In a garden there stands a majestic tree. In the winter it stands bare, stripped of its splendour but in the spring it produces a mass of beautiful white blossoms. The flowers appear over the course of a few days like kernels of corn which have reached bursting point.
This grand annual showcase is a poignant reminder of the quote by Anais Nin:
"And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
Many people lament about not being able to truly master success and achieve their full potential. It's like they're caught in a tight bud whose development has, for some reason, been stifled. The thing is, if instead of fulfilling your true destiny you do indeed remain in a bud you're robbing the world of your unique gifts.
But the question is why does this happen in the first place?
Year after year, the tree in the garden blossoms. It knows of no other way of existence. It simply abides by the Laws of Nature and the Laws of the Universe. The tree doesn't worry about what will happen when it blossoms. It doesn't worry that its beautiful flowers are transient. It doesn't hold flowers in reserve. It produces its flowers in abundance. The tree simply fulfils its destiny.
You are a higher life-form than the tree. In fact, you're the highest life-form of all. Success is your birthright.
The difference between you and a tree is that you can think and you can choose. So while the tree abides by the Laws of the Universe you don't have to.
You can consider different options and different paths to take to achieve your goals. But the irony is that unless you abide by the Laws of the Universe your success will be limited and your results will be inconsistent.
So while the tree simply flows with nature and exists in harmony with Universal Laws you will sometimes live in harmony with laws and at other times you will be out of step with these laws. The good thing is that you will know in which state you exist because the Universe always gives excellent feedback by the way of your results.
Simply put, if you're achieving the results and success you desire then you're working in harmony with the Universal Laws.
One of the many reasons why people do not achieve the level of success they desire is because they worry about what it would be like to achieve their goals and be successful. Some worry that their family and or friends might become resentful of their success. Some people think that they will not be able to handle the extra responsibilities that come with success. Some think that becoming wealthy as a result of being successful might change who they are.
They start to rationalise that becoming successful might not be such a good idea after all. Of course these reasons are generally ill-founded. Nonetheless, they're powerful enough to keep them from achieving their goals. They sabotage their success and when the time comes for them to bloom they remain tight in a bud.
If you can relate to this a good exercise is to imagine yourself 5 years down the line. What would life be like for you if you don't take the 'risk' to blossom and things continued along their present trend?
~ Where would you be living?
~ How much money would you be earning?
~ What would you be doing for fun and recreation?
~ What would be the state of your health?
~ How would your family be living?
Answer these questions honestly and you'll find that the perceived 'risk' is insignificant compared to the potential gain. You'll stop resisting change and your true nature. You'll give yourself permission to grow, 'blossom' and spread your abundance.
You'll start to live in harmony with the Universal Laws. You'll become a master at achieving success in your life and you'll give the world the invaluable gift of YOU.
Last year McDonald's was accused of using subliminal advertising in one of the Food Network's most popular programs - Iron Chef.
The Food Network said it was a mistake and McDonald's, one of the sponsors of the program, said that it does not use subliminal advertising. You be the judge. Watch the YouTube video below.
Click the link above if you cannot see YouTube video.
Now, just what are subliminal messages and why would an advertiser want to use them in the first place.
The word subliminal is derived from two Latin words - "sub" meaning under and "limen" meaning threshold. Hence subliminal literally means "below threshold" and subliminal messages are messages which are below the threshold of consciousness.
Subliminal messages are programmed or engineered in such a way as to by-pass your analytical, decision-making conscious mind. They directly target your more easily influenced and receptive sub-conscious mind.
Now, don't think for a minute that because the sub-conscious mind is easily influenced that it is weak - quite the opposite. It is all-powerful and it drives everything we do. Are you beginning to see the importance and potential impact of subliminal messages?
The use of subliminal messages was actually banned by the US Government in the 70s because of reports that they gave "individuals too much of an edge".
Subliminal messages can be in video or audio form. An image flashed on a screen for a fraction of a second will not be interpreted by the conscious mind but the sub-conscious mind processes millions of bits of data each second and the information contained within that quick flash is interpreted and recorded. This process repeated over time, even a short period of time can lead to behavioural changes as the following example illustrates.
Dr James Vicary conducted an experiment in a cinema. It involved flashing "I want popcorn" and "Drink more coke" on a movie screen for just 100-milliseconds.
No one in the movie audience consciously saw the messages but popcorn sales went up by 57.8% and coke sales increased by 18.1%. How do you like dem numbers?
We all use persuasion techniques. It's necessary for our personal and professional survival there is a difference between persuasion and manipulation as Persuasion Expert, Dave Lakhani, points out:
"There's only one true difference between true persuasion and manipulation…it's intent. If your intent is to harm someone, if your intent is inwardly focused and you only want to do something for your own personal gain regardless of the outcome for other people, regardless of what happens to other people then, you're being manipulative.
"If, on the other hand, you help lead people to their very own best conclusion using honour, integrity, ethically and appropriately leading them that way, then they persuade themselves. You don't have to use the puppy dog close, the sharp angled close or anything else. You help people through their experience with you to come to their very own best conclusion"
I use subliminal messages all the time to enhance my own personal development. I also create customised subliminal MP3s and CDs for my coaching clients.
I'm all for the use of subliminal messages when they are used for good and when they are used with an individual's consent. But I'm against the use of subliminal messages to manipulate another individual to do what you want.
Millions probably saw the Food Network show with this particular ad but very few were probably consciously aware that they saw the ad. And, of those that did literally see red, few were probably actually aware of its true significance.
I haven't read the book yet and so cannot review it but I can say this. I regularly listen to Dave's teleseminars and interviews because they have such great content. Dave is extremely articulate and knowledgeable. I therefore have no qualms about recommending his book because I am confident that it will be a great read.
He is offering some very targeted bonuses for purchasing this book including a private teleseminar where he will reveal the latest subliminal persuasion techniques. You can discover more by reading his Subliminal Persuasion Blog.
So once you get the book forward a copy of your receipt to persuasionbook@boldapproach.com and you'll receive instructions for the teleseminar. If you've ALREADY purchased the book, and don't have your receipt just send an email that includes the first word on page 114 of the book.
In a garden there stands a majestic tree. In the winter it stands bare, stripped of its splendour but in the spring it produces a mass of beautiful white blossoms. The flowers appear over the course of a few days like kernels of corn which have reached bursting point.
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