YOU Have Infinte Power !

YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER
YoU HaVe InFiNiTe PoWeR

YoU HaVe
YOU HAVE
InFiNiTe
INFINITE
PoWeR
POWER
UlTiMaTe SuCcEsS ThRoUgH EnErGy,
PaSsIoN AnD PuRpOsE
ULTIMATE SUCCESS THROUGH
ENERGY, PASSION, AND PURPOSE
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ChRiS BeRlOw PaUl MeLeLlA Jr. NiCk PaLuMbO RiCk WoLlMaN

EMPOWERED MASTERY
528 Noh State Rd, Braircliﬀ Manor, NY 10510
© 2014 Chris Berlow, Paul Melella Jr., Nick Palumbo,

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— PRAISE FOR YOU HAVE INFINITE POW ER —
You Have Infinite Power is more than just a powerful book: It’s a must read
for anyone from corporate executives to sales professionals and entrepreneurs
who want to improve both their personal and professional lives. The authors not
only share stories about their successes, they speak compellingly about their
failures, offering invaluable insights on what they learned and how they adapted
and recovered from these experiences. This is an inspiring, motivating, and
timely work.
—Dennis J. Manning, president and chief executive officer,
The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
The consultants at Empowered Mastery helped my team of district managers

look at their business in a new and opportunistic way. Corporations often teach
leadership and management skills, but rarely help leaders frame their thinking
for a more successful outcome. This book will help everyone who reads it
become more successful both personally and professionally.
—Beth Nottingham, former vice president of Borders Books
You Have Infinite Power is helpful and easy to read, yet profound. It’s loaded with
practical advice, inspiration, and encouragement. The T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N.
Doctrine provides a wealth of insights on improving your life.
—Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series
Paul, Rick, Chris, and Nick’s personal accounts of their obstacles and hardships
are fabulous examples of how they overcame adversity and triumphed in life.
That’s what makes this book so great; these guys are real-life examples of, ‘If I
can do it, anybody can do it.’
—Marty Lyons, former professional football player
and current announcer
Empowered mastery understands success. These four men, each of whom has
forged his own successful path, offer something for everyone. Their diverse
backgrounds blend together beautifully, giving the reader a realistic view of
what it takes to transform your life.
—James Ienner, award-winning movie and music producer
Having gone to three Empowered Mastery events in the past year, I couldn’t
wait to read their book. They each had a dramatic effect on my personal and
professional life. It provided me an opportunity to shed my emotional baggage
and achieve tremendous psychological and physical breakthroughs.
I would recommend that anyone who is looking to make an impact in his
or her life, and wants to increase productivity in their professional and personal
life, read You Have Infinite Power and consider the EMC programs.
—Paul Vecchione, financial advisor, Amper Financial Services,
Bridgewater, NJ
DEDICATIONS
This book is dedicated in loving memory of my little brother, Frank Palumbo Jr.,
who taught me how to laugh and enjoy life to the fullest. I will always cherish our
memories. I will always feel your love through your children Katie, Frankie, and
Sabrina. I also dedicate this book to my wife Linda and my beautiful children
Joseph and Lia. I hope that the principles of this book will guide you.
—Nick
To my childhood best friend: John T. Furst III. His love for life was unparalleled,
and his spirit will live on forever.
To my oldest brother, David Berlow, who was only with us for a little while but
accomplished so much. He is still an inspiration with all his accomplishments.
To my mother, Ann Delano who passed away in 2010. I will love you
forever and you will always be an inspiration for me and many generations to
come. Your legacy of love and selflessness will live on forever.
—Chris
This book is dedicated in loving memory of my childhood best friend Michael

Lubbers, who inspired me to think big, to take action, and to live life to the
fullest. You will forever be in our hearts.
—Paul
I would like to dedicate this book to my parents, Elaine and Edward Wollman,
who passed on years ago. As I get older, and as the years go by raising a family
of my own, I come to understand and appreciate just how good my parents
were. As often is the case, we don’t realize the values our parents instill in us
until we become parents ourselves.
My parents were fair, honest, humble, loving, and always supportive; these
are qualities that every parent should have. I was extremely fortunate to be the
recipient of their good nature. If I can be half the parent to my kids that they were to
me, then I would consider myself extremely fortunate. They are my true heroes.
—Rick
CONTENTS
Foreword 10
Introduction 12
Chapter One: Thought 15
Chapter Two: Replacing Emotional Scars 33
Chapter Three: Awareness 57
Chapter Four: Never Give Up 96
Chapter Five: Self-Image 109
Chapter Six: Focus 125
Chapter Seven: Opportunities 146
Chapter Eight: Realization 158
Chapter Nine: Meditation 175
Chapter Ten: Attitude 191
Chapter Eleven: Track Your Goals 209
Chapter Twelve: Imagination 228
Chapter Thirteen: Organized Planning 243
Chapter Fourteen: New You 257
FOREWORD
You Have Infinite Power is the pinnacle of personal growth and development
books. Within these pages, Nick, Chris, Paul, and Rick introduce their
patented and groundbreaking T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine™,
which will transform your life. You Have Infinite Power is a fourteen-step
process that allows you to operate at peak performance in all areas of your
life, whether personal or professional. These four authors and entrepreneurs
come from diverse backgrounds and experiences, and have expertise in a
variety of industries, which offers the reader a unique vantage point. Each
of them has experienced success in his chosen endeavors by pursuing his
dreams relentlessly and overcoming all obstacles in his path. They have, both
individually and as a team, strived not only to succeed, but also to continually
grow and evolve into an enlightened state that inspires their clients and those
around them to reach their true potential.
Bookstore shelves are filled with books whose authors promise the new
miracle cure for your life, but seldom do these authors walk their walk and talk
their talk. While reading You Have Infinite Power, you will notice almost from
the start that this book is different than any other book out there. Through
personal stories of triumph and tragedy, the readers will come to feel as though
they have known these men all their lives. Their openness and willingness
to share their life experiences are a true testament to the genuine concern
they have for their readers and clients. You Have Infinite Power encourages and
inspires you to achieve what you never thought possible.
—Bob Proctor
The power and value of a Mastermind group has been proven time and time
again. In You Have Infinite Power, these four dynamic authors have created
a mastermind group to guide you on your own journey to success. They
have combined their passion, purpose, and personal success to create the
groundbreaking T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine, a fourteen-step
process that trains your mind and enables you to operate at a peak performance
and efficiency in all areas of your personal and professional life.
10
Nick Palumbo, Rick Wollman, Chris Berlow, and Paul Melella are alike in
their passion, but different in their diverse backgrounds and unique abilities.
Melella was trained in the martial arts field, and his vision and worthy ideal in
life is to positively impact the lives of others. In fact, he signs his email with
the signature, “live life to the fullest.” He spent a decade traveling the world
listening to the leaders in the personal development and self-improvement fields.
Melella found a kindred spirit in Palumbo, a well-respected leader in the
financial services industry, who was training at his martial arts studio. Together
they recognized an immediate synergy and common vision as well as an
opportunity to create a unique approach to personal development and success.
Melella recruited Berlow, his lifelong friend and martial arts partner,
while Palumbo invited Wollman, a successful entrepreneur and a friend
for thirty years. Their commitment to excellence helped make the
T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine and this book a reality. In discussing
the power of collaboration I often say that 1 + 1 = 11. In this combined effort by
these four individuals 1 + 1 + 1 + 1 truly does equal 1111!!!
There is no shortage of self-help books promising you a new life. Usually
they are written from a single author’s perspective. You Have Infinite Power
shares the vantage points of four authors, each sharing with you their personal
stories of not only their triumphs, but also their trials and struggles and how
they persevered.
The men are open and candid, and have pursued their dreams and reached
their successes using the same principles and fundamentals they share in this
book.
They promise no miracles. They do promise that if you commit yourself to
this process you will find growth and improvement in your life. Are you ready
to find your ultimate success?
—Sharon Lechter,
Co-author of Three Feet from Gold and Rich Dad, Poor Dad;
Member of the First President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy;
Founder and CEO of Pay Your Family First
Life isn’t about waiting for storms to pass, but learning how to dance in the rain.
Hopefully, with this book you’ll come away with a few new steps.
—Anonymous
FOREWORD 11
INTRODUCTION
What makes You Have Infinite Power different than other books? We do. The
four of us came together with a purpose that led to the formation of Empowered
Mastery and, ultimately, the T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine ™. This
is such a powerful process that we trademarked it. With our individual success
and diverse backgrounds, we each have unique and uncommon qualities that
appeal to a wide range of people. In most books, you only read one point of
view. In You Have Infinite Power, four different outlooks on life come together
to offer a wealth of knowledge and experience along with seventy conditioning
exercises specifically designed to help you transform your life.
Our personalities are polar opposites, yet we all have the same core
belief—we want to inspire others to transform their lives for the better.
Nick owns a multimillion-dollar financial services business and is a sought-
after platform speaker within his industry. Nick speaks from a wealth of
knowledge, experience, and confidence from his success. Chris, an owner of a
martial arts franchise, has unlimited energy and a relentlessly positive outlook
on life. He has genuine trust and concern for others, which is evident in this
book. Rick, a successful entrepreneur, is committed to excellence in all of his
endeavors. His commitment and dedication keep us all aligned and focused.
A day never passes when he isn’t on top of his game. And Paul, an owner of
the same martial arts franchise as Chris, has dedicated his life to this doctrine.
As you will see, he is one of the most disciplined people you will ever come
across. He sets an example for all who meet him. Enthusiasm radiates from
him when he speaks, and his passion for health and vitality weave uniqueness
into this book.
Other books claim to know all, to speak above you, and to promise untold
riches, yet amazingly, their authors are rarely forthcoming about their own
experiences. In this book, all four authors are just as willing to share their past
failures as their past successes: Nick being on welfare and losing a son, Rick
being fired twice, Chris coming from a broken family, Paul being faced with
jail as a teenager. All successful people have experienced failure at some point
during their lives, yet it is how we learn from these experiences and how we
bounce back from them that hold the real key to success. So if you’ve been
looking for something different, You Have Infinite Power is for you.
12 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

At our company, Empowered Mastery, we begin each of our seminars
with the “Empty Your Cup” story. We would like to share this story with
you. A college professor wanted to learn the art of Zen, so he searched for a
Zen master to train under. Once he began training with the Zen master, he
constantly interjected with comments. During each of his lessons, the college
professor would interrupt the Zen master and say, “Well, this is what I was
taught” or “I think this way is better.” So one day the Zen master asked the
college professor to join him for a cup of tea. They sat down, and the Zen
master poured and poured and poured the tea into the professor’s cup until it
overflowed. The professor finally said to the Zen master, “Stop! What are you
doing? The tea is overflowing all over the place.” The Zen master said, “Like
this cup, you are already filled with your own knowledge. I cannot teach you
the art of Zen until you empty your cup.” As you read these pages, empty
your current mindset and be open to the ideas and theories presented to you.
Unlike other books, we at Empowered Mastery aren’t here to say that our
way is right and any other way of thinking is wrong. If you don’t agree with
some of our philosophies and theories, that’s okay. All we ask is that you have
an open mind, like in the story above. The techniques we describe transform
thousands of lives each year through our seminars, workshops, and clients, as
well as through the students we teach as martial artists. Each of us at one time
or another has implemented the steps of the T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N.
Doctrine in his life. We do practice what we preach, and we do walk the walk.
Now, we’re extremely grateful to have the privilege to share these steps
with you. Each time you read these chapters, you will learn something new.
As a matter a fact, you will find that you will refer back to this book for many
years to come. Feel free to highlight and mark it just as you did your old
college textbooks. You Have Infinite Power is specially designed for the reader
to easily navigate through the wealth of information within each chapter. In
each chapter, you will find inspiring and motivating author stories. In these
real-life, personal experiences, we share with you our greatest challenges and
defining moments.
The material in this book is presented in an easy-to-read format that you
can digest at your own pace. Each time you read these chapters, you will find
some new nuggets of information helpful to your life.
INTRODUCTION 13
Quotations. At the beginning of each chapter, you will find inspiring
quotations from famous individuals to help set the tone for each step of
our T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine.
Empowering Statements. We believe these statements are so strong

and so powerful that we’ve highlighted them throughout the book.
Conditioning for Success Exercises. These exercises were

carefully created to help you, the reader, get a clearer insight and
understanding about who you are and how to implement each step of
the T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine.
Chapter Summary. These offer a quick synopsis for each step

presented throughout the chapter.

