Personal Legend

Life is no straight and easy corridor along
which we travel free and unhampered,
but a maze of passages,
through which we must seek our way,
lost and confused, now and again
checked in a blind alley.

But always, if we have faith,
a door will open for us,
not perhaps one that we ourselves
would ever have thought of,
but one that will ultimately
prove good for us."

A. J. Cronin

I have been listening to Personal Power Classic, the set of 7 CDs that came with Get The Edge program, for the last two weeks. Even though this is supposed to be a seven-day program (where you listen to one CD a day), in reality I more than doubled that time to get through the entire program. Not that I was not committed - in fact, quite the opposite: I totally immersed myself in this program, listening to CDs every day and doing all the exercises religiously (as my posts below can attest). However, I found that this program is very intense and if you have a full life (e.g. career and family), it is difficult to stay on the one CD-per-day schedule. Sure, you could rush through it, but then it wouldn't be as valuable. In fact, I tried to avoid going to the next CD until I have finished the exercises from the previous one. Because of that, since I didn't have time every day to do those exercises, I sometimes had to listen to the same CD a couple of times. It actually turned out to be helpful, since I was often able to catch some new things and have some "aha" moments on the second listen.

Overall, Personal Power Classic is definitely a very intense course that requires a lot of effort and commitment to get the most out of it. Being a first-time listener of Tony Robbins, I was frankly surprise at this level of interactivity and intensity - it definitely takes the program to the next level, as you actively engage with the lessons, rather than just passively listening to them.

In terms of style, Anthony Robbins, of course, has no equal. He has lots of energy and passion that clearly come through the audio recording and he has the ability to get you excited, get you moving. I noticed the difference in the level of my own intensity throughout these couple of weeks. I feel more "on" and I've been able to much better control some of my negative habits, such as procrastination - in fact, I now feel confident that I can overcome it for good in a very short period of time. I've also been better able to stick to my positive actions, such as regular exercise regimen and healthy diet. Overall, I do feel more alive and connected with the world - granted, it's not a HUGE change, but it IS a change, nevertheless.

I was particularly impressed with sessions #1-5. They seemed to flow really well and build effectively on each other. In sessions 6 and 7 it seems that some of that build-up and continuity was lost. I'm not sure whether that's because these were excerpted from the original, longer, Personal Power program, but they definitely feel more disjointed than the first five. I didn't, however, get the sense that Tony was overly advertising his seminars and other programs. Sure, he refers to them from time to time, but they are part of what he does - so of course he wants to point you in the right direction in the event that you want to learn more about a given topic, since he clearly doesn't have enough bandwidth to jam every single detail into these 7 hours.

Despite some of the flaws in the later part of the program, overall I found it extremely valuable. I first purchased Get The Edge with a money-back guarantee, but I don't think that I'll be sending it back, based on the Personal Power portion alone. I view it as an investment in myself - the best investment I could make at this stage in my life. I feel that this program has already made a difference in my life, by enhancing my overall sense of purpose and well-being, as well as helping me begin getting clarity on my goals. I know that there is a lot more to do, and this is only a beginning, but I do feel a sense of excitement about the limitless possibilities that lie before me, as well as a sense of control over my life. It feels great! I can't wait to continue with Get The Edge tomorrow morning.

Want to read more about Personal Power? Why don't you take a look at the following reviews of all seven chapters that I wrote as I completed each one:

Day 1: The Key to Personal Power
Day 2: Pain and Pleasure
Day 3: The Power of Associations
Day 4: The Tree Steps to Lasting Change
Day 5: The Goal-Setting Workshop
My Personal Goals - Summary
Day 6: The Driving Force
Day 7: The Rapid Planning Method

Personal Power Classic - Day 7: The Rapid Planning Method

This is the last CD in the "bonus" Personal Power Classic program that comes with Get The Edge. Day 7 deals with Tony Robbins' concept called "Rapid Planning Method", or RPM. In essence, it is an introduction to a more intensive, 10-day program that he has, called Time of Your Life. The main purpose of RPM is to provide a system of putting focus on things that are most important to you. Rather than being driven by to-do lists and always feeling overwhelmed, this system is designed to first get you focused on the result that you want, then the purpose (why you want it?), and only then the specific actions that you must take to make it happen.

