Blind with Clear Vision

 

Before my "official" diagnosis as a child, I knew my vision was poor. I knew I wasn't seeing like the other kids at school, but never considered myself to be any worse off than they were. Then the day came that I was given the devastating news that I was being declared "legally blind" from juvenile macular degeneration. The words "legally blind"  changed everything in my mind. This "official" documentation felt like I was being handed a prison sentence for life. Everything I "wouldn't be able" to do was being presented to me. Driving was the one that ate at me the most, because every kid looks forward to that major milestone that signifies adulthood, freedom and overall awesomeness. Suddenly I was being told that I actually was worse off than my classmates, that I would never soar to the same heights they could. What would become of me? That's the day fear overtook my mind and clouded my vision in corners that my actual eyesight couldn't reach.

Over 35 years later, I can proudly declare that I have legal blindness...BUT I also have clear vision. Many of you have heard me say, "We don’t see with our eyes,  we see with our brains." Where does clear vision come from? Our thinking and visualizing. Fear is a form of blindness, it darkens the bright spots in our minds which prevents us from taking action to help ourselves. If you can’t see yourself overcoming whatever obstacle is currently blocking you in your life, then you have a "blind spot." This blind spot is not caused by your eyes. There are easy ways to identify your own blind spots. Do you find yourself thinking "I can't," "I'll never be able to," "I'm bad at this," etc? Those are just statements of justification hidden in these darkened blind spots.

I happen to know many fully sighted people who I consider blind, they stay stuck in the problem and focus on its magnitude rather than a solution. Learn to brighten the mental blind spots and your sight may actually prevail over someone who has perfect eyesight. By asking the right questions and seeing yourself overcoming obstacles that life throws at you – you will be able to move towards a solution. Once your vision is clear, the possibilities are endless.

Are You Too Afraid to Ask?

Are you afraid to ask for what you want? I know I used to be. For years I struggled with speaking up and asking for help. I was overcome with fear of what others would think of me. Would they think I am incapable? Inept? Stupid? Needy? I convinced myself that the response would automatically be "No." Asking seems to be a challenge that holds so many people back. Intimidation, embarrassment and fear of rejection keeps people from asking for the information, assistance, support or time needed be successful in life.  It took me a long time but I have learned that asking is the most powerful and neglected secret to success and happiness.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of being involved with one of the best professional and personal experiences of my life. I was chosen to be an assistant at Jack Canfield's week-long "Breakthrough to Success" seminar.  Jack is a renowned speaker the mind behind the Chicken Soup for the Soul® series. How did this come about? Simply because I learned to ask. It took me many years (and many missed opportunities) to learn that asking is worth the risk. A response of "no" puts you in no worse position than you started. I took a shot and asked to be involved in this program and the risk was worth the reward!  While at the seminar, I also offered to be Jack's "roadie" and take care of his guitar, as we are both musicians. I took it back to my room each night to play it and tune it and felt good knowing I helped Jack out during this very busy week.

Once I swallowed my fear and learned how to ask, doors started opening for me. I have found that being afraid to ask for what you want or need is much worse than getting an answer of "No." We are all here on this Earth to serve and help each other as best possible. The answer you give or get may not always be a "Yes," but human nature dictates that most people are willing to help whenever possible. The reality is that we all tend to feel our best after knowing we have helped another. So start asking for what you need with a positive expectation, believe that you deserve the help. And when someone asks you for help, understand that they may be feeling intimidated and vulnerable and be empathetic in your response.

We are all here for one another. So stop being a "go-getter" and start becoming a "go-giver."

What are You Transmitting?

 I was recently reading an article by a doctor that was repackaging information and making it seem like his own. If you know me, you probably already know I am not a fan of textbook teachers with no "real world" experience. It is like taking a class on how to start your own business and the teacher is teaching you out of a book. Most times they have never actually started a business. Let me tell you I have started three businesses and there is not a textbook out there that I could have followed. I have read many published books on startup businesses. Yes they have given me some helpful direction, but they did not spell out the knowledge that, in hindsight, would have been most important.