[ CHAPTER ONE ]
Thought
{ We are what we think. All that we are arises

with our thoughts. With our thoughts, we
make our world.
–BUDDHA {
What if we told you that you had exactly the same
abilities and resources that most successful people have?
What if we told you that developing a totally different IQ
is the key to prosperity and happiness? It’s not the Intel-
ligence Quotient that we are referring to; it’s what we
call the Intellectual Qualities (IQ) that hold the key. The
good news about this IQ is that, unlike the other where
there are indeed differences from one person to another,
we are all born with these intellectual qualities. No one
person has more than any other.
15
We all have infinite ability. We all have genius within us. Bill Gates, Steve Jobs,
Oprah Winfrey, and the overwhelming majority of successful people throughout
history were not born with any more ability or gifts than anyone else, but as
they matured they learned to develop their IQ. They just believed they could
do certain things. Once you learn to develop these resources, you will manifest
almost every goal imaginable. Your health will improve, your professional life
will soar, and your relationships will be more fulfilling. Most things in life are
possible as long as you truly believe in yourself and your capabilities.
You are your thoughts!
Everything starts with a thought. Any thought that enters your mind,
whether positive or negative, can become reality if you so choose. This is the
foundation for the remaining chapters in this book. Intellectual Qualities go
beyond the five senses of touch, taste, smell, vision, and hearing. Your IQ is
your innate ability to manifest your desires into reality. This does not mean all
you have to do is close your eyes and say, “I want to be a millionaire,” and in
a blink of an eye you’ll be on a yacht in Monte Carlo sipping martinis. No, it’s
not that easy. However, do not underestimate the power of your mind, and the
potential of any thought you put into it.
The Intellectual Qualities are

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Our T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine guides you through the

process of understanding and developing your intellectual qualities and
enabling you to reinvent yourself as the person you’ve dreamed of.
You may still not be convinced of the power of your own thoughts
compared to the Bill Gateses and Steve Jobses of the world. They are examples
16
of brilliant entrepreneurs, right? They are much smarter than the average
person, right? Wrong! They both failed at one time or another. They both
dropped out of college. One even got fired. We can venture to say that each
of us has the same basic level of intellectual qualities that they have; it is
how we choose to apply them that makes the difference. Bill Gates was at
Harvard in 1975 when he first read an article about a new machine called the
microcomputer. He was fascinated and made the decision almost immediately
to design the best computer software in the world. We all know what followed.
Microsoft’s innovations have allowed people with no computer experience to
use personal computers and lead the global software industry. The idea for
the personal computer was already available, but Gates tapped into his IQ,
opening his mind to vision and imagination in order to fuel his desire and
passion to pursue and live through his Worthy Ideal of providing everyone
with the opportunity to own a computer. In Chapter 3, we detail these
intellectual qualities and their importance.
Stop and think for a moment about the different people in your life: your
family, friends, coworkers, and acquaintances. When you think about them, is
there one who constantly communicates negative thoughts? How is their life?
Are they happy? Healthy? We’d be willing to say that they are none of these
things because they live their negative thoughts.
The universe is governed by thoughts; therefore, everything we are is a
direct result of our thinking. To improve your results, you first must go to the
source. The following illustration demonstrates the power of your thoughts. It
is so simple to understand yet so few people realize it let alone apply it into
their daily lives.
We feel this formula is so important and so crucial to people’s success that
we called this the Empowered Mastery Success Formula.
Thoughts → Feelings/Emotions → Actions → Results

Results are what we want to improve in our lives, so if you want to improve
your results, simply change your thoughts. Whatever we think about can become
a reality. Why then do we fill our minds with negative thoughts? Why do we
always think of reasons why we can’t do something instead of why we can?
Understanding the mind enables us to learn to develop the right mindset to
overcome any obstacle, accomplish any feat, or achieve any goal. Once you’ve
changed your thinking, you can transform daily actions and break free of
THOUGHT 17
limiting behaviors that hold you back. Before we can go any further into the
importance of thought, we need to first discuss the inner workings of your mind.
Now don’t worry, you won’t have any nightmarish flashbacks of chemistry
class. No need to get out your textbooks. There won’t be too much medical
jargon here. After all, we aren’t brain surgeons, but what we talk about here is
just as important and easier to understand.
Okay, so let’s get started. Every thought in the mind triggers a chemical
and neurological process and creates different pathways in the brain. Each
person develops unique patterns of connections between brain cells. As you
tap into the power of these patterns and adjust your thinking, you gain a new,
positive perspective. This process involves exchanging self-defeating thoughts
and bad habits for more empowering and enabling ideas.
The brain contains ten to fifteen billion neurons. These neurons transmit
information around your body and form connections between cells. The
connections or neural pathways are similar to the interstate highway system that
links the country together. Chemicals are released with connections between
neurons. The more each connection is used, the more its pathway develops. A
lifetime of negative and self-sabotaging thoughts can actually alter your neurons.
A good illustration of this is the path created by walkers in a park. Initially,
an area may be lush and green. As time passes, the constant walking back
and forth wears away the grass; with each step, a path becomes easier to see.
Similarly, neural connections develop within the brain through thoughts,
actions, or behaviors. The more often the thought occurs or the action is carried
out, then the more the connections and pathways develop so that the action
becomes much easier, more familiar, and eventually becomes a habit. Every
time you repeat the habit, the connection becomes that much stronger within
the brain, and it eventually becomes second nature to you—well worn, like the
path we created in the park.
Is it possible to change behaviors by changing your thinking process? Can
you actually re-wire your thinking? Absolutely! Decide what behavior you would
like to change to have a positive effect on your life. To do so, it is necessary to
develop a new connection in the brain and a new positive thought. For example,
“I will stop eating unhealthy foods and go to the gym three times a week” or
“I will replace my negative self-talk with encouraging statements.” Instead of
telling yourself, “I can’t,” say “I can.” The more the positive thought is repeated,
the more the new brain connection is reinforced. As a result, the old habits are
changed. These new thought processes and behavioral changes need to be

regularly repeated to strengthen the connection. It is estimated that it takes
twenty-one days to develop a new habit and create new neural pathways. As a
word of caution: be aware of your thoughts. Do they help or hinder you? Do you
need to exchange some negative thoughts for more positive ones? Consider what
habits you could change to keep your brain active and stimulated.
For the next twenty-one days, begin to create a new habit and new neural
pathways. You need to carry out this new behavior several times. For example,
when you wake up every morning, eat fresh, organic fruit and drink bottled
water instead of coffee and doughnuts. As you eat the fruit and drink the water,
say to yourself, “I feel great,” “I am healthy, vital, and full of energy!” These
statements are what we call power paradigms, which we will detail in the
next chapter. As the new behavior is repeated, the brain connection becomes
stronger, thereby creating a new habit and a neural pathway.
{ {
It is only through your conscious mind that you can reach
the subconscious. Your conscious mind is the porter at
the door, the watchman at the gate. It is to the conscious
mind that the subconscious looks for all its impressions.
—ROBERT COLLIER
With apologies to Mr. Albert Einstein, we like to use the following equation to
illustrate how your mind works.
EMPOWERMENT = MENTAL CAPACITY 2
We all have two minds, the conscious and subconscious, each with distinct
attributes and powers. With the correct understanding of the purpose and
functions of both, you will attract to yourself the circumstances and conditions
most desired for your life. The best results are obtained through a close
harmony and cooperation between the conscious and subconscious minds.
When we were kids, our parents or teachers told us that we could
accomplish anything if we put our mind to it. The problem with that well-
meaning statement is that we were never taught how to put our mind to it. We
were never told how our mind works. Fortunately, we don’t need to be a brain
surgeon to understand how our mind works in relation to success.
THOUGHT 19
{ Man’s task is to become conscious of the contents that
press upward from the unconscious.
ģƫƫ

{
As Professional Martial Artists who have impacted thousands of
students over the years, we realized that we did impact them, but
never knew why. It is through the study of how the mind works that
we realized why we are so successful in teaching our students. Martial
arts training utilizes repetition and impact to allow beneficial values
to sink into the student’s subconscious mind. When this occurs, it
dramatically effects their actions; the way they stand, sit, speak, and
eat, their lifestyle, and all aspects of their lives. The results of their
newfound lifestyle are remarkable. Children get better results in
school and are more respectful at home, while adults earn promotions,
feel calmer, and live healthier lives, all starting from the way they
think.
Mental Capacity (Your Conscious Mind)
The conscious mind is the portion of your mind that utilizes sight, touch,
sound, smell, and taste. It is also responsible for our ability to analyze thoughts
and experience physical activity. We have complete control over the conscious
portion of our minds. It can accept or reject any thought or outside influence.
This is the thinking part of our minds.
Additionally, our conscious minds have the ability to form perceptions,
whether true or false, according to our beliefs. We take these perceptions as
reality. For example, if your parents gave you comfort food every time you
cried or felt sad, then you may have a tendency to eat when a stressful
situation occurs. Because of this limiting thought, you feel the need to comfort
yourself with food. Your perceptions define your actions throughout the course
of your life.

Effectively developing the powers of your conscious mind allows you
to focus and dramatically enhances your life far beyond what you might
consciously believe to be possible. Once the powers of your conscious mind
are harnessed, you are able to filter out any negative or sabotaging thoughts or
perceptions that have been predetermined by your subconscious mind. We have
the ability to accept, reject, or neglect any thought that enters our conscious
minds. However, when you don’t learn how to take control over your conscious
mind, then you allow your subconscious mind to form perceptions that can
negatively affect your life, as the example of stress eating illustrates. Once you
consciously choose to change your thoughts, your life will be filled with endless
possibilities. When you become purposefully aware of your thoughts, you will
then be able to choose only those thoughts that bring you empowerment. This is
a key IQ ingredient that you must learn to develop and use.
Here are 8 simple words that will literally change your life. These 8 words
are so simple to understand yet so few people actually apply them.
You Have the Ability to Choose Your Thoughts
Think about it. Only we can choose how we think, feel and act. Our
physical bodies can be diseased, ill or broken down but we still have the ability
to choose our thoughts.
People around us, from family and friends to our bosses and co-workers can
try to influence how we think, but at the end of the day we have control, not them.
Successful people have the ability to choose their thoughts no matter the
surroundings or challenges they may face. We are not saying it’s always going to
be easy, and sometimes we just blurt things out. We are not robots—we have
feelings and emotions.
Choosing your thoughts enables you to erase old, self-defeating thoughts
and to replace them with new and encouraging thoughts in your subconscious.
You will no longer be a victim of your negative perceptions. You have the ability
to control the information transmitted to your subconscious mind by choosing
what you allow into your conscious mind.
THOUGHT 21
“ We were giving a three-hour seminar for teachers at a New York
City public school. We arrived early, and Chris proceeded to
set up the computer and projector. Twenty minutes before the
seminar was to begin, the projector stopped working. As we got
closer to the starting time, I became angry and frustrated, not
only at the projector but also at the attitudes of my partners. We
were scheduled to start in a few minutes, the equipment wasn’t
working, and they didn’t seem to care. I was focused on my
negative thoughts, while Chris was focusing on a solution. Paul
had complete faith in Chris and made better use of his time by
focusing his thoughts in a positive and productive way: preparing
for the seminar and establishing the right mindset. Their thought
process was calmness, while mine was panic. As it turned out,
Chris solved the problem just minutes before the seminar was
to begin. I learned a valuable lesson from Paul and Chris that
day: you and you alone have the power to choose your thoughts.
Simply put, you can choose to be negative, or you can choose to
be positive. Your actions and consequently your results are a direct
correlation of your thoughts.
” —RICK
{ Only one thing registers on the subconscious mind:

