Dina Proctor: Madly Chasing Peace: How I Went From Hell to Happy in Nine Minutes a Day
It is when we make time to be still will we meet the best version of ourselves; this version we long for is calm, happy, generous, compassionate, highly productive, wealthy and healthy.
Question: How do we then get to and stay in this state (of grace) when in the busy lives we lead we are continually bombarded with external stimuli, demands and deadlines coming at us from every angle leaving us no time to just be.
Answer: By meditating.
This is not a trite answer to some of your most pressing concerns; if you think I am suggesting you go sit under a tree and contemplate your navel or the meaning of life.
For Dina Proctor finding that inner core of peace that turned her life around isn’t hard work as she explains in her best-selling book “Madly Chasing Peace: How I Went From Hell to Happy in Nine Minutes a Day”. She went from hitting an emotional rock bottom through struggling with addictions, food issues and depression, to finding a consistent happiness by (get this) meditating for 3 minutes 3 times a day.
Surely, if you value your health, sanity and well being, adopting this practice is an investment in time that will be repaid a thousand fold.
Just do it!
Find Dina at www.dinaproctor.com
Three tips for maintaining your equanimity at work
Maintaining your equanimity, composure and internal sense of balance is a skill than anyone can develop.
I call it a secret weapon of the successful who seem to be able to navigate their way through an office environment that is studded with booby traps and minefields cunningly disguised as work colleagues; from the hypochondriac who painstakingly documents and broadcasts their every ache and pain (and bodily functions) to the angst ridden determined to share their life story and every other possible combination in between.
Our external world mirrors what goes on for us at the subconscious level. We attract into our immediate environment people and situations that remind us of what we focus on most within ourselves.
Ask yourself as you are reading this, what has been ticking over in your mind today. Was it a pleasant and happy conversation or encounter with another person, or was it you wishing you had the last word in an argument. Our best comeback lines are usually after the fact, sad but true.
Do you also notice that the same incident plays on high rotation in a loop fashion in your head, much like background muzak in a restaurant? It is just barely noticeable but it is there, insidious isn’t it.
So, the three circuit breaker tips I suggest are:
1) Check in on yourself
By that I mean, pause regularly during your work day and breathe; yes literally notice yourself breathing in and then gently exhaling. This is designed to slow down brain activity for 20 seconds, long enough for you to pay attention to your body instead of rushing headlong to meeting external deadlines.
This 20 seconds can be the difference between having a productive day or having a tense exchange with a co worker.
2) Eat your lunch away from your desk or work station
Being the office burning martyr will not get you a medal; removing yourself physically from your desk even if lunch is 20 minutes allows your brain to recalibrate.
Great for problem solving because it gives you time to mull over the facts (as you chew your food) without consciously thinking about coming up with a solution.
3) Remind yourself of what is important in your life
Keep a motivational quote on a 3 x 5 card by your computer as a reminder that you have a choice about how you are going to feel today; you choose how you wish to respond to your present circumstances.
Just reminding all you good people that I have a website devoted to mindset and financial freedom if you are wondering where some of the interviews have gone. Please head over to
Sue and Steve Soucy Interview: The “Social Media Attractionaire” Experts
It is always nice to talk to people who generously share their knowledge and honestly state that becoming successful is a work in progress. 
Sue and Steve Soucy Interview You can download the mp3 recording and pdf transcript of this interview by going to http://yourmoneyandyourmindset.com/online-store/
Not only that, Sue and Steve Soucy have documented their journey to wealth and financial independence in a very public way that let’s the rest of us see real people launching real internet based businesses on line, and doing very well, thank you.
This is a couple who believes that by focusing and being clear on what they want and practicing what they preach, they can manifest their goals-Law of Attraction, anyone?
Yes, Sue and Steve stepped out of their comfort zone and in front of a camera and posted their wealth creation journey in real time on FaceBook, Youtube and Twitter. Now that is a bold move if you ask me.
