How many times have you heard that?  As excerpted from a great article by Shane Kreider, you probably have heard that expression a lot.  And guess what, “From a financial viewpoint, it means our money has to last ten years longer, but we also have ten extra years to make it. It also means we have ten extra years to apply our entrepreneurial skills to make us happy.”

According to Shane, “The expression also has a scientific explanation. It’s a different way of looking at age - it’s not how long you’ve lived, it’s how long you’ve got left. As our expected life span gets longer, ‘middle age’ happens later; some say we are therefore in the same cycle of life at 40 that our parents were in at 30. And as our life span is supposed to continue to increase, middle age is coming later and later. Expected life span is different from country to country but in Germany, for example, scientists say that by 2050, middle age (for Germans) will begin around age 52.”

And there is also a great way to look at this and that is about the attitude you have.  Many of us refuse to buy into the idea of “getting older”.  I personally feel the same way now as I did at 30.  Maybe there are some bones cracking more often, but in my mind, I am 30.  I have another 50 years at least, to learn, grow, prosper and excel in all my life areas. 

So as Shane says, “If you get out of bed some mornings feeling old, remember this: scientifically speaking, you’re actually ten years younger. Then have a good day.”

Steps 5 - Be Optimistic

Do some of your fears scare the hell out of you? Are you freaked out by speaking in public, flying in airplanes or even work deadlines? As crazy as this sounds, fear is good for all of us. Fear is generated by the brain to motivate us. We WANT to be motivated by fear because this causes us to act. If we didn’t have fear, we would be running red lights with abandon.

The key is, how can we use and channel our fear to motivate us in all life areas? How do we use our crazy fears to push us, motivate us and get us to make our lives better? Yes, we want to push through our fears and stop letting them hold us back. I am personally fearful of enclosed places with a lot of people. But do I let this fear keep me from flying on airplanes? NO! I have used some techniques and breathing and other things to get my butt on that plane.

One technique we discuss a lot in our seminars is the use of Kaizen. Kaizen is the theory of a journey of 1,000 miles begins with the first step. It is taking baby steps toward a goal when you know there is a great fear holding you back. By taking small steps toward cutting out sugar from your diet or eating smaller portions, for example, it circumvents the fear factor in the brain to maybe reduce the sugar in your ice tea from 2 teaspoons to 1 and half teaspoons for a week. Reducing the sugar incrementally isn’t as fearful as cutting it out all together. If you can take these small steps in any area you want to change, then you’ll be more confident and more motivated to take bigger steps. And it is through these bigger steps that we all achieve breakthroughs! So you use you fear to motivate you to Massive Abundant things in your life!

Step 2; Activate Your Vision

…and it can change your life in dramatic ways!

No, it’s not those expletives you shout when things don’t turn out your way – when life spits out a situation that you hadn’t asked for. When your auto dealership gets closed, when that pink slip is yours, or when you don’t qualify for that home loan.

But it is a word that can turn all those bad words and thoughts into better ones. That word is HOPE. If your life is filled with uncertainty, allow for the possibility that things will get better.

How to get started? Maybe you start small. Pick an area where you can make progress right away and you can tackle the more difficult tasks later on.

Worried about your finances? OK. Make a list of all your expenses. Then, look at your income and see where you need to make changes. Think “Swiss cheese.” Poke enough holes; eventually you will get through the cheese.

This simple, little 4-letter word can turn your life from upside down to upside UP. It can pull you out of darkness and help you to stand in the light.

STEP 3 – MAKE ROOM FOR THE MAGIC

It’s real easy. Let me tell you how. First, you invite some friends over for dinner. Don’t go out. That’s not fashionable anymore. Then you make for them everything you love you eat – rib eye steak, mashed potatoes, corn, a small lettuce salad, and a totally decadent chocolate cake with coffee icing for dessert. And don’t forget the Hagen Dazs ice cream.

It’s really that simple. Of course, you have to bake the cake yourself so you can eat a cup of batter before it goes into the pan, and, the same with the icing. Maybe not so much so with the icing. It is sweet, and besides, we do have some limits.

And finally, have plenty of wine to serve. Drink wine before, during, and after dinner. Any kind is fine. It doesn’t matter as long as you enjoy it, you feel good, and that there is a lot around.

So when you get up the next day, like I just did – Voila – 5 fresh, new, happy pounds to join an already expanding waist.

