There was a time in my life, not too long ago, that I was terrified of what
my future would hold. It was the early 90s. I had just closed the doors on a
business I had started and worked so hard to make successful. I tried everything
imaginable to keep things going. I used every available credit card to pay my
bills and took every cash advance that I could, thinking if I just held on long
enough, things would eventually work out.
When it was all said and done, I was
left with no source of income, over
$50,000 in credit-card debt, and a negative
balance in my checking account.
I had collection agencies calling me all
hours of the day. So much so, in fact, I
changed my phone number three
times! I was afraid to go to the mailbox
or answer the door, for fear of what
would come next. I took my son to a
Little League game one night and came
home to find out that my car had been
repossessed. My home was on the
brink of foreclosure for months at a
time, and I had to borrow rolls of
change from my kids just to keep food
on the table. Life was almost unbearable.
I could see no light at the end of
this tunnel.
I felt as if the weight of the world
was on my shoulders. Whoever says
money isn't important hasn't been
forced to split a $1.99 meal at Burger
King for dinner several nights a week.
When you don't have money, it feels
like the most important thing in the
world. It controls your life. Not having
money can destroy people and families.
It breaks up marriages, forces people
into desperate situations, where
they make really bad decisions — for
some it even takes their life. Money IS
important. Money is what allows us to
provide for our children, to live in a
safe and secure environment, and to
meet the needs of our family. Is money
the most important thing in life? Of
course not, but you MUST have money
to live — and without it, you're
doomed to a life of quiet desperation.
I was determined to discover the
"secret" to lasting success. I must
admit, I've always been a dreamer.
From the time I was little, I had
visions of success, riches, and the firstclass
lifestyle I would someday enjoy.
But at this point in my life, I was further
away from realizing those dreams
than ever before. I spent months
searching for the answer — for the
solution to why some people seemed
to get all the "breaks" in life, while
nothing ever seemed to work out for
me. Everyone I knew suggested I take
my head out of the clouds and face
reality. They said I should go out and
get a job — any job. But I just couldn't
do it. Somehow I knew deep inside
that if I gave up now and went to work
for someone else, I would be trading
my dream-life ... packed full of possibilities
... for a dead-end 9-to-5 fast
track to nowhere.
As the saying goes, "When the student
is ready, the teacher will appear."
In my search for the "secret" of success,
I came across a book called Super
Self, by Charles Givens, that contained
ideas I had never heard before ... ideas
that marked the turning point in my
life. I began applying these ideas,
believing they held the key to a whole
new world for me — and they did!
After reading the book, I started a
little business out of my home that
generated over $653,000 within six
months. From there, I went on to build
two companies, growing from zero
revenue to generating millions of dollars
in income.
The ideas that I originally learned
from the book were the starting point.
From there, I began reading every
book, listening to every audio prosuccess gram, and attending every seminar
I
could find on topics like success, personal
development, motivation, prosperity,
business strategies, financial
freedom, and spiritual growth.
Since that time over a decade ago,
I've seen my personal and financial
dreams come true right before my very
eyes. Sometimes I still have to stop
and pinch myself to believe that all of
this has happened to me. I lost my car
to the repo man ... I was blessed to be
able to purchase three Jaguar "dream
cars" in return. I could barely hold
onto my little house ... today I own a
beautiful oceanfront condo at a resort
beach on one coast, and I live in a multimillion
dollar four-story 6,000-
square foot waterfront estate on the
other. My bank accounts were all in
the "negative"... within a short time I
had multiple accounts, some with balances
higher than the FDIC would
insure. I lived in fear of what the
future would hold ... I now have total
peace of mind and excitement over
what the future has in store.
So what made the difference? What
is the "secret" to success?
If I could sum it up in one sentence,
using what I call the Five Magic
Words, it would be "Your thoughts create
your life."
There you have it. It's one of the simplest
ideas that could possibly be
shared, yet the single most powerful
influence on your success or failure in
business and in life. This has been the
most important lesson I've ever learned.