However, do you not feel privileged to witness two seemingly “regular” people having fun along the way in their quest for financial freedom?
Does it not challenge the stereotype that rich people have no sense of humour or are unapproachable?
I sincerely hope that when you listen to this interview, you one day can picture yourself in a similar position.
Do me a favour and drop me an email saying that day you started to believe in yourself and that it made a world of difference to the quality of your life.
Sue and Steve Soucy Teach Passionate Entrepreneurs Worldwide How to Make Their Lives Better with the Law of Attraction, Videos and Social Media.
Natalie Ledwell Interview: The Power of Creative Visualization
Natalie Ledwell is a living breathing example that a girl from the small country town of Orange, New South Wales Australia together with a couple of business partners can manifest a $1 million product launch from one simple business idea. 
Natalie’s not so secret weapon was “Mind Movies”, a clever piece of software that lets her create and personalize her own dynamic vision board complete with music, affirmations and pictures as the way to realize her goals.
Natalie Ledwell Interview You can download the mp3 recording and pdf transcript of this interview by going to http://yourmoneyandyourmindset.com/online-store/
It was by repeatedly watching her Mind Movie that got Natalie to drop a couple of dress sizes in quick time, and propel her business to one with a multi million dollar turnover, just to name a few of her many goals reached!
In this exclusive interview with Natalie, she dispels the misconceptions about the Law of Attraction and generously shares her personal experiences of how this principle really works.
“If you have a burning passion and desire, and want to help others, situations and circumstances present themselves that will get you to your goals”, says Natalie and “if possible, avoid negative people who don’t understand your aspirations”.
Well, I certainly agree with Natalie on all points.
Find Natalie at:
Natalie is a businesswoman from in Sydney Australia and is based in San Diego CA. She is the Creative Content Director and Founder of Mind Movies LLC. As a motivational speaker, she has shared the stage with luminaries in the personal development field such as Bob Proctor, Joe Vitale and John Assaraf.
Katana Abbott Interview: It’s Never Too Late To Become A Millionaire
If I said to you that a child can grow up in poverty with an abusive stepfather and then at 18 marry a violent man, walk away from that marriage virtually penniless, hit rock bottom physically, mentally and emotionally before coming back as a self made millionaire at 47 years of age, you could be forgiven for thinking this was a Cinderella story of feel good fiction.
Let me introduce you to Katana Abbott, the lady whose life I just described. 
I have no doubt that countless women can identify with Katana’s early financial circumstances. However, this is not the point of the exercise because I invite you to listen to my interview with a woman who took action on a number of fronts to change her life.
Katana Abbott Interview You can download the mp3 recording and pdf transcript of this interview by going to http://yourmoneyandyourmindset.com/online-store/
The most obvious was to qualify as a certified financial planner and grow a multi million dollar business. Equally important but not as apparent is Katana’s commitment to becoming a life long student of personal development.
Katana is living proof that when you change your thought and beliefs from can’t to can, positive actions that support your new beliefs pave the way for financial and personal success.
Her concern for the financial futures of Americans entering their golden years prompted her to coin the clever analogy of the “three legged stool” of Social Security, Savings and Pensions as the highly unstable but fundamentally the default option of many peoples’ retirement plan. Know as the Midlife Millionaire Coach, Katana is focused on helping women entrepreneurs, ages 43-65, create financial freedom whilst following their passion.
Her generosity knows no bounds so if you go to http://www.smartwomenscafe.com you will get a free membership to the community and can participate in a free monthly coaching call beginning in April.
And there’s more!
If you go to http://www.Katanaabbott.com you will get her free midlife millionaire success system and for everyone listening to this interview receive Katana’s signature financial organizer planner to get your finances in order.
Ladies and gentleman, you are witnessing the actions of a woman who not only knows that her life has a higher purpose; she lives it.