But, wait! I forgot something. I forgot that I don’t live that way anymore. I’m not that person that I just described. I’m someone who lives with a “massively abundant” state of consciousness and that I CHOOSE to eat healthy foods, drink lots of water, get exercise, and feel great about myself.

What happened? I simply forgot. I let my lower self take over my higher self. It was easy. It was simple. The pleasure was immediate. I forgot that I need to stick with the VISION for my life. No. I don’t NEED to. I WANT TO. I want “Massive Abundance” in my life. It is who I am created to be. It is mine. I choose it!

Recommendation? Stay out of the kitchen!

STEP 1 – PAINT YOUR PASSIONATE PICTURE!

She’s always right. She’s my mom and she was telling me on Mother’s Day how she gets herself to the gym almost every day.

Now this woman is 85, and wears a back brace due to her crippling scoliosis. She has had back surgery and a number of operations for gall bladder, hip surgery, and other reasons that I don’t even remember. She aches when she walks and has a hard time getting around.

So when I asked her how she can possibly get motivated to get out of the house to get over to the community gym, she said,

“Oh, that’s easy. I call Mabel.”

“But I thought Mabel was in worse shape than you
are?” I asked.

“Oh yes, she hurts all the time. But we both need to get
to that pool over there and move around because we
know that we will feel so much better if we go.”

“Would you get there without her?” I asked.

“Oh, I don’t think so,” she replied. “I need her to help me get me out of the house. That’s how we do it.”

Sometimes Moms know best. If she can get to the gym when she is decades older, then why can’t I?

STEP 4 – GET SUPPORT!

NOW. This moment. Ask yourself — what were you thinking? What was going on in that brain of yours? Were you thinking about how you were moving forward with massive abundance in your life and how you were excited about what you were doing? Or were you thinking other things?

Were you thinking about that S.O.B. who ticked you off yesterday and how you are going to show him for what he did? Or what about your spouse or partner? Was it about that fight you had last night? Are you still upset about it? Or how about your kid? Were you obsessing about what you can do to keep him doing his homework?

Studies have shown that our daydreaming thoughts are very often negative and unproductive. We don’t notice them because we are so unconscious about what goes on in our head. And yet, it is these very thoughts that directly impact our very lives. They either keep us stuck in some horse manure of negativity, or they keep us out of the “merde” and into higher levels of vibration.

Do yourself a favor. Put a rubber band on your wrist, and throughout the day, when you notice it, take the rubber band and snap it against your wrist. At that very moment, stop thinking and see what was going on in your mind. If it is positive, then deliberately build on it. If it is a negative thought, take that thought, revise it to something more positive and see what begins to happen to your day.

Remember, Massive Abundance is all about living every moment with empowerment, personal responsibility, and joy. Change your thinking, change your life!

STEP 5 – BE OPTIMISTIC!

Want to ruin every relationship you have? Then just play fair.
Dr. Henry Cloud, a well known author and psychologist, claims that this idea is absolutely critical to all types of partnerships – business, marriages, etc. Here’s how it works:

Let’s say that you and your spouse go to counseling because you just don’t get along. You are fighting all the time and nothing gets resolved. You both believe in “tit for tat”. If you are nice to me, I will be nice to you. If you say something mean to me, then I will say something mean to you. If you say you love me, then I will say I love you too. Sound familiar? Well, this works fine until the communication breaks down, then nothing gets resolved.

So here is what you can do. Just GIVE MORE! Suppose you are sick and tired of always being the mature one. It’s time that he steps up to the plate. You have spent the last 6 weeks always being nice and because you have been nice, he’s been nice as well. Then something goes haywire, and he blows up. And then you blow up as well, since he broke the “being nice” contract. Then you are off to the races again.

Since you might be the more mature one – in this instance – then the responsibility is on you to give more. It is not about who is right or wrong, it is about getting the relationship to a higher level where you can get issues resolved and you can move forward.

Ask yourself what can be done to fix this? How can we improve that? Get beyond your own need. There may be a time when you aren’t able to be at that level and your partner might step in. Unmet needs create frustration, and if both parties have unmet needs simultaneously, then nothing gets resolved.

Sometimes we like “tit for tat” because it implies predictability in relationships. But that is really codependent and can lead to disastrous results. Instead of doing what you might normally do in responding – blame, argue, point fingers – do the opposite. Don’t withdraw, get closer. Don’t disagree, agree. Before you know it, the issue will go away and the two of you can move on to a more healthy, interdependent relationship.

Step 7 – Give Back