself?

The Obstacles Standing in Your Way

Now that you are clear about what it is you want, and have a rough idea of what kinds of opportunities you will keep an eye-out for, it’s time to pinpoint several things that may hold you back from taking advantage of the opportunities that life throws your way.

First of all take a look at your beliefs and identify if there are possibly any limiting/unhelpful beliefs that could potentially prevent you from taking advantage of opportunities:

What beliefs may prevent me from spotting and seizing opportunities?

Next, take a look at your strengths and weaknesses and evaluate how they can help or hinder you throughout this process:

What weaknesses could prevent me from discovering opportunities?

How specifically could they hinder me?

What strengths could assist me with discovering opportunities?

How specifically could they help me?

Finally, identify your risk tolerance. This is important because the more risk you are willing and able to take, than the more chances/opportunities you will be able to take advantage of.

How much am I willing to risk?

How much am I willing to potentially lose?

Your assessment of these areas will help you to better understand yourself, your motivations, your limitations, and the actions you are willing or unwilling to take when opportunities present themselves.

If you are finding yourself lacking in a number of these key areas, than it might be a “wake-up call” to begin developing new skills that will provide you with the confidence, belief and desire you need to move forward towards the achievement of your goals and objectives.

How to Spot Opportunities

Now that you are clear about what it is you want, and you understand what kind of opportunities you will be looking out for, let’s now take a look at how to spot the opportunities that life throws your way.

Be in a State of Readiness

The single most important thing to consider when looking for opportunities is to be in a state-of-readiness for any and all opportunities that may come your way. This basically means that you must be constantly on the lookout for anything that could possibly help you achieve your goals and objectives far more quickly, effectively or cheaply. It also means that you must be open to new perspectives and ideas — things that are out of the ordinary that could possibly provide you with unique understandings that will help move your goals forward or overcome the problems you are facing.

The key to this awareness lies within your willingness and ability to ask the right kinds of questions. The questions you ask will stimulate your curiosity and will force you to think about the events and circumstances of your life in a new way — which could likewise provide you with the insights you need to spot the opportunities that you might be able to take advantage of.

As you go about your day, keep a note of the following questions, and consistently run through these questions in order to keep possible opportunities at the forefront of your mind:

What is happening here, right now?

Why is this happening?

What’s interesting about this?

What does this mean?

How could I benefit from this to help me achieve my goal?

What must I do or say next to take advantage of this?

The more you ask these questions, the more curious you will become, and as a result the better questions you will ask that will help focus your mind on the right events, people, things or circumstances that can help you move forward in the best possible way.

Alternatively, if you’re not asking questions, than it’s important that you keep your mind primed and focused on possible opportunities. In such instances keep repeating to yourself the following affirmations:

Everything happens for my benefit…

Every problem brings with it an opportunity I can take advantage of…

Opportunities are abound…

A mix of questions and affirmations will provide you with the focus and concentration you need to direct your senses on whatever it is that will help move your goals forward.

Search for Clues

Once you’re in the habit of asking questions that help spark your curiosity, it’s now time to put on your detective hat and begin filtering through the clues that present themselves.

Clues that will lead you to unique opportunities can come in many forms, and will be very specific to the types of opportunities you are looking for. However, there are certain types of clues that you should keep in mind. These clues can come in the form of trends, problems that people face or things that they complain about, gaps in the market, and unusual patterns, events or circumstances.

All of these clues can provide you with an opportunity to do something different, new or unusual. They can also provide you the opportunity to see things from a unique angle and perspective that will likewise help you gain the insights you need to change your course of action, or take a chance that you never previously considered. Moreover, these clues can lead you down new paths; they can open new doors, and can potentially provide you with surprising resources, support and tools you may need to help you achieve your goals and objectives.

To help you with this process, it is recommended that you become a little like Leonardo da Vinci, and begin keeping a sketch/notebook of your random thoughts and observations as you go about your day. This sketch/notebook will help transform how you think about the events and circumstances of your life, which will likewise help shift your perspective and understanding of your life and goals as you know them.

Expanding Your Reach

In order to further improve your ability to spot opportunities, it’s critical that you expand your reach by learning new skills, by regularly networking with people who may be able to support you in your endeavors, and by acquiring new resources that will help expand your life resources list.

In addition to all this, you will naturally expose yourself to more opportunities by trying and attempting new things; by seeking out new experiences and responsibility, and by showing a willingness to tackle ever bigger problems that life throws your way.

How to Seize Opportunity

It is all well and good to spot opportunities that present themselves, however, what good are these opportunities if we are unable or not willing to take advantage of them. It’s of course true that not all opportunities are worth pursuing. I’m sure Richard Branson didn’t or simply couldn’t take advantage of all the opportunities that came his way. However, there will always be key opportunities that you will want to take a chance on, and it’s these circumstances that we must prepare for.

Within this last section I want to discuss how to capitalize on the opportunities that life presents you with to help you accomplish your goals and objectives.

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

Many of the opportunities that life throws in your direction will stretch and challenge you in a variety of ways. This means that they are going to be out of your normal reach, and as such you will need to be willing to step outside your comfort zone in order to take advantage of them. This may of course mean that you have to take a few risks that you weren’t expecting to take. Each of these risks will have their own consequences, which you must weigh against the benefits and decide whether it’s a risk worth taking.

The Small Opportunities Count

It’s important to remember that not all opportunities are created equal. However, it’s not the size of the opportunity that matters, it’s rather what you do with that opportunity that makes all the difference in the end. Therefore you should never underestimate or discount what an opportunity can do for you. Who knows, a small opportunity here could very well lead to bigger opportunities in the future. You just have to be willing and ready to take advantage when the moment arrives.

Network with Creative People

I could easily say “network with all people”, however who has the time to do that these days? Instead, focus on networking with the right kinds of people who have the resources, contacts, experience and skills to help you achieve your goals and objectives.

Above-all-else, network with creative people — people who think outside the box, who Zig when others Zag, and who constantly challenge you to think differently about your life, goals, problems and circumstances.

Things to Avoid Like the Plague

When it comes to seizing the opportunities that come your way, it’s absolutely critical that you avoid doing the following at all costs:

• Following the crowd.
• Seeking security and comfort.
• Waiting for opportunities to arrive.
• Succumbing to uncertainty, to fear of rejection or fear of making mistakes.
• Pessimism and skepticism.

Following the crowd will get you quickly to mediocrity. If Richard Branson followed the crowd, would he be a billionaire today? Likewise, waiting for opportunities to arrive at your front door is like playing the lottery: it might happen, but for 99.99% of people, it never will.

Everyone suffers from fear one time or another. However, when you’re fighting for something you really want you need to take a few chances, and as such you must leave your fear at the door because this exact opportunity may never present itself again. Once come… forever gone. Life doesn’t give too many second chances.

Think BIG and Think BIGGER!

When confronted with an opportunity, thinking small will only limit your ability to take full advantage of the circumstances that you are presented with. Instead, you must think BIG and BIGGER! Think creatively and outside the box about everything that life throws your way — fully realizing that whatever you get from the opportunity is simply a reflection of what you put into it.

