For many years I had a cat that I named Early. Each morning she would be at my bedroom door waiting for me as she escorted me into the kitchen to be fed. This is not something I’d trained her to do. Early just figured that’s what you do when you get up in the morning.

Much the same is with your thinking. You get into the habit of thinking a certain way and then you’ll rarely question it after a while. Like Early, you become accustomed to doing things automatically as well.

Everything in your life follows your thoughts. The key is to become aware of what you think.  Like the old adage, garbage in, garbage out.  If you think negatively about everything in your world then how can you possibly change your life for the better? It’s your thought patterns which have the greatest impact on your life.

Look at these ways to change your world simply by changing your thoughts:

You see and are attracted to what you believe. Your brain will ensure that you’re right about what you believe. Whatever you believe, you will attract. If you want to change what you see, change what you are believing about it whether it be your career, your marriage, your appearance, your abilities or your appearance.

Harness the power of your imagination. Imagination is the ability to create a mental image of something that is not visible in the present moment. Meditation or imagination is actually comprised of 3 key components: visualization, vocalization and memorization. You will move in the direction of your most dominant thoughts. Begin now imagining how you want the end of this year to look. Create an image of how your marriage, your finances, your house even you might look like 12 months from now. The more specific you are, the more strategic you can be, the more power you give the images to create what doesn’t yet exist.

Begin with the end in mind. How would you like your life to look one year from now? Be specific. Everything that exists today started as an idea in the mind of someone who pictured it, then pursued it. If you can keep the same mental image of success before you and never let up, you will speed up the imagination process.

Claude Bristol said, “Every business, every fortune is the outgrowth of an idea, the workings of someones imagination followed by an action.”

Change how you think, and you’ll change your world! If you change the images in your mind, you will change your world! Your inner dialogue was a learned skill.  You therefore can learn a new skill simply by monitoring what enters your passageways to your spirit, i.e., eyes, ears and mouth.You start by paying attention to what you look at (see), hear and say. Read about the life you desire and begin to speak what you want your life to become.

Your thoughts are a NEGATIVE or POSITIVE force. You choose.

~Live by design,

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Great people are single-minded and focused. They concentrate on their priorities and don’t deviate from them. Why? Because they have a systematic plan to extract chaos from their daily routine in general and from their lives as a whole.

Charles Dickens said this, “I never could have done what I have done without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one subject at a time…” Most people try to put their hands in too many baskets for the sake of multi-tasking. But I’ve learned that great people concentrate on one task and do it well. They recognize chaos as the enemy.

Why do so many people even those with a clear sense of purpose oftentimes lose their focus and their capacity to concentrate on one subject at a time? During my research for my book, Designing for the King, I discovered that people have too much inner chaos. I’ve found also that the ole cliché, “Jack of all trades and master of none” proved to be correct.

I’ve identified six forms of chaos that I am diligently working towards removing from my life. The goal is to be “Jack or Jill of just one trade.” The benefit is being focused, and concentrating on mastering it well.

Emotional Chaos

This type of chaos is typical when unforgiveness is clouding your focus. Holding grudges or carrying a chip on your shoulder is toxic. Forgive and move on.

Organizational Chaos

As important as organizing is to progression, it amazes me how so many people overlook this. You can accomplish so much more when you are organized.  Figure out a system that works for you and stick with it.

Timeline Chaos

When you begin to master your time well, timelines or lifelines (I don’t like the word deadlines) won’t seem like a nightmare in the making. Prioritize your day and use your time and energy on what will yield the most return.

Information Chaos

This happens as your attention is divided among so much to do. Every social media expert has a mailing. Where’s the value in allowing insignificant things to detract you from your focus?

Unhealthful Chaos

Many years ago I heard the Lord say, “My people wait until they are sick before they change their diet instead of changing their diets before they get sick.” You cannot concentrate well if your body is chaotic and dysfunctional.