While he does not go into too much detail about RPM (presumably, he wants you to buy the whole program), Tony does introduce one component of this program, called chunking. The point of chunking is that you can group your to-do list into three or four results or outcomes and create a RPM block: a result, a purpose, and a set of action items. By "chunking" your list in this way, you can focus on the few different areas that are important in your life, and the action items will be a natural outcome of your desire to achieve results. I would also imagine that, by doing this, you can see clearly which items on your to-do list do not map to any of your main goals in life, and therefore perhaps are non-essential and can be moved to lower priority or dropped entirely.

Key Concept:

The Three Questions of RPM:
Results: What do I really want? What is my outcome? What is the specific result I'm committed to achieving?
Purpose: Why do I really want it? What is my purpose?
MAP: What specific actions must I take to make this happen? What is my Massive Action Plan (MAP)?

Exercise: Categories of Improvement
Today's exercise asks me to outline 6-8 most important areas of my life that I must make progress in every week. Then, I'll need to write down specific results that I want to achieve in each in the next 90 days, 30 days, and next week. For each result, I have to specify all the reasons why I must make this happen. Finally, for each area, I need to write at least 2 or 3 first steps of my Massive Action Plan or MAP (the specific actions I need to take).

While I'll do this particular exercise off-line, I will report here on any lessons learned from it. I am glad to have an opportunity to do it now. While it does not state so in the instructions or the CD, I intend to go back to my original set of goals and use it as a starting point.

When I first listened to Day 6 of the program, it was somewhat of a letdown. Day 5 got me so excited and engaged with the goal-setting workshop that I was expecting to do further work on my goals. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as Day 6 (as well as Day 7) dealt with mostly unrelated subjects. Personally, I was a bit annoyed at Tony for leaving me without any guidance once my goals have been set. While Days 1 through 5 seemed to have some continuity and were building on each other, there was very little of that in days 6 and 7 - they pretty much can be standalone mini-programs on two different topics. Having been thoroughly enjoying my AR experience, this was the only snag that I hit so far. I do believe that part of the reason is that the Personal Power CDs that are included in this Get The Edge program are intended to give only highlights of that program, hence some of this disjointed nature. While I was initially a bit put off by this, I eventually decided to look past it and continue working through the lessons, since there was still a lot of new material that I could learn.

Personal Power - Day 6: The Driving Force
In this session, Anthony Robbins outlines the Six Human Needs, which are the core needs that every human being has and that need to be met in order to be truly fulfilled. These needs are:

1. Certainty/Comfort
2. Uncertainty/Variety
3. Significance
4. Connection/Love
5. Growth
6. Contribution (#5 and 6 are the primary needs that MUST be met in order to feel totally fulfilled as a person).

The ways in which these needs are fulfilled can be positive or destructive. Tony suggests that we need to establish positive patterns of fulfilling these needs in everything that we do; this way, we will be able to move toward life mastery and personal fulfillment.

Exercise 1: Examine how I fulfill my needs

Certainty/Comfort: by controlling (or trying to control) situations around me (this is obviously not very productive) and by having faith in the final result/outcome.

Uncertainty/Variety: by always learning new things, traveling to new places, trying new skills, seeking new experiences, taking risks.

Significance: by obtaining prestigious degrees, working for well-regarded companies in visible, challenging positions, helping others (which makes me feel needed).

Connections and Love: I mostly get it from my marriage, as well as family and friends. Also, by feeling connected to God and source of creation.

Growth: always learning, always stepping up to new challenges, and setting higher goals for myself.

Contribution: primarily in my career, feeling that I contribute to larger purpose. Also, by helping and being generous with others.

Exercise 2: Finding new patterns of fulfillment

What is something that I love to do that feels effortless:
I have to say that mostly it would be fun things, such as reading (an easy one!)

How does this activity meet my need for (on a scale from 0-10):
Certainty = 10
Significance = 7
Growth = 10
Uncertainty/Variety = 10
Connection/Love = 8
Contribution = 3

What is something that I hate to do:
Public speaking/presenting!

How does this meet my needs:
Certainty = 0
Uncertainty/Variety = 5
Signigicance = 5
Connection/Love = 0
Growth = 5
Contribution = 5

How can I turn this into meeting all of my needs:
Certainty: Here, I just need to have faith and believe in my abilities to give a great presentation.
Uncertainty/Variety: There is more potential for variety if I try to be more attuned to my audience and more interactive in my presentations, less rigid.
Signigicance: I need to derive my sense of significance from the fact that I get to have a special opportunity to present to others, inform them, or influence them!
Connection/Love: By speaking in public, I need to feel that I'm connecting with my audience in a very personal way.
Growth and Contribution: Growth comes from doing a presentation, trying new skills, learning to adapt to the environment, doing something challenging to stretch my abilities. Contribution is from the influence that I can have on my audience.

