January « 2012 « BookwormCastle

Challenges and Warriors

The Crazy Frog Goal Style Method- Doing Whatever it takes, even if it's crazy or scary

What is the thing that challenges you the most? What do you really care about? What is one thing you want to change?

In honor of the new year, I will post about a couple of inspirational books I have read or people I have heard about.

Many people may be fed up with any mention of New Year’s resolutions or change by now. This might be because they didn’t follow through after the first day or because they didn’t see a need to make a resolution this year at all. Like a jaded warrior, you may run the other way or pull out your sword and start slashing wildly when you hear any talk of resolutions or goals. Why the fear? (Or violence?)

Here’s a quote that might give a possible answer. “In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired.” ~ Anon.

This quote could describe how some people may feel if they constantly face failure or not following through on their goals. This is how I sometimes feel, but I am ready to dive in and make the changes that I need to in my life. Jenny Blake, motivator and awesome life coach I just found out about, may have some answers as well. She quit Google to pursue her dreams that included writing a book and she speaks about the importance of taking little steps towards your goals and not just having an all or nothing mentality on following your goals in her web conference here about how to Make Sh*t happen. She is also the author of Life After College: The Complete Guide to Getting What You Want, a book I just discovered that may be very helpful for anyone graduating, recently graduated, or feeling like they should have done something more after this so-called graduation into real life. It is also helpful for anyone wishing to make changes in their life and turn things around.

Samurai Style Method: Facing your Fears to carry out your goals (and not stabbing blindly at them)

I have also been reading called Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time by Brian Tracy. Don’t turn away yet, as this book is powerful and packs a punch that goes straight to the core of what you need to do to change your habits that bring you nowhere. You need to take the right steps and this cuts right to the bone of the issue. There is so much you can take away from this book, but a few helpful tips it suggests are:

Do something, whatever it is and however small it is, RIGHT NOW towards your goal. Taking the first step is always very difficult and just starting can really be a great motivation for you to keep going.
It also lets you know how important it is to develop the right habits, as they can determine how successful you are. This is important because what you spend your time doing, or what you are used to doing can determine what opportunities you open yourself up for and what you miss out on because your habits or ways of doing things get in the way.
The importance of Visualization and seeing yourself successful and as the person you would like to be. This is similar to Jenny Blake’s method of Act As If.
The super importance of writing your goals down. This allows you to see your goals in concrete form, or rather, on paper I should say. Or Concrete Paper? Check out Papercrete here- recycling paper into concrete
I won’t say anymore about what the book advises you, just that it is awesome advice presented in a way that allows you to apply it to your life right away to make true changes.

Other Inspirational people who really blew me away

Alicia Kozakiewicz is someone who survived being kidnapped and exploited for human trafficking. She was rescued by a FBI team and now has goals to prevent others from experiencing the trauma that she did. She is currently going to school to reach her dreams of being on a FBI team herself.

“I’d like,” she says, “to ultimately become the person who rescues the child, and then helps to recover that child’s soul.”

Find out more about her at the Alicia Project

Someone else who has touched my heart ever since I heard about her is Elizabeth Smart. I was glued to the TV and scoured the internet trying to find out more about her and praying that she would return home safely and soon. Elizabeth and Alicia created a video on how everyone can help to rescue children who have been kidnapped and held in horrible conditions against their wills, just like they were. Everyone can be a hero and it starts with taking a single step, a single click of your mouse. Check out their video here, called Not One More Child and determine today how many more children should have to be stuck in slavery.

Issues like this really touch my heart and set it on fire. I will make a difference for these children, many who have nobody out there fighting for them. And EVERYBODY can make a difference for the causes they believe in. The Wikipedia Blackout has shown us this. Where there is a fire, there is a way, a solution to that fire. You have to spread the fire to get to the solution. What are the causes that you believe in, that you are wildly passionate about? Please share below, I would love to hear!