Take Action

The moment an opportunity presents itself you must quickly identify whether it is time-sensitive. If it is, than you only have a very small window of opportunity to work with, and you must therefore take maximum advantage of the situation or circumstances.

In such instances, you must quickly weigh the pros and cons and create a plan of action that will help you to capitalize on the circumstances you are facing.

You must however be very wary not to make any rash decisions while heavily invested in your emotions. Being invested emotionally is very dangerous and may lead you down unfortunate territory. As such, it’s therefore recommended that you consider outlining a Plan-B just in case your initial instincts are clouded by your emotions. That way you may have a way-out of the situation if things don’t pan out as expected.

Here are some questions you might want to consider asking yourself when faced with an opportunity:

What is the outcome I want to achieve?

Will this opportunity help or hinder me?

What are the benefits?

What are the drawbacks?

Is the outcome under my direct control?

If it’s not under my direct control, than who controls it, and how can I influence them?

What is the risk that I would be taking?

What is the opportunity cost? What must I potentially sacrifice to take advantage of this?

Is this the right time and place to do this?

How do I know this is the right time and place?

Do I have the necessary resources and experience to pull this off?

Who could assist me with this?

Will I get this opportunity again?

Does it feel right?

By taking the time to thoroughly work through these questions will ensure that you are moving forward with the right frame-of-mind that will help you to better take advantage of the opportunity you are attempting to work through.

Learn from Opportunity

Whether you successfully take advantage of an opportunity or not, it’s paramount that you take time to analyze what you did, what went wrong, and how you could take better advantage of similar opportunities in the future. That is the whole point of lifelong learning, and could very well be the key to success in any field of endeavor.

What went right?

What went wrong?

What can I learn from this?

How could I do better next time?

Use the Unlocking Opportunity IQ Matrix as a Reference Wall Poster

Final Thoughts

It’s difficult for me to say whether my experience is typical, however over the course of my life I’ve found that life basically comes down to the choices you make. You either choose to take advantage of an opportunity, or you choose something else. And in the end your entire life script is written on the canvas of the decisions you made. We will of course never really know if the right decisions were made at the time, however looking back at life there will always be regrets, and most of them will be because of chances (opportunities) that we DIDN’T take, rather than the ones we did.

What opportunities are you going to seize today?

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Introduction

It has been said that it’s not what happens to us, but rather how we respond to what happens that determines the results you will experience in your life. And how you respond is directly influenced by how you choose to interpret the events and circumstances of your life. This likewise stems from your ability to effectively manage your emotions in ways that will allow them to serve and assist you with obtaining your desired outcomes.

Each and every one of the so called negative or limiting emotions that we experience on a daily basis can actually serve us and provide us with the necessary guidance we need to make more effective decisions throughout the day. As such, it’s absolutely paramount that we take the time to learn to understand how to interpret our emotions in ways that will help us find answers and solutions, not problems and difficulties.

Within this summary I would like to provide you with all the necessary knowledge you need to help you manage and interpret your emotions far more effectively throughout the day. We will first take a look at different types of so called limiting emotions that we experience on a daily basis and attempt to see them from a new, unique and helpful perspective. We will also break down a process you can work-through to help you transform your emotional state — providing you with the leverage you need to effectively manage your emotional state on a daily basis in ways that helps serve your purposes and objectives.

Emotional State Analysis

Within this first section, let’s spend some time analyzing ten universal emotions that many of us tend to experience throughout our lives. However, before proceeding, it’s important to note that these emotional interpretations have been adapted from the teachings of Anthony Robbins. For more information about Anthony Robbin’s courses, books and events, please visit the Anthony Robbins website.

Before jumping into an explanation of each one of these emotions, it’s important to understand that these emotional responses are a signal to your conscious brain that something is not working, and therefore something needs to change. They are in essence a call-to-action directing you to do something specific to alleviate your discomfort or pain.

Finally, all the emotions we are going to be discussing below are a result of stuck-states that we bring upon ourselves throughout the day. These stuck-states are patterned responses to events, people and circumstances that have their own physiological reactions, words, phrases, etc. They are in essence comfort seeking mechanisms that we use whenever things don’t go our way, or as we had expected.

Let’s now break down each of these ten emotional states.

Discomfort

Discomfort is an uncomfortable emotion that often leads to boredom, distress, impatience or embarrassment.

You are experiencing discomfort because you are interpreting a situation or a set of circumstances in a specific way that naturally leads you to the feeling of discomfort. It’s actually within this interpretation that discomfort grows. This therefore means that the moment you transform or change your interpretation of the situation, is the moment you gain control over your emotional experience.

If you ever experience the emotion of discomfort it’s important to first determine what it is that you are doing, and secondly how exactly you are interpreting your experience of reality. If what you are doing is not getting you the results that you are after, then simply try taking a different approach. If however you are not able to tackle the situation from a different perspective, than try to change your perspective of the situation. Either way, you should be able to find an answer that will help you to pull yourself out of this uncomfortable emotional state.

If for example you are bored, than attempt to do something different with your time. Or you can simply try and interpret your experience in a unique way by turning things into a game. Either strategy will work well as long as you are willing to be flexible in your approach.

Fear

Fear is often a very debilitating emotion that leads to worry, anxiety and indecision.

You are experiencing fear because you are interpreting a situation or a set of circumstances in a specific way that naturally leads you to the feeling of fear. This feeling of fear often results from an emotional response of what might occur in the future if you make a specific decision or take a specific action. This is all well-and-good if it’s something that is based on hard facts and evidence that is designed to protect you from harm. However, many times our fears are riddled with inaccuracies that confuse and mislead us. Therefore the first step you must always take to begin the process of removing fear from your life is to evaluate the real from the imagined.

Fear is of course a very valuable emotion because it protects us from harm in the off-chance that we are running away from a saber-toothed tiger. However, most of the time, in this modern day-and-age, it actually harms us because it keeps us away from achieving our goals and objectives.

There are two quick things you must do that will help you manage your fears more effectively. The first is to clarify what it is you really want. And the second is to prepare thoroughly for the actions you will take to achieve your desired outcomes. These two steps are critical, because the vast majority of our fears are based on a lack of knowledge and a lack of preparation. If you successfully tick both of these boxes, than you will have the ammunition you need to overcome just about any fear that you can possibly experience in our modern age.

Hurt

The emotion of hurt tends to leave us feeling powerless and often leads to a sense of loss and jealously.

You are experiencing hurt because you are interpreting a situation or a set of circumstances in a specific way that naturally leads you to feeling hurt. Moreover, feeling hurt could be a result of not communicating your needs effectively to others. As such you must begin today by communicating what you need from your relationships in a clear and non-threatening way.

If communicating your needs to others doesn’t work, than take into consideration your expectations. Maybe your expectations are not reasonable, maybe they have changed over time, or maybe they simply no longer apply to your current relationship and therefore may need to be reevaluated.

Finally, feelings of hurt sometimes result from a lack of understanding about our relationships or about our circumstances. In such instances it helps if you replace your hurt with fascination and curiosity. By becoming curious, you immediately begin asking better questions, which expands the way you think and leads to answers and possibilities that you may not have considered before.

Anger

Anger has a tendency to spin us out-of-control and can often lead to resentfulness.