repetitive application—practice. What you practice is
what you manifest.
—FAY WELDON {
Mental Capacity (Your Subconscious Mind)
Your subconscious mind is your emotional or feeling mind. It only has the
ability to accept information the conscious mind gives it and is most impacted
both before you go to sleep at night and when you wake up in the morning. We
mentioned earlier the twenty-one days it takes to break a habit. Most people
wake up in the morning and have a cup of coffee. Some have several. Instead,
consciously choose to drink a bottle of water or green tea.
The effects of anesthesia provide a striking example of the power of your
subconscious mind. The common perception of the purpose of anesthesia is
that it stops pain or immobilizes the patient. Yes, it does this, but it also controls
your body and its defense mechanisms that deal with pain. Anesthesia blocks
your conscious awareness of the pain. You don’t remember it, and therefore you
don’t relive it in your mind.
Your subconscious mind primarily controls your unconscious bodily
functions, such as heartbeat and breathing. It also acts as a storage unit for all of
the information received through your conscious mind. Your subconscious mind
never sleeps. It works continuously, soaking up your conscious thoughts like
a sponge. Before too long, that sponge becomes saturated and spills over into
your reality. The subconscious mind can’t distinguish the difference between
true or false but acts only upon the thoughts given to it by the conscious mind.
Every thought given to your conscious mind repeatedly drops down
into your subconscious mind and is accepted as truth. These thoughts are
accepted as facts because your subconscious mind has no reasoning capability.
Consequently, the negative thoughts you think about daily create self-defeating
perceptions. These limiting beliefs may have been absorbed since childhood
and accepted as truth. Many of them were innocently placed in your mind by
well-meaning people who had no understanding of the power of the mind.
How many times as a child did you hear statements like, “You can’t do that,” or
“Stop daydreaming,” or “You’re just wasting your life away.”
These beliefs fill your subconscious mind and determine your destiny.
Now is the time to act. The only thought you should have in your subconscious
mind is “anything is possible.” For this reason, you absolutely must begin to
selectively choose your thoughts. Once you are able to do this, then you can
start to recognize and discern your current false and self-limiting perceptions
from the real truth. Any negative and self-deprecating thoughts are stored and
held as truth by your subconscious mind, no matter how wrong they may be.
These self-limiting, pre-programmed beliefs are false beliefs that keep you
from living the life you deserve.
THOUGHT 23
“ My brother was told at a very early age that he wouldn’t be any good
at sports because of his limited mobility. He had to take occupational
therapy when he was a child due to a lack of coordination and motor
skills. He began martial arts at the age of four and began sparring
competitions at the age of five. He was always smaller than the rest
of his martial arts competitors but decided to compete anyway.
When others told him he was learning disabled and had to take
occupational therapy classes, I told him he could be a champion.
When others told him he wasn’t tall enough to be a champion, I
told him he was faster than the competition. He didn’t allow other
people to limit his thinking; instead he believed what his older
brother had been programming into his subconscious mind since
the age of five, “You are a champion.” At sixteen years old, he won
the junior Olympic nationals, competed on a Junior National team,
and won the Adult Men’s Fin Weight National Championship. My
brother learned to be a champion not only of martial arts, but also
”
of his thoughts.
—PAUL
Your subconscious mind is a source of power for you. Stored deep within are
the memories and experiences of your life. It is a tremendous source of energy
that gives you the ability to develop strength, courage, and faith. It also
embodies the feeling and wisdom of the past, the awareness and knowledge
of the present, and the thought and vision of the future. Even though it
is closely aligned to your physical body, your subconscious mind operates
independently of the body. Below are seven key points to remember about
your subconscious mind.
1. It manifests itself only according to your capabilities.
2. You must have a clear and vivid image of what you want and actually
see yourself as already successful.
3. You must have patience and absolute faith. You must truly believe.
4. Your subconscious is only stable and effective in direct proportion
to the quality and clarity of the information supplied to it by your
conscious mind.

5. Your subconscious will draw to you what it clearly understands to be
your desire.
6. Your subconscious doesn’t reason why but records with high fidelity
anything and everything your conscious mind presents to it.
7. You must ask it in detail exactly what you want. The mind can’t
process a negative, so keep your thoughts positive.
We know this has might have been a lot of information and it might be
challenging to understand everything.
The illustration below will help you digest it more effectively. We use
this in all of our seminars and workshops, and our clients have found it to be
extremely effective.
CONSCIOUS
MIND
SUBCONSCIOUS
MIND
BODY
Let’s put the above illustration to use with something that all of us have
done every single day for most of our lives: brushing our teeth. We first started
doing this at a very young age because our parents told us to. Now, we weren’t
born with this idea, right? No, This thought was put into our conscious mind
and through repetition and impact that thought of brushing our teeth seeped
into our subconscious mind where we had the ability to accept that thought.
And when we accepted that thought it became a habit.
Now that you have a better understanding of the roles that thought and
belief play in your daily life, you need to determine exactly what you want. The
general idea that you simply want to be successful is too vague. If your idea of
success is to be wealthy, then you need to be able to have a specific amount of
money in mind. If accomplishment is what you desire, then you need to define
what your achievements will be. So, answer these three questions:
THOUGHT 25
What is it I want?
_______________________________________________________
What are my exact goals?

_______________________________________________________
Do I have a clear picture in my mind of what I really want?

_______________________________________________________
These questions are crucial because the answers will determine your whole
life from this point forward. How did you do with the above questions? Did you
have any trouble with your answers? Did they make you feel uncomfortable?
Strange as it may seem, these simple questions are very difficult for some
people to answer. Most of us have a general desire to succeed, but beyond that,
everything is unclear.
“ In 1976, I went to Italy to visit my relatives. I remember my uncle

Frank asking me what I wanted to do with my life and then telling
me that no matter what career I chose, I would make a lot of
money. He gave me one thousand lire and told me, Tanti bachi, zio
Franco ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
over and write, Io Nicola dovo fare un milione di dolleri a cuarante
ani ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
2002, I turned forty and made a million dollars. I still carry those
one thousand lire with me today.
”
—NICK

It is vital that you know exactly what you want out of life. Your future has to be
outlined, and your goals kept in view. You must have a set mental picture before
you’ll obtain the life of your dreams. Desire is the main motivating force in all
of us, and it must be all consuming. Nothing can be achieved or gained without
it. Combining the power of your thoughts with a deep burning desire is the
prescription for getting whatever you want in life. Our thoughts and wants do
not become real to us until we give them life with our own thinking or through the
workings of our imaginations. We will delve deeper into imagination in Chapter 12.
{ Man’s greatness lies in his power of thought.
—BLAISE PASCAL
{
The Power of your Thoughts
We have approximately sixty thousand thoughts every day. How many of those
thoughts do you suppose are negative or self-defeating? Would you associate
with someone who repeatedly told you how terrible you were all day long? If
not, then why do you do it to yourself? Sadly, most of us go through our lives
totally unaware of the power of our thoughts to produce the lives we desire.
Worse yet, most of us aren’t even consciously aware of what we’re thinking in
the first place! The majority of our thoughts are unconscious. Not being aware
of them opens the door wide for an unwelcome, unwanted, and misunderstood
life.
We can gain power over our thoughts once we learn to become aware of
them. You have control; they don’t have control over you. How many times
have we heard uplifting stories about people who refuse to give in to sickness,
illness, or other devastating obstacles put in their path? How many times have
we heard that these people changed how they thought? Your thoughts shape
your reality.
Here’s another example of how powerful our thought processes can be:
the work of Japan’s Dr. Masaru Emoto. Over the past few years, Dr. Emoto
THOUGHT 27
has experimented with the effects of ideas, words, and music on the molecules
of water. He froze and then photographed untreated, distilled water. The
different samples of frozen, distilled water showed various formations, but
none were crystallized. Next, he taped certain words or people’s names on the
outside of the bottles and subjected them to different types of music before
freezing. Here are some effects that Dr. Emoto claims to have found in his
research:
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crystalline structures, while the crystals of polluted or stagnant water
were deformed and distorted.
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crystalline shapes.
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the frozen crystals had a similar shape to the crystals formed by water
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resulting frozen crystals split in two.
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labeled with negative words, or when negative thoughts and emotions
were focused intentionally upon them, the water did not form crystals
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tended to mimic the shape of the original flower.
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the crystals were fragmented and distorted.
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the crystals were almost identical to the formation that emerged when
heavy metal music was played.
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beautiful, snowflake-like crystals formed, yet when the words “Do it”
were taped to the distilled water, no crystals were produced at all.
Many of you may be skeptical of these experiments. Whether you choose to

believe the photographs or not depends on your willingness to open your mind
to new avenues of thinking and emptying your cup. At the very least, do an
online search for Dr. Emoto and form your own conclusions.

We hope to have given you a new avenue to consider as you begin your
travels through the power of thought. The amazing images of crystal formations
are proof that the thought of failure itself can become represented in the
physical objects that surround us. Now that we have seen this, perhaps we can
begin to realize that even when immediate results are invisible to the unaided
human eye, they are there. Our bodies at birth are 70 percent water; this
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The earth’s surface is also 70 percent water. Through Dr. Emoto’s
experiments, we have seen the proof that water is far from inanimate and is
actually alive and responsive to our every thought and emotion. Having seen
this, perhaps we can begin to truly understand the awesome power that we
possess, through choosing our thoughts and intentions, to heal the earth and
ourselves. If those crystals can form in nature and water, then what is forming
in your body? How are your crystals? Pristine? Beautiful? Or discolored and
misshapen?
This is where you need to change your thought process. Thoughts and
beliefs of lack and limitation have a negative effect. We would like to take
this opportunity to state that not everyone’s circumstances in life result from
thoughts of lack and limitation. In some instances, such as war, a person’s
suffering has nothing to do with his or her thoughts. For the majority of people,
however, until they are able to change the initial thought processes that created
the situation, they will continue to experience the same results and will remain
stuck in the same unsatisfying life. Until your limiting thought process changes,
you will continue to get the same results. Each one of us has the ability to think
and create something every minute of every day.
One of the best examples of the mind’s ability to overcome a horrific
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in the early twentieth century. In 1942, he, his wife, and his parents were sent
to the Theresienstadt concentration camp. Frankl was separated from his
family and forced to live in horrendous conditions with hundreds of other men.
For three years, he endured inhumane treatment by the Nazis. Surrounded
by death, he noticed that many of the men simply gave up on life. They
essentially “willed” themselves to die.
Frankl not only survived this horrific experience but also helped others
to survive as well. His will to see the meaning in life set an example for many
of the men around him. In his book Man’s Search for Meaning he describes a
THOUGHT 29
time during his internment that nearly overwhelmed him. He was starving and
suffering from many physical ailments. He wrote,
I became disgusted with the state of affairs which compelled me, daily and
hourly, to think of such trivial things. I forced my thoughts to turn to another subject.
Suddenly, I saw myself standing on the platform of a well lit, warm, and pleasant
lecture room. In front of me sat an attentive audience on comfortable upholstered
seats. I was giving a lecture on the psychology of the concentration camp! All that
oppressed me at that moment became subjective, seen and described from the remote
viewpoint of science. I succeeded somehow in rising above the situation, above the
suffering of the moment, and I observed them as if they were already of the past.
By changing his thoughts, he was able to survive the horrors of the
concentration camp. The next time you feel yourself slipping into a pattern
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the situation and think himself through one of the worst events of history.
A more recent example is Nelson Mandela and his ability to remain positive
throughout the 27 years he was imprisoned in very harsh conditions.
Another reason we need to truly understand the power of our thoughts
is that often we may consciously desire one result, yet subconsciously be
focused on another. As a result, due to the massive power of our thoughts, we
experience more of our underlying subconscious desires. It is vital for you to
understand that if you choose to have whatever you desire in life, then your
predominant thoughts must be focused on and in harmony with what is desired
and not what is lacking. The mind cannot process a negative. Most people are
always focused on what they don’t want, so if you say to yourself, “I don’t want
to be in debt,” then your mind becomes focused on debt. What you really want
is to be wealthy, so you change your thought to “I want to be financially free
and abundant.” At our seminars, we also hear our students say, “I just don’t
want to get sick.” Their mind hears the word “sick,” so we tell them to say,
“I am healthy and vital” instead. What does your mind hear? The following
exercise is useful in helping you determine how you want your life to be.

LIFE IS A BLANK CANVAS. YOU ARE THE PICASSO OF YOUR
LIFE. TAKE A MOMENT AND USE THE SPACE BELOW TO DESIGN
AN IDEAL LIFE. WRITE AND DESCRIBE EXACTLY WHAT YOU
WANT YOUR LIFE TO BE LIKE.
Make a conscious effort, and you will develop the ability to focus the power
of thoughts on creating a life far in excess of your previous comprehension. Now
that you’ve discovered the power of thoughts, become conscious of what you
are creating, and you will begin to experience a T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N.
Learning to consciously implement the power of your thoughts is vital to
achieving your dreams and goals. All that is necessary to attract your desire,
whether it is financial security, incredible health, or fulfilling relationships, is
to make a conscious choice to change and to replace the limited thinking that
has stifled your life. Soon your life will be one of unimaginable success and
empowerment.
THOUGHT 31
CHAPTER SUMMARY
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subconscious mind.
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thought.
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conscious mind.
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[ CHAPTER TWO ]
Replacing
Emotional Scars
{ The significant problems we face cannot be

solved at the same level of thinking we were
at when we created them.
—ALBERT EINSTEIN {
As mentioned in Chapter 1, certain beliefs have been
instilled in our subconscious as we matured. Many of
the thoughts we have every day aren’t ours. They didn’t
originate in our mind but are a product of those around
us. The ideas of others far too often shape our world.
As small children, the thoughts of our parents, teachers,
coaches, and other influential people became our own.
Similarly as adults, the things we read and watch have a
dramatic impact on our thoughts. These external factors
can have a damaging influence.
33
Are we born with a conscious mind? Most of us would answer yes. The
question is not meant to be literal and analyzed by scientists, but rather food
for thought. So let’s propose another question: how do we as infants learn
how to speak a language, while as adults we find it so difficult to learn a new
one? When we are born we do not have the ability to agree or disagree. We
don’t have real opinions or original thought. We absorb everything around us
like a sponge. As infants, we do not have a conscious mind, but we do have a
subconscious mind that allows us to take things as they are. We have no choice
but to accept what’s around us. Therefore, we learn to speak the language
in our environment. As we get older we start to form a conscious mind and
therefore the ability to reject, accept or neglect what’s around us. In other
words, we have the ability to choose what’s right for ourselves. That is why it’s
so challenging for us to learn a new language as adults. Our conscious mind
gets in the way.
“ As a child I learned not only English but also Italian, which is the
native language of my parents. I did not take Italian in school, I just
picked it up from hearing my parents and relatives speak. My parents
have been in this country for over 50 years, and they still speak
broken English. Their conscious mind serves as their obstacle.
”
—NICK
Before we can take one step forward to achieve what we want out of life,
we have to take two steps back and take a look at how we got to this point in
the first place. We all have what we call emotional scars. These are scars that
developed in childhood and we didn’t even realize we had. They are deep in
our subconscious and might be standing in the way of achieving successes in
our life. We have to unburden ourselves and replace these emotional scars.
Before we can do that, we have to understand what these scars are and how
they took up space in our subconscious.