Female Friendly Investment Strategies: Stock Trading with Louise Bedford
Previously I explored investing from the female perspective. The idea of bricks and mortar i.e., residential or commercial property investing has great appeal to most women. It is tangible and can be tizzed up with an exterior paint job or reasonably priced landscaping to the front garden. In doing so, extra value (capital growth) can very quickly be added.
In this article I want you to consider the diametrically opposite. I invite you to get your head around the idea of investing or more specifically trading the stock market.
So I asked Louise Bedford the question: What makes a successful share trader?
Her definitive and emphatic response: “Mindset is God”.
Louise Bedford Interview You can download the mp3 recording and pdf transcript of this interview by going to http://yourmoneyandyourmindset.com/online-store/
Louise arrived at this conclusion after being struck by a serious illness that left her without the use of both arms. Unable to work, she looked to share trading as a means of making an income.
Thankfully Louise fully recovered the use of both limbs and has gone on to not only understand but also conquer the market. Her burning desire to share her knowledge resulted in Louise authoring not one but four best selling books on how to read and profit from stock market trends regardless of whether the index is up or down. Trading Secrets, Charting Secrets, The Secret of Candlestick Charting and The Secret of Writing Options, are without a doubt “must reads” for anyone wanting to successfully trade the share market.
Her invaluable insights into how not to lose your shirt trading include having a strategy and being disciplined enough to stick to it. She explains how we can be our own worse enemy, when unbridled emotions scupper our ability to trade analytically and sensibly. Besides understanding the charts, self awareness and personal development make up the equation of a winning trade.
Louise is a woman after my own heart as she believes that wealth and philanthropy are inseparable. As she rightly says, “Give a hand up and not a handout” as part of her commitment to international programs that disburse and administer micro loans to women entrepreneurs in developing countries.
Louise and business partner Chris Tate offer a mentoring program to guide the novice and even the experienced become successful traders. If you would like to know more about this remarkable lady, find her at http://www.tradingsecrets.com.au
Dal LaMagna Interview: Failure Is Not Final
If you subscribe to self-development eNewsletters, round about this time of the year, (late January of 2011), your inbox will be inundated with a ton of emails with subject headings like “10 reasons why your new year’s resolutions have failed” and that is usually followed by an offer of “How we can help”.
If you have stuck with your resolution to improve your health, fitness, finances, and personal relationships then kudos to you.
Okay, so the title of this article may sound like one of those motivational, “Come on people, pick yourself up when you’re down” types.
Maybe it is, may be it isn’t. It all depends on your perspective.
Dal LaMagna Interview You can download the mp3 recording and pdf transcript of this interview by going to http://yourmoneyandyourmindset.com/online-store/
You see, we often make the mistake that successful people (millionaires) burst on to the scene as readymade straight out of the box (overnight) successes.
Some of these erroneous assumptions are engineered by the popular press because of the higher drama impact it has on the reader and hence circulation, and revenue (ooh, isn’t that cynical).
The reality is more boring, but nevertheless equally important.
It isn’t sexy to talk about the hard yards, sacrifices and sense of self belief and faith these people showed in the face of adversity.
Show me a person who claims to have just thought up an idea, implemented it and cashed in the millions of dollars without breaking into a sweat and I will show you Pinocchio.
So, I am going to throw you this idea. If you don’t fail, you will not know how to succeed. No, it’s not a mind bender, it actually occurs with predictable frequency.
I have made it my mission to ask self made millionaires how they arrived at their current situation.
Not a single millionaire has glossed over their multiple attempts before finally getting the right business plan, system or model to work well for them. Their candour and honesty is indeed refreshing.
Therefore, I would like to share with you the following interview with Mr Dal LaMagna, the founder of Tweezerman. He is actually a funny guy.
Mr Tweezerman
I have included a synopsis and titled the interview: How to fail your way to success
Dal LaMagna speaks honestly about his sixteen failed business ventures including turning down an offer from Coca Cola and saying no to being involved with the Woodstock Music Festival before he made his fortune from his company Tweezerman.