Visual Chaos

Sustainable success is founded on being focused. I find it totally impossible to concentrate in the midst of visual chaos. You will find it easier to make the right decisions when your eyes have places to rest.

Because you are reachable 24/7 with your smart phones and lap tops, you tend to fall into chaos over-load and oftentimes cannot differentiate the significant from the immediate. Adapt to a chaos-free lifestyle and you will find your focus clear and sharp. Concentrating on the life design of your dreams won’t be far-reaching.

I enjoy sharing my passion with you.  If you know someone who would like to read this, share it with them. And always I welcome your comments and will personally respond to them.

Sharing my passion,

Deana

© 2010 All Rights Reserved

I remember as a child while sitting in church I would read the back of the paper fans that lay in the pocket before me.  Here is the poem that I always read on the back of the fan:

Did You Throw it Away?

God gave you this day to do just as you would,

You can throw it away or do some good,

You can make someone happy, or make someone sad,

What have you done with the day that you had?

God gave it to you to do just as you would,

You can do what is wicked, or do what is good,

You can hand out a smile, or just a frown.

You can lift someone up or push someone down,

You can lighten some load, or some progress impede,

You can look for a rose, or just gather some weed,

What did you do with your beautiful day,

God gave it to you, did you throw it away?

It’s amazing to me how this poem came to mind this  morning. I must have been only 9 or 10 years old at the time. But I do remember being drawn to those words to the point of reciting it before an audience, well reciting whatever I could remember at the time. I wanted so much to tell everyone about these beautiful words not knowing how years later they would impact my life.

But what are these words actually saying?  I believe they are saying, you can either ‘win’ or you can ‘whine’, you choose. Winning is simply:

• doing some good (stepping our of your comfort zone)
• making someone happy (going out of your way to please)
• handing out a smile (sharing of yourself)
• lifting someone up (encouraging instead pointing a finger)
• lightening some load (helping someone else to move forward)
• looking for a rose instead of a weed (expecting the best instead of the worse)
• seeing everyday as beautiful (enjoying the gift of life)

Self gain is not all there is to winning.  Success is not all there is to winning. It’s never all about us, but always about someone else.

What are you doing with your day? Are you winning or whining? Don’t throw it away!

Final note: as a certified interior living educator,  specialist and strategist, I can help you to apply the tools to create major breakthroughs, achieve emotional clarity, personal accountability and inner direction so you can create a life of confidence, order and freedom. Let me help you get unstuck and live intentionally so you can design your ideal life. Begin by signing up for a get-acquainted session on my website.

Share this with others on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. I know you want to help someone else live a 360 Interior Living lifestyle!

Thank You!

Live by Design,

Copyright 2012, Dr. Deana Murphy. Dr. Deana works with women leaders who want to BOUNCE BACK, FAST-FORWARD their lives courageously, confidently, and conscientiously, leaving a positive footprint in the world.

She can be reached in the following ways:

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For more information on Dr. Deana’s business check out http://www.DeanaMurphyGlobal.com

The other day I was brainstorming with one of my friends over some things we are endeavoring to accomplish as we planned our upcoming conference in Los Angeles. We were charged and caught up in the moment by what God is doing in both our lives.

I met Linda while I was on an assignment and we sort of gravitated towards one another. But the amazing thing about her is that she keeps me accountable and I her, probably by default because we understand that success is a choice. Continuing to bounce ideas off one another I suddenly realized that we were realigning ourselves, designing for success, and walking into our purpose.

Linda and I talked about there being many who have no clue what true success really is. I believe that success is a choice, and it must be cultivated. The world suggests that our success requires us to turn away from the path of godliness – to neglect developing our relationship with God; to disregard ethics and morals for the sake of getting ahead.

