The Optimist Store

Password to Success

Kathy Gerstorff — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 17:12:18 +0000

Want an easy way to remember your passwords and goals? Combine them! Lets say your goal is to get your weight to 145 by your next birthday. You would make your password 145February232012 (using your bdate). How much money do you want to make next year? $75,000? $100,000? $250,000 or whatever the amount is, plus the date you want to achieve your goal. So, it could look something like this: 250kDec2012. It’s a good idea to keep a log or paper file somewhere with your passwords written down. You don’t have to write the whole thing out, just a few letters and underlines to remind you of your password (and user ID). So, if you recorded your password it could look something like 2_0_D_e_20_ _. I also wouldn’t set my browser to save the password so you must type it everytime you visit the site, which keeps your goal (and the password) fresh in your mind. This works best on a site you visit all the time.

Give it a try!

Kathy Gerstorff
Live Empowered, Expect Success, Pass It On!

Speed Limit Signs

Kathy Gerstorff — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:01:37 +0000

Speed Limit Signs Can Lead to Success!

I’m in an RV headed to Orlando, FL for the first TUT.com convention and Infinite Possibilities Volunteer Train the Trainer certification course. I’m excited and am looking forward to meeting a fellow adventurer, author of Infinite Possibilities and Leveraging The Universe, creator of Tut and Notes From the Universe…the one and only Mike Dooley.

If you would have told me a year ago that I would be making this trip I would have laughed and said, “Yeah right!” I have become so much clearer on my goals and direction that it seems like the mission is leading me to the resources, people, and places I need to accomplish my purpose which I identified many years ago simply as “Making a positive difference in society.”

One of the things I did to get on my life path was to use speed limit signs to remind me of my goals. I created a list of five BHAGs (big hairy audacious goals) and associated them with speed limit signs ending with the number five. For example:

55 = get to and maintain ideal weight
45 = write a bestseller
35 = own a successful business
25 = be financially independent
15 = travel the world

Then, I wrote down the things I need to do everyday that would move me closer to achieving those goals. I also got specific by writing down how much I want to weigh and by when, what business I want to run, what books I want to write, how much I want to make, where I want to travel, etc.

Now, every time I see those speed limit signs, I think of the respective goal and ask myself if I did anything today to help make that goal a reality. As you can imagine, I’m thinking about these goals a lot on my thousand mile journey!

I hope you give this little goal strategy a try. If you do, I would love to hear how it works out for you.

I’ll share another unique goal achieving strategy I use on my next post. In the meantime, please share what goal strategies you use. We can all learn from each other.

Live Empowered, Expect Success, Pass It On!

Kathy

What’s Your Word?

Kathy Gerstorff — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 04:07:23 +0000

I can’t help but notice a word that seems to define where I am with my life this year. In fact, I have adopted this word as my “word of the year.” I like the idea of having a word of the year to help me stay on track and guide me on my personal development journey. I understand the power of words and know how important words can be in holding you back or helping you move forward. This word I have come to think of as my word of the year makes its appearance everyday, like when you buy a new car and then you notice all the other cars like yours. I first noticed my word through Bill Phillips, author of Body for Life and my favorite fitness guru. Bill has figured out the paradigm shift that must take place in order to transform your life and achieve your goals. Bill is dedicated to sharing his transformational wisdom to anyone who wants to tune in. Through Bill, I have learned that in order to transform into the life you want, you have to work on your mind, your spirit, and your body. Without all three working together, transformation will be very difficult to achieve or maintain. Actually, I learned about the mind, body, spirit connection 25 years ago when I worked with at the YMCA, and while I have great respect for the Y and all they do to help individuals and family live a healthier lifestyle, Bill Phillips helped me understand the connection on a personal level through his website, www.transformation.com. The site is actually a community, a place where you get the support of people who are traveling, and who have successfully traveled, down the same road you’re on. It’s a place where you learn how to transform your life through Bill’s teachings on forgiveness, taking responsibility for your life, and how to help yourself by helping others. Bill is planning to open a Transformation Center in Colorado next year and plans to expand his Transformation Center across the country in the coming years. If I lived closer, I would so be there. I believe his approach to wellness provides the missing key that so many of us need to live a healthier and happier life.