I like the blunt truth, whether the results are positive or negative. "Hey, this is what I did and this is the outcome I achieved." Despite the outcome, the honesty will always help move me in the direction of achieving my Vision.  To me, sharing your experience, rather than your book-learned understanding, means you now have something vital to transmit.

You cannot transmit something you do not have. It reminds me of many people who give us advice that we should improve our lives - but they are not doing it themselves. Next time you choose to transmit knowledge and advice to a friend, coworker or family member, ask yourself whether your transmission will provide value. If it is not based on your experience, perhaps the "advice" shouldn't be shared.

Living in the information age has enabled us not to think and "just Google it."  My experience has taught me that if  I sit and ask the right questions in a quiet place, I can usually get a lot more than Google can provide. Of course if you are looking how to boil and egg, by all means consult Google. But if you want to live a life of purpose, look inside.

Let Your Freedom Ring

Celebrating Independence Day has made me think a lot about the importance of mental freedom. Your freewill is your freedom of thought. You control how you view and approach yourself and the world around you. I have been facing physical and mental obstacles my whole life. Once I embraced my mental freedom and made new choices about how to think and act, I was able to find a lot of the happiness that eluded me for so long. I'd like to share some of the key things I like to remind myself, particularly when faced with new struggles or challenges, so I can hold onto my mental independence:

• Believing in yourself is a choice.
• The past is the past and should remain there.
• Your level of self confidence is no one else's fault or responsibility.
• Beliefs are  very powerful - If you think you can or can’t, you’re right.
• "I can’t" is the most powerful source of negation tool in your body. It disempowers you.
• We are all smart enough to do what we want to do.
• Always act as if the seemingly impossible is possible.
• Negative beliefs are lies in disguise.
• We have 80 to 100,000 thoughts per day. 85% of them involve the past. 80% of them are negative.  If you give negative thoughts any power, they will take control over you. You control your percentages.
• Make a decision and follow through with action.
• Believing in yourself is more important than knowledge.  The application of knowledge is power.
• We shouldn’t worry about what other people think of us.  People are far more concerned about themselves than they are about you.  An evil, corroding and crippling fear is to do anything in life and worry about what people are thinking of you.  People have stopped themselves from doing so much in life because they are too afraid of what other people will think about them.  In reality, people are thinking about their own lives.
• We are all equal.

At Vision Dynamics, our goal is to encourage people to embrace their freedom and introduce them to tools to read and live independently again. But the real tool lies in your thoughts and whether you choose freedom. Happy July, everyone!

Have You Hit the Wall Lately?

 

What wall? That wall of life. The frustrating one you seem to bang into at the most inconvenient times.  The Health Wall, the Physical Wall, the Relationship Wall, the Mental Block wall etc….

What happens when you hit the wall?

1. Do you stay down and instantly dip into a spiral of negative self-talk? "I am not smart enough, they are all better than me, I never should have tried this, why do I always fail?"
2. Do you just sit there and wait for someone to come knock down this wall for you? Or graciously turn around and revert to your old way of living?

 

3. Do you get a bulldozer, a rope, round up some friends to help and you blast that thing down so you can head towards your destiny/goal/desire?

 

We see this scenario in at least 80% of the people who visit our store. Their walls have been unknowingly  built for them by their eye doctors, their family, their friends and, mostly,  by their own "I can’t do this" attitude. Each of the above laying a few bricks at a time until, all of a sudden, they are confronted with a towering and seemingly impassable wall. But with our help, they discover they can smash down those walls to regain their independence and, ultimately, engage life again.

Lately I have been hitting my own wall in the exercise department. I have been very spotty with getting it done. But I have also found myself easily creating excuses for why I don’t have time each particular day.
As my good friend brought to my attention yesterday, the best time to work out is first thing in the morning. I know this, but……

We all know it is extremely important to exercise at least 3 times per week and maintain a healthy diet. Do we do it? Only you can answer that. If we did, Dr. Phil or Dr. OZ might not have jobs on TV……

So what wall are you facing? And what are you going to do about it?
You have three choices. Which one will you pick.