Hey Everyone!

I trust you are all doing awesome so far in 2010 and making the most of every single moment you are alive!!!

Most of you understand me pretty well by now and know I've constantly challenged myself to always better myself in some way - everyday right? Well, comfort zones are more like cages and I decided my workouts for the last many years have become WAYYYY too comfortable. I do some of this...some of that....push hard sometimes...go easy others...skip a few days....you get the picture.

Well, I decided that enough was enough! At the ripe young age of 41 I've decided to start an exercise program that will really push me way beyond both my mental and physical limits. The workout is awkwardly called "P90X" - when it should be called "You Are Seriously Going To Hurt!"

In a nutshell, you purchase just a few pieces of relatively inexpensive equipment and watch the dvd's in the comfort of your own home. The workouts are about 1hr long - six consecutive days a week. God did say Sunday is for rest right? Well, I'm going to need it! The concept is "muscle confusion" and let me tell you already - they are confused! My brain tells my leg to get up and the leg doesn't remember how

Using core body weight, some dumbbells, and resistance bands, you workout nearly non-stop for that hour! 30 second breaks to guzzle some water and catch your breath (yeah right) and you're on to the next beating (I mean exercise).

I'm doing this and sharing the exciting journey for a few reasons: (1) To push myself mentally and physically like I've never before (2) To prove that overcoming the most difficult challenges in life is truly mind over matter. This is a huge time commitment, huge physical commitment, and eating commitment at a time when I'm already pressed to the walls with so many other very important projects in my life.

I'm being super honest with myself because I know the negative chatter in my head (the words/talk we use) will constantly try to pursuade me to give up or skip here and there. I WILL beat that banter with a BIG "F-NO" stick! I can see the finish line now (3months prior) and I feel and look tremendous!! I'm sooo damm proud of myself that I get a reward I've been wanting for a long time, but never got! I really deserve it now - don't I?

Yes...it will suck...hurt....it will get in my way...but ya know what? I can and will press on no matter what (unless my knee or my shoulder, or my elbow pops like a coiled up spring).

I will share this journey with you as part of my posts here so you can see I follow my own advice - and that I'm just like all of you. Trying to become better, healthier, happier, all the while the world takes its stabs at me - throwing "life" my way.

As of today, I've completed three of the six workouts for Phase I. Last night, the program called "Plyometrics", was by far, the hardest I've ever pushed myself phyiscally in one hour (I'll refrain from the many jokes I could place here). The only equipment I used were my legs. In one hour, I burned nearly 1,000 calories! Wholly Sh*T! OUCH! But, I'm SOOO incredibly proud of myself that I did this after an 1hr 1/2 drive home, an exhausting day at work, and being sick. Mind over matter my friends.

I really really hope you find YOUR power in this experience I'm sharing with you. To know, to believe, to commit to doing whatever it is you truly want to accomplish in life. To press on when the pain is unbearable...to know that it will be alright and you will survive

Until the next time, please ALWAYS believe that just when you think you can't anymore...you damm well CAN!

All my best,

Christopher

I bet when you read the title of this week’s post you thought to yourself “Crap – I hate those things!” The word just sounds like a spanking waiting to happen doesn’t it?

Often, in my coaching experience, I repeatedly hear the following statements:

CLARIFICATION: Words, in and of themselves, do NOT have meaning. WE assign the meaning based on our experiences.

So, I’ve been discussing over the last few weeks the conditioning processes we've gone through in life. As a result of this conditioning, we’ve made agreements about ourselves and the world based on the positive and constructive (notice I didn’t say “negative”) experiences we’ve had. Needless to say, words play an instrumental role in our happiness and success wouldn’t you agree? Simply put, one word can have a completely different meaning to five people depending on their conditioning with that particular word.

Hey Everyone!

So last week we were talking about the conditioning process that we’ve all gone through in our lives. These are the agreements we've made as a result of being around people who had significant impacts on our fragile minds.

The "Lifework” assignment last week asked you to list out all of the negative comments you remember growing up. Let me just say, from the bottom of my heart, thank you to those who reached out to let me know this is exactly what you needed right now.

Because I believe we’re all in this together, I will share with you some of the statements I remember growing up:

         "Would you just shut up?"
         "I really wish you weren't so stupid!"
         "Can't you get anything right???"
         "Just do what I tell you!"

So what masterminds have contributed to the negative crap we’ve been toting around?

• Family (just because they’re there and they can)
• Teachers (report cards, feedback on assignments, favoritism)
• Friends (peer pressure, misery loves company, to feel superior)
• Society (magazines, news, commercials, “experts”)

So why in the hell do we let the conditioning effect us? Simply put, we crave acceptance and positive recognition by all of the above people. Seriously, this is a main reason why gangs are so popular with kids. You see, the acceptance they don't get from their family they DO get from being a part of a gang. Sad isn’t it?

In any situation, we have the choice to either accept the situation for what it is or decide to change it. If you do neither, then you only have yourself to blame for your crappy situation. So, I ask you, are you ready to change the conditioning that is preventing you from achieving your dreams?

Disclaimer: changing life-long beliefs will not be easy nor will it happen overnight. It takes courage, commitment, consistency, and patience. However, if you are truly sick and tired of living your life based on what other people said what you were capable of doing, then, this will truly be the beginning of your new life. Welcome!

For me, I decided I wasn't willing to let ANYONE tell ME how I was going to turn out! I made the decision to do WHATEVER it took to make my life what I wanted it to be. I used to say “success is the best revenge!”, but as I've become more mature, I don't really like the word "revenge" as much as I used to. I just believe we deserve to be successful and happy and what better way to do it than to show those who programmed us that it can be done “Neener…neener…neeeeenerrrr!!!”

• Here are just some of the actions I took:
  Read as much information on changing attitudes, outstanding relationships, goal achievement, organizational and time management skills.
• Researched the successful people who I respected and admired and found out what were the keys to their success and began to model that behavior
• Surrounded myself with as much motivational information I could stand (books, tapes, videos, inspirational quotes)
• Surrounded myself with positive & successful people – we’re like the five people were around most!
• Wrote down my vision for success and looked at it several times a day
• Wrote down goals I wanted to accomplish everyday and started doing them
• Asked for help
• Wrote A LOT in my journal to express my hurt, anger, and frustrations buried deep inside of me
• Learned about the power of visualization! It taught me that by seeing what I wanted to be so vividly in my mind it could reprogram my subconscious to achieve that vision

Here’s what you can start doing right now:
1) Create a mission statement describing your new attitude and philosophy about life
     a) Read it out loud when you wake up and before you go to sleep every night
     b) Share it with those around you know will support and believe in you

2) Read autobiographies of successful people whom you admire

3) Get and read these books SEVERAL times:

         “How To Win Friends And Influence People" by Dale Carnegie
         “The Four Agreements" by Miguel Ruiz
         "Tuesdays With Morrie" by Mitch Albom
         “Awaken The Giant Within" by Tony Robbins
         "Think And Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill "
         "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch
         “Man’s Search For Meaning” Viktor Frankyl

To build on this discussion of changing our conditioning, next week we'll talk about the words we use which definitely shapes our beliefs, attitudes, and outcomes.

Always remember: life is a journey, not a destination! Love like you've never been hurt, laugh like there's no tomorrow, and dance like no one is watching!

All my best for your happiness and success,

Christopher

PS: If you are super serious, I’m taking on just a few more coaching clients and guarantee we can change your conditioning together!

How Did I End Up Like This?

What’s going on my friends??? I have to tell ya, I truly expect 2010 to be an OUTSTANDING year for all of us! I REALL REALLY do!

First off, I MUST thank all our new subscribers here and extended sincere appreciation for my friends who’ve been here all through 2009! You're ALL awesome!

So let's get into it shall we? We’ve all been on our own journey thus far in life and the sum of our experiences make us who we are today agreed? I honestly believe EVERYTHING happens for a reason. Sure, we may not like the crappy situation at the time, but upon reflection, after we survived, we have truly grown. Pushing past what you believe to be your end is where real growth happens. Work a muscle and it gets stronger!

With that, I want to talk about the conditioning process we’ve all gone through as part of our journey to get to where we are today. Miguel Ruiz, in his book "The Four Agreements" talks about the agreements we made with ourselves as part of being who we are today. Now, this is a long topic, but I will try my best to keep it concise so it doesn't go on forever

We pop into this world kicking and screaming and immediately what do we get? Yes, attention and lots of it! We quickly discover when we cry in octaves that only dogs can hear that somebody is right there trying to calm us the heck down! Whether it’s making us giggle, giving us food, or softly singing to make us feel safe and secure right? People just can’t get enough of us during that first 6months or so. But somewhere the newness wears off doesn’t it?

The next stage in journey is when we become a toddler. This is where we’re able to get ourselves around and into some fun…uh I mean trouble. With that, we got introduced to this little word that would be repeated LOUD and often - the word "NO!" Shrieks of "NO, don't do that!" or "NO, don't touch that" or my favorite “NO, get that out of your nose!” However, when we were sitting there being good little toddlers playing with our blocks did we hear “YES, what a good little boy/girl playing so nice and quietly!” Correct me if I’m wrong, but we probably received more negative reinforcement than we did positive right? So what did WE do wrong? We went from all sorts of loving and caring to being a pain for our parents. The conditioning process is already in full swing my friends.

So what’s going on in our minds? Rejection, disappointment, punishment, loss of love, fear? Honestly, I thought my name was “stupid” because that's what my mom called me more than my real name. Then, do some of us learn manipulation? If I cry louder, harder, and longer, will I get what I want? Do some people carry that with them into adulthood???

The point I’m trying to make is we are conditioned all along the path to becoming responsible or irresponsible adults – we’ve made conscious or unconscious agreements with what we learned. For many, we’re programmed with limiting beliefs that we continue to make true in our lives today. Why? Because that’s what we believe to be true. Ever wonder why at the circus the elephants don’t go running mad like Sarah Palin at an intellectuals retreat? Because, as little babies, they are tethered to a rope, they try to leave, but can’t…they aren’t strong enough. So they give up. So, they carry that with them their whole life – believing they can’t break free. Just like us. They have been conditioned

Over the next week or so, think about this and how it may apply to your life. Write down all the negative statements that still ring in your head from your youth and even the ones you might be hearing today. In the next article, we’ll continue on how we change this crappy programming. To begin unlocking the adversity chains and begin to Achieve Your Dreams!!!

Have a super week and as always, ALL my best to your happiness and success!

Christopher

Happy New Year my fellow Dream Achievers and welcome to the rest of your exciting life here in 2010!!!

We’ve heard it said a bazillion times, "Out with the old and in with the new" and there’s no better time than NOW to apply it. Heck, it’s a brand new decade and the proverbial slate is as clean as a Thanksgiving dinner plate after Sparky was through with it!  

Now, I’m going bet, many of you decided no matter what, this WILL BE the year you’re going to make your resolutions become realities right? Most likely, you’re sick and tired of always thinking and talking and never really going all the way with your plans. On the other hand, some of you won't make resolutions at all. Why? Because It’s safer if you don’t put it out there then you don’t have to try and potentially get disappointed (again). Well my friends, Captain Motivator is here to help you achieve your 2010 goals!

In case you can’t tell, my enthusiasm for 2010 is like a redneck at the Nascar races with free beer! Right this very minute (if you are ready it on Sunday evening), I’m planning the blogs to write for "Achieve Your Dreams” this year and my question to you is this:

What in your life is currently causing you the most aggravation? If you could wave a magic wand and say “Abra cad bra – make this go away” – what would that be? For me, it would be my bills and belly LOL!

From this day forward, I strongly encourage you to really think about your attitude, especially when you are focusing on the negative more than the positive. Take a moment, think about what’s positive about the situation or what could be worse (and trust me – it can ALWAYS be worse). For some, you’ll wake up tomorrow and say “Crap, I wish I didn’t have to go to work today” while others will say “Crap, another week of being unemployed and trying to find a job” Consider this: If you woke up and said “I’m so thankful for my job, I may not like it much, but it’s taking care of me” how much better do you think your attitude and day will turn out? Try it for 10days and if not satisfied, quit doing it J Repetition is the mother of invention. You may not believe this, but I was VERY negative once upon a time.

As always, I’m here whenever you need me…kind of like motivational 911! Whether it’s a inspirational boost or a straight kick in the ass, I’m here with suggestions. And, if I don’t have any, I’ll simply ask YOU the questions to get answers buried deep inside of you.  

Master Motivators - Helping people overcome their self-created adversity!
 

Before I go, I'd like to ask one small favor of you. One of my burning passions is to really take Master Motivators to the next success level in my life. As you know, the very best way to grow business is by word-of-mouth from existing customers. With that, would you please send my link to this group to your friends and suggest they join? Pretty please with sugar on top? Thank you!

So, don’t forget to get back to me with what’s messing up your plans for happiness so to I can make these weekly blogs as impactful and helpful to all of you as I possibly can J

“You are only limited by the parameters of your own mind” – Christopher Rausch

All my BEST for your happiness and success,

Christopher

Hey Everyone!

They say Christmas is the time for giving right? Well, this country, the greatest in the world has undoubtedly suffered alot this year agreed?

There are countless families who have out-of-work parents who are just struggling with what bills to pay much less buy a tree and presents.

PLEASE - if you have what you "need" give to local charities in your your neighborhood. Food, presents, your time - make a difference in the lives of people who won't have a Christmas. Who won't have a tree, presents, or a glimmer of hope that tomorrow will be any better than today.

We as Americans, need to stand up and give to everyone in need. There is so much "wealth" around us, but the sharing is what often is missing. I've heard so much "I just don't know what to get so and so."

I'm envious of other countries sometimes because they band together SOOOO strongly to help each other. Let's show the world we will do the same. Maybe one less present for each person and donate that to someone who desperately needs it. Imagine - of the millions of people around this great country built on freedom does that? WOW! It could literally change everyone in a day!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading and considering this. PLEASE pass this along to those you love. We never know, at least I didn't, what might happen to US tomorrow, and wouldn't it be outstanding to have them help us?

All my best for your happiness and success,

Christopher

Well, well, my friends, it’s been awhile, but I’m back and ready to talk about the little devil that sits on our shoulders called “Mr. (or Misses) Excuses”

Welcome to my new friends and a big HELLO! to my oldest and dearest pals here at Achieve Your Dreams

What is it about being complacent that offers up so many darn excuses? It’s because excuses are easy to come up with right? Here are just a few I hear in my coaching sessions. See if these sound familiar to YOU:

“Oh…I’ll get to that later…”
“Well, once this and that is done, THEN I’ll tackle this really important thing”
“Dang…if only...”
“I wish I…”
“Now just isn’t a good time”
“I just don’t know how to get started”
“I just don’t have enough time”
“I’ve just got too much going on right now”

You get the idea right? Listen, I’m completely guilty of saying these to myself on many occasions. The kicker is they are, for the most part, B.S. So, why do we fall back on the comfort of excuses? Because like I said before, they are easy and no one really checks on them! Could you imagine if people called us on them?

Quit lying to yourself! When I talk with my clients we often boil it down to being afraid. Yes, afraid of one or all of the following:

- Failing
- Succeeding
- Judgment from others

Also, it could also be a few of these:
Lack of knowledge
Uncertainty of the goal and what it will ultimately produce

FEAR= False Expectations Appearing Real and most fears are NEVER realized!

Life isn’t about playing it safe friends. It’s about doing the best and most you can each and every day to live your life to the fullest you can possibly imagine. YOUR life isn’t a dress rehearsal. When I talk with older people about goals and what they’ve done with their life I overwhelmingly hear “If I knew then what I know now, I would do so much differently.” Do you want to be one of those people?

Stop making excuses and start taking action! We all have the same thing when we wake up each day. And that’s 24hrs! I realize there are a lot of things to do everyday with our responsibilities, but imagine waking up ½ hour early each day and dedicating that time to taking one more small bite out of the big goals in your life? Guess what? Those hours add up and before you know it – BAM! Goal accomplished. I have a saying that I take from Bon Jovi and that’s “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.”

Listen to the words you tell yourself because if you believe them to be true – guess what? You will make them true because we hate being wrong right?

After you read this, if you have a particular situation you need coaching on, send me a message and I’ll help you out. Then, you tell 100 people about the experience Agreed?

Alright, stop making excuses and start taking action RIGHT NOW! Get a pen and paper and write down what you want to accomplish. Then, make small achievable goals you can attack realistically 

Until the next time, live YOUR life with everything you have each and every moment of each and every day!

All my best for your happiness and success!

Christopher

Welcome back guys and gals to the station that rocks the nation – “Achieve Your Dreams.” I’m “DJ Master Motivator” spinning the motivational, inspirational, and educational hits that shake, rattle, and roll your world! 

So, let’s continue our look at procrastination with emphasis on complacency. The dictionary definition of complacency is: “self-satisfaction especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers or deficiencies.”

Now, the first part doesn’t sound that bad (well...depending on how you take it), but the second half is a bit scary isn’t it? It sounds like you are about to step on a roadside bomb. You see, when we’re being complacent, we’re drowning ourselves in all the short-term gratification crap we can handle. Why? To fool ourselves into believing we are truly happy. It’s called “short-term” for a reason L

Whoever said “ignorance is bliss” was full of B.S.! Listen, you are a part of “Achieve Your Dreams” for a reason right? Everyday we get the amazing gift of waking up and breathing. Do NOT waste a moment of this precious time you have here.

I’d like to share with you two MAJOR goals I have in life:

1. Stay out of the hospital
2. Don’t die with any regrets

Now, don’t get me wrong, I have more goals than Letterman has interns, but that is beside the point. If we focus our passion on the two main goals above, how awesome would life be? We have absolutely no idea when our number will get called. Could be today, tomorrow, or many years down the road. The point is, get up and decide to work your ass off each day to create the life you deserve a reality. Do NOT wait until tomorrow! Stop all the wishing and hoping and take immediate ACTION! 

Here are some suggestions to get started RIGHT now:

1. Write your goals down on paper
2. Take one action every single day to accomplish that very goal
3. Reward yourself when you do
4. Reach out to your network and ask them to help you
5. Develop and maintain a passion that will never die
6. Share your dreams with a friend and hold each other accountable

“The minute you settle for less than you deserve you get even less than you settled for” - Maureen Dowd

Next week we’ll talk about excuses and why they are always procrastinations best friend. But for now, concentrate on eliminating complacency from your daily life.

All my best for your happiness and success,

Christopher

Welcome back ladies and gentlemen to the greatest show on Earth – YOUR LIFE!

Okay, I’m going to sound like a broken record, but I can’t even begin to thank you all for the incredible feedback I get from these blogs! All I can say is PLEASE pay it forward. When you do pay it forward share your experiences with me. Deal?

Alright, so far in our quest to stomp out procrastination, we have talked about laziness and fear. Now, we’re going to talk a little bit about anxiety. That feeling when your heart starts racing, your mind starts to go bonkers, palms get sweaty, and you don’t blink for minutes on end. Ever get that feeling? Well, congratulations – you are HUMAN!

We procrastinate partially because we know we are going to have to do something that is outside of our comfort zone. Oh yes…our comfort zone…safe, warm, fun, and fully stocked with DENIAL. Think about it. Anytime you have really made progress in life is when you went out of your comfort zone and succeeded.

For me, I don’t like to be anxious one bit! Instead, I choose to confront it head on! The sooner I deal with it – the sooner I can watch reruns of the Jeffersons in my footy jammy’s.

I can hear you now “so Christopher, how is the best way to deal with my anxiety?” Glad you asked. Here are some things I do:

- Rate the goal 1 to 10. If it’s over a 7, then I go for it. If not, scrap it.
- Bullet point what I’m anxious about
- Write potential alternatives I can use to help manage those situations
- Write what is the worst things that can happen (it’s usually not that bad)
- Exercise regularly
     o Helps keep blood pressure down
     o Increases oxygen to your brain (gives better clarity)
     o Helps promote better sleep
     o Keeps you fit and confident
- Talk with a trusted friend
- Drink Jack Daniels
- Talk with people who have accomplished similar goals
- Write in my journal everyday

If something is THAT important to you then you MUST go for it TODAY!!! Every successful person living their dreams had to harness that anxiety, get over their fear, and quit being lazy.

Next week, we’ll talk about complacency! As always, my door is open if you like to chat!

All my best for your happiness and success!

Christopher