I have learned the power of words to transform your life by other people this year too. John C. Maxwell and his word of the day (Minute with Maxwell) is amazing. The most amazing part is that he makes up his response on the spot with no rehersal or prior notification of the word. I had the privilege of seeing him in action during the John Maxwell Leadership Certification course that I am grateful to have participated in. Dr. Maxwell (he prefers it if you call him John because he is humble like that and wants us to think of him as our friend) has cornered the market on connecting with others using powerful words. I’ve never seen anything like it. He transformed the energy of the room the moment he stepped on stage and began to speak.

Christine Kimmel, Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Joel Osteen, Seth Godin, Darren Hardy (publisher of my favorite personal and professional development magazine, SUCCESS) and Mike Dooley have also played an important part in my observation of the power of words to transform my life. Christine created a customer affirmation CD for me which I listened to every day for weeks. The others I’m sure you recognize as leaders in the personal and professional development field who help millions transform their thinking from lack and limitations to infinite possibilities!

Have you guessed the word yet?

This year for me has been all about transformation. I have filled my brain with so many positive, life affirming thoughts, that I have no choice but to move forward. I can’t even think a negative thought very long before my positive programming starts to work on thinking about something I’m grateful for. I’m grateful that my family is healthy, I’m grateful that I lived through abscessed diverticulitis that spread poison throughout my body and caused me to have surgery and a blood transfusion. I’m grateful that the resulting colostomy was able to be reversed. I’m grateful that I can walk, I’m grateful that I can see, I’m grateful that I recognize the power of words and personal development. The list goes on and on.

Now, I’m not saying I don’t ever get down, I’m just saying that I don’t wallow there. I give myself a few moments to kick around any negative thoughts and then I transform them into positive energy that I use to help me achieve my goals. I have programmed my mind to make sure that if something negative manages to surface, it doesn’t stay long. The recovery time is much faster than it used to be before I discovered personal development. Before my powerful positive programming, I would stay pessimistic for days or weeks at a time. Now, it rarely happens and only lasts a few minutes (up to a couple hours for the really tough negative challenges) at a time. In order for this transformation to happen, it has taken a lot of personal development through reading, writing, vision boarding, attending personal growth seminars, and listening to self-help CDs. Not a day goes by that I don’t study. Like Zig Ziglar says, “Motivation doesn’t last, but neither does bathing! That’s why I recommend you do both daily.”

I’m still in the process of my transformation, but know I’m ready to move from the information gathering stage to the next stage which is ACTION. All the positive thinking and personal development in the world isn’t going to help us if we don’t take action. But, taking action without getting clear about what you’re taking action on is like a dog chasing its tail or shooting without taking aim. I believe you have to do the transformational work first and find your direction. For me, it started with a word. I recently attended a SparkPeople Rally where a lady had lost over 100 lbs. She said her word was BELIEVE. She posted a plaque in her living room with her word on it as a constant reminder of her goals. Her word worked for her, my word is working for me. What’s your word?

Attitude, Your Happy Place and Fireflies

Kathy Gerstorff — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 01:43:39 +0000

Have you ever noticed how respected leaders, multi-millionaires, personal development gurus, doctors and scientists all have the same thing to say about success in any endeavor? Zig Ziglar, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Tony Robbins, Dr. John Maxwell, Dr. Oz, Donald Trump, Richard Branson, and in previous generations Napoleon Hill, Norman Vincent Peale… These experts work with thousands of people day in, day out, year after year. It’s their job to know how people tick. They have helped people overcome addictions and phobias, saved relationships, helped them come off medication and overcome illness and disease by making them aware of the power of their mind.

You’ve probably heard it a hundred thousand times, if not more – it’s attitude, it’s choice, it’s what you think about you bring about…You’ve probably heard it so much it sounds cliche. Many people ignore the advice or neglect it, like flossing your teeth (admit it, you don’t do it every single day unless it’s your OCD). Take note, those positive thinking cliches are as vital as oxygen to experiencing happiness and success. Feeding your mind positive thoughts and healthy images while at the same time dismissing worry and negative thoughts should be practiced until its as natural as breathing.