Paradigms
Another word for emotional scars is paradigms. A paradigm is a set of beliefs
and values that define the way a person views his or her reality. They control
all behavior, which in turn propels results. It is crucial for us to learn that
paradigms are formed and have a significant effect on our lives. In the first
chapter, we detailed the importance of the power of your thoughts; now we
apply that understanding to our paradigms. Only through this understanding
can we transform paradigms to improve the way we think and act so as to bring
about the most improved results. All of our results in life are based on our
habits, attitudes, and, ultimately, our paradigms.
Our paradigms control almost every aspect of our lives and all the decisions
we make on a daily basis, from
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These paradigms or perceptions control our expectations and determine

how we interpret the events and circumstances in our life. On a scientific
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information is processed in our mind. The way we approach the world
around us is a direct result of our paradigms. Paradigms are housed in our
subconscious mind.
One of the most rewarding experiences we have as martial arts

teachers is to see the transformation from the “non-believers” to the
“Yes I can” mentality. A lot of beginner students’ limitations come
from their past. They lack the confidence and the belief that they
could train in the martial arts. The biggest one is, “I am too old to
train in the martial arts.” Tell that to Chris’s student who started her
training at the age of 67 and is now on her way to earn a 3rd degree
black belt at the age of 74. We tell our students, “If you don’t do it,
someone else will so it might as well be you.”
REPLACING EMOTIONAL SCARS 35

{ In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected
thoughts.
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON
{
Limiting Beliefs
Many people are convinced that their beliefs that result from their suffering,
whether emotional, spiritual, or physical, are devastating beyond recovery. This
is not the case.
No belief is permanent.
Most of us want to improve in order to reach our personal best. We think to

ourselves, if only I could lose weight, or get a better job, or find a soul mate. But
in the end, something always seems to stop us. Have you ever wondered why
you don’t get the results you want? Limiting beliefs determine your outcome.
By integrating false beliefs with your actions, the results are detrimental.
When you take time to comprehend this concept, your mindset shifts to one
of unlimited possibility, and you put yourself in the position to achieve any
result you choose. Let’s take an example of the “check engine” light in a car. If
it flashes red, do you take a hammer and bash the control panel until the light
goes off? Of course not—that doesn’t fix anything. More than this, just because
the light is off doesn’t mean the engine is now working correctly. Instead, you
need to pull over, open the hood, and take a look inside. In other words, we
need to treat the cause, not the symptom.
The same is true with life. Is your check engine light on? Something
deep inside keeps us from changing. Something prevents us from believing in
ourselves enough to reach our goals and fulfill our dreams. What is it? What
keeps us from going back to school? Losing weight? Earning more money? It’s
simple really; if you don’t believe you can do something, then your behavior
will reflect that belief.
These beliefs can be traced back to our childhood. They are developed
during a time when we did not have a fully developed conscious mind. We
only had a subconscious mind which only allowed us to accept the thoughts of

others.The worst part is that we carry these limited beliefs around, buried in
our subconscious minds, for many years and don’t even know they are there.
We might simply accept them as our own beliefs. We are not saying that some
of these beliefs aren’t good, because they can be. We will dive more into this
shortly when we talk about the different types of paradigms we have.
{ Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re

right.
—HENRY FORD
{
Breaking free
You have to break free of limiting beliefs. Do you need to open your hood and
give yourself an internal check up? Are your limiting beliefs holding you back?
In one way or another, these limiting beliefs affect every moment of life.
Many of us find it difficult to break out and live the life we’ve always wanted.
In our seminars, we teach our clients that the limiting beliefs that keep us
from achieving our dreams are directly related to our childhoods. During our
childhood, our feelings about ourselves were first formed. As we matured,
these beliefs about our abilities—how we should act, how others perceive us,
and most importantly, how we should behave—were reinforced as well. But
just because your childhood is in the past doesn’t mean it is over. Lingering
childhood ideas, emotional scars, surface in our lives every day. Even as adults,
our childhood experiences still affect us.
As a child, you might have felt unworthy, incompetent, inadequate,
unlovable, or insignificant. This book is not about placing blame; it is about living
the best life possible. You must take responsibility for your actions and life. Some
of you may have been severely hurt by past events, but you can’t continue to
blame your current behaviors on someone else. How far can you drive forward by
looking in the rear view mirror? Similarly, how far do you expect to move forward
by living in the past? We cannot live in our past experiences. This hinders our
progression. Leave the past where it belongs, in the past.

Instead, ask yourself, “What did I learn from that experience? What
positives can I take from this?” At the same time, however, completely ignoring
your past is not an option either. You can’t go through life wearing blinders.
To honestly improve your life, you must be willing to confront the past and to
search for the cause of your limiting beliefs. No problem is fixable until there is
a diagnosis. Can you imagine going to the doctor, only to be handed a diagnosis
before your examination? You would probably walk straight out the door. Instead,
the doctor asks for an explanation of symptoms, runs a few diagnostic tests, then
prescribes medication. That is treating the symptoms instead of the cause. This
could be one of the many reasons why we are an over-medicated society.
Guilt, anxiety, fear, low self-confidence, self-pity, and lack of self-esteem
are traceable to childhood. These feelings seep over into our adult lives. We
learned those feelings then and still apply them to our life now. All of our
fears and worries were learned many years ago from various experiences, yet
we continue to hold on to them. Most of our beliefs about who we are haven’t
changed at all since our formative years, so why do we still let them reign
supreme over our lives? The answer is fear. Change is scary. Why do you think
so many people get up year after year and go to jobs they dislike? Because they
are too scared to change. I can’t imagine letting fear steal happiness from me.
Don’t let fear steal your happiness.
Most people fear the word “change.” Change is constant; it’s a universal
law. The earth, the trees, the oceans, and mountains are all in a state of
continuous change. Nothing remains still. Our bodies constantly change from
birth to death. It’s well known that every seven years all of the cells in our
bodies are replaced. The world is forever evolving as well. For us to live a life of
fulfillment and empowerment, then we need to embrace change as a positive.
At Empowered Mastery, we believe the words “change” and “improve” are
synonymous. No one wants to change for the worse; we all want to change for
the better. Learn to dance with the fear of change and shift your mindset to
create new possibilities in your life.
No one, no matter how strong or how smart, can move forward until they
let go of their past. To do this, we must break free of our limiting beliefs and
replace our emotional scars. Just by confronting negative, self-limiting beliefs,
you have a much better chance of freeing yourself from fear and doubt. Stop

allowing those negative ideas, which have been crowding your mind for too
many years, to determine your behavior. Erase the messages that told you that
you weren’t good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, or anything else—
they’re ridiculous. To erase these, you have to go back in time—not literally
of course—to your childhood and evaluate the standards you learned to judge
yourself by.
Limiting beliefs are the culprit for the creation of what we call Paralyzing
Paradigms. These hold you back from reaching your personal potential in life.
They are the thoughts that prevented—and are still preventing you—from
accomplishing your goals and reaching your dreams. Remember, you and
you alone consciously choose your thoughts. Whatever thoughts you choose
over and over again will be conditioned into your subconscious mind. This is
where all your beliefs and paradigms are formed. Once a belief is formed into
a paradigm and is conditioned into your subconscious mind, then it becomes
reality. Every Paralyzing Paradigm has a polar opposite as well and can also be
conditioned into our subconscious mind with what we call Power Paradigms.
Power Paradigms are your empowering beliefs, which condition your mind for
success. These empower you to be, to do, and to have whatever your heart
desires. This is your natural state.
Your core beliefs have controlled you for a long time. Changing core
beliefs opens the pathway for you to achieve whatever you desire. If you
hold on to your old thought patterns, then nothing will improve. Unless your
limiting beliefs change, your paradigms will plague you for the rest of your
life. In order to improve, you need to create what we call a paradigm shift. You
need to move from a constrictive negative energy to a positive energy that
moves you forward. To change your paradigms, you must start from the inside.
Courageously analyze your beliefs one at a time. Ask yourself if these
beliefs are truly yours, or someone else’s, instilled in you since childhood.
As you go through this process, you will find that many of your strongest
convictions have no basis. Through careful review of your belief system, your
existing paradigms will start to fade away and healthy, powerful ones will
follow. This is the starting point for a better life.

In the space provided, list five Paralyzing Paradigms. After you’ve com-
pleted your list, make a second one replacing them with Power Paradigms.
PARALYZING PARADIGMS
Example. I am too old to begin that exercise program or it is too late to
start a new career.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
POWER PARADIGMS
Example. I am healthy and vital and am in the best shape of my life!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
We’ve just learned that what we are and what we become is a direct result
of our thoughts and beliefs. You are a direct reflection of those deeply embedded
beliefs that have gradually, steadily, and consistently ingrained themselves into
your psyche.

{ Things do not change; we change.
—HENRY DAVID THOREAU

{
Inside-Out
It is a universal law that everything grows from the inside out, including us.
Let’s put this to the test. What is the most common New Year’s resolution? To
lose weight and exercise, right? So what is the first thing that most people do?
Join a gym and start a diet. This sounds easy enough: limit your intake of food
and spend a couple of days running on a treadmill. But why is it, then, at the
end of the second day, many peple are guzzling sodas, consuming chocolate,
and driving three miles out of the way just to aviod the gym? It is because they
are taking the outside-in approach. They start by looking for outside sources to
help them lose weight. How many new diets come out each year? How many
new machines promise “six-pack abs”? Most people fail because they don’t
realize that to lose weight, to get in shape, or to reach any kind of goal for that
matter, they have to feel good about themselves, which means correcting the
issues on the inside first. You have to believe you are going to do it. If this isn’t
the case, then no diet or exercise program is going to work.
When you tackle a goal from the inside out, then you’ll increase your odds
of reaching it exponentially. Let’s apply the inside-out method to the previous
engine light example to see the difference. Just as banging the dashboard until
the red light goes off might stop the blinking but won’t solve the problem, so
diagnosing the interior problem and then correcting it is the right way to go.
This basic principle applies to all of our goals.
The internal check up we spoke about earlier changes your frame of
reference. It is impossible to solve problems externally. We at Empowered
Mastery believe that any modification to a person’s life, whether it is losing
weight, quitting smoking, or any other major change, requires an internal
commitment. Once this occurs, you begin to look at and to think about life and
people differently. You will learn from future failures and not obsess over them.
By accepting responsibility for the events in life, your accomplishments will

increase significantly. Shifting your paradigm will only occur if you allow it to
come from within.
Change your thought process → Change your paradigm → New positive results
{ Opinions are the cheapest commodity on earth.
—NAPOLEON HILL
{
Creating a Paradigm Shift
We’ve just learned that what we are and what we become is a direct result of
our thoughts and beliefs. You are a direct reflection of those deeply embedded
beliefs that have gradually, steadily, and consistently ingrained themselves into
your psyche. Our behavior is therefore informed by these beliefs, which with
time become so deeply ingrained into our subconscious minds that changing
them seems virtually impossible. The longer you’ve had your limiting beliefs,
the more difficult it is to break them. To change your limiting beliefs, you will
need to have different thoughts. Renewing or shifting from our current thoughts
to ones that we desire brings transformation and change into our lives. This is
what is known as having a paradigm shift—adopting a new way of thinking,
doing things, and behaving.
“ In San Giorgi, Italy, in 1942, my dad was eleven years old. His
father was in the core of engineers for the Italian army. He had to
go to North Africa, serving his country in World War II. After a
few months, my grandmother received the dreaded telegram that
my grandfather was missing in action. Months passed, and he was
presumed dead. My grandmother was raising five children with no
money and no food in an impoverished small town.