You are experiencing anger because you are interpreting a situation or a set of circumstances in a specific way that naturally leads you to the experience of anger. However, anger can actually serve us if we are able to understand its underlying meaning.

Before you are quick to embrace the emotion of anger, it’s important to understand that anger often arises because one or more of our rules has been violated by others. As such, we become angry because we no longer feel in control of the situation, people or circumstances. In such instances we can actually let go of anger quite quickly, by spending some time reevaluating our rules. Maybe they’re not reasonable, maybe they are out-of-date, or just maybe they shouldn’t be applied in these circumstances.

Alternatively, anger can come about because of an incorrect interpretation of circumstances or people’s intentions. In such instances you must question whether or not you have possibly misinterpreted the situation, or simply misinterpreted people’s intentions. In that case, be open to the possibilities and passionately look for alternative meanings. Only an open and flexible approach will provide you with the answers you are after.

Guilt

Guilt has a tendency to leave us feeling somewhat deflated and can often lead to the emotion of regret.

You are experiencing guilt because you are interpreting a situation or a set of circumstances in a specific way that naturally leads you to the feeling guilt. And the longer you hold onto that guilt the worse it tends to get as it continues to fester and grow inside your head.

When experiencing guilt it’s important to remember that our experience of guilt is simply our interpretation of what we did or failed to do and the impact that this has had on others. The moment you choose to interpret the events and circumstances of your life in a new and unique way, is the moment that guilt suddenly changes and turns into something that can potentially motivate and empower you to take positive action.

Realize that the impact that your actions have had on others may not be as they seem. Therefore in such instances you may need to take a look at your rules for feeling guilty. Maybe these rules need to be reassessed.

Finally, guilt is often resolved when you are able to make peace with yourself and peace with the people you may or may not have hurt.

Frustration

Frustration is one of those emotions that we just love to hate because it makes us feel as though we’re so close, yet so far away from the outcome we want.

You are experiencing frustration because you are interpreting a situation or a set of circumstances in a specific way that naturally leads you to feeling frustrated. Yet it is within this feeling that your answers lie.

You are frustrated because you are trying to do something, however you don’t seem to be getting the results you are after. It’s like you’re being held-back from your goal by some outside force that you can’t seem to control.

Instead of trying to control the situation, the key is to begin thinking outside the box, to think of new possibilities, ideas and possible solutions that might very well help you solve the problem you are dealing with. And sometimes all it takes is for you to look for new information that will provide you with the insight you need to see the circumstances from a slightly different perspective.

Finally, frustration often results from not getting the results you are after. In such instances all it takes to resolve your frustrations is to simply change your approach; try something new and different that you hadn’t considered before. Curiosity, determination and a flexible approach are the keys you should be looking for.

Inadequacy

Inadequacy can make you feel miserable, unworthy and incompetent. It’s an emotion that leaves you feeling like you’re at the bottom of the heap with no way out.

You are experiencing inadequacy because you simply don’t have the experience, skills or knowledge to live up to your high expectations. So you can either change your expectations about yourself and your ability, or you can go out there and gain the necessary knowledge, skills and experience necessary to achieve the outcomes you desire to have in your life.

You could also be experiencing inadequacy because you are simply undermining your own strengths and abilities. In such circumstances it’s always important to get a second opinion. Therefore, go out there and ask someone for feedback. Ask them to give you their honest observations. Maybe they will provide you with some very surprising insights and perspectives.

Finally, inadequacy can often stem from a lack of confidence. If you don’t have the confidence in yourself, than it seems perfectly okay to feel inadequate. However, if you take the time to build your confidence, than you will likewise develop more self-belief and will begin to feel better about yourself and your prospects.

Overwhelm

Overwhelm is one of those emotions that creeps up on you over time, and before you know it, it takes over your life and can at times lead to the very debilitating emotions of grief and depression.

You are experiencing overwhelm because you either have too much on your plate or you are simply unable to manage or take control over aspects of your life. In such circumstances you feel out-of-control and unable to respond accordingly.

The solution to overwhelm lies in taking back control over small chunks of your life, one piece at a time. It means taking a part of your life and dividing it up into smaller manageable chunks that you can successfully work with. It also means letting go of any unnecessary obligations and commitments that are weighing you down, or simply rescheduling them in a way that will free up your time while providing you more space to do what’s most important.

Overcoming overwhelm is simple if you know what to do and are committed to taking the actions necessary to reschedule and re-prioritize your life accordingly. Sometimes all it takes is a little lesson in productivity.

Disappointment

Disappointment is the feeling of not getting what you want and often stems from a sense of defeat.

You are experiencing disappointment because you are interpreting a situation or a set of circumstances in a specific way that naturally leads you to feeling disappointed. Instead of looking for solutions and answers, you are stuck within a muddy pit full of unfulfilled goals, objectives and dreams that never came to be.

Whenever we experience disappointment, we always wish that things could have been different. However, no matter how hard we try, we can’t change the past, although we can alter our experience of the past in a positive way.

Instead of wallowing in disappointment, choose instead to learn from your experiences so that you can better yourself in the future. At other times, it’s even worthwhile to look for opportunities that might now be available as a result of the disappointment that you have just experienced.

Disappointment can often be a result of having unrealistic high expectations that can almost never be realized. In that case, change your expectations by lowering them to a level that can be realistically achieved. This could very well dig you out of the dreaded pit of disappointment.

Finally, disappointment is simply a result of having an unfulfilled goal. If that’s the case then you might need to adjust your goals in order to make them more achievable. That way you are less likely to feel disappointed.

Loneliness

Loneliness can be a very debilitating emotion that can lead to sadness and stagnation.

You are experiencing loneliness because you are seeing your life through a lens that separates you from everyone and everything else that lies outside of you. This is no way to live life given the fact that there are so many opportunities to connect with others on a daily basis.

The key to overcoming loneliness is to reconnect with others, to reconnect with your environment, and to reconnect with a higher cause that will help you feel more fulfilled and passionate about your life.

• Go out there and make an effort to talk to someone.
• Go out there and make an effort to listen to someone.
• Go out there and make a contribution to your community.
• Go out there and spend time in the environment.
• Go out there and play with a baby or pet.
• Go out there and help someone in need. Your help may be all they need to help them feel a little less lonely.

Finally, loneliness grows in the heart because we tend to forget about all the things that we are grateful for. It’s this gratitude that will help you restore the balance you are sorely missing. And it’s this gratitude that will encourage you to open your heart up to others.

Emotional State Transformation

It’s all well and good to understand what emotions really mean, however, when we’re caught up in the moment our first reaction is often an emotional reaction that has a tendency to work against us rather than for us. In such instances you need to become aware of an emotional state transformation process, which we discuss below.

This process is divided up into five parts. Initially it will serve you well to consciously move through each of these stages step-by-step, however as this process eventually becomes ingrained into your psyche, you will no longer need to consciously think about the steps as separate entities, but rather will be able to respond to each emotion in a habitual way that requires very little thought and conscious effort.

Let’s now break down this process step-by-step.

1. Identify Your Emotion

Your first step within this emotional state transformation process is to identify the emotion you are experiencing. This is important because if you are not sure what kind of emotion you are experiencing than you will struggle to respond accordingly.