Tweezerman started as a one-man operation with seed capital of $500. By using head and heart business principles to grow his venture, he was able to walk away with millions when he sold it years later.
Dal shares his wisdom and insights on how to succeed as an entrepreneur in his new book Raising Eyebrows: A Failed Entrepreneur Finally Gets It Right (John Wiley & Sons).
He has done a huge favor to all the budding business tycoons out there by being up front and authentic when he tells it like it is which means you have to do the hard yards and own up to your mistakes, and that’s just for starters.
What more, the man shows that you can be a capitalist and have a social conscience.
I found Dal’s leadership style inspirational-there aren’t many CEOs who genuinely care and will take onboard every employee’s suggestion to grow a business.
Tweezerman flourished because Dal had the foresight to make each and every employee a partner in the business. Yes folks, they got a share of the revenue, not just a monthly pay check.
Do yourself a favor, get the book and read Dal’s many tips on how to succeed in business, and maybe just maybe you will not need to fail 16 times before hitting the mother lode.
Find him at his website:
http://www.dallamagna.com
Matt and Amanda Clarkson Interview: eBay and Wealth Creation
Christmas is a wonderful time of coming together to share a special meal and re connect with other family members.
At one time or another we all have been at the receiving end of a Christmas present that has not rocked our world.
So hands up anybody who has had the idea of hocking off that gift on eBay.
I talked to an Australian couple Matt and Amanda Clarkson, who found eBay to be their ticket to financial freedom.
Matt and Amanda Clarkson eBay Magic
Matt and Amanda Clarkson Interview You can download the mp3 recording and pdf transcript of this interview by going to http://yourmoneyandyourmindset.com/online-store/
The story of their journey may just be what you need to take inspired action towards a new beginning for yourself.
Matt and Amanda both left school at 16, he to become a carpenter and she working through 33 jobs and 11 businesses over the last 20 years.
They knew that working for “the man” or being a sole operator was limiting their dream of becoming financially independent. In 2006, the internet was where they found the clue that became their golden key to freedom.
In this interview they speak frankly of their learning experiences during this process including Amanda’s honest and candid admission that she was not introduced to her first PC until she was a young forty year old.
Matt is a bestselling author and international expert in Internet Marketing and in particular eBay business development. Amanda’s eBay business, which she started with a credit card in Feb 2006 was a run away success and is still forging ahead to this day.
Now, they show everyday people how to become cash and time rich with eBay through their simple, and inspiring eBay education courses through their multi national company Bidding Buzz.
The passion and vision of these two heart centered entrepreneurs is to help as many people as possible live life on their own terms instead of someone else’s through The Magic Of Making Money On eBay.
Owning Up and Learning from My Mistakes
Our education system does not encourage us to admit our errors and effectively punishes us when we get it wrong.
This is reinforced by the assessment strategy of grading us down in tests and formal examinations when we do not produce the “right’ answers.
The system is designed to turn out cookie cutter lookalikes with not a whit of individuality.
It stymies creativity, inventiveness and discourages exploration; in effect we get a slap on the wrist every time we colour outside the lines.
So does the title of this article stir up a bit of discomfort?
I certainly hope so, only because I want you to challenge conventional thinking and behaviour.
What if, for a change, we celebrated instead of shaming kids in grade school for giving the incorrect answer?
Rather than making them feel like a failure we gave them elephant stamps and gold stars for having a go, for attempting an answer.
Brian Tracy, one of my favourite motivational speakers and amazing business coach said it best:
Learning from your mistakes is an essential skill that enables you to develop the resilience to be a master of change rather than a victim of change.
The person who recognizes that he has made a mistake and changes direction the fastest is the one who will win in an age of increasing information, technology and competition.
By remaining fast on your feet, you will be able to out-play and out-position your competition.
You will become a creator of circumstances rather than a creature of circumstances.
In other words: Adaptability is the name of the game.