About a year after my grandfather went missing, my
grandmother met a gentleman she later married. In this small
town there were many paradigms; one of them was ‘if a widow
remarries, then she is a zoccolo,’ or, in English, a whore. The five
children suffered the constant bombardment of insults from the
local townspeople. As it turns out, my grandfather was a POW and
returned home to his family a few years later.
The children were so happy because now they thought they
could all be together again. They expected my grandmother to
leave her new husband and new child and return to my grandfather.
To their dismay, she couldn’t do that. All five children ran away
from home and lived either on the streets or in shelters. After a few
years, they finally went to live with my grandfather.
I learned this truth nearly thirty-five years after I was born.
While I was growing up, my dad told me that my grandmother had
been killed while the American planes were bombing Italy. I kept
feeling sorry for my dad. ‘Imagine losing your mother to a war and
dying right before your eyes.’
But that wasn’t the truth at all. The story was completely
fabricated by all the siblings because they held this feeling in their
subconscious and couldn’t find it in their hearts to forgive their mother.
All those years, and I never knew I actually had a grandmother
who was alive and well. She’d been sending letters to my dad for
years, but he never even opened them. Not until he received one
last letter, handed to him by my own mother, who said, ‘You have
to go see your mother in Italy. She’s dying and wants to see her
children one last time.’ So all the siblings got together and flew to
her bedside in Italy. She was so happy that she bought ice cream for
the entire hospital floor and died later that night.
The reason I am sharing this story is that our paradigms can
paralyze our growth, our relationships, our spirituality, and our
health. We must learn to recondition our thought process so that a
tragedy like this one doesn’t happen.
” —NICK

To replace negative, self-limiting thought patterns, you first must be
aware that you have them. This is a challenging process that cannot be done
overnight. It took a long time to acquire these beliefs; it will also take time
to replace them with new healthy ones. Highly successful people are able to
eliminate negative beliefs simply by changing their internal thought process.
When you have no preconceptions limiting your progress, then you have the
power to overcome temporary setbacks at the thought level. Success comes
naturally when you learn how to control your thought patterns.
But how do you create a paradigm shift? How do you break down false
perceptions that have been instilled and cemented into your psyche since
childhood? You have to first take control of your thoughts. To achieve this
paradigm shift is a great conquest. Breaking away from this mold of limited
thinking begins with seven steps:
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influential then the voices on the outside. All that matters is your
opinion. It’s your version of the truth that matters, not theirs.
2. Stop the sabotaging self-talk. Fill your mind with encouraging words.
Remove words such as “can’t,” “not good enough,” and any other
phrases that conjure negative thoughts.
3. Take responsibility. The first step in correcting a mistake is accepting
its existence and your role in it. You must accept your mistakes or
failures and then see yourself overcoming them!
4. Believe in yourself. You must first succeed in your mind by believing
that you can do anything.
5. Change your focus. Fearful thoughts prevent you from achieving your
goals. Instead of statements like, “Don’t spill your drink,” focus on
what you want to happen and say, “Hold the cup.”
6. Remain calm. When you feel overwhelmed, then you are telling your
mind that it does not have the capacity to succeed.
7. Focus on the positive. Condition your mind to always view the positive
components of challenges.

{ The moment we want to believe something, we suddenly
see all the arguments for it, and become blind to the
arguments against it.
—GEORGE BERNARD SHAW {
POWER PARADIGMS
In the previous Success Conditioning Exercise, we asked you to replace
your Paralyzing Paradigms with your new Power Paradigms. Now, we
would like you to ask yourself specific questions to help generate this
paradigm shift.Transfer a Paralyzing Paradigm from the previous exer-
cise to the space below and ask yourself the following questions.
PARALYZING PARADIGM:
What will my life look like if I don’t change?
Five years from now ___________________________________________
Ten years from now ________________________________________________
How does this make me feel? ______________________________________
How has this affected my:
Family _____________________________________________________________________
Friends _________________________________________________________________________
Coworkers ________________________________________________________

Transfer a Power Paradigm from the previous exercise to the space
below and ask yourself the following questions.
POWER PARADIGM:
With this new Power Paradigm, how does my life look like?
Five years from now _________________________________________________
Ten years from now _________________________________________________
How does this make me feel? ___________________________________
How has this new belief affected my:
Family __________________________________________________________________
Friends _________________________________________________________________
Coworkers ________________________________________________________

“ I had to recondition an old paradigm of mine regarding parenthood.
This limiting belief was a result of a combination of experiences.
Parents of the children I taught would tell me how talented I was
at teaching their child, but it was always followed by ‘but wait
until you have your own.’ My friends used to tell me my house
was neat and organized, and then I heard the same old line, ‘but
wait until you have kids.’ My wife and I have a very loving and
affectionate relationship, but people would always tell us, ‘You
look like newlyweds now but wait until you have kids.’ It may have
been because I am the oldest of five children, and my father had to
work very long hours so my mother could stay home with us, but I
perceived this as a financial struggle. Whatever the case may be I
had a fear of becoming a parent, which resulted in the Paralyzing
Paradigm that children were a financial struggle and consequently
would prevent me from attaining greater success in many areas of
life. It wasn’t until I reprogrammed my mind and created a new
empowering Power Paradigm that I was able to improve my thought
process. My paradigm shift helped me create my new Power
Paradigm: my children are a driving force for me to consistently strive
for greater success in all areas of my life. I want to show my children
that their father is always willing to learn, grow, and improve. I want
to be a leader for them to follow. Because of this paradigm shift, I also
came to appreciate more what caring and loving parents I have.
”
—PAUL
Most setbacks in life originate in our thoughts and reactions to life’s

issues. How we think affects how we behave and consequently the kind of
actions we take—therefore, the success we attain in life is largely dependent
on those actions. Most of our limitations are self-imposed and can therefore be
overcome. By filling your mind with thoughts that influence positive behavior,
you take positive actions and therefore achieve positive results.
Conversely, if you fill your mind with negative thoughts, then you will
behave and act negatively—resulting in failure. Reprogram all the negative
beliefs that prevent you from achieving success.

If you continue to do this constantly and consistently, you will, without
doubt, attain gratifying success.
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past, and let yesterday’s results be yesterday’s results. What you did yesterday
produced your current results. Your future is no reflection of your past.
In Chapter 12, we will be asking you to write your Life Script. You will
create a new paradigm by writing a detailed description of the new life you
desire. We will be asking you to write this statement in the present tense. For
now, impress the vision of your new life vividly on your mind. Pretend you are
sitting in a theater and the actor and movie you are watching on screen is you
and your new life. Feel the feelings, experience the joy of having it, hear the
sounds and smell the scents. Add as much emotion to it as possible, as this will
help it appear more realistic to your subconscious mind. Upon completion of
this exercise in Chapter 12, you will find this new image soon firmly planted in
your subconscious mind and ultimately expressed as reality.
{ The outer conditions of a person’s life will always be

found to reflect their inner beliefs.
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{
The X/Y Factor
The X/Y Factor describes the correlation between believing and knowing. What
is the difference between the two? Belief is an expression of faith. You must
have complete faith in your convictions. When you combine determination of
your beliefs with the intensity of your knowledge, then there’s absolutely no
thread of skepticism. Look at any high-level athlete: He does not only believe
that he can achieve, he knows.
This all sounds good in theory, but it’s easier said than done. Let’s revisit
the inner workings of our mind and its relationship with the goals we want to
achieve. The weight loss and exercise program we referred to earlier is a great

way to demonstrate this. In Chapter 1, we talked about the two parts of the
mind, the conscious and the subconscious. When making decisions, there are
two other parts of your mind to consider: the X Factor and the Y Factor. Once
you comprehend these factors and how they work, you will better grasp the
reason why goals are sometimes difficult to achieve. This understanding will
enable you to break through obstacles to your success. This X/Y Factor is one
of the most powerful concepts to learn in this book. If describes perfectly the
thought process we all go through on a daily basis.
Each of us suffers at some point in our lives from what we call F.A.D.: fear,
anxiety, and doubt. This is the basis of the X Factor of our mind. It feeds on
procrastination, and F.A.D. is the oxygen it breathes. Similar to a paradigm,
the X Factor is the conditioning that resonates in our subconscious mind.
A paradigm takes over your mind in a couple of ways. In many cases, you’ll
actually inherit this paradigm—like a certain trait—at birth. It’s so firmly
grounded in your family line that it becomes a genetic factor.
No matter how dated, erroneous, harmful, or wrong, these paradigms are
in absolute control both of the way we think and also the decisions we make
throughout our lives. But it doesn’t have to be this way. For the most part, you
don’t know or recognize this mental conditioning until you attempt to make a
major life-altering decision.
So let’s closely examine how the X and Y Factor works. For example, let’s
say you want to quit smoking or embark on a new exercise program. This is
your Y Factor, any new idea that comes to your mind. It doesn’t matter what the
activity is. If it’s new, then your X Factor won’t like it and will try to prevent
this new idea from actually happening.
So when the X Factor hears that you want to get in shape, it automatically
goes on alert. Some of you may recognize this as that little voice in your head
describing what you can’t do and why you can’t do it. Every now and then,
you’ll talk to yourself or perhaps see people talking to themselves. Who is
that? There’s no one there, yet they’re carrying on a conversation? This is the
X Factor talking, and it’s saying wait a second, hold up there on that new idea,
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relax. Grab that remote, open up that bag of chips and have a beer. Start that
exercise program next week. Your X Factor is inside your house, so to speak,
and it loves being the only one there. It doesn’t like to be disturbed by its
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the last time you came up with an idea to improve or better yourself. It was an

excuse as to why you couldn’t suceed. That is your X Factor talking.
The Y Factor is anything that represents change, like a new idea or goal.
It disrupts the status quo, and it may be the healthiest, loftiest, most wonderful
idea or decision you’re making in your entire life—but to your X Factor, the Y
represents rebellion. The harder Y pushes for improvement, the harder X resists.
Don’t misunderstand us; the desire to improve is there. Daily life can be
unproductive and sabotaging no matter how much you want to improve. You
are ready to shift your life into high gear. Your Y Factor wants to remove the
X Factor from your mind. It’s trying to cross the threshold, but your X Factor
won’t let it through the door.
Every time you make an explanation why this new way of life will work,
your X Factor has another rational, sensible argument why it won’t. So what
pushes your Y Factor to the other side? Perhaps this time you don’t want to
stop. A desire burns deep inside. You believe you deserve it. Something inside
tells you that it is yours for the taking. And so, your Y Factor pushes harder,
threatening your X Factor. The minute this happens, your X Factor moves from
being concerned to being afraid.
And suddenly—you’re uncomfortable. Your awareness pauses and sniffs the
air. In a split second, your mind has entered a new vibration—it’s in upheaval.
Your X Factor has given up on using your little voice—it’s now decided it must
stop you from embarking on that new exercise program at all costs. So it calls on
its secret weapons: fear, anxiety, and doubt!
When F.A.D. enters the picture, logic leaves. When F.A.D. is a constant focus,
you’re only feeding the X Factor. F.A.D. trips the anxiety alarm—and nothing good
can come of that. Your central nervous system goes crazy— bells and sirens go off,
and the nervous chain reaction continues. All of this registers in your subconscious
mind and triggers your pre-existing paradigms to not want to get in shape.
Your subconscious mind gauges the temperature or vibration your body is
in. It accommodates this, which in turn produces more action in a positive or
negative way. Each of us has an internal thermostat built into our subconscious
minds. It is like an automatic pilot on a plane or an electronic thermostat in
your home. If your house is set for seventy degrees, the electronic system
automatically adjusts the heat if the room deviates from that set temperature.
Your subconscious mind has been set for a certain level of success or results
based on your past experiences and programming. That’s why, when we
back off or quit because of F.A.D., we’re not telling ourselves, “Well, I’m not
going to do that, because I’m afraid.” Instead, we’re giving ourselves a list of

excuses—“Well, I’m terrible at this,” or “If I try that, this will probably occur,”
or “It wouldn’t be very good for my health because . . .” You see, every excuse
our X Factor can come up with will rise to the surface—and quickly—because
these paradigms have been lodged in our heads a long, long time. Excuses like
I’m too tired, too old, too busy, or I’ll do it next week. Or you might even try to
rationalize and say, “I’m really not in such bad shape anyway.”
The choice is yours. You don’t have to give F.A.D. its reason to live. Make
the choice to reject F.A.D. Allow yourself to become emotionally involved with
what your Y Factor will do and is already doing in your life. When you focus on
the Y Factor results, you’re opening the door to success.
The power comes from your conscious awareness of how the mind
functions and then constantly, steadfastly setting up your Y Factor to the point
where it’s strong enough to overpower your X Factor. Your want has to be
stronger, or X will keep the door closed. And when the door does open, and Y
gets in, it’s got to be strong enough to stay there—it’s got to be strong enough
to win the battle against X and X’s territory, or it will be pushed out again very
quickly. This is one of the main reasons why most people go off their diets,
because their Y Factor is not strong enough to push their X out.
Rationalizing keeps us in our comfort zone. You might dread going to
your job every morning, and you rationalize your decision by saying “At least
I have a job.” Your marriage might not be much more than rote and routine.
You realize that instead of truly being in love, the relationship is a habit, and
rather than putting new effort into the marriage or repairing the damage, you
stay where it is comfortable. This may be a familiar route. Hope fades into
failure. Your X Factor remembers—and reminds you. Understand this: your X
Factor cannot be trusted. It’s devious and insidious. Rules don’t apply, and it
will win at any cost. It does not want your Y Factor to take over, and it does not
want you to improve.
For every failure, for every time you settle, for everything rote in your life
that’s just not what you’d hoped it would be, that’s your X Factor paradigm
assuring you that status quo is the way to go. Who wants status quo? There is
magnificence in this world—and you deserve it. You can have it. You don’t want
to go through life wondering, “What if?” Statements like that fill life with ifs
instead of whens. Get out there and start living the life you want! Get your Y
in motion! Walk up to that X Factor door of yours and break it down. And don’t
let that Y walk away. We don’t want to say “should have,” “could have,” or
“would have.”