I asked my husband Eric to define success. Out of his mouth I heard, well it is NOT money. (I smiled in delight). You have to know my husband. He doesn’t usually directly answer a question. In legal terms, he generally demurs, or delay by making a point of order. Befitting of him. His mind is trained that way as he is a law student. But then he went on to say something so profound, “Success is doing the will of God; and in God’s will we find our purpose, and when we know our purpose, we have found success.” I could not have said it better. Humm…

In cultivating a successful lifestyle, home life, family relationship, ministry or business, much the same as designing a space, or a room or even a entire residence or office space, there must be a process. The process of designing for success begins within us because wherever we go, whatever we do, we are there; When we are there, we make an impact on the environment, the people, the world. Our successes aren’t for us alone, it affect others. It begins with the one you see in the mirror. Michael Jackson said it so well,

“I’m starting with the man in the mirror,I’m asking him to change his ways and no message could have been any clearer, if you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself, and then make a change!”

Success causes one to ask questions like, “what do I have to become?” We have to become what we think. This means we have to relinquish the old way of thinking and cultivate a new. My 5 secrets to designing for success look like this:

1. Don’t Serve Your Thoughts

You can’t move forward as long as the problem or the obstacle that you are looking at is the biggest thing in your life. If you are thinking about the problem more than the solution, you are serving your thoughts. There is a way of escaping negative thought patterns. Talk to the man or woman in the mirror and tell him or her who you desire to be and what you desire to become. Make it automatic each time you see yourself in a mirror. And by all means look in a mirror often!

2. Take Control

Quit allowing your circumstances and challenges to assume your thought life. Instead, realize that circumstances won’t ever change until you change. Remember, you aren’t alone. you have God’s thoughts. You have the Holy Spirit to strengthen you and you have the mind of Christ.

3. Enlist a Master Mind Group

This is so very important. Get around people who are full of faith and have attained and traveled where you want to go. Don’t rehearse your problems to them! Make yourself listen to them. Join in with their faith and resist your old way of thinking,  seeing and saying things.

4. Prepare

Don’t be like the foolish virgins in the parable at Matthew 25. When they went to meet the bridegroom, though they took their lamps but took no extra oil and therefore were not prepared for the unexpected. We must be responsible for preparing ourselves by:

• Becoming the Learned. Read what others are saying. Read about current events. Read your Bible. Study to show yourself approved.

• Competing only with Yourself. When you compete with you, then you are challenging you. Competing with someone shows signs of immaturity. You cannot succeed by trying to out-do someone else.

• Journaling your Thoughts. You must be prepared to see around the corner. Write down the plan, a one, five and ten year plan. Everything you will ever need is within you. The design is within you.

5. Get a Strategic Mindset, Serve Others and Seek their Wisdom

Today I tweeted some thoughts and then retweeted some thoughts of others. I believe this is a great place to share as they fit in and are self-explanatory:

• It’s difficult dealing with an adult who acts like a child…..put them in TIME OUT! @JamalBryant

• As you go about your day, look for opportunities to add extra value to your customers and the people you work with. @JennyFerns

• Keep your eyes on your dreams, feet on the ground and you will get there one step at a time @JennyFerns

• Mastermind with yourself for 30 minutes each day, gets ideas flowing, answers bubbling. @ ProsperitybyDesign

• Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner. @LesBrown

• Instead of doing 4,000 things 1 time…do 1 thing 4,000 times. That will bring success. @StephenSwisher
  

• Life is personal journey. People who give so much time to judge others, have no time to improve their life. @CodeinDesign

• God hates cheating in the marketplace; rigged scales are an outrage.” Proverbs 20:23 (MSG) @HaroldHerring

• Watch what you say and say what you mean. Words can create an atmosphere that can be felt. @FaithladyDeana

• Don’t loose the simplicity of a child. Just believe God and do it! @FaithladyDeana

Designing for success is a choice. And, of course you don’t need permission to succeed. Linda and I know this and we are holding one another accountable for the directions we are taking in this journey called life. Designing for success is the road we have taken by merely making a quality decision. What about you?

Leave me your comments, questions or thoughts. I’d love to hear from you.

Sharing my passion,

Deana