Having done the exercise, I'm not sure that I'm ready to go out and present without worry, but I do think it provides a valuable framework for transforming something that we don't like to do (but is good for us) into something that we can actually enjoy along the way.

Yesterday's goal-setting workshop was very productive. It's good to sit down and actually write some of these things down in a focused manner. It also made me realize that many of my goals are quite long-term, and forced me to consider and focus on some of the shorter-term goals. Being the practical person that I am, most of my short-term goals tie back to long-term goals. While my natural tendency is to be conservative, I did make an effort to really shoot for the stars and think about some of the ultimate things that I dream about. I do know in my heart that I have everything I need to reach these "wild" goals inside me now, and I have no doubt that I will. I have faith that with proper focus and effort I will get there.

So, to summarize my goals over the next year, why they are important to me, and what is the first action that I am going to take toward each of them:

1. To develop my spiritual side, to be closer to God in my daily life.

Why it's important: I've neglected this area of my life for a long time, so I long to get back to it. Spiritual growth and fulfillment are important because I do believe in God, and I know that the path that I have to walk towards achieving my spiritual goals is long - I want to begin it as soon as possible. Without God, none of my other goals would be possible.

First step: Contact my spiritual father, whom I haven't spoken to in 3 years.

2. I want to become better and more productive in everything I do: I want to overcome procrastination and other ineffective habits.

Why: There are a lot of things that I want to accomplish - being focus and organized will help me get there. I need to overcome my negative habits so that nothing slows me down as I pursue the rest of my dreams.

First step: Continue what I've been doing, which means no Internet (my main procrastination method) at work tomorrow. Update: I completed this first step successfully today; on top of that, I did something last night before going to bed that I'd have normally procrastinated on (sending an email to a friend). So, overall, I already feel pretty good about this goal. Let's see if I can make it a habit!

3. In terms of health, I want to be very healthy - so that I never, ever get sick. I want my diet to be mostly organic. I want to become strong physically, in excellent shape, and full of energy and exuberance.

Why: I want to be healthy, first of all, so that when I'm ready to have my first child, that I will be in 100% health so that I could have easy pregnancy, delivery and recovery. Also, so that my child(ren) are completely healthy. Secondly, I want to be able to accomplish a lot and live a full and long life - for that, I need my health and I need physical energy.

First step: Continue the diet and exercise regimen that I have already started. Update: Again, success today: ate healthy and dragged myself after work to my exercise class. I only cheated a tiny bit on my program by having a small cookie (I really needed that sugar before my workout, and didn't have any healthier alternatives).

4. Travel to Paris

Why: I've been wanting to do this for a long time; it will be a perfect place for me to see with my husband and celebrate our wedding anniversary. I love French culture, and it will be great to see it for the first time with my eyes.

First step: Create a budget and begin saving.

5. Improve my French

Why: It is one of my life's goals (to become fluent in French), and I will need it to get the most of my visit to France.

First step: Contact my teacher to see if I can resume lessons with her.

6. Promotion to higher-level position, making six-figure salary
Why: I've been working very hard, and I know that I will be ready for a promotion. It is important for my overall life goals as well. It will bring me a lot of satisfaction and a feeling of success.

First step: Wake up early and go to work early tomorrow (lots of things to do). Update: well, I didn't wake up exactly early, but with a lot of energy. I was effective in my work (unencumbered by procrastination, per Goal #2), so overall I feel that I'm on track there.

7. Have $100K (cash) in bank, and credit cards and private student loans paid off (or have enough money, on top of $100K, to pay them off)

Why: This is important so that I could have positive net worth (excluding our house) and be ready to start our business and buy our next house, and not be saddled with debt.

First step: Write down actual numbers and make a specific plan

8. Make $150K annually from both my job and outside business/investments

Why: This will be a key accomplishment and a test of my abilities and goals. If I am to meet my ultimate financial goal, I will need to be able to ramp things up fairly quickly. This level of income would allow me to build a good foundation for all of my shorter-term financial goals as well. It will also give me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment and security. The main reason I want this is so that I could ultimately have freedom to do whatever I want, spend more time with my family, travel, and pursue personal growth.