To help you through this step, ask yourself the following two questions:

What am I feeling right now?

Am I really feeling this, or is there something more?

The greater clarity you have here, the more you will have to work with as you move through this process.

2. Appreciate Your Emotion

It’s critical at this stage that no matter what emotion you are experiencing that you do not resist it. Resistance will only breed uncertainty and will prevent you from turning this emotion into something you can use and work with as you move forward.

It is therefore important that you openly acknowledge the emotion that you are experiencing and search for it’s personal meaning and significance in the situation that you find yourself in.

For instance, if something has suddenly caused me to feel angry, instead of fighting and trying to resist this anger, I would actually acknowledge to myself that I am feeling angry and that these specific circumstances have triggered my anger.

Only once you are able to acknowledge this emotion openly will you be ready to move forward to step three along this path.

3. Analyze Your Emotion

The most important thing you must do at this stage is to get curious. Curiosity will open doors to new perspectives and opportunities that can help you gain unique insights into your emotion and into the circumstances you find yourself in.

To help you become a little more curious about the emotion that you are experiencing, ask yourself the following set of questions:

What does this emotion offer me?

What is the true value of this emotion?

In what specific ways does this emotion serve me?

What must I do to make things better?

What do I have to believe to get the outcome I want?

What do I really desire and feel?

How can I learn from this to help me do better in the future?

Remember that no matter what emotion you are experiencing, it is there to serve you in some way; to teach you valuable lessons about yourself, your circumstance and about life in general. You must therefore be open to finding the necessary answers that will help you gain the insights required to overcome this emotional roadblock you are working through.

4. Get Confident that You Can Handle Emotion

Within this stage, go through the very first branch of this IQ Matrix where we discussed the true meaning of each of the ten critical emotional states, and determine the steps you will take that will help you to take charge of your emotional experience.

This is the time to gain some certainty and to consciously choose the emotional response you will experience moving forward. It’s also the time to obtain any necessary knowledge and support that you may require that will help you to manage your response more effectively.

To help with this process, it’s worthwhile recalling a time in your past where you handled this emotion successfully and turned it to your advantage. This memory can be used as the foundation that will help pave the way to a better future where you are no longer ruled by this emotion, but rather consciously choose to respond to this emotion in a helpful and proactive way.

5. Take Action

Now that you have all the knowledge, support and information required to respond in a healthy and constructive manner, it’s time to take proactive action to transform your emotional state for the better.

Emotional State Management

Having worked your way through the previous two branches of the Emotional Mastery IQ Matrix, you should now be very much ready and prepared for any emotional surprises that life throws your way. However, there may still be instances where unexpected circumstances could push you into limiting patterns and habits that could potentially create emotional turmoil and throw you off course. In such instances you need to learn to manage your emotional state a little more effectively, and it is this process that we will discuss here.

Building Your Emotional Fortress

In order to strengthen your resilience during tough times, it is worthwhile to spend some time building your emotional fortress.

Your emotional fortress is a place you go-to in your mind that keeps you strong during tough and difficult times.

To build your emotional fortress close your eyes and imagine a special place that only you know about. This is your personal sanctuary that will help you find strength and guidance. This place could be a valley, a mountain, along the beach, a special room, a house, or any other place that gives you strength during difficult times.

Within this emotional fortress you can talk with your peers and mentors. These are the people who inspire and help strengthen you during difficult times. They are there to help and guide you through any emotional struggles you might be experiencing.

Your emotional fortress also contains a number of self-improvement resources that you can utilize to help strengthen your resolve. All of these resources and support networks are there for you — to help you gain the upper-hand whenever you are facing difficulties.

You should utilize your emotional fortress in times of great emotional difficulty where you require that extra support to help steady and point you in the right direction. Therefore instead of reacting emotionally in limiting ways to the events and circumstances in your life, take some time to remove yourself from your circumstances and step into your emotional fortress, which will help provide you with the answers and guidance you need to respond in positive and optimal ways.

Psychological Transformation

Your thoughts, expectations, self-talk and perceptions all work together to create the reality you experience on a daily basis. Moreover, they all come together and influence the emotions you experience at any moment in time.

You must therefore choose your thoughts consciously, and your self-talk wisely, and change your expectations of events and circumstances in positive ways — making them work for you rather than against you.

The types of seeds you plant in your mind grow throughout the day. For better or worse, they will influence your perceptions of reality. You must therefore choose seeds that will promote positive emotional growth to help you make the most of your day and the opportunities that are presented before you.

Breath Control

Whenever you are feeling emotionally under the weather, it’s always important and very helpful to calm yourself by breathing consciously. Simply, breathe-in for five counts, and exhale for five more counts, while maintaining your concentration purely on your breath.

Undertake this process for up to five minutes at a time, and you will quickly find a new vigor and energy that you can use to help you think more clearly and effectively about the circumstances you are being confronted with.

Communicate Your Needs and Desires

One very effective way to avoid emotional turmoil is to simply communicate your needs and desires to others.

Many times our communication is very poor, which leads to misunderstandings and conflict. This results in emotional turmoil and mayhem. To resolve this, simply ask others how they feel, why they are feeling that way and how they would like to potentially resolve these feelings. Likewise communicate your needs in the same way.

Sometimes all it takes is open communication and a willingness to listen, to resolve any emotional conflict that you might be experiencing throughout your day.

Physiological Transformation

We discussed above how our psychology influences how we feel throughout the day. Well, the same is true of our physiology.

How you use your body, what you do with your body, and how you position your body has a significant impact on the emotions you experience throughout the day.

For instance, whenever you feel the emotion of anger, take a look at your body and determine how it is responding, what it is doing and how it is changing as your anger escalates?

Compare this angry state to a time when you are feeling calm, sociable and relaxed. What does your body do and how does it respond in such instances?

You will quickly find that your body responds quite differently to each emotional state that you encounter throughout the day. This therefore raises the question of whether changing how your body moves and positions itself can influence how you feel emotionally from moment-to-moment? And the answer to this question is a resounding YES!

For more information, please see the Physiology of Excellence IQ Matrix.

Anchoring

Here you are putting yourself into a peak emotional state of the type of emotion that you would like to experience while anchoring it to a part of your body.

Say for instance I would like to anchor the emotion of passion to my body. I would think of times in the past that I have felt passionate about something. I would live through these experiences in my head until the moment I have passion running through my veins. At this moment — at the peak of the emotion — I would anchor this passionate state to a part of my body. This could simply mean squeezing my thumb or little pinkie.

Once the anchor has been set, I can trigger the emotional state of passion at any time throughout the day by squeezing my thumb or pinkie to get me out of a bored emotional state.

There’s a lot more to this process, however it’s beyond the scope of this article. For more information, please see NLP anchoring.

Eye Movements

Finally, it’s important to point out that in many ways our emotions are actually linked to the movement of our eyes. This means that when we are experiencing a certain emotion our eyes are moving in a certain and specific way that signals to the brain that we are now for instance experiencing the emotion of depression.

