Anyway, the authors talk about asking the right questions and that got me to thinking about you and me, and our lives, and how different our lives could be if we consciously asked the right questions—or just asked questions, period! So here goes, a few questions you and I should ask ourselves to move us closer to self-actualization.

 1.  Just what is IT that I really desire, more than anything else?

 I must warn you up-front that the answer to this question will cost you time! Set aside some self-evaluation time to determine what your IT is. Once you uncover IT, remain persistent and preserve—do not quit before you have given IT all you have to give. In the words of an old military commercial: “BE all that you can be!”

2.  What should I change, and do I really want to?

Questioning your perception of yourself and change and if it’s something that will benefit you, will assist you in determining if currently you really are where you want to be in your life. It’s possible that you haven’t given the thought and focus to an area in your life that you know you need to pay more attention to—develop and grow! The last part of this question has to do with commitment, though, and you have to decide if you’re willing to keep your word to yourself.

3.  What’s the lesson to learn here?

One of my favorite authors and mentors is Lisa Nichols. Lisa wrote a great book called “No Matter What!” I learned to ask myself this question often, especially when presented with a negative outcome. Remember, life is always trying to teach us something. Once we learn the lesson, we get to move on.

I will give you a few more questions in my next post. Check with you later!

Dr. Angela “Tha Gap Closer” Massey

]]> http://drangelamassey.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/ask-the-right-questions-part-1/feed/ 0 drangelamassey http://drangelamassey.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/how-the-gap-closer-was-born/ http://drangelamassey.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/how-the-gap-closer-was-born/#comments Tue, 11 Jan 2011 20:40:55 +0000 Dr. Angela Massey http://drangelamassey.wordpress.com/?p=11 ]]> I was driving through the scenic back roads of Vermont headed to Albany–meditating on what my elevator speech should be. You know, how do I tell people what I do in 30 seconds or less? It came to me that I’m a gap closer! For instance, I had been teaching a public speaking class that week and saw just over 100 people within a 5-day period. Those people came to me in various mental states, ranging from the fear of standing in front of others to “I’m good, but how do I get better.” Throughout our time together, I gave them tips, strategies, and techniques that closed their public speaking gaps. In other words, at the beginning of the day they started at point A with a strong desire to get to point B and no concrete way to transition. I helped them do that.

So anyway, I meditated on the name “The Gap Closer,” and realized that’s it! My USP (Unique Selling Proposition)! My brand! Over the next few months, I’m migrating from “The Purpose Professor” to my new brand because it sums up so well what I do when I speak, teach, train, and coach. And while on paper, I’m the owner and president of Life On Purpose LLC; I’m really an expert gapologist standing ready to help people close their gaps.

Did you know that gapology is a real word? Yep, it is. Double-Tongued Dictionary defines it this way: n. the study or discussion of marked differences between groups, viewpoints, or situations. Also, gapologist, a person who studies such differences. I’m thinking of going even further because I don’t just study gaps, I help people apply specific strategies to close those gaps. I think that would make me a gapolocator! What do you think?

Peace and Prosperity in 2011!

So, what are goals and how do you achieve them?

Goals are representations of your visions about you and your future. They are where you see yourself next week or next month or next year.

How can you Get On Achieving Success? Follow these simple steps and watch your life change right before your very eyes!

1. Work backwards. In his book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr. Stephen Covey calls this “beginning with the end in mind.” Let’s say you’re a 30-something receptionist who has grown tired of making just enough money to get by. You’re living from paycheck to paycheck, so you’ve decided you need to get your Bachelors degree. Well, the end for you is graduation. Visualize that and answer these questions: What was your major? Are you getting a degree in Accounting, Business Administration, Computers? Next, what school are you graduating from? How many credits do you need to graduate? Get it? The benefit of working backwards is that it allows you to create smaller, bite-sized goals that will keep you encouraged along your journey. For example, you get registered for your first class — a milestone! You get through your first semester — another milestone! Before you know it, you’ll have all the coursework done and you’ll be graduating.

2. See it, speak it, seize it. Like a runner training for a race, you have to set your mind for peak performance. This is the mental work that will help develop the proper mindset for a clearer vision of you achieving your goals. If you are vying for promotion in your workplace, it is important that you see yourself already in the position you want; visualization is the ‘see it’ part of the equation. If you leave this out, you won’t be motivated enough to follow through.

Speak it. I’m a firm believer that “the power of life and death is in the tongue.” Affirmations come in handy because they serve to remind you, on both a conscious and subconscious level, that you can and will achieve your goals. Your voice is powerful, and when you hear yourself saying things like: “I am happy and excited walking across the stage to accept my Bachelors degree in Business,” your subconscious mind goes to work to help make that statement a reality. Remember this, you subconscious does not know nor does it care if what you’re saying is reality; if it isn’t, it will start to help you make it reality. How cool is that!

Seize it. To use a few cliches here–take massive action, just do it, get ‘er done, go for the brass ring, etc. Success comes through action not dreams… A-C-T-I-O-N! If you want something, you’ve got to do something. Our receptionist cannot expect to get that degree if she just simply hopes for it. She has to get off her duff and make strategic steps to achieve her goal, and so will you!

When you take these simple steps I’ve outlined for you, I guarantee you will get on achieving success!

Until next blog/vlog post,
Dr. Angela aka ‘The Purpose Professor’
http://www.lifeonpurposellc.com
“Life with no purpose is no life at all!”