First step: Make a plan for how much extra I will need to make (on top of my salary and other sources of income) and research how I can get additional income on the side in order to get me there.

9. Have my business plan in place

Why: This is a key part of my goal strategy; I need to spend the next year getting very clear as to what the business will be, lining up the necessary knowledge and resources. I absolutely have to have my own company, and this will be the first step in getting there. Besides being an important personal goal of mine, it is also key for the rest of my financial goals falling into place.

First steps: Put together a month-by-month plan for what I need to do in order to get clarity on what my business will be.

So, these are my goals. Now, I will follow Tony Robbins' 3-point plan for solidifying my goals:

1. I will print out this list and keep my goals and the reasons for why I'm committed to achieving them in front of me on a consistent basis. I will commit to looking at this list at least once every day.
2. Write down the initial actions toward my goals (already done) and take them immediately. While I cannot do them all today, I commit to having at the minimum the first step for each goal done before I leave for vacation in two weeks.
3. The rocking chair test: imagining myself toward the end of my life, looking back on my life, first as if I had not achieved my goal, and then if I have. I'll need to practice doing so in order to experience the pain associated with not doing it, and the pleasure that would come from accomplishing it.

I will also commit to doing this goal setting exercise on at least an annual basis, reviewing and refining my existing goals and setting new ones as needed. I will also do a check-point one year from now, on May 15th to see how many of these goals I have achieved.

Personal Power Classic - Day 5: The Goal-Setting Workshop

Today's lesson is about setting goals. The first half of it deals with the importance of setting specific, precise goals in order to achieve success in any area of your life.

Key Concept:

Compelling goals contain two key components:

1. Identify your goals: What do you want?
2. Identify your purpose: Why do you want it? What will it give you?

Quote of note: "Something magical happens when you take generalized impulses of desire and start defining them more precisely. ... When you get a big enough reason to accomplish something, you can figure out how to do it."

Of course, like many people, I already know the importance of setting specific goals and writing them down. Unfortunately, even though I believe in this premise, I've never actually done it. That's why I was so excited to find out that the second half of Day 5 was actually a guided exercise, where Tony takes you through a goal-setting exercise step by step, in real time.

Exercise: The Goal-Setting Workshop

In this exercise, I will follow Tony's instructions and record my goals in the three areas below, unedited, in real-time with the CD. Here we go:

1. Personal Development Goals

[Numbers in parenthesis = within what number of years do I plan on achieving this goal? For the goals in 1 year or less, I choose the top 3 (in bold), and for each one give the reason why it's important that I achieve it. For each of these 9 goals (3 in each of the 3 sections), I also give the first step that I'm going to take towards it right away].

I would like to become achieve success in my career, doing work that I love and working with people I enjoy (1). I will be sought out and respected in my position, but my work will not be in conflict with my life (2). My activities outside of work will also be important: I will start and grow my own business (2), working on it together with my husband, so that eventually I could retire from my career (12).

In my family life, I want to be a wonderful mother to my child(ren) (3), and a great wife to my husband (1). I want to be a great daughter, sister and friend (1). I want to bring joy and fulfillment to outher people (1).

I want to continue to grow, intellectually and spiritually (1). I want to become fluent in French, and I want to remain close to my native culture.

I'd like to develop my spiritual side, to be closer to God in my daily life (1).

Why it's important: I've neglected this area of my life for a long time, so I long to get back to it. Spiritual growth and fulfillment are important because I do believe in God, and I know that the path that I have to walk towards achieving my spiritual goals is long - I want to begin it as soon as possible. Without God, none of my other goals would be possible.

First step: Contact my spiritual father, whom I haven't spoken to in 3 years.

I want to become better and more productive in everything I do: I want to overcome procrastination and other ineffective habits (1).

Why: There are a lot of things that I want to accomplish - being focus and organized will help me get there. I need to overcome my negative habits so that nothing slows me down as I pursue the rest of my dreams.

First step: Continue what I've been doing, which means no Internet (my main procrastination method) at work tomorrow.

In terms of health, I want to be very healthy - so that I never, ever get sick (1). I want my diet to be mostly organic (1). I want to become strong physically, in excellent shape, and full of energy and exuberance (1).