Without needing to go into any detail here, the next time you are experiencing a limiting emotional state try experimenting with this and begin moving your eyes in unpredictable ways. I’m confident that you will quickly find that the emotional state you were just experiencing has somewhat dissipated.

Develop Your Emotional Intelligence with the Emotional Mastery Bundle

Final Thoughts

In summary, let’s take things full circle and remind ourselves once again that it’s not what happens to us that matters, but it’s rather how we respond to the events and circumstances of our lives that makes all the difference in the end.

You are always in full control of your emotions no matter how things may appear to be. And as such you can always choose to feel differently and to take conscious control of your emotional state. There’s therefore no one to blame but yourself because emotions come from inside-out and not from the outside-in.

If you have any personal insights or thoughts about how you have successfully (or unsuccessfully) managed your emotions in the past, than please feel free to share them within the comments section below.

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Walt Disney was one of those extraordinary individuals whose imagination has literally transformed the world. He created a cartoon character mouse, called him Mickey Mouse and turned him into an instant celebrity over night. This one cartoon character soon turned Walt’s business into one of the most powerful and influential entertainment companies on the planet.

Having created a media conglomerate, Walt set out on another dream that almost nobody believed could be achieved. He wanted to create a place; a place where he could make other people’s dreams come true — a land of imagination and fantasy that would bring joy to millions around the world. It would become his greatest challenge and life’s work, teaching him lessons about success, achievement, creativity, innovation, adversity and much, much more. And it’s these lessons that he will be sharing with us today.

What follows is a transcript of a hypothetical conversation I had with Walt Disney. I’ve taken Walt’s words statements that have been commonly attributed to Walt Disney, and turned them into a dialogue about all aspects of success, achievement, creativity and much, much more as they relate to our modern era. The interview provides many tremendous insights into the mind of this incredibly individual.

Please keep in mind that many of these quotes are written word-for-word as Walt Disney spoke them. However, at times I have added additional words in order to spark further discussion and linkages between topics.

As you read through this transcript I’m confident you will discover the qualities, traits, attitudes, values, and beliefs that took an ordinary man with a dream, and turned him into a creative business tycoon who transformed the world through the use of his imagination and resolute determination to make his vision a reality. Moreover, I hope you find inspiration in Walt’s words to help you with your life’s endeavors.

An Interview with Walt Disney

I’ve broken down this interview into specific topics that Walt Disney has been famously quoted on. These topics include:

• Dreams
• Creativity
• Imagination
• Curiosity
• Adversity
• Success

Let us now invite Walt Disney into the studio and pick his brain about life, living and dreaming.

Walt Disney on Dreams

Adam: You have achieved a great many things over the course of your life. In fact, most people would consider your achievements quite extraordinary. You overcome incredible odds and turned a dream you held in your imagination into reality. Can you tell use how you managed to achieve such a feat?

Disney: All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.

Adam: In other words, what you’re saying is that if you can dream it, you can do it. Is that correct?

Disney: Yes, if you can dream it, you can do it. Somehow I can’t believe there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are Curiosity, Confidence, Courage, and Constancy, and the greatest of these is Confidence. When you believe a thing, believe it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.

Adam: Of course, believing in something certainly helps. But how does this belief translate into achieving something that others thought was impossible to do. There were certainly a lot of naysayers in your life.

Disney: Yes (with a smirk), it’s kind of fun to do the impossible. If you dream it, you can do it. Fantasy and reality often overlap, and within this lies the hidden key to success.

Adam: I don’t quite understand.

Disney: The era we are living in today is a dream of coming true. However, many people out there still don’t realize this.

Adam: Yes, this is certainly an age of opportunity. With technology moving forward and evolving so quickly, and things changing around us rapidly, there are certainly a lot of opportunities we can take advantage of that could help us make our dreams come true. However, I think that the opportunities are far more accessible to the younger generation, and especially to kids who are “possibility-thinkers”.

Disney: Adam, why do we have to grow up? I know more adults who have the children’s approach to life… They are not afraid to be delighted with simple pleasure, and they have a degree of contentment with what life has brought — sometimes it isn’t much either.

Walt Disney on Creativity, Imagination and Curiosity

Adam: Yes, I guess that’s very true. We must be child-like to a certain degree if we desire to tap into our imaginations and take advantage of the opportunities that come our way. This is especially important in this rapidly changing social environment we live in.

Disney: Certainly, every child is born blessed with a vivid imagination. But just as muscles grow flabby with disuse, so the bright imagination of a child pales in later years if he ceases to exercise it.

Adam: Yes, that’s very true. As the saying goes: if you don’t use it, you will lose it. But how can we keep our imaginations strong? How can we as adults find what we lost so long ago?

Disney: Adam, there is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island and at the bottom of the Spanish Main… and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life. That is how you strengthen your imagination.

Adam: That’s very interesting. Books can certainly spark our imaginations, which can lead to new insights and creative ideas. I’m personally an avid proponent of visual thinking. I feel that visual thinking is the key that can ignite incredible innovation. In fact, I’m in the process of putting together a visual thinking framework that will hopefully assist with this process. Do you have any thoughts about visual thinking and how it can be used to help innovate in this day-and-age?

Disney: Of all the inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language. I certainly believe in being an innovator. And pictures can certainly help in that regard.

Adam: What do you feel is the key to innovation these days?

Disney: When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do. I personally can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I even resent the limitations of my own imagination.

Walt Disney on Adversity and Problems

Adam: I suspect that a lifetime of experimenting has led to a great deal of adversity. How have you personally dealt with the obstacles and challenges that life has thrown your way?

Disney: All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.

Adam: It must however be very difficult at times facing all these problems. How do you find the strength to keep persevering?

Disney: We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

Adam: That’s an awesome way to look at life. It’s obviously something you have perfected over time. However, it’s certainly something that many people struggle to grasp every single day of their lives. What advice could you give to someone who is struggling to overcome adversity?

Disney: An example from my own life is that we could ill afford to rest on our laurels, even to pause in retrospect. Times and conditions change so rapidly that we must keep our aim constantly focused on the future. We did it with Disneyland, in the knowledge that most of the people I talked to thought it would be a financial disaster — closed and forgotten within the first year.

Adam: Okay, so what you’re saying is that we must keep our gaze fixed on the future and just keep moving forward every single day. By keeping our eyes on the target, we will eventually get there. However, I guess it’s important that we never lose sight of that destination, otherwise we might end up walking in the wrong direction.

I wanted to ask you whether the obstacles and adversity you’ve faced has helped or hindered you along your journey?

Disney: I have been up against tough competition all my life. I wouldn’t know how to get along without it.

Adam: However, along your journey you must have faced very tough challenges and problems that could very well have taken you off-track. Can you give us a little insight into one of these problems?

Disney: Money. I’d say it’s been my biggest problem all my life. It takes a lot of money to make these dreams come true. However, I always look at the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.

Adam: It seems to me as though you thrive on solving problems.

Disney: Yes, my fun is working on a project and solving problems.

Walt Disney on Success and Achievement

Adam: That’s very interesting. Many people would not see problems as being fun. Instead they see problems as these great big gorillas standing in front of them, preventing them from achieving their dreams. What advice would you give people in such instances? Where and how should they get started?