Remember, it doesn’t take force to accomplish this. Stay calm. This
state of mind gives you power over your X Factor. Don’t question the state of
mind—believe in it. Start with a statement, one that you truly mean. What is
it—exactly—that you want and why? Write it out. Get emotionally involved
with the outcome of this Y Factor in your life. How is it changing your life for
the better? How are you able to change the lives of others around you because
of it? Uncommonly successful people do not let their X Factor control how they
think, feel, and act. They condition their Y to be stronger. Now when we say
‘successful,’ we are not just talking about finances. We are talking about all
areas of life. Think of all the pioneers and innovators throughout history. Do
you think they would let their X control them? Did they quit when faced with
obstacles and challenges? Of course not. So why should you?
“ When I left my family business years ago, I became lazy and

lethargic. For the first time in my life I stopped exercising. I was
shocked to learn how easy it was for me to get into bad habits.
I gained about twenty pounds. This had never happened to
me before, since I always exercised, ran, or played basketball
and football. However, my X Factor became so prevalent and
dominant that it became my best friend. It even introduced me
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So I knew I had to change things. I desperately needed to get
back into shape, so I called upon my Y Factor. But before I
embarked on that new exercise regime, I had to believe in myself
that I could do it, otherwise it wouldn’t work. That is thinking
inside out and not outside in. So I decided to wake up early
each morning no matter what and run three miles four days a
week. Now my X Factor did not like this one bit. It gave me
all the excuses in the world not to do it. It hid my sneakers and
misplaced my running clothes, but I tried my best not to give in
to these feelings. The first time I ran, I barely finished the three
miles. The next time was difficult too. But I believed in myself
and I made that committed decision so there was no turning back.
Then the third time became a little easier and so did the fourth.

Before I knew it my Y Factor had not only knocked on the door
but also had busted through it. As a matter of fact my Y Factor
became so prevalent that it kicked my X Factor out the door itself.
Now, as soon as I wake up in the morning, I have trained my
subconscious mind to put on my sneakers and go for a run just as
routinely as I brush my teeth and shower. My Y Factor became
so dominant that it completely switched roles with my X Factor.
I have so trained, conditioned, and strengthened my Y Factor
that at one point I had worked out every single day for one full
year. To this day, I still try to run at least five days a week, while
playing basketball on weekends. I am in the best shape of my life,
and I feel great!
” —RICK
Think of a goal you want to achieve and use the space below to complete
the X/Y Factor Conditioning Exercise. Write down the reasons why you
believe you can’t accomplish your objective and then cross them out with an
X. In the next column, write how “I can.” As you write in the second column
visualize every detail of what you want.

GOAL: —————————————————————————————————————
WHY I CAN’T HOW I CAN
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When you engage a Y Factor in your life, it pushes against other X Factors
too. The good this brings to people’s lives is unimaginable. The open door
expands wider and wider for you and those around you. The more focused and
the more often you write your new Y Factor affirmation, the more it permeates
your subconscious mind. Most people associate the term affirmation with
repetitive statements. We, however, believe these are exercises to develop
your mind muscles. So in the remaining chapters, we refer to them as Mind
Muscle Exercises. This practice continually impresses the Y Factor on your
subconscious mind. And, little by little, it pushes out the X Factor.
Once your Y Factor becomes the norm, you’ll find you’re living a healthier
life. However, be aware that you always have to work on your Y Factor. The
weight loss scenario we used earlier is a good example of this. You’ve developed
a healthy lifestyle, lost weight, and kept it off for a year. That’s great; you’ve
accomplished a goal, but what if you decide to compete in a marathon or
triathlon? A lean body won’t help you win. You have to train because you don’t
ever want to stop growing, do you? You must always be raising the bar if you
want to continue to add to your life.
Successful people train themselves to eliminate the X factors in their mind
and focus on the Y factors.
Logic dictates that if you’ve read this message on the X/Y Factor a couple
of times, then you’ve understood it. But it’s more than understanding we’re
after. We want to put a new program into our bio-hard drives. And the way to
do that is by repetition. The difference between success and failure is what
wins the ongoing battle in your mind between your X Factor and Y Factor.
This is probably one of the most important messages you will ever hear or read,
because it is truly the key to living a happier healthier life. So, step up to bat,
and the next time you do something new and somebody asks you why, you’ll be
well equipped to let them know!

CHAPTER SUMMARY
฀
most influential in our lives.
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paves the road for improvement and success in life.
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T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. of your thought process.
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goal that you set for yourself.

[ CHAPTER THREE ]
Awareness
{ Let us not look back in anger or forward in

fear, but around in awareness.
ģ
ƫ {
In the first two chapters, we discussed the importance
of your thoughts, both past and present, and how they
affect your life. At times while you were reading, you may
have felt uncomfortable or even a bit irritable. More often
than not, looking at our past can trigger some intense
emotional responses.
57
That’s okay; it happens to everyone. As a matter of fact, by examining your
thought process and releasing yourself from the prison of your past, you have
taken the first step to increasing your awareness. Before we go any further,
let’s take a look at the seven different levels of awareness. As you read through
them, see which level you are currently in.
1. Animal. This is survival mode. How do you react or respond to

situations. Do you fight or flight? How are you reacting to the events
in your life?
2. Mass. This level is when you let your habits and the habits of others
control your life. You follow the crowd. Unfortunately, the crowd
doesn’t have your best interests in mind. As you travel with the crowd,
you are caught up in what they think of you.
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something more in your life. Something is missing. At this level, you
examine your paradigms and question who you are. Through this
questioning, you become a stronger person. You desire to be, to do,
or to have more. At this level, you have a propensity to act but don’t
because you’re too concerned with what others may think of you.
4. Individual. At this level, you begin to understand your unique abilities
and create a desire to express them.
5. Discipline. This is the level that separates you from the pack. You
begin to express your own unique qualities. You are able to formulate a
plan and see it through regardless of the circumstances.
6. Recondition. Through experience, you learn. As you engage in learning
about yourself, you become emotionally involved and form a connection.
Once this happens, change is inevitable. As you travel through this
level, your self-discipline increases, empowering you to learn more, to
experience more, and ultimately to attain the seventh level.
7. Dissociation. The physical world no longer controls you. At this level,
you gain self-control and your thoughts guide you through your world.
This is the highest level of awareness attainable. Once you have
achieved this level, you have achieved freedom.
What level of awareness are you currently in? How can you elevate to
a higher level? In order to gain a new perspective on life, you must first

challenge your current one. This is like taking two steps backward before
being able to take one step forward. This enables you to look deep inside
yourself and stop traveling through life as if you are on an assembly line. Once
you gain this understanding, you can find out who you truly are and where
you really want to go and can stop living through other people’s expectations
about how you should live your life. Breaking free of your false self and finding
the true you brings a sense of empowerment. You can start to make conscious
decisions to turn your wants into reality.
“ My level of awareness is at its peak when I am teaching a martial

arts class or speaking at our seminars. I can actually see all of my
surroundings, including students and their parents. I am able to
scan around and notice if a student has not been in class in a while,
if it’s someone’s first class, if my staff is doing a good job teaching
their group, if parents in the waiting area are paying attention or
talking amongst themselves. I sense the level of energy in the
room. I am even able to sense the positive or negative energy of
those around me. My five senses of sight, touch, taste, smell and
hearing are at their apex.
” —PAUL
AWARENESS 59
In the space below, reflect on your life and describe two times when
your level of awareness was at its peak and why.
1.
2.

Stress and tension drain the mind of all productive energy. In today’s
society, there is a tremendous amount of pressure, perhaps more than ever
before. We live in a competitive, cutthroat age. Too many worries in life throw
you into a vicious cycle in which negative thoughts take over and become the
focus of attention. Once this happens, you’ve lost the ability to tap into a higher
state of awareness.
Connecting to this higher state of awareness is relatively simple. Stay
calm. This allows you to control your thoughts more effectively. In Chapter 9,
we teach you a few simple breathing techniques and meditation methods to
achieve and maintain a state of calmness. Have you ever noticed how people
who are calm and collected seem to be that way all of the time? Think back to
a time when a problem came up; how did you react? Did you panic, or were you
in a state of calmness? Did your reaction make the situation better or worse?
Remember Rick’s story in Chapter 1 where he was agitated over a projector?
Rick was unable to be productive, while Chris and Paul stayed calm and were
able to focus on the task at hand.
Learning to relax and freeing your mind of unwanted tension is critical
for eliminating the events and circumstances that control you. Watch for
signs of upcoming stress and look for alternatives or solutions that offset the
pressure. Once you are able to relax, you create a balance in life that enables a
sense of confidence and composure, hence increasing your level of awareness
This results in you being able to accomplish your daily tasks in a smooth and
efficient manner.
Awareness is a key element in martial arts training. A heightened

level of awareness gives anyone the edge in training and real life
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chosen due to their distractibility and cluelessness of their
surroundings. Now, there is a difference between having awareness
and being obsessive about it. Being at a higher level of awareness lets
you see your surroundings with a kind of peripheral shield around
you, recognizing any situations of concern. Being overly concerned
or scared about being a victim will give you more stress and anxiety
ultimately causing you to freeze up in a situation.
AWARENESS 61
{ When every physical and mental resource is focused,
one’s power to solve a problem multiplies tremendously.
—NORMAN VINCENT PEALE
{
What is Your IQ?
Most of us are born with five senses that help us to perceive what we see, taste,
touch, hear, and smell. By the age of five, most of us have good comprehension
of our five senses’ abilities to understand the world and the environment around
us. However, the five senses are limited to just telling and showing us what
already “is.” They have no power to create or transform.
In order to create or transform, you must expand your mind beyond your
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1. These intellectual qualities are present in everyone and have the power to
create and transform. Each intellectual quality identifies a powerful area of
thought that can be used to transform our lives. More importantly, we are all
born with the ability to develop and strengthen these innate abilities.
As previously mentioned, the intellectual qualities are:
฀฀
฀฀
฀฀
฀฀ ฀
฀฀
฀฀
฀฀
฀฀
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Each of us was placed here for a specific reason. Over time, our IQ evolves
to better enable us to fulfill our purpose. Through the use of our IQ, we
can achieve a higher level of thinking and decision-making, which results in
extraordinary success. These are our mind muscles and just like our physical

muscles, they must be exercised. They may be weak or strong depending on
how much they are used. Let’s compare these mind muscles to the physical
muscles in your body. If you exercise your muscles in a healthy manner, they
will grow and expand, but the moment you stop, they shrink and weaken. Our
IQ operates in the same way. For us to utilize our mind and provide each of us
with infinite power and inner strength, we must develop these qualities and
come to the realization that these qualities are always at work. The majority
of successful people have cultivated these qualities. Their successes offer us
clues for our own betterment. Because each IQ is so important, we want to take
a moment and discuss them separately. To help, we’ve included Conditioning
Exercises at the end of each IQ.
Imagination
What separates us from every living creature on this universe? Our ability to
imagine. Everything that was invented was at first someone’s imagination.
The definition of imagination is the act or power of forming a mental image of
something not present to the senses or never before wholly perceived in reality.
As mentioned at the start, everything starts with a thought, this requires us
to imagine. As we get older we lose the ability to imagine. We are now giving
you permission to be a kid again.
AWARENESS 63
EXERCISE:
List 3 instances where you used our IQ of Imagination for something

positive.
1.
2.
3.
More about Imagination in Chapter 12.