Why am I committed: I want to be healthy, first of all, so that when I'm ready to have my first child, that I will be in 100% health so that I could have easy pregnancy, delivery and recovery. Also, so that my child(ren) are completely healthy. Secondly, I want to be able to accomplish a lot and live a full and long life - for that, I need my health and I need physical energy.

First step: Continue the diet and exercise regimen that I have already started.

2. Things Goals

Things I want to have, do, be, create (if there were no limits):

• Travel to Paris (1)

Why: I've been wanting to do this for a long time; it will be a perfect place for me to see with my husband and celebrate our wedding anniversary. I love French culture, and it will be great to see it for the first time with my eyes.

First step: Create a budget and begin saving.

• Take French classes (1)

Why: It is one of my life's goals, and I will need it to get the most of my visit to France.

First step: Contact my teacher to see if I can resume lessons with her.

• Travel to my native country (2)
• Beautiful house in the hills of Northern California with a breathtaking view (2)
• New car (2)
• Buy second house in a beautiful location (5)
• Net worth of $10,000,000 (20)
• One condo in San Francisco and one in New York (10)
• Travel the world and see all countries in Europe, as well as other continets (20)
• Move to Carmel into a large house by the ocean (20)
• Vacation every year in the Caribbean (10)
• The freedom to spend several months a year traveling (10)

[Ok, so I only had two goals here that have under 1-year time horizon. I guess I'm just not that materialistic right now. The most important goals for me over the next year are the financial goals (see below). I figure if I concentrate on those right now, I will be in much better position to achieve my other, somewhat more ambitions, "things goals" over the next few years.]

3. Economic or Financial Goals

• I want to own and run a successful company with my husband
• By 20 years, I want us to be worth $10 million
• Within next year, I want to be making $150,000 per year
• Within five years, I want to be making $250,000 per year (today's dollars)
• I want to have a number of successful real estate properties bringing in income
• I want to be able to retire from work in 12 years
• I want to take 8 months off when I have my child(ren)

The following are more specific goals (broken up by time period):

1-year goals:

• Promotion to higher-level position, making six-figure salary (1)

Why: I've been working very hard, and I know that I will be ready for a promotion. It is important for my overall life goals as well. It will bring me a lot of satisfaction and a feeling of success.

First step: Wake up early and go to work early tomorrow (lots of things to do)

• Have $100K (cash) in bank, and credit cards and private student loans paid off (1) (or have enough money, on top of $100K, to pay them off)

Why: This is important so that I could have positive net worth (excluding our house) and be ready to start our business and buy our next house, and not be saddled with debt.

First step: Write down actual numbers and make a specific plan

• Make $150K annually from both my job and outside business/investments

Why: This will be a key accomplishment and a test. If I am to meet my ultimate financial goal, I will need to be able to ramp things up fairly quickly. This level of income would allow me to build a good foundation for all of my shorter-term financial goals as well. It will also give me a tremendous feeling of accomplishment and security. The main reason I want this is so that I could ultimately have freedom to do whatever I want, spend more time with my family, travel, and pursue personal growth.

First steps: Research how I can get additional income on the side.

• Have my business plan in place

Why: This is a key part of my goal strategy; I need to spend the next year getting very clear as to what the business will be, lining up the necessary knowledge and resources. I absolutely have to have my own company, and this will be the first step in getting there. Besides being an important personal goal of mine, it is also key for the rest of my financial goals falling into place.

First steps: Put together a month-by-month plan for what I need to do in order to get clarity on what my business will be.

[I cheated a little and put 4 goals here - but I fugured since my "things goals" were so sparse, it only makes sense to put more emphasis on my financial goals, at least in this first year. Money, then things.]

3-year goals:

• Have company in place
• Own at least 3 properties (one primary, second house, and investment property)
• Have net worth of $500,000
• Have $250,000 annual income (excl. my husband's salary)

5-year goals:

• Own multiple cash-flow generating properties
• Run successful business
• Net worth = $1,000,000

10-12-year goals:

• Leave rat race; work for myself
• Own multiple income-generating properties
• Net worth = $5,000,000

20-year goals:

• Retirement
• Net worth = $10,000,000

Personal Power Classic - Day 4: The Three Steps to Lasting Change

Today's session deals with how to change neuro-associations and NAC (Neuro-Associative Conditioning).

Key Concept:

NAC consists of three fundamental elements:

1. Get leverage on yourself. To do this, you must decide the following: a. Something must change. b. I must change it. c. I can change it.
2. Interrupt your current pattern of association.
3. Condition a new, empowering emotion.