Disney: The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing. The fun is in always building something. After it’s built, you play with it awhile and then you’re through. You see, we never do the same thing twice around here. We’re always opening up new doors. I’ve always been bored with just making money. I’ve wanted to do things; I wanted to build things, to get something going. However, you don’t build it for yourself. You know what the people want and you build it for them.

Adam: I guess it’s all about coming from a value perspective. Look at ways you can give value to others, and everything else will sort of take care of itself. Maybe that’s the secret to success.

Disney: The key to success comes back to confidence. When we consider a project, we really study it — not just the surface idea, but everything about it. And when we go into that new project, we believe in it all the way. We have confidence in our ability to do it right. And we work hard to do the best possible job.

Adam: So in the end, it’s all about believing in yourself and working hard to produce value for others. Would that be correct?

Disney: Yes, but there is one more element. You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it takes people to make the dream a reality. Of all the things I’ve done, the most vital is coordinating those who work with me and aiming their efforts at a certain goal.

Adam: That makes a lot of sense. It’s all about leveraging your time, energy and effort. I guess that’s the most efficient path towards attaining financial freedom.

Disney: Yes, however, you reach a point where you don’t work for money. Some people worship money as something you’ve got to have piled up in a big pile somewhere. I’ve only thought about money in one way, and that is to do something with it. I don’t think there’s a thing I own that I will ever get the benefit of, except through doing things with it.

Adam: Hmm, I never really saw it that way. But it makes a lot of sense. What’s the point of keeping all this money lying around in a bank somewhere just wasting away when you could do something valuable with it that could help you make your mark in the world. I guess a lot of great ideas go to waste because people are simply not willing to take a chance on their own imaginations. What advice could you give to someone who is a little hesitant?

Disney: Get a good idea and stay with it. Do it, and work it until it’s done, and done right.

Adam: I’m just wondering though, how one would come up with a good idea in the first place.

Disney: Whenever I go on a ride (at Disneyland), I’m always thinking of what’s wrong with the thing and how it can be improved. That is how I generate some of my best ideas.

Adam: You mentioned earlier that ideas can also be acquired through books.

Disney: Yes, however there are fashions in reading, even in thinking. You don’t have to follow them unless you want to. On the other hand, watch out. Don’t stick too closely to your favorite subject. That would keep you from adventuring into other fields. It’s silly to build a wall around your interests.

Adam: That’s a very valuable insight. Thank you for sharing that. We definitely need to stretch ourselves on a daily basis and venture into new areas. Only in this way can we gain the necessary experience and perspective to generate better ideas.

Disney: Also, the more you like yourself, the less you are like anyone else, which makes you unique.

Adam: Yes, and that again comes back to confidence that we’ve spoken about several times during our discussion. We must develop that confidence within ourselves in order to have the courage to step outside our comfort zones and to venture into new territories, which will likewise help us to generate new and better ideas.

These are absolutely amazing insights. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us today.

Before I let you go, I do however have one final question. This is a very important question, and in fact it’s a question I asked Albert Einstein during our interview. This is a question that a lot of male listeners are dying to know the answer to. The question is: What is the secret to understanding women?

Disney: I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I have ever known. And that’s all there is to know.

How to Use this iQuote Matrix

The above conversation with Walt Disney provides an overview of the iQuote Matrix (found top of this post) that you can download for free and use as a reference wall poster. It’s an ideal reference tool for those wanting to model Walt’s psychology or simply for those interested to learn more about this great man.

This iQuote Matrix is designed with three purposes in mind:

• Firstly, the quotations are designed to provide you with insights into Walt Disney’s personality, qualities, mindset, belief systems and attitude.
• Secondly, the power words extending from the middle branches are designed to pinpoint key qualities and behaviors that distinguished Walt Disney.
• Thirdly, key questions and statements extending from the quotations are designed to help you mimic Walt Disney’s thinking style and approach to life.

Designed for Printing

An iQuote Matrix is designed for printing and pinning up on a wall. In fact, it is best used as a reference wall poster to keep you focused throughout the day. Simply print it out, hang it up, and refer to it consistently. In time, the knowledge shared within, will become fully integrated into your life, habits, decisions, behavior and actions.

Click here to download a pdf copy of this iQuote Matrix

I hope you find this tool of value. Please feel free to share your thoughts, feedback and suggestions in the comments below.

| Free PDF Download | IQ Matrix Gallery | MasterMind Matrix | FAQ |

Albert Einstein is without question one of the greatest and most recognized icons of the past hundred years. His accomplishments and discoveries have challenged how we think while radically altering our perspective of reality.

Most of us know Einstein through television documentaries and books. He comes across as a little bit of a nutty professor at times, however this couldn’t be further from the truth. Einstein was not only a scientist, but also an inspirational and successful individual who has taught us valuable lessons about what it takes to make a mark in this world.

What follows is a transcript of a hypothetical conversation I had with Albert Einstein. I’ve taken Einstein’s words statements that have been commonly attributed to Einstein, and turned them into a dialogue about all aspects of success, achievement, creativity and much, much more as they relate to our modern era. The interview provides many tremendous insights into the mind of this great man.

Please keep in mind that many of these quotes are written word-for-word as Einstein spoke them. However, at times I have added additional words in order to spark further discussion and linkages between topics.

As you read through this transcript I’m confident you will discover the qualities, traits, attitude, values, and beliefs that transformed a seemingly lowly patent office worker into one of the greatest scientists and thinkers of the past two thousand years of human history. Moreover, I hope you will find inspiration in Einstein’s words to help you with your life’s endeavors.

An Interview with Albert Einstein

I’ve broken down this interview into specific topics that Albert Einstein has been famously quoted on. These topics include:

• Imagination
• Simplicity
• Success
• Obstacles
• Curiosity

Let’s take a look at Einstein’s thoughts in each of these areas.

Einstein on Imagination, Creativity and Intuition

Adam: There’s been a lot of talk of late about the importance of knowledge. It is said that knowledge is the key to success and career advancement. In fact, even at school the idea of having the right kind of knowledge seems to form the bedrock of our education system. What are your thoughts about this?

Einstein: Without a doubt in my mind, imagination is far more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand. Imagination is in fact everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions. However, at the same time you must bear in mind that the wonderful things you learn in your schools are the works of many generations. All this is put in your hands as your inheritance in order that you may receive it, honor it, add to it, and one day hand it on to your children.

Adam: That’s very interesting. Schools no doubt provide a great platform for knowledge, however, imagination and creativity aren’t really encouraged at school these days. Instead it’s all about using logic, facts and information. I guess logic and knowledge are important, but we might very well be missing out on something much more powerful.

Einstein: Yes, of course. Logic will no doubt get you from A to B. However, imagination will take you everywhere. I am a scientist, and yet I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination.

Adam: Is that how you generate all these scientific theories and ideas that others at first tend to ridicule and criticize? Is it a result of your creative imagination?

Einstein: If at first, the idea is not absurd, then there is no hope for it. My imagination considers all possibilities even if at first some of them might seem a little on the crazy side.

Adam: I guess that imagination is probably the secret to creativity and everything you have managed to accomplish to date.

Einstein: I want to be very honest with you Adam (leaning-in to whisper). The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.