My Ah Ha! moment for this blog post: Love money for the good that it can do. What a mental shift for me. Like I told you yesterday, I’ve been working through this whole “money is evil” mindset that’s held me back for more years than I want to mention. Anyway, when I read the statement: Love money for the good that it can do, I had an epiphany! Speller and Shedaker go on to say that money is just energy. Money is neither good nor bad; it’s just money. Like an airplane is neither good nor bad; it’s just an airplane. It can be used to do bad things (i.e., 9/11) or it can be used to do good (getting me to my seminar in Grand Rapids, MI on time — just thought I’d throw that in since I’m a frequent flyer!) So, in essence, thinking of money as energy and focusing on the positive things money can do releases us from unfounded feelings of guilt and shame we sometimes associate with having or not having it. Listen, there is no glory in poverty. Just ask a homeless person.

I don’t know about you, my dear readers, but I love the fact that money can help my elderly parents live more comfortably because I can exchange it for a home health aide. Or what about exchanging it for the steaks I love to order at Texas Roadhouse? Or exchanging it for the joy of knowing I’m helping an elderly Jewish person in Russia get medicine or food when I sent $50 to The International Federation of Christians and Jews? When you put it into perspective, money–because of all the good it can do–is a lovely thing; don’t you agree? What good can you generate in your world, the world of your loved ones, and the world of people-at-large by simply making an exchange? Think about it!

Join me in spreading hope through The Peoples Program, a sure-fire way to get you some more money so that you can make some awesome, life-changing exchanges!

Remember: “Life with no purpose is no life at all!”
Dr. Angela

Here are a few tips to help you work on those important relationships in your life:

OPENLY EXPRESS YOUR FEELINGS

Effective and efficient relationships require open expression on the part of all concerned. You have to express your feelings and positions on all matters pertinent on the relationship. It is not a good practice to just assume that the other party understands your needs.

RESPECT IS THE FOUNDATION

Respect is the key to relationship. You show respect by listening, understanding the other person’s concerns, and acknowledging their efforts. Efficient relationships cannot exist in an environment where people form quick judgements based on unfounded facts and prejudice. Respect is the very foundation for a great relationship. This also means respecting your self and others.

BE DIRECT

Another important practice is to directly talk to your loved one, co-worker, child, etc. to settle differences. Doing so will help you both work towards a win-win solution. This can be achieved when at least one of you acknowledges the importance of the relationship. Remember, when you fail to express whatever is on your mind, it can get in the way of building an effective relationship.

Relationships are important to everyone. Everyone is connected, very much like the saying “No man is an island.”

“Life with no purpose is no life at all!”

Dr. Angela

Anyway, I concluded that most of the problem was mental. The programs worked fine, but I had all kinds of mental blocks keeping me from succeeding. So, I did the only thing any self-respecting self-help blogger would do…I found a book on the subject! Someone once told me “leaders are readers”; I believed it!

The book I found, and the one I want to share with you over my next few blogs, is Seed Money In Action by Dr. Jon Speller and Kathleen Shedaker. As spiritually oriented person, I found this book an eye-opener. For starters, it addresses the guilt some people feel when they expect, want, or need money. For too long people have misquoted the Bible and said that money is evil. Money is not evil; it’s just paper! My background would suggest that if I sowed a seed, expecting a harvest, somehow I was “using God.” Speller and Shedaker point out on page 13:

“It is very important in order for you to practice Seed Money Principles successfully that you first erase the concept that giving and receiving is ‘using God.’ You must give in order to receive, but you must also receive in order to give. It is a cycle of Good, no way ‘using God’, but obeying God’s laws.”

After this revelation, I put the seed money principles in action last Friday (10/20), and I sowed $200 into someone’s life. I consciously created a cycle for good. The next day I did what I thought was a pro-bono seminar for a local church. But guess what? The conference hosts decided to “bless” me with a $200 cash gift! WOW! It hadn’t even been 24 hours!

I have to tell you, guys, I’m very excited; because I know–without a doubt–that when practiced correctly Seed Money principles work! I found a great program to help me to continue creating cycles of good and I invite you to join me.

Well, it’s a proven fact that if your hand is balled up in a fist nothing can get in it; by the same token, nothing can come out of it either. To receive in that balled up hand you first have to open up or make room for whatever it is you stand to receive.

Making room, from a spiritual standpoint, means:

• Cleaning out the negative nooks and crannies in our thought life because thoughts become things.
• Replacing and repairing those negative mind posts with positive energy because our worlds are nothing more than manifested thoughts given positive or negative energy.
• Having faith that God wants to give to you that which you desire; He just needs you to let go of the old so that He can bring in the new.

This is a huge leap for many of us, because we often become so stuck in our comfort zone we inadvertently turn it into a complacent zone. We are afraid of the unknown and petrified to be, do, or have more than those in our immediate circle because we don’t want to be different. The problem with all of that is this: we end up living lives far beneath our potential.

I want a newer car. I’ve prayed about it, meditated on it, visualized it, and given it to God. Or at least I thought I had until this morning when I felt impressed to sell my car! In other words, make room!

What do you want in your life that you currently don’t have? Are you willing to unclentch your fist? Will you make room?

“Life with no purpose is no life at all!”

Dr. Angela

Jack’s Book
http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=purposeology-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0060594896&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr

http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=purposeology-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=068482521X&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr