Former drug addict, example of real life makeover

Have you ever seen that tv show called Extreme Home Makeover, where they take a run down wreck of a house and transform it into a virtually unrecognizable, beautiful work of art?

I love that show and I always get emotional
because the first 25 years of my life resembled
the “before” (run down, falling apart) until I learned and applied some specific strategies to my life, and things are very different now. The tv show is great metaphor for what is possible in any area of your life when you have the right tools, support and strategies.

Below you will find my interview with a person who made a similar remarkable transformation in his own life.

His Before looked like this:

He lived in poverty, was a high school dropout, drug addict, Alcoholic and made more than one suicide attempt hoping to end his own life.

Until he managed to create a remarkable turnaround in his life and now…

His After looks like this:

He got and stayed clean and sober, became a counselor to others struggling with the same cycles he once battled, went on to college,
earned a 4.0 GPA and was honored in the National Deans List, lost 50 pounds in 3 months, and became financially successful despite his
earlier years of poverty. He has an amazing relationship with his wife and two daughters and lives a rather extraordinary life now.

Listen in as I interview Mike Kemski, creator of Banabu Life where he reveals EXACTLY what he did to transform the circumstances of his life “from worst to first” and how you can too!

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Live Your Dreams,

Jill

ps. please forward this to a friend if you know someone who would benefit from learning from this amazing, uplifting, real life turnaround example

Phyllis Apple, 84 year old owner of a thriving PR firm

Boomers are Booming and apparently 80 is the new 40.

Scientists still cannot agree whether the average human life span will be 85 or 100 or 150, but one thing is for certain, the days of getting a “good job” and working there until you retire at sixty are over.

During the twentieth century the human life span increased by more than 50 percent in most industrialized countries. When Jeanne Calment died in southern France in 1997, she was 122 years old, the longest-living human ever documented.

Today, 1 in 10,000 people in industrialized countries hold centenarian status.

One thing is certain. It’s never too late to pursue a dream, in fact, feeling young has a lot to do with staying active and engaged in your passions and things that interest you.

If you knew you would live to 100 or more years, what changes would you make in your health and lifestyle habits today?

Here are some examples of Goal Getters, 8 Entrepreneurs over 80 who are living their dreams.

Live Your Dreams,

Jill

When we set out to pursue any Goal, clearly we need to choose a path for it’s attainment, create action plans and begin taking steps and do our part to move it forward.

There are some who believe that applying The Law of Attraction requires no action, however I have never met anyone who laid in bed all day and manifested anything.

At many points along your journey while you plan your work and work your plan, many opportunities you could not have planned or predicted will appear. One of the reasons I stress to “Begin with the End in Mind” and create a long term vision for your life is because looking ahead years and decades from now allows you to understand that there will be a multitude of ways you can achieve your big picture outcome. It also gives you flexibility to discover other ways to reach your desired destination.

Creating long term Goals gives you the freedom to change paths at any point along the way when the right opportunity presents itself.

In my childhood I dreamed of being wealthy, and designed a long term vision, having no idea how I could ever achieve this. When I graduated high school and worked as a firefighter while attending art school, I had no idea if I could parlay those skills into long term wealth, but I was always willing to follow my passions in the faith that the way would be made.

Because I trusted that if I continued to move forward and take daily action on my dreams, the how would evolve and I would be ready when the opportunities arose. And sure enough, the path that was formed was quite unexpected but because I kept my options open, when it appeared, I was ready and seized it.

Here’s another example of having a long term vision and keeping your options open to the fact that there are many roads that will lead you to it.

Hold onto your vision and welcome new paths for creating it.

Here’s an amazing example from Masseuse to Google Millionaire.

Live Your Dreams,

Jill

You’ve defined your Goal, identified your key strategies, created an action plan and have started to put it into action.

What’s next?

As you proceed, it is important to measure your results and track your progress (or lack of it). This is the least exciting part of the journey of any Goal, but I assure you it is one of the most important. This is where it gets a little tricky due to the fact that every Goal is different. Each Goal has it’s own unique targets, time lines, and action plans, therefore it will require it’s own unique system and schedules for measuring.

Not every Goal needs to be measured, just your most critical ones. For example, if on the weekends you take guitar lessons to explore your interest in learning how to play, you don’t necessarily need a plan for measuring your progress. But for your highest priority Goals, you absolutely do. If you are building a business or trading in the stock market, your very financial existence relies upon your systems for tracking.

People often seek my coaching and assistance because they are stuck in some way. They say, “I am stuck! I have tried everything and nothing works!” The first thing I do is ask for their gauges, measurements and stats for the related area. Often they reply with blame or excuses about the economy or some outside circumstance for why they are off track and never is that the real reason for a decline. The reason for almost all struggle, stagnation and lack of growth is due to a lack of attention, measurement or action in the critical areas. It is usually a matter of neglect and fortunately there is a quck and easy solution to create a major turnaround.

The fastest way to create a breakthrough is to measure and examine the critical areas of your Goal.

You cannot change what you don’t measure. You cannot improve what you don’t measure. Where focus goes, energy flows so begin focusing on your major key areas that are critical to your success.

Tracking reveals the true reality of a situation. Many Goals can be measured with numbers. For example, Health Goals provide many numbers to monitor your progress; pounds, inches, blood sugar, triglycerides, blood pressure, as do a multitude of other precise diagnostic measurements.

Tracking builds confidence. When you have a great plan, are following it and producing phenomenal results, you automatically raise your own self-esteem and that optimism carries over into every other life area. Knowing that you are on track and having the validation of facts as proof gives you an enormous boost.

Tracking provides valuable feedback and indications of areas that may need to be addressed or adjusted. If your Goal is to lose weight and the numbers on the scale are going up, up, up each week, it could be an indication that you may need to re evaluate your plan or if you have a great plan and have not been following it, simply renew your dedication to it.

For every Goal that does not succeed, there are always numerous indicators along the way that would have provided a snapshot or a warning ahead of time and all throughout the journey, if the critical components would have been measured and appropriate action taken, the Goal could have been salvaged.

Your Action Plan:

1. Examine your highest and most important Goal and the key areas that will ensure it’s success. What are the aspects you will need to measure so that you will know on any given day, at any given time, whether or not you are progressing on track?

2. List at least ten precise critical components you can begin measuring and tracking. (if you come up with more than ten, that’s even better).

3. Create targets for each of the chosen areas. This can be done by looking at the end result and tracking backwards. What are the ideals you will need to achieve in order to successfully realize your Goal?

4. Create the most appropriate schedule for tracking and checking your gauges and schedule it into your planner. How often should you measure your metrics, stats and gauges and examine your progress? If the Goal has no end, as such with an ongoing business, you can certainly break it down via yearly, quarterly, monthly, daily and even weekly measurements.

Since each Goal is unique, your Goal will require unique systems and schedules for tracking it. By implementing this for all of your highest priority Goals, you will instantly begin to produce better results.

Goal Achieving abides by the Universal Law of Cause and Effect. If you don’t like the results you are creating, change your approach, increase your efforts, modify your plan, but don’t stick your head in the sand and neglect to see the truth of the situation.

The fastest way to improve your results is to measure your progress. So re examine your most cherished Goals and see where you stand. Your mind will instantly begin to search for ways to make improvements in those key areas.

Numbers don’t lie. Welcome whatever data you receive and take the appropriate actions to ensure your success!

Live Your Dreams

Jill

Copyright 2007 Jill Koenig

One of the greatest quantum leaps you will achieve in the advancement of your most cherished Goal occurs when your Goal transforms from being something that is a distant possibility to an absolute, unstoppable certainty. The good news is that you can begin creating that quantum leap today.

Every Goal that is lofty, meaning it is beyond your current capacity, skill level or comfort zone, will require a major shift to occur in order to be realized. Big Goals are big because the distance from where you are now to where you want to be requires so much more of you than you are accustomed to giving.

“If you want to achieve something you have never had before, you must become someone you’ve never been before.” -Jill Koenig

Before the shift, you are plagued with doubt. After the shift, you don’t just think you can do it, you KNOW you WILL. In fact, the Goal becomes so crystalized, it lifts you, it permeates every cell of your body and your heart sings with joy every day, every step of the way even before it manifests. Your Goals should be feeding you, motivating you and exciting you long before they are realized.

Get yourself in sync with your Goal.

There are millions of people right now wishing they would become a Millionaire. They’re saying, “When I get my million dollars, I’m going to start living right. When I get my million dollars, I’m going to start giving to charity. When I get my million dollars, I’m going to start waking up earlier. When I get my million dollars, I’m going to start exercising and eating right. When I get my million dollars, I’m going to read and learn some new skills. When I get my million dollars, I’m going to start pursuing my passions. When I get my million dollars, I’m going to be a better person. When I get my million dollars I will start living my dreams.”

They want to keep acting like it’s business as usual, doing the same old things, with the same stinking thinking, believing they will somehow achieve a different result. Same old thoughts, same old friends, same old habits, same old skills, same old mindset, same old results, same old you.

For that person, the identity shift has not yet occurred. Their thinking is backwards. They think the money comes and then you magically change internally.

If that were the case, then all lottery winners would be the happiest people in the world. The truth is they are not. In fact, they are far from it. Most lottery winners are bankrupt within 5 years of winning. Sure lottery winners acquired the money, but they had the same old mindset. They didn’t become millionaires internally. There was no inner transformation, no new identity.

Every person I have ever known who has achieved this shift, and created lasting change, has first recreated themselves to learn and embody the traits of someone who would own the Goal. I am not talking about ‘fake it ’til you make it.’ I am talking about redirecting your thoughts, energy and actions into the type of person who would absolutely manifest that Goal.

I will never forget the rapid advancements I experienced when I first began to understand this.

It was the time I went from dead broke to seeing money start to flow through me.

I chose a few millionaires whom I admired, I studied them and then I modeled them. I saw that by adopting some of the traits and habits they practiced, that I was able to become more like them. I even modeled their mindset. It took some conscious effort on my part in the beginning, but I quickly realized that my Goal of becoming a millionaire was more than a distant possibility. Because I was becoming a millionaire within, it had become a certainty.

I learned to think, act, walk, talk and feel like a millionaire FIRST and it became my identity inside me long before the money arrived. I became a millionaire in my mind first. I felt like a millionaire because I had transformed myself physically, mentally and emotionally and when it rained, it poured.

It is simple. Every millionaire I have ever met does things a certain way. They rise early in the morning. Then they read or listen to motivational audios. They invest in their own personal development. They have a certain routine that helps them focus, think and grow. Read what millionaires read. Go where millionaires go. Do what millionaires do. Talk like millionaires talk. Walk like millionaires walk. Feel like millionaires feel. Believe what millionaires believe. And here’s the big one, dream what millionaires dream. Set lofty Goals the way millionaires set Goals.

http://www.GoalUniversity.com

I guarantee you the millionaires of the world are not waiting until January 1st to set a few random Goals and forget about them within three weeks. High performing men and women are crystal clear about their Goals and have them in sight at all times because they are becoming or have become the Goal they desire.

Think of some people who have achieved a Goal similar to the one you desire most.

What are some things you can begin doing right now that will cause the shift inside you?

Who will you need to become?

The greatest reward of Goal Achieving is not what you get, it’s who you become.

Become the Goal and enjoy the journey. It’s a lot more fun!

http://www.GoalUniversity.com

Live Your Dreams

Jill Koenig, the “Goal Guru” is America’s Top Goal Strategist. A best selling Author, Coach and Motivational Speaker, she is an expert on the subjects of Goal Setting, Time Management and Business Success. Her Goal in life is to help you UNLEASH your untapped potential. Get your FREE Goal Setting CD at: http://www.GoalGuru.com

Media Requests: Jill Koenig is a dynamic high energy tv and radio guest available for interviews and corporate speaking engagements.

This one ingredient is so powerful, without it you are guaranteed to struggle.

This one single aspect is so key to your success, having it gives you the capacity to draw towards you all of the resources you need to achieve your most cherished Goals.

And by not having it, all the talent, money and connections don’t mean a thing.

No other skill can compensate for a lack of it.

So what is the critical factor I am referring to?

What one component is so monumental that it has the power to exponentially stack the odds in your favor?

Passion.

Yes, passion, as in a burning desire.

Passion is enough to compensate for almost any lack. Passion magnetizes all missing components towards you. Passion provides the optimism, the determination and the drive to carry you through the tough times while you’re developing the other necessary ingredients for your Goals to manifest.

Passion is contagious.

Passion is magnetic.

Passion attracts other passionate people to you.

Passion gives you courage.

Passion is the source of your own internal motivation.

One of the greatest secrets to success is to immerse yourself in the things, people and endeavors that you are passionate about… every single day.

Without passion, we perish.

The road to fulfillment begins with clarifying what you are passionate about and building your day to day life around it.

You are only living up to a fraction of your true potential if you are not engaged in your passions every single day in some way.

80% of Americans lack passion for what they do. Please don’t be one of them. You may currently work a job you don’t love but you can still pursue your passions outside of that while learning how to design a new destiny with your passions at the forefront.

Give yourself the gift of discovering what your passions are and then learn how to unleash them. My wish for you is that you experience the day to day joy that can only come from reveling in your passions.

Start today.

My friends Chris and Janet Attwood have created a remarkable manual for helping you identify and unleash your passions. It is called The Passion Test.

It’s already a #1 Amazon.com Best Seller.

http://www.goalguru.com/recommends/passion

The Passion Test has already transformed the lives of thousands of people throughout the world.

The one thing that all the most successful people in the world share in common is, they have followed their passions.

Oprah, Tiger Woods, Bill Gates… all they did was pursue their passion. They refused to settle for anything less.

“It changed the way I have lived the past year.”
-Jack Canfield, CoAuthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul

What would your life be like if you were fully living your passions?

Are you ready to find out? “The Passion Test - The Effortless Path to Discovering Your Destiny” is the road map to your passionate life.

http://www.goalguru.com/recommends/passion

Live Your Dreams,

Jill Koenig

Author, Coach, Motivational Speaker

http://www.GoalGuru.com

Jill Koenig, the “Goal Guru” is America’s Top Goal Strategist.
A best selling Author, Coach and Motivational Speaker, she is
an expert on the subjects of Goal Setting, Time Management and
Business Success. Her Goal in life is to help you UNLEASH your
untapped potential. Learn cutting edge Goal Strategies at
http://www.GoalGuru.com

Media Requests: Jill Koenig is a dynamic high energy tv and
radio guest available for interviews and corporate speaking
engagements.

Here is one example and if you are an aspiring author, pay extra close attention.

Earlier today I heard an interview with Sean Penn. Sean Penn directed a new film that comes out Sept 21 called Into the Wild. It is based on a book written by John Krakauer, chronicling the true story of young man named Christopher McCandless, who walked out of his privelaged life to pursue the unknown. McCandless embarked on an adventure of self exploration with just the clothes on his back, traveling the globe. He kept a journal throughout his travels, which were the basis for what would later become the book. I won’t give away the ending, you will want to see the movie and read the book. I will revel in McCandless legacy and fascinating personal journey in another post.

Most authors know that besides the quality of content, there are several factors that are crucial to the success of any book, such as the title, book cover, promotion, etc.

When Sean Penn was asked how he found this book, Into the Wild, he said he bought it based on the cover alone.

He previously knew nothing about the man McCandless, or his story, yet how powerful the title and book cover must have been that it beckoned a world class actor, director, movie producer to pick it up when reading it become so moved by the story inside that he felt compelled to turn it into a movie.

Here is what struck me. Ironically a man who went on a quest to discover himself without his comforts, and wanted to go deeper than his own “cover” of material possessions had his story turned into a book, whos “cover” attracted a powerful, visionary man, Sean Penn, who would bring his story to the world.

Every project has a series of decisions. Knowing which decisions are critical allows you to defy the odds and stack the odds in your favor. If you are an author, it’s content, title, cover, promotion.

This is just one example to show you whatever your endeavor, if you can identify the critical fundamental components, you can stack the odds in your favor, leading to a successful outcome far beyond anything you could ever predict.

Identify those critical components, take the time and invest the effort in carefully making those decisions.

Jill

This week I feature a question submitted by a GoalGuru reader.

This week’s question:

Q: What is the difference between the Law of Attraction and Goal Setting?

A: There is not so much a difference as the two principles work hand in hand.

In fact, Goal Setting is the first step in activating the Law of Attraction.

In order to empower the Law of Attraction, you must take the first action, which is to decide with positive intention, exactly what you want in clear, concise detail.

This step, this action, within the Law of AttrACTION is the ignitor that activates the process.

When I ask people what they want, most respond with a list of all the things they DON’T want.

Most people invest more energy and thought on what they DON’T want than what they DO want.

And that is what they attract. More of what they DON’T want.

Most people focus their thoughts and energies on their fears rather then focusing on gratitude for what and whom has already blessed them, and their heart’s deepest desires.

So what’s wrong with that?

The Law of Attraction mandates a universal law:

You become what you think about.

The more you dwell upon what you don’t want, the more you are empowering the negative emotions.

Let me clarify how focusing on what you DON’T want works against you within the Law of Attraction.

Where focus goes, energy flows.

Let me say that again.

Where focus goes, energy flows.

When you are focusing all of your thoughts and attention on the things you fear, that is what you will manifest, create, and attract more of.

You have a choice.

You can focus on the problem or you can focus on the solutions.

When you focus all of your thoughts and attention on your problems or blame others, that is what you will manifest and attract more of. You are actually actively creating more of what you DON’T want.

You cannot manifest joy and create your highest destiny when your thoughts and actions are consumed with fear, anxiety, problems, complaints, blame, worries and all of the other negatives that present themselves to you during a given day.

You always have a choice how and where to direct your thoughts and energy.

If your dominant emotions are fear, anger, resentment, worry and blame, that is what you will attract more of. When you are experiencing those negative emotions, you stop giving. You no longer breathe life into your dreams. When in those states, you are not making positive, joyful contributions to your dreams. Those negative thoughts and emotions actually repel what you desire. Negative emotions suck the life out of your Goals.

To combat those negatives, and instantly transform pain into pleasure, the solution is to choose the positive.

Focus on the solutions. Focus on what you can joyfully do to create positive changes.

The surest way out of any rut is to accept complete responsibility for your circumstances and joyfully identify the positive changes you can make within yourself. Then take action. When you can joyfully, freely choose to make positive contributions, everything around you will change.

If you want to experience more abundance, express more gratitude. Give abundantly.

If you want to experience more love, give more love.

If you want more intimacy, give it, create it, nurture it.

Get grateful for all that you have.

Focus on how blessed you are.

Remember that you have responsibilities within the Law of Attraction.

There are actions you must consistently take.

If focus goes where energy flows, then focus more on your Goals than you do on your problems. Focus more on your Goals than you do on your fears.

Focus on what you DO want.

Focus on what and whom you are grateful for.

Focus on your most cherished, beautiful, treasured deepest desires.

Focus on the positive.

You become what you think about.

Focus on the Goal.

What beautiful, worthy Goal do you want to ignite by expressing more gratitude?

What vision or dream do you have that you can inject with positive, loving thoughts and actions?

Give it your all and watch it manifest.
Live Your Dreams,

Jill Koenig

http://www.goalguru.com/

Jill Koenig, the “Goal Guru” is America’s Top Goal Strategist.
A best selling Author, Coach and Motivational Speaker, she is
an expert on the subjects of Goal Setting, Time Management and
Business Success. Her Goal in life is to help you UNLEASH
your untapped potential. Learn cutting edge Goal Strategies at
http://www.GoalGuru.com

Media Requests: Jill Koenig is a dynamic high energy tv and radio
guest available for interviews and corporate speaking engagements.

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