Confidence
Have you ever been on a sales call or presenting during a meeting where you
just knew you would do well? Or went into an exam or test at school and knew
you would ace it? Weren’t those great feelings? You had that inner confidence
where you just knew things would go well. Wouldn’t it be great to feel that way
all the time? All successful people in life have attained a level of confidence
in all areas of their lives; confidence in their work abilities, confidence in their
relationships, confidence in their financial future.
Some of us seem to be born with this IQ, others develop it over time.
Either way we need to work at it. Confidence is the difference between belief
and knowing. You can believe you can achieve something, but not actually
do so. When you know you will achieve something you have that innermost
confidence that it will happen.
“ We were playing in a national college flag football tournament in

New Orleans. Adelphi U. was a division III small private college
with no regular football team. Through the luck of the draw we
found ourselves playing against the University of Arkansas in our
opening game. At first our whole team thought there was no way
we could beat this huge division I school. Their flag football team
was probably as good as most division II regular football teams
whereas most of our team didn’t even play high school football.
We walked out on that field to warm up and for some reason we
developed this confidence that somehow we were going to win.
We didn’t just believe we could but KNEW we would. It was an
incredible feeling where we just knew the outcome. We pulled
away in the 2nd half and ended up winning by a wide margin. We
still to this day talk about that game.
” NICK & RICK
AWARENESS 65
Exercise: List 5 instances where you were confident of the outcome
of your actions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

{ A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an
optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.
—WINSTON CHURCHILL
{
Optimism
Everyone is an optimist when things are going their way. But what about
when things aren’t so good? You have the ability to see the good in all aspects
of your life. However, without optimism, you feel hopeless. Once you fall into
a state of hopelessness, you no longer have the courage to continue searching
for solutions. Instead, you are stuck in the disaster mindset. You might have
heard of the Law of Attraction, which states that like attracts like. If you
are optimistic, most likely you will attract optimistic people, events and
circumstances into your life. It brings about the needed change to create a
better world.
In life, we experience both successes and failures. Focusing on the
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and soon, through the Law of Attraction, the negatives are eliminated and
replaced with good and beneficial items. Remember, the opposite is true as
well. Optimism is about training yourself to become a good finder. You can
program your subconscious mind to search for the good in any person, situation,
or event. How? First you must be aware of the questions you are asking. By
consciously asking yourself positive questions, you help train your subconscious
to think in the positive. What is good about this person? What am I appreciative
for in my life? What can I learn from this situation? Your mind will search for
answers to whatever questions you are asking yourself.
Give yourself the gift of positive focus. We begin all our coaching sessions
for schools, corporations, and individuals with this one question—what went
well this week? This begins to train your mind to be a good finder and to
search for the good in your life. This is not an easy exercise, but when you
begin to ask yourself the right questions, then you will open your mind to a
new world of possibilities. This is agreat exercise to do with your kids during
dinner.
AWARENESS 67
Do you view situations as a problem or a challenge? What if you begin
thinking of your challenges as opportunities? One portion of the seminars
and workshops that we do with corporations is called the C.O.S., which stands
for Challenge, Opportunities, and Strengths exercise. We ask three powerful
questions:
1. What are some challenges your company may be facing with staff,
customers, or business?
2. What opportunities do you have by participating in our coaching
process?
3. What strengths does your company currently have that you want us
to help improve over the next quarter?
We then begin to ask a series of questions that lead to solutions for their
current challenges.
Optimism must be developed and nurtured in our minds. By doing so, we
encourage ourselves not only to create a better life for us but also to act as an
example for someone who is the eternal pessimist. Optimism is contagious. It
brings about the needed change to create a better world.
“ We train our staff to become good finders when teaching our

students. If a student is doing something wrong, we never just walk
up and correct them. We catch them doing something right and
then point out the previous mistake. After we correct the student,
we then praise the correction. We call this Praise-Correct-Praise. By
applying this technique, we consistently search for the good in all
our students. So if a child is wiggling around we will say, ‘Wow, you
have such awesome energy today, now let me see how you show
self-control like a black belt.’ When the child sits straight up, then
we say, ‘Great job! Now you look like a leader who demonstrates
”
self-control.’
—PAUL & CHRIS

LIST TEN THINGS THAT WENT WELL THIS WEEK.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
AWARENESS 69
{ {
It is for us to pray not for tasks equal to our powers, but
for powers equal to our tasks, to go forward with a great
desire forever beating at the door of our hearts as we
travel toward our distant goal.
—HELEN KELLER
Desire
Desire is a powerful force for attracting what you want. Everything you create
begins with desire. Desire your dreams so much that you convince yourself that
you have them now. See and feel and believe that you’re already living your
dream. The moment your desire becomes belief, then you have transformed
your mind into a state of creation.
How excited are you about manifesting your desires? When you want
something so much that you can feel it, when you’re thrilled, excited, and
eager with anticipation, when it feels so real that you can taste it, you have a
strong burning desire. You can also tell by the way you feel if you’re allowing or
resisting. When you focus on your desire and feel good, you’re allowing. When
you focus on your desire and feel bad, you’re resisting.
With a strong, burning desire, you are letting go of resistance and
consciously empowering your dreams to become reality.
“ He could have simply given in to his handicap, but he had an

unstoppable, burning desire to overcome this obstacle in order to
succeed and provide for his family. Through urging and support
from my mother, he left his current job and opened his own textile
business, despite knowing that the industry was all about ‘seeing’
color and patterns. He never once gave in to his blindness, refusing
even a cane or a Seeing Eye dog. We lived in the suburbs of New
York, and my mother would take him back and forth from the train
each day for his commute into Manhattan. He made friends with

fellow riders, who would save a seat for him, and he rarely had to
show his ticket, as all the conductors knew him. He had coworkers
who would take him back and forth from the train to work. Failure
was never an option, and his success as a businessman and as a
human being was an incredible testament to his burning desire to
overcome and succeed despite his lack of sight.
” —RICK
WHAT THREE ITEMS DO YOU DESIRE MORE THAN ANYTHING

ELSE IN THE WORLD?
1.
2.
3.
AWARENESS 71
Passion
{ Passion is the element in which we live; without it, we

hardly vegetate.
—LORD BYRON
What is the difference between passion and purpose? We often hear this
{
question in our seminars. Passion is a powerful emotion. It is an unstoppable
enthusiasm to succeed in anything you do, while purpose is something you
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question above is valid, more appropriately we should ask, “What does it mean
to have passion?” What separates people with it and without it? Success and
fulfillment is the differentiating factor.
How passionate are you about living your dreams? Passion is one of life’s
most powerful forces. It’s the fuel that propels you forward against all odds
and obstacles, enabling you to conquer your circumstances. This particular
intellectual quality takes you through life’s highs and lows and enables you to
be more expressive, articulate, and adventurous. You are more apt to embark on
a journey of creation. Combining passion with devotion and dedication creates
the vision to see anything you desire come to fruition.
With passion, you can defy any obstacle aggressively, grow progressively,
and live purposefully.

LIST TEN THINGS THAT YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
AWARENESS 73
{ The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to
their commitment to excellence, regardless of their
chosen field of endeavor.
—VINCE LOMBARDI {
Commitment
Commitment gives us the courage to persevere despite all obstacles. When
committed, you will do whatever it takes to achieve that result. It is a
force of your mind that becomes evident and that will not take no for an
answer. Recalling the X/Y Factor, commitment is the X Factor’s kryptonite.
Commitment pushes beyond the resistance in your mind that says you can’t do
something and finds a way to do it and to do it well. In doing this, you also push
yourself physically beyond your comfort level to new heights of success. In your
mind, you’ve vowed to reach your goal and don’t stop until you do. Many people
have achieved great results, and you will too. A firm commitment powers great
successes and great rewards.
This dedication is the force of will to do all the little details just as well
as the big ones. It enables you to move through and find a way when nothing
seems to work. It is trying everything and then adding new ideas to get the
results you want. You are constantly focused on how to achieve the results you
have set your sights on.
Commitment helps reach the next level through the steps of learning,
growing, and building—one step at a time and one process at a time. You tap
into a strong place deep inside to go forward, even when faced with exhaustion,
frustration, or a dead end. Once this occurs, your strength is resolved.
Anything is possible with Commitment.

“ My brother had set a goal to swim the English Channel. He was
always a good swimmer and competed in triathlons but never swam
more than a couple of miles. The English Channel is known as the
Everest of open water swims. It’s approximately nineteen miles,
and due to the ever changing tides and weather conditions, the
success rate is less than 50 percent.
Notwithstanding those obstacles, my brother also had to find
the time to train while working fifty to sixty hours per week. He
made a commitment to wake up at 4:30 every morning to train.
After work, he trained again for at least an hour. Every weekend,
no matter the weather, he swam in the open waters of the Long
Island Sound or, when possible, the Atlantic Ocean. If the natural
obstacles of distance and the nature of the English Channel weren’t
enough to deter someone, there were also specific guidelines for
the swim, like not being allowed to wear a wet suit. The most
demanding and cruelest rule was that during the whole time in the
water you were not allowed to even touch the boat that follows you
without being disqualified. Despite all of this, my brother, through
dedicated commitment, passion, and burning desire, successfully
swam the English Channel. As of this writing fewer than 3,000 in
history have ever accomplished this feat.
” —RICK
AWARENESS 75
LIST 7 TIMES WHERE YOU PUSHED YOURSELF FURTHER THAN
YOU THOUGHT POSSIBLE
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

FAITH
{ Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the
whole staircase.
ƫƫ Čƫ
ċ
{
Faith is defined as something that is believed with strong conviction; especially
a system of religious beliefs. Now we are extremely respectful and aware of
everyone’s religion and religious beliefs. So as we say in our coaching programs
and seminars, two things we will not talk about are religion and politics. The
same holds true for this book.
We believe that everyone should have faith in something; whether it is to a
higher power, religion, or simply faith in your loved ones.
But faith can also be used as a powerful tool to accomplish, achieve and
improve your life.
The power of faith gives you the perspective you need to observe and
accept the unpredictable future and avoid getting lost when self-doubt surfaces.
Faith is a choice informed by careful self-examination and an assessment of
who you really are and what you are capable of. Successful people are driven by
their unshakeable faith in what they are trying to accomplish. It is the power of
their faith that minimizes the risk in any endeavor.
They have a strong faith in themselves, which enables them to weather
what others would consider to be catastrophic failures. They don’t stop until
they find success. No stumbling block or obstacle curbs their faith. Making
conscious choices means having faith that you can exert the effort required to
succeed in any given venture. Use the power of your faith to focus yourself on
the success you deserve.
AWARENESS 77
“ In 1993, my wife and I lost a child. We then decided to undergo
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my wife started to bleed. The doctor couldn’t see us until Friday
morning. He told us that she’d likely miscarried and that we should
plan on a D & C. As we were waiting in the doctor’s office for the
sonogram, my wife asked me, ‘Do you believe in miracles?’ With
the death of my first child and now this, I had a difficult time
believing anything, so I said, ‘No.’ She told me I should always have
hope and faith. The doctor came in and turned the monitor away
before he began the sonogram. During the procedure, he suddenly
yelled to his nurse, ‘Mary get in here!’ He turned the monitor
toward us and asked, ‘Do you believe in miracles?’ We saw what
is now our son. The other eggs had miscarried. I’ve never stopped
believing since.
” —NICK
LIST 10 THINGS YOU BELIEVE AND HAVE FAITH IN
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
{
Vision
Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.
ģ
ƫ
{
Do you have a vision for your life? All successful people have a clear, solid
vision. It is a very powerful intellectual quality to nurture, because when it
gets strong enough, then nothing can stop you from achieving what you set out
to do. If you want to become successful, it’s very important to have a strong
vision. One of the most important aspects of a vision is the strength it provides
to keep on pressing for success in the midst of every opposition. You’ll face all
AWARENESS 79
kinds of challenges that will serve to discourage you, but if you have a strong
enough vision, then you won’t let anything stop you.
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you who wouldn’t ordinarily be attracted to you. Just think about some of the
most successful people in your life. Most probably have such conviction about
what they do that when they talk to you, it makes you want to help them any
way you can.
Develop a vision for your life. Once you have, you’ll experience what
the power of a vision can do for you. Don’t be afraid to let it be a big vision
either. You have more in you than you could possibly know. Your vision has the
potential to change millions of lives around the world.
“ One of my lifelong visions was to test for a black belt degree in

Korea. Another vision was to do this with my younger brother.
Because I’d trained in martial arts even before he was born, we
never really had time between each rank to test side by side. In
1999, I had the opportunity to test for my fifth degree black belt in
Korea but unfortunately had to have a hernia operation two weeks
prior to leaving. In 2001, my brother had the opportunity to test
for his fourth degree black belt in Korea. All the while, I held a
strong vision of testing for this higher level with him on the screen
of my mind. In the beginning of 2008, our grand master asked us
both to travel to Korea to test for our fifth and sixth degree black
belts along with three of my martial arts best friends. What made it
even more special was that my father came along with us to watch
us both graduate. The vision of both of us testing in Korea and the
chance to share this opportunity with my brother, training partners,
and my father was a dream come true.
” —PAUL

“ In July of 2008, I had the opportunity to go with my son and my
dad to Korea with my mentor Paul Melella and the Taekwondo
school to compete in an international competition. We were riding
on the bus on the way to the stadium. I sat next to Paul on the
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worried and a bit scared, because I hadn’t trained as hard as I
should have. I said to Paul, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t compete. I may not
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I began to visualize victory and suddenly that burning desire began
to take over to win. Needless to say, I won the silver medal in the
international sparring and forms competition.
” —NICK
WHAT IS YOUR VISION, PROFESSIONALLY, PERSONALLY,

FINANCIALLY?
AWARENESS 81
฀

{ {
A new way of thinking has become the necessary condition
for responsible living and acting. If we maintain obsolete
values and beliefs, a fragmented consciousness and a self-
centered spirit, we will continue to hold on to outdated
goals and behaviors.
—DALAI LAMA
Living Through Your Worthy Ideal