Adam: So what you’re saying is that you take ideas from other areas, people, maybe even from the environment and combine them with something else that brings your ideas and theories to fruition. Is that correct?

Einstein: Yes, that is correct. However, the only real valuable thing at that point is intuition. I use my intuition, not logic, to help make these important decisions.

Einstein on Simplicity

Adam: One thing that impresses me about your theories is the fact that you seem to be able to make the most complex of ideas sound simple.

Einstein: Yes, I endeavor to make everything as simple as possible, but not one bit simpler.

Adam: That’s very interesting. There’s all this talk these days about simplicity, simplifying your life, and clearing the clutter. I guess when it comes to idea generation this is also very relevant. When communicating our ideas to others we should probably focus more on the simplicity of our message rather than bogging people down with too much information. One powerful method that I have personally found quite valuable comes in the form of visual thinking.

Einstein: Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.

Einstein on Success and Achievement

Adam: I was wondering if you had any advice for those listening about success and achievement?

Einstein: Well, the most important piece of advice I could give is to say that the world we have created is a product of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.

Adam: So what you’re saying is that our thoughts determine our reality, or at least our experience of reality.

Einstein: Actually, reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.

Adam: So, we create our reality through “thought”. I guess that makes us limitless from a certain perspective.

Einstein: Yes and no. It is only once we accept our limits, that we go beyond them.

Adam: What about those who just don’t believe in themselves and their own abilities? All they see is their limitations and nothing else.

Einstein: To them I would say that it is better to believe than to disbelieve; in so doing you bring everything to the realm of possibility.

Adam: That makes a lot of sense, however many people out there might simply not buy into this idea of just believing in something. How could just believing in something make everything possible? To those who have achieved a great deal of success in life, this might seem like reality, but what about those who are struggling to accomplish their dreams. What could you say to them? Should they just believe? Is that all it takes? What I’m really trying to get at here is how should they live their lives? What kind of mindset must they begin cultivating?

Einstein: There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other as if everything is. Once you begin living this way, everything becomes possible.

Adam: That’s a beautiful way to put it. But I guess there will be skeptics out there who will say that you’re the smartest person on the planet and you can therefore create miracles on a daily basis. What have you got to worry about? You don’t live in their world; you don’t see things from their perspective…

Einstein: Well then. They would indeed have it all wrong. You see, it’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. You have to learn the rules of the game, and then you have to play better than anyone else. That is exactly how I solve my problems.

Adam: That’s very interesting. So the fact that you are willing to persist and stick with problems for longer while others are giving up, gives you an edge. I guess it all comes down to the attitude that we project into the universe while trying to solve our life’s problems.

Einstein: Yes indeed that is correct. Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character, and as a result nothing gets accomplished. In fact the ideals which have lighted my way, and time-after-time have given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been kindness, beauty, and truth.

Adam: Are they your keys to success?

Einstein: Know where to find the information and how to use it — that’s the secret to success. However, I try not to become a man of success, I rather try to become a man of value. Every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life is based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. Humility is the key.

Einstein on Obstacles and Setbacks

Adam: That’s an awesome way to live life. We can all certainly learn from that. I wanted to ask you, what advice would you give those who constantly seem to experience obstacles and setbacks that prevent them from moving forward?

Einstein: In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity. It’s as simple as that. Look for it, and you will find it.

Adam: Okay, so say a person believes that opportunity lies within every difficulty. They look for it, but can’t find it. They try really hard but don’t seem to be making any progress.

Einstein: Well if that is the case, than they must understand that one cannot alter a condition with the same mindset that created it in the first place. Have you ever heard the definition of insanity?

Adam: Um, no. I don’t think so.

Einstein: Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.

Adam: Okay, so we must be flexible when approaching problems; we must be willing to look at them from a different perspective and see new possibilities. I guess when it comes down to it, some people are simply afraid of making mistakes.

Einstein: Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.

Adam: Yes, I guess that’s very true. We must not be afraid of making mistakes and of stepping outside of our comfort zone. Mistakes lead us down new paths and open new opportunity and possibilities. I guess in theory this sounds great. However, what would you say to those who are trying to get their plans off the ground and nobody seems to believe in them or in their ideas?

Einstein: Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. It’s only when you look at yourself from a universal standpoint, that something inside always reminds or informs you that there are bigger and better things to worry about.

Einstein on Curiosity

Adam: That’s great advice. But how can we look at ourselves from a universal standpoint? Is it easy to do?

Einstein: The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing. One cannot help but be in awe when he contemplates the mysteries of eternity, of life, of the marvelous structure of reality. It is enough if one tries merely to comprehend a little of this mystery every day. Never lose a holy curiosity.

Adam: Yes, asking questions, being curious… I guess that’s another key to success. But how could we apply this practice on a daily basis?

Einstein: It’s simple. Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning. I am merely inquisitive.

Adam: I guess this inquisitive nature keeps you on your toes and learning new things every day.

Einstein: The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education. Reading, after a certain age, diverts the mind too much from its creative pursuits. Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.

Adam: That’s awesome advice. Some really big takeaways here. Thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today. However, before I let you go, I have one final question I wanted to ask you. You’re considered to be one of the most intelligent and creative people that has ever lived. You must have answers for almost everything. I wanted to ask you a very important question that a lot of male listeners are dying to know the answer to. The question is: What is the secret to understanding women?

Einstein: I don’t know, I don’t care, and it doesn’t make any difference!

How to Use this iQuote Matrix

The above conversation with Albert Einstein provides an overview of the iQuote Matrix (found top of this post) that you can download for free and use as a reference wall poster. It’s an ideal reference tool for those wanting to model Einstein’s psychology or simply for those interested to learn more about this great man.

This iQuote Matrix is designed with three purposes in mind:

• Firstly, the quotations are designed to provide you with insights into Einstein’s personality, qualities, mindset, belief systems and attitude.
• Secondly, the power words extending from the middle branches are designed to pinpoint key qualities and behaviors that distinguished Einstein.
• Thirdly, key questions and statements extending from the quotations are designed to help you mimic Einstein’s thinking style and approach to life.

Designed for Printing

An iQuote Matrix is designed for printing and pinning up on a wall. In fact, it is best used as a reference wall poster to keep you focused throughout the day. Simply print it out, hang it up, and refer to it consistently. In time, the knowledge shared within, will become fully integrated into your life, habits, decisions, behavior and actions.

Click here to download a pdf copy of this iQuote Matrix

I hope you find this tool of value. Please feel free to share your thoughts, feedback and suggestions in the comments below.

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Life is a funny thing. It seems that it’s always testing us, challenging our resolve, while pushing us to the edge of what seems impossible. Most people look at these setbacks and see them as insurmountable obstacles. However, there are a few people who come across such problems and ask:

Why not me? Why not now?

These are the people who believe that no matter what life throws their way, that they will persist and persevere — eventually attaining their goals and objectives.

What follows is a short story about persistence that I think everyone will be able to relate with on some level. I hope it inspires and moves you to action.