Quote of note: "Any thought, emotion or behavior that is consistently reinforced will become a habit (a conditioned pattern)."

The theory of NAC (Neuro-Associative Conditioning) makes sens, yet in all of the examples he uses it is he (Tony Robbins) who does step 2 (interrupting the pattern of association). I wonder if an individual can interrupt their own pattern, since we often may not even be aware of these patterns in our thoughts. At the very list, I think it would be a lot harder to do.

Exercise: The three steps to lasting change

I am supposed to repeat the three steps for each of the four actions from Day 2. However, I may change/replace some of them with the things that I most want to change.

Action #1: End procrastination pattern

Step 1: Get leverage

Ten reasons I must change now, and why I know I can do it:
1. I'm tired of this procrastination pattern; it makes me sick
2. I don't want to have guilt for not doing things
3. I don't want it to take away valuable time from things that are important to me
4. I want to accomplish more
5. I want to be proud of the work that I do and fulfilled
6. I don't want to have to be stressed about deadlines
7. I don't want the quality of my work to suffer
8. I don't want it to limit my future or what I can accomplish in life
9. I want to be in control
10. I'm ready to take charge of my destiny!

Step 2: Interrupt your own pattern

I will get myself out of the limiting situations the following way:
1. When I catch myself procrastinating, I will stand up and move around
2. I will do something productive, even if it's a little thing
3. I will think of the negative consequences of my actions
4. I will think of it not as hard work but as something I choose to do

Step 3: Condition yourself by rehearsing your new behavior

"Give yourself a sense of accomplishment and exhiliration, pride, or joy each time you do this. Do it consistently and rapidly until each time you think of this new pattern you feel good automatically."

Action #2: Keep in touch with relatives and friends

Step 1: Get leverage

Ten reasons I must change now, and why I know I can do it:
1. I don't want to lose touch
2. I want to know what's going on in their lives
3. I want my life to be rich with fulfilling relationships
4. I want them to know that I care about them
5. I want to be important in their lives
6. I want to feel strong connection
7. I want to be able to share special times, even when we're not together
8. I want to be a source of joy for them
9. I want to be happy from knowing I made a difference
10. I want to have friends around the world

Step 2: Interrupt your own pattern

I will get myself out of the limiting situations the following way:
1. Each weekend, I will contact at least one person from my life with a meaningful email or conversation
2. When I get an email, a package or a call from them, I will respond right away
3. When I think of someone, I will immediately take action (or as soon as possible) to let that person know I'm thinking about them
4. I will make notices in my calendar about their birthdays and call or email them every year on that day

Step 3: Condition yourself by rehearsing your new behavior

"Give yourself a sense of accomplishment and exhiliration, pride, or joy each time you do this. Do it consistently and rapidly until each time you think of this new pattern you feel good automatically."

Action #3: Start a business venture

Step 1: Get leverage

Ten reasons I must change now, and why I know I can do it:
1. This is the perfect time in my life to do it: I have a stable day job that gives me enough flexibility to start a business on the side, and I don't have any family commitments.
2. If I don't begin now, it will never happen (I've already waited too long)
3. I have all the knowledge to do it
4. I don't want to waste all my knowledge and talent by not doing it
5. I don't want to have regrets
6. I want to be financially independent and retire early from the rat race
7. I want to have an extraordinary life
8. I want to be able to do this together with my husband
9. I want to be my own boss
10. I want to be in control of my destiny

Step 2: Interrupt your own pattern

I will get myself out of the limiting situations the following way:
1. I will set aside time each week to work on my plan, starting with 2 hours/week
2. I will think about it every time I pray or do affirmations/visualizations
3. Every time I think about it, I will think of all the reasons listed above and how blissfully happy the idea of it makes me feel
4. Any time I have doubt, I will remind myself that it's ok if I fail the first, second, or third time - as long as I take a chance and keep trying.

Step 3: Condition yourself by rehearsing your new behavior

"Give yourself a sense of accomplishment and exhiliration, pride, or joy each time you do this. Do it consistently and rapidly until each time you think of this new pattern you feel good automatically."