In every episode of Star Trek Dr Spock may have said, “Live long and prosper”, but Dr Tan says “Live smart and prosper”.
So, the faster you fail, the quicker you get to your goals.
You might as well get through it sooner than later because that lets you gain momentum as you hurtle towards success.
Yours in health, wealth and happiness
10 Tips to Staying Motivated: Especially When You Don’t Feel Like It
Motivation is like a shower, you need one everyday-Zig Zaglar
Firstly it would be unrealistic to feel pumped all the time, so don’t be hard on yourself if you have the odd day when you feel really flat. Here are 10 suggestions to get you to re focus. Go get ‘em!
An update to this post: I have included an mp3 recording
Click here to listen:Audio recording of 10 Tips to Staying Motivated
1. Remind yourself again what it is that you are striving to achieve.
• Is it a physical fitness goal of wanting to run a personal best in the Boston marathon or being financially independent in 5 years
• Either way, are your goals written down for you to review and read as often as it is necessary
2. Portion control
• You can eat an entire elephant by yourself if it is only one bite at a time. So chunk it down to manageable portions that are achievable in days and weeks rather than months and years!
3. Do a stock take of where you were 3, 6 and 12 months ago relative to where you are now
• Celebrate your wins, no matter how small. It’s a win, don’t get too precious about it
• Keep a journal and record your progress. You will be surprised at how far you have come
4. Practise mental rehearsal of having reached your goal
• Make it as real as possible by imagining what you are wearing, who is with you, whereabouts is this taking place, does it have a particular smell. Above all, tap into the feeling of having aced the goal and remind yourself of that winning feeling by clicking your finger 3 times in succession.
• Do this daily even when you don’t feel like it, especially when you don’t feel like it
5. What are you eating, when do you exercise
• Remember the old computer programming term GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out). If you are fuelling your body with junk food, you will not have the energy and stamina to get to your goals. This is a non negotiable fact of getting where you want to go and what you want from life
• Yes, your body is a temple. Worship it with fresh food, vegetables, and lots of water. Ditch the refined carbs and trans fats, they clog your arteries and reduces blood and oxygen flow to your brain. Lord knows you need all your neurons to fire if you want to be able to think clearly.
• Physical fitness is not an option. Again it is one of those things you just do to stay alert and healthy to be able to enjoy your successes when they come. Being in an iron lung and a millionaire is kind of bittersweet
6. Oh brother where art thou; who do you hanging out with
• Are these people supportive or do they make it a sport of taking potshots at your dreams and goals; if they are in the latter category, say bye-bye and leave them to wallow in their own pity party
• Create a mastermind support group. These are people on the same wavelength who will not ridicule your goals, dreams and aspirations but instead cheer you on. You can learn from them and vice versa
• If this type of support is thin on the ground, consider hiring a business/life/fitness coach to keep you accountable. Yes, it costs money so think of it as an investment in yourself. “You’re worth it” as the Revlon ad goes.
7. What are you reading, watching on television
• I am a big fan of reading motivational books by Jim Rohn, T Harv Eker, Bob Proctor and the cool thing is that there are lots of free mp3 downloads you can listen to in your car or as I like to call it “your university on wheels”.
• Stop watching the news. If it is really important, somebody will tell you. Notice how television only reports bad news; that is because bad news sells.
8. When do you stay still-meditate daily
• This is about staying healthy on the inside
• Often the solutions to business problems or obstacles at work are found when we shut up and stay still long enough for our sub conscious to present us with an answer.
• Don’t be skeptical if you haven’t tried it for at least a month
9. When did you last do a budget and track your expenditure and earnings
• It is vital not to shy away from tracking your finances. How then will you know that you have made progress in putting aside money for investments and passive income building? Answer me that?
10. Get in sync with your internal clock
• If you are a night owl and your best ideas come to mind after 10pm, ask yourself why are you flogging your body to be up at 5am to be inspired and creative on your projects. It does not make sense, so stop it!
Yours in health, wealth and happiness