A Short Story: Lessons in Persistence

A middle aged man who goes by the name of Oliver approaches a monastery located high atop the Himalayan Mountains. He’s tired, sad, disheartened and somewhat angry. He’s trekked here for weeks in order to find answers — answers to his struggles, and answers for the setbacks that seem to be keeping him away from his greatest accomplishments.

He enters the monastery and out of exhaustion drops to the floor. Lying there face down on the ground he thinks about his wasted life, about the problems that always seem to get in his way, and about the difficulties that he faces every single day. Life seems like an uphill battle that never ends. It seems as though he’s carrying the world on his shoulders and the burden is simply too heavy for him to bare.

A moment passes, when suddenly a dark figure approaches and helps him off the ground. Oliver looks up and sees the kind face of a Monk looking back at him. This face is familiar and welcoming.

The Monk sits him down without saying a word and just gazes into Oliver’s eyes. What he sees is heartache, defeat and despair. Oliver’s face looks very familiar, and it should, because he was in fact an orphan who was raised within this Monastery as a child.

Monk: “What brings you back here my dear friend?”

Oliver: “Master, you are all knowing, and I’ve come here searching for answers. I have all these hopes and dreams; I want to accomplish all these amazing things, however, everything I do seems to lead down a path to despair. I am a total failure, and I just don’t know what to do. I’ve experienced so many heartbreaking losses over the years that I just feel like I have no more to give.”

Monk: “Did you know that time and again, history has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed? They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeat.”

How does this defeat make me stronger?

What opportunities does it present me with?

What’s the next step I must take?

Oliver: “Yes, I’ve been there. So many obstacles, but I still haven’t triumphed. I seem to be stuck in the same place, going nowhere.”

Monk: “Yes, you may not be there yet, but you’re certainly closer than you were yesterday. You made the trek up here for answers, did you not?”

How am I closer?

What must I do next?

Oliver: “Yes.”

Monk: “Well then, you are closer than you were yesterday to finding the answers you’re searching for, are you not?”

Oliver: “Yes, but it seems as though I’ve tried everything, and nothing seems to have worked. I have a good education. My friends and family even tell me that I have the talent to achieve anything my heart desires, and I honestly believe that, but so far, nothing.”

Monk: “Oliver, please listen to my words carefully. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “Press On” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

Where can I try harder?

How can I push myself further?

Oliver: “Okay, I see your point, but things always seem so hard that I just feel like giving up.”

Monk: “That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved.”

What have I learned?

How have I improved?

How can this help me moving forward?

Oliver: “So what you’re saying is that through the act of persistence things will become easier. I think I get that. It’s like a skill. I persist through something and eventually I learn more about what works and doesn’t work and as a result I get better. But I’m afraid. I guess I’m afraid of making a mistakes, and of failure.”

Monk: “There is no failure for the man who realizes his power, who never knows when he is beaten; there is no failure for the determined endeavor, the conquerable will. There is no failure for the man who gets up every time he falls, who rebounds like a rubber ball, who persists when everyone else gives up, who pushes on when everyone else turns back.”

I think I can do this…

I know I can do this…

I believe I can do this…

I’m certain I can do this…

Let’s just do this…

Oliver: “Okay, I see where you’re coming from. I have to get up each time I fall down like a rubber ball. I really like that analogy. Actually on some days I’ve spent time meditating and contemplating, like you do here in the mountains. I’m hopeful that my meditations and visualizations will help me to become more aware and spot opportunities throughout the day.”

Monk: “And that is where you make a mistake my dear friend. You must stop meditating and keep moving forward, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you least expect it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down. I certainly haven’t. There’s nothing else for me to do here but to meditate. The only thing I’ll stumble across, is down a set of stairs.”

Get up! Get Moving! Just Do it!

Opportunities are everywhere. Go out and get them.

Monk: “If you get off your butt and just keep moving forward you will soon realize that you just can’t beat a person who never gives up.”

Oliver: “Do you think that is why some people succeed? Is it because they simply don’t give up?”

Monk: “Yes, of course. Even people of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to. Their intelligence isn’t what gives them the edge. What gives them the edge is that they stay with problems longer and persist while others are quitting.”

How else could this problem be solved?

What else could I do here?

Stick with it, just a little longer…

Oliver: “But it sometimes seems as though I work so hard, spend so long on something and I just seem to be making no progress at all. Life just doesn’t seem fair. Hard work doesn’t always bring results. There must be something more to it.”

Monk: “Have you ever seen a stone-cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it? Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”

Just keep chipping away…

Oliver: “Wow, I love that. I guess you just have to have strength to keep moving on.”

Monk: “No you don’t. Strength has nothing to do with it. In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins — not through strength, but through persistence.”

How am I making progress?

What more could I do?

Oliver: “So what you’re basically saying is that success seems to be a matter of hanging on after others have let go. Is that right?”

Monk: “Yes, that is correct. And when you feel as though you’ve reached the end of your rope, simply tie a knot in it and hang on.”

Oliver: “Hang on, and don’t let go. That is good. I will use that the next time I’m facing a setback. I guess the toughest part is overcoming those really big obstacles that life tends to throw my way. They are like gigantic mountains in my path that I can’t seem to look beyond.”

Monk: “My dear Oliver. Did you not learn your lesson coming here today? Can I ask you, how many times you stumbled and fell while making the trek up this mountain to see me?”

Oliver: “Well, I guess I stumbled quite a number of times on my journey here.”

Monk: “But you kept getting back up and moving forward. You essentially bounced up like a rubber ball and made your way until you reached your destination. Is that correct?”

Oliver: “Yes, that is correct.”

Monk: “Then there is only one more lesson you need to learn. The lesson is that nobody trips over mountains. It is the small pebbles that cause you to stumble. Pass all the pebbles in your path and you will find you have crossed the mountain.”

Just another step forward…

I’ll eventually get there…

And with that, the Monk stood up and walked away, leaving Oliver to contemplate the lessons learned.

Click here to download a pdf copy of this iQuote Matrix

For more information about persistence and perseverance, please read the following articles:

• Never Give Up, Never Quit
• Developing Resilient Willpower
• Overcoming Insurmountable Obstacles
• The Seasons of Transformation

How to Use this iQuote Matrix

Oliver’s encounter with the Monk provides an overview of the iQuote Matrix that you can download for free at the top of this post and use as a reference poster. The story uses each of the quotes presented within the map in combination to highlight how to persist and persevere through the setbacks, obstacles and problems you may face.

This iQuote Matrix is designed with three purposes in mind:

• Firstly, the quotations are designed to help you gain a different perspective and understanding of the importance of persistence.
• Secondly, the 12 power words extending from the middle branches are designed to encourage you to shift your attitude and approach when faced with obstacles and setbacks.
• Thirdly, key questions and statements are designed to help you to think more clearly, critically, analytically and flexibly about the obstacles you are confronted with.

Designed for Printing

An iQuote Matrix is designed for printing and pinning up on a wall. In fact, it is best used as a reference wall poster to keep you focused throughout the day. Simply print it out, hang it up, and refer to it consistently. In time, the knowledge shared within, will become fully integrated into your life, habits, decisions, behavior and actions.

Click here to download a pdf copy of this iQuote Matrix

I hope you find this tool of value. Please feel free to share your thoughts, feedback and suggestions in the comments below.