Action #4: Lead healthy lifestyle

Step 1: Get leverage

Ten reasons I must change now, and why I know I can do it:
1. I'm already on my way: over the past couple of weeks especially, I have invested time and effort into eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis.
2. I don't want all my efforts so far go to waste if I return to my "normal" habits.
3. I want to have excellent health; I don't EVER want to be sick again, not even with a cold
4. I want to be able to have healthy children when I'm ready for it
5. I want my pregnancy/childbirth/recovery to go as smoothly as possible when that happens
6. I want to look young at any age
7. I want to have energy for all the things that I still want to accomplish in life
8. I want to live for a long time in perfect health
9. I want to look good when I go on vacation
10. I want to be in control of my body and my life

Step 2: Interrupt your own pattern

I will get myself out of the limiting situations the following way:
1. I will commit to regular exercise routine (at least 30 minutes/day)
2. I will continue to eat well, and buy organic whenever I can
3. Each week I will try a new recipe to keep variety in food
4. Whenever I want to break #1 or 2, I will take a break, drink a glass of water, and think of the 10 reasons listed above.

Step 3: Condition yourself by rehearsing your new behavior

"Give yourself a sense of accomplishment and exhiliration, pride, or joy each time you do this. Do it consistently and rapidly until each time you think of this new pattern you feel good automatically."

[Full disclamer: Man, I really didn't want to do this exercise today! It's late here, and I was ready for bed. I also didn't have very good ideas about what to write. Then, I thought about all the new learning I'd be missing tomorrow if I'd have put it off for another day. I then had to force myself to sit down and finish this exercise (and I was grumpy too!) But funny thing happened - as I began writing all these things down, I began getting really excited! Words began flying from my keyboard, and I was typing as fast as I could. All this energy and inspiration have filled me up... It's truly amazing what the simple act of merely articulating and writing down one's thoughts and feelings can do to transform how we feel. This is Personal Power in action!]

One great thing about Tony Robbins' program is that he really forces you to apply immediately everything you learn. After each CD, he asks you to do a number of exercises (which I've been doing here), and you are not supposed to begin the next CD until you've completed the previous assignment. This allows you to build on each day's lessons, apply them immediately, and (hopefully) begin seeing the results right away. The bad thing about that is, when you don't have enough time to do the exercises, you're forced to wait (and that's why I haven't been posting for the last couple of days). However, it's also a great motivator, and since I can't wait to get to the next CD, I've had to make an effort to make time for this reflection period.

Personal Power Classic - Day 3: The Power of Associations

This day of the program deals with neuro-associations (the way that certain situations are linked to either a pleasure or pain in our minds), which drive our behavior. In order to change our lives, we must change our neuro-associations.

Key Concept:
"Every single action you take has an effect on your destiny. If we study destiny, we find everything in life has four parts:

1. Everything we think or do is a cause set in motion.
2. Every one of our thoughts and actions is going to have an effect or result in our lives.
3. Our results begin to "stack up" to take our lives in a particular direction.
4. For every direction, there is an ultimate destination or destiny."

Quote of note: "Every single action you take has an effect on your destiny."

Exercise : Empowering vs. Disempowering Neuro-Associations

Step 1: Three empowering neuro-associations from my past (that have positively shaped my destiny):

1. Associating learning new things with pleasure (that's why I'm doing this program!)
2. Associating taking (calculated) chances and trying new things with pleasure - that's why I'm where I am today.
3. Associating achievement/success with pleasure - that's what keeps me working hard at everything I put my mind to.

Step 2: Three disempowering neuro-associations from my past:

1. Associating work with pain - which causes me to procrastinate often.
2. Associating starting a business with pain - that's why I've never tried it, although I would love to do it it very much.
3. Associating physical exercise with pain - although I'm already beginning to work on that.

Energized by my first Hour of Power, I continued on to CD #2 on Saturday. It was my favorite CD so far, as it dealt with the two basic controlling forces that direct your life. These forces are our fundamental need to avoid pain and our desire to gain pleasure. Everything we do (or don't do) in life, and every decision that we make, is linked to these forces, with pain being the greater motivator. This explains, for example, procrastination, which results from the fact that we want to avoid the more immediate pain of an unpleasant task by giving up some future (but more distant) reward. The trick lies in reprogramming our brain to control these forces of pain and pleasure and to use them productively to direct our own lives instead of being controlled by these forces.

Quote of note: "[Y]ou have to decide right now that you control the focus of your mind. If you're not following through, all you have to do is focus on, "What's the pain I'm going to have if I don't do this?"