There are always questions…How do I get to this happy place? Am I expected to think positive and ignore all that’s going on around me? I think positive and I’m still not getting anywhere, what am I doing wrong? Ok, let’s address these questions. Your happy place is not a destination like arrival at the Grand Canyon. It’s more about the experience of being present, of noticing all the things you see along the way, of feeling the warm sun on your skin ten years after your visit. It lights upon you in brief bursts like a firefly finding its way in the darkness. Of course you can chase the firefly like when you were a kid and bottle it up or try to disect it to keep the light for yourself, but as you discover when you grow up, it’s more fun to watch millions of fireflies light the sky right before your eyes, then watch them light up for the next person. When they are free to move, there seems to always be a steady supply.

As to whether you should think positive and ignore all that’s going on around you…if it’s negative, YES! Shut the tv or radio off and cut the conversation short if it’s bringing you down. Negativity is kryptonite to progress! As you will learn if you don’t already know there is more to success than thinking positive. It takes positive action too. But, ask anyone you know that has accomplished their goal if thinking negative helped. It’s possible that the consequences of negative thinking caused pain that motivated them to take action, but beyond that negativity is like gravity, it always brings you down. When you learn to harness negativity and turn it into inspired action, you will be happier and positively achieve your dreams!

If you’ve watched The Secret and consistently think positive and you’re still not getting anywhere, the problem is probably in the taking action part. I challenge you to take a look at your dreams and goals. I say take a look because they need to be written down. Assign deadlines to them. Break the big goals down into tiny tasks. Make sure you do at least one thing everyday that will move you closer to achieving your dreams. And the biggy… DON’T GIVE UP! Keep trying. How bad do you want it? If you’re doing all these things and still not getting anywhere, it’s time to go back to the drawing board. Read or re-read Think and Grow Rich or The Power of Positive Thinking and follow the exercises the authors recommend that you do. Then pray, go for a walk and watch fireflies!

Live Empowered ~ Expect Success ~ Pass it on!

Kathy Gerstorff,
The Optimistic Entrepreneur

www.facebook.com/expectsuccess
www.twitter.com/LiveEmpowered

Why I Don’t Watch TV

Kathy Gerstorff — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:10:40 +0000

“Did you hear about Obama, Michael Jackson, Air France, (or whatever the hot topic of the moment is)?”

“No,” I reply.”

“It was all over the news and on TV.”

“I don’t listen to the news or watch TV.”

It’s at this point I often get a puzzled look and follow-up questions, like: “How can you not stay up on what’s going on in the world?”

Here’s my theory…

If it’s important, I will hear about it from family, friends, or on my Internet home page.

I’m on a mission to transform my life. I want to get fit, write bestseller books, grow a successful business, and create a positive legacy. Like Edison, I’ve tried 10,000 ways that don’t work and with each failure I learn something that helps me with the next attempt. What I’ve learned about watching TV and listening to the news is that it’s unproductive time that often opens the flood gates to distracting and negative thoughts. I don’t notice the effect at first, like a leak in a dam. If I feed my brain doom and gloom information it chips away at the energy field protecting my happy place until finally it breaks through. Before I know it, my mind is flooded with doubts, I focus on the wrong things, and frown my way through the day.

I think at best we underestimate the power of our brain and at worst we ignore it.

The brain is like any other part of our body in that it grows stronger when we take care of it and will atrophy if we neglect or abuse it.

I can hear TV fans everywhere proclaim this as nonsense because after all, you have a remote control. You can easily change the channel. For me, having satellite or cable TV is like stocking my kitchen cabinets with junk food. The temptation to veg/pig out is always there. When I’m tired or stressed, I don’t want either of those things to be my easy escape.

Until the networks (or some savvy entrepreneur) figures out how to offer programs a la carte, perhaps by creating a commercial-free device that automatically downloads a show I’m interested in (like NBC’s upcoming reality show, Breakthrough with Tony Robbins), I choose to abstain because I want to be the one in charge of the programming going in my brain.

If you have no aspirations to achieve more or you’re ok with unexplained mood swings and weight gain, veg away. But, if you believe that you were put on this earth for a divine purpose or if you want more energy and a richer life – you have to start somewhere. For me it was turning off the TV!

Kathy Gerstorff
www.theoptimiststore.com