When I was sitting in my house,
afraid to answer my phone, staring at
the huge stack of bills and collection
notices that were growing bigger by
the day, my thoughts were creating my
life. All I focused on were my problems
... the money I didn't have, the
business I didn't own, the car I could
no longer drive, the bills I couldn't pay
... these were the things that I thought
about all day long. And you know
what happened? I got more of the same
every day.
By filling my mind with these desperate
thoughts of financial crisis, fear,
worry, and lack, I continued to bring
more of these things into my life. What
we think about, we bring about. This
was a new concept for me. Most of my
life I heard people say "I'll believe it
when I see it." I learned the truth is,
you'll see it only when you believe it.
The thoughts we continually focus on
today (whether they be thoughts of
what we want or don't want) will be
our reality tomorrow.
What I learned was if I wanted to
improve the quality of my life, I had to
first improve the quality of my
thoughts. Fortunately for me, I was so
desperate that I didn't really have the
chance to doubt or second-guess these
ideas. I had to believe them. They
were my only hope for a better life.
I made the decision to believe that
my past would not equal my future.
The first thing I did was answer the
question, "If I could have, do, or be
absolutely anything regardless of time,
money, or talent, what would it be?" I
wrote out a list of 25 dreams that I
wanted to accomplish, and I tacked
my list to the wall right above the desk
in my living room.
My list contained things like buying
a burgundy Jaguar XJ6, living in a large
home on the water, having $25,000 in
the bank, and owning a home business
with a $10,000-a-week income. Now
keep in mind, I wrote this list at a time
when I didn't even have $25 in the
bank — so the concept of having
$25,000 was totally outrageous. And
my car, well you remember what happened
to my car — the repo man took
it away. So needless to say, these were
big dreams that required a total 180-
degree change in mindset.
I read my dreams list faithfully three
times a day. I spent time picturing my
dreams as already being my reality. It
was the first time in my life that daydreaming
was on purpose. I would sit
and imagine myself driving down the
highway in my Jaguar. I could see that
huge bank balance, and I would walk
through all the rooms in my new
home. These dreams became more real
to me than the life that appeared to be
my reality for the moment.
I began filling my mind with positive
ideas and thoughts that would
support the life I desired the life I
believed I was destined to live. And
within six months from the day I first
wrote that list of 25 dreams, I had
achieved 23 of them. In most cases, I
far exceeded what was written on the
list. That was 10 years ago.
As I write this story, I'm sitting in
my wonderful home, looking out the
window at the beautiful panoramic
view of the Gulf of Mexico, realizing that it wasn't that long ago that
this
home was a dream on my list waiting
to be realized. To this day I review my
dreams list (which now contains over
100 dreams) several times a day. I am
continually excited and surprised at
how quickly dreams are realized —
even the big ones!
That's not to say life is always perfect.
There are some things we can't
control. For instance, last summer I
suffered a devastating loss when my
7,000-square foot office burned down.
Within a matter of minutes, everything
I had worked for during the last 10
years was destroyed. My staff of 15
people and I were left without even as
much as a paper clip. This was one of
those defining moments ... the opportunity
for me to "walk my talk"... and
I assure you, there were many people
watching. I chose to ignore my current
circumstances and instead began using
my thoughts to create the outcome that
I desired. Today, we have relocated to
an 11,000-square foot building. We've
turned this tragedy into an opportunity.
We see this as a fresh start ... a new
beginning ... the chance to regroup and
refocus our energies on what's most
important making a positive difference
in people's lives.
Zig Ziglar says, "We can have anything
we want in life if we're willing to
help enough other people get what they
want." Today, my company, Inspiration
Point, is focused entirely on helping
people create the lives they desire and
deserve. Having this opportunity to
impact people's lives for the better has
been the ultimate success for me.
by Lisa Diane
Lisa Diane is the Founder and Chief "Inspiration" Officer of Inspiration
Point, LLC. Lisa Diane provides business
coaching, success coaching, and training
to small-business owners, entrepreneurs,
network marketers, and direct-sales consultants
around the world. She's a
dynamic keynote speaker and an expert
on empowerment and encouragement.
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