Exercise: Utilizing Pain and Pleasure to Change Your Life
[I'm just getting to do this exercise, due to the busy weekend and the catching up that I had to do here yesterday in order to get you all up to speed on this program (hey, getting my blog going again counts as overcoming procrastination, doesn't it?!). I decided not to listen to any new material until I have performed all the exercises, so I should be able to do Day 3 tomorrow and will post another update then.]

Step 1: List four new actions:

1. Do the budget (my bad - I still haven't done it!)
2. Call my dad
3. Sort my clothes
4. Brush my dog (and do it daily)

Step 2: Pain I've associated with following through with these actions in the past:

1. Obvious - a lot of tedious work
2. I have difficulty relating to my dad and I'm afraid that I won't have anything to talk to him about, plus the pain of giving up more pleasurable activities. Also, the pain of guilt that I didn't call him when I should have, which I don't have to acknowledge if I don't speak to him.
3. Again, pretty obvious - tedious work and the pain of giving up more fun activities (like sleep!).
4. It's really not much fun, because every time she fights me like crazy.

Step 3: Pleasure I've associated with NOT following through:

1. I don't know... doing more fun stuff?
2. Same thing as above.
3. Same as above.
4. Same as above. (Is there ever any other pleasure from procrastinating?)

Step 4: Pain if I don't follow through:

1. Nagging feeling if it doesn't get done: worry about my finances; feeling disorganized; not feeling in control.
2. Feeling guilty for neglecting my dad (the longer the time, the worse it will get, the more reluctant I will feel to call him).
3. Feeling disorganized; closet is a mess; clothes are a mess; hard to know what I already have or what I need to buy for the summer.
4. The longer I wait, the more matted she'll get, the more painful it will be to brush her.

Step 5: Pleasure if I follow through:

1. Feeling great and in control of my finance.
2. Feeling happy to have spoken with dad, shown that I care and find out what's going on in his life. Feel like a "good daughter".
3. Feeling good about my clothes; confident in wearing nice things that look good on me; feeling stylish and put together; saving money by not having to buy duplicates to what I already have.
4. Feeling proud of how nice my dog looks, happy to see her healthy, beautiful hair.

As I promised myself the day before, I got up early on Saturday morning (at 6 am) to get an early start on my day by doing the Hour of Power. While brushing my teeth, inspired by yesterday's lesson, I even make a bonus decision: from now on, I will floss at least once a day. I take immediate action by flossing. Hey, that felt pretty good!

I then go outside for a long walk, doing my Hour of Power, which involves several steps:

1. Move and Breathe (5 minutes)
2. Get Grateful and Visualize (10 minutes)
3. Use Incantations and Exercise (15-30 minutes)

I decided to do #1 and 2, since I was going to do my usual workout later that morning. These parts took me almost an hour (with introduction, some rewinding, and some pauses), and I must say that thoroughly enjoyed them. The most powerful for me was the gratitude exercise, which made me think of all the things in my life that I was grateful for. My list was so long that I had to pause the CD! I started thinking of all the blessings in my life, from my health, to my husband, to my family and friends, to my career, to the place where we live... It was an incredibly emotional experience as I was literally moved to tears thinking about all the wonderful blessings that I've been given. The other exercises, such as affirmations and visualizations, helped set my mind in a positive, productive direction. I intend to continue doing the Hour of Power every morning to charge myself up for the day.

Following the instructions, last Friday I got started on the first day of the Personal Power Classic seven-day bonus program that comes with Get The Edge. I immediately liked this section - the material was energizing and inspiring, and not at all outdated as I had originally feared.

The gist of today's program is that the only way to make a lasting change in our life is to make a decision, follow through, and keep trying until we reach the desired result. But in order to take action, we first have to know what we want, the desired outcome that we want to achieve.

Quote of note: "Never leave the site of setting a goal or making a decision without taking some action towards its attainment. That's how you create momentum and start to tap into the real driving force within you."

Exercise: Taking Action to Change Your Life
In this exercise, I'm asked to make two decisions that I've been putting off, which, if I make them now, will change my life:
1. Begin doing the Hour of Power (which I had missed that day)
2. Update the household budget.

Then, I'm asked to take three simple but immediate actions on these decisions. Unfortunately, it is late, so I make myself a promise to do these tomorrow instead. However, I lay out my walking clothes so that I could go do the Hour of Power first thing the next morning.