The last of Empowered Mastery’s IQ’s is what truly makes us and will make
you UNCOMMON. All the previous IQ’s are necessary ingredients that make
up your Worthy Ideal.
You are about to learn the foundation of Empowered Mastery’s
coaching program. It is WHY we do what we do! This is what separates
us from 95% of the other coaching programs. It is this concept that makes
us UNCOMMON. When you understand and discover your Worthy
Ideal, everything around you changes. Your level of awareness increases
exponentially.
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
The awareness you are seeking requires replacing old conditioning;

conditioning which is genetic and environmental. This is a lifelong process
for nearly every living person. Conditioning is a multitude of ideas which are
fixed in your subconscious mind. Fixed ideas are more commonly referred to
as habits. You have a host of concepts fixed in your subconscious mind which
require replacing. They are causing the unwanted results you are currently
getting. These ideas are holding you back, stifling your growth. They
are negative and therefore destructive. Negative habits, if broken and not
consciously replaced with positive habits, will be replaced almost immediately
by other negative habits. Nature abhors a vacuum. To be successful in
replacing negative habits with positive ones, you must have a good reason.
That good reason is a Worthy Ideal!
Have you ever set a goal and not attained it? Why do most people never
achieve their goals in life? Did you ever achieve a goal and then say to yourself
“Is that it?” Why is that?
AWARENESS 83
Well, we believe the reason people don’t achieve their goals is because
they are not aligned with what we call a Worthy Ideal. Goals are really just
a by-product of a Worthy Ideal. A Worthy Ideal is what we like to call the
“Big Picture” of your life. And it is the driving force to all the goals that you
want to achieve. Goals come and go but a Worthy Ideal is forever. Goals are
destinations, your Worthy Ideal is your lifelong journey.
Your Worthy Ideal should be so exciting, so powerful, so exhilarating, that
you would be willing to give your life for it. It combines an idea or image with
an intense desire and passion. As you develop your Worthy Ideal, you’ll find
that it will be driven by an unrelenting force.
It inspires you to continue and persist regardless of your surroundings.
When you live this way your life reaches a level of fulfillment unsurpassed
by anything you have ever experienced. Most people confuse a Worthy Ideal
with a goal. An objective or goal is relatively common, like a new car, a new
home, or reaching a sales target at work. Once accomplished, you move on to
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the prestige and significance of a Worthy Ideal.
The best example of what a Worthy Ideal is and how powerful and
impacting it can be, is the following quote:
“I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African

people. I have fought against white domination and I fought
against black domination. I have cherished the [worthy]
Ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons
live together in harmony with equal opportunities. It is
a [Worthy] [I]deal I hope to live for and to achieve. But
my lord, if needs be it is a [Worthy] Ideal, for which I am
prepared to die.”
– NELSON MANDELA, FROM HIS SPEECH AT HIS TRIAL
IN 1964 AND REPEATED WHEN HE WAS RELEASED
ƫ ƫ ƫƫČƫāāƫƫāĊĊĀċ

Here are other examples of Worthy Ideals:
Martin Luther King Jr. – non violent protest
Bill Gates – Productivity and achievement of potential
Steve Jobs – Challenging the status quo and empowering the individual
Gloria Stienem – Women’s liberation
REMEMBER: A WORTHY IDEAL is so much more powerful
than a goal. All successful (uncommon) people throughout history had a
WORTHY IDEAL that drove them.
Your Worthy Ideal is your “Big Picture” and should also be bigger than you.
If you really think about it, your Worthy Ideal drives almost every action you
make and every goal you set. Any action steps that you take and most of your
personal goals are really just a by-product of your Worthy Ideal. Our signature
programs, the T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine, and this book, YOU
Have Infinite Power, are just by-products or goals that are aligned with our
Worthy Ideal. That’s really why most people don’t accomplish their goals—
because their goals may not be aligned with their Worthy Ideal; or some people
may not consciously know what their Worthy Ideal is.
Your Worthy Ideal is effortless, fun, and exhilarating. You don’t consider it
work; it excites you twenty-four hours a day, 365 days a year.
You will know when you have discovered your Worthy Ideal when:
1. You are inspired to accomplish any feat that you once thought
impossible.
2. You are so driven by passion, emotion, and burning desire, that nothing
will stop you from reaching your goals.
3. You feel your Worthy Ideal in the pit of your stomach. It is a gut
instinct.
4. Your level of awareness rises at the mere thought of your Worthy Ideal,
and you begin to feel an inner strength.
5. You’ve discovered your Worthy Ideal when work becomes fun.
6. Your Worthy Ideal is bigger than you. It’s more than who you become,
what you do, or what you achieve.
We believe every single one of us has a Worthy Ideal to fulfill. Through our
experience, we believe it is hardwired into us and we either have the awareness
to recognize it or we don’t.
One of the first things we suggest you do in our Worthy Ideal concept is to begin
to reflect upon your childhood or on certain things, events, situations or people
throughout your life that have moved you.
AWARENESS 85
Next, pay attention to the things that felt like you were really “on,” when
you were doing something—a task where it didn’t matter how much time you
took or whether you got paid or not! You could do it for hours and still have the
energy to do it. Have you ever imagined or planned something that kept you
up all night? An idea or thought that just unleashed an energy or passion? The
reason you felt this way, was because you were tapped into your Worthy Ideal.
EXERCISE:
Reflect upon your childhood or certain things, events situations and/
or people throughout your life that have inspired you. Things you did
when you felt exhilarated. Then simply start writing.

“ I had a childhood bully who was my neighbor, lived on my block,
was in my class, and rode my school bus. Everywhere I went, he
was there. It was like I couldn’t avoid him. He beat me up almost
every day. One day, my mother enrolled me into martial arts. I
secretly trained for about six months and my bully tried to pick
on me. Because of my martial arts training I had developed the
confidence to stand up to him. I actually kicked him in the nose
and made him bleed. After that day, he never picked on me again.
Ironically we became childhood best friends and I was the best
man at his wedding.
That experience inspired me to begin teaching children that
were small, not confident, or easy targets for bullies. I remember how
my life was impacted through martial arts and I am driven to help
them develop a confident self image to help them succeed in life.
Then my Worthy Ideal evolved into training students to
become great fighters and competitive martial arts athletes.
I traveled around the world taking my tournament team to
competitions. I coached students to become national champions in
sparring, but not in life. I was witnessing some of my students that
were great fighters get into trouble and some into the wrong crowds.
I then watched a movie called The Karate Kid฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
you remember the movie? In this movie there were two different
kinds of instructors. One was the Sensei from the Kobra Kai Dojo
which only taught kids how to fight and win tournaments…the other
was Mr. Miagi, who taught not only martial arts, but also lessons
about life.
So after watching this movie, my Worthy Ideal evolved once
more, this time into teaching children about character development
and becoming good people.
Because I was making a more positive impact, parents began
joining my classes, and I shifted my Worthy Ideal to not only teach
martial arts, and character development, but to empasize spending
quality time as a family. The parents I had as students began to lose
weight and feel better about themselves. I said to myself, wow, I am
impacting more people —not just children, but entire families.
AWARENESS 87
I wanted to help more people improve not just physically but
in all areas of life. I traveled around the world and studied some of
the best trainers that taught human potential. Every book, audio
program and seminar that I could get my hands on I read, listened,
and attended. It totally transformed my personal and business life.
I then began implementing the personal development technology
that I was studying into my classes. My adult clients began coming
back to me and sharing how they were receiving job promotions
and opening up their own business because of what I was teaching
them. I said to myself, ‘wow if only I could impact more people!’
So that’s how Empowered Mastery was formed. There were only a
certain amount of people I could impact within the community in
which I was teaching martial arts. But now, my partners and I are
impacting corporations, schools, and people all over the world with
the TRANSFORMATION Doctrine.
Now, My Worthy Ideal is to lead, teach and inspire children,
families and business professionals to reach their personal full
potential in all areas of life. Physically, mentally, emotionally,
spiritually, and professionally,so that they can achieve ultimate
”
success and live a healthy, vital life of happiness and fulfillment.
-PAUL
The Worthy Ideal concept is the most challenging area of the

T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine for some people to grasp. But, once
you are aware of and define your Worthy Ideal, it’s like punching in an address
into a GPS. You know that driving to your destinations in life will be a piece of
cake because you will be guided along the way. Now, you may be saying, “Isn’t
the GPS example a destination?” The answer is yes it is. Your Worthy Ideal
typically won’t be the final “destination” but a never-ending journey. But if
you don’t KNOW what direction you want to go, then you will just be someone
getting into a car and driving around. Remember, as you drive in this journey
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along the way.

When you are aware of your Worthy Ideal the journey of life becomes
enjoyable and any fear, anxiety and doubt of driving around for no apparent
reason is eliminated. The purpose of the drive has meaning and you have an
idea of what direction you are traveling, know how you are getting there, and
why are you are driving.
All of our previously mentioned IQ’s are words we use to describe our
human need to identify the awareness of our Worthy Ideal. Ultimately, realizing
this Worthy Ideal is a spiritual quest. It represents your ability to connect with
something greater than yourself. Isn’t that what we all want to do—make a
difference in the lives of others and leave a legacy when we’re gone? That’s why
we formed Empowered Mastery. Though all four of us were successful in our own
rights, there was still something missing. We want to inspire people across the
world to lead a life of fulfillment. In turn, they will want to do the same for others.
Becoming aware of a Worthy Ideal must be compelling. It creates an inner
sense of urgency and allows you to feel alive and invigorated.
What makes you feel alive and invigorated?
Your Worthy Ideal should stimulate and energize you. It describes you
perfectly. Sometimes your actual life or work turns out to be completely
different from your purpose. It just doesn’t match. This is a good indicator that
you have been living a life out of alignment with your Worthy Ideal. In essence,
you’ve not living according to your Worthy Ideal.
How many people dislike what they do for a living? How many people
work 40 hours a week, commuting hours a day to a job they can’t wait to leave?
We can venture to say that most of these people have not discovered and are
not living through their Worthy Ideal.
“ I worked in NYC for 15 years, commuting 3 hours a day to a job

I ended up hating. I watched the clock and couldn’t wait until it
was time to leave. I hardly saw my kids during the week. I was
miserable.
It wasn’t until joining with my partners and forming Empowered
Mastery that I rediscovered my passion. It took me 47 years to
discover my Worthy Ideal. I no longer watch the clock as I truly love
what I do. That is the power of living through one’s Worthy Ideal.
”
-RICK
AWARENESS 89
If this is true in your own life, then awareness is your starting point. You
might want to start planning a new, more fitting and rewarding life, career, or
both. As we stated earlier, your Worthy Ideal should be your legacy—it’s larger
than you. It should be an ongoing quest, so that when you’re ready to leave this
life, you know you’ve impacted other people in a positive way.
Remember—tomorrow is the first day of the rest of your life.
Empowered Mastery’s Worthy Ideal is to inspire and impact professionals
and entrepreneurs to achieve ULTIMATE success Personally, Professionally,
Spiritually, and Physically so they can live a life filled with passion and purpose.
WORTHY IDEAL COMPONENTS
Here is a template to follow to help you create your Worthy Ideal.

Your Worthy Ideal can be geared toward your personal life, your
career or preferably both. Use our Worthy Ideal above as a guide.
To _________________________ and _________________________

(Use a powerful action verb or verbs that resonate with you)
_________________________ and _________________________
To _________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________
So they can ______________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
NOTE: Make sure the words you choose resonate not only with you
but your Ideal Clients/groups as well.

The Worthy Ideal concept is the beginning of a process we call, The L.A.B
report. It stands for “LIFE ALIGNMENT BLUEPRINT.” A house needs a
blueprint in order to be built. If it doesn’t have the correct blueprint, the house
may not be built correctly. The same rule applies with life. Designing your
personalized Life Blueprint will assist you to live a more fulfilling and balanced
life filled with passion and purpose. It will help you establish a clear vision to
accomplish your goals.
The L.A.B Report is a combination of four letters in our
T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N Doctrine.
Awareness—Which will assist you to create your Worthy Ideal.

Realization—Which will assist you to create your Life’s Purpose.
Focus—Which will assist you to create your Core Four Areas of Life.
Track your goals—Which will assist you to align your goals with your
Worthy Ideal, Life’s Purpose and top Areas of Life.
EMC’S L.A.B. REPORT
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your life and then all of your goals will be in alignment with your Worthy Ideal.
At Empowered Mastery we are able to take our Worthy Ideal to a higher
level by teaching our T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine to all our clients.
Our Worthy Ideal not only helps the lives of our students, it also improves the
mindset and belief system of our family and generations after us. Most of all, it
helps us personally. We are all far from perfect, but by teaching our process, it
helps us continuously condition our conscious and subconscious minds.
We’d like to take this opportunity to share with you how our Worthy Ideals
were created.
AWARENESS 91
“ When I decided to become a martial arts professional, people
questioned me as to why. I was told to find a real job and teach
part-time after work, that you can’t make a living teaching martial
arts. I remember that I didn’t care what others thought. I love
what I do, because I make a difference in other people’s lives. I
had a vision to own one of the most successful martial arts schools
in the country, maybe to prove others wrong or prove to myself
that I can do it. Either way, my Worthy Ideal was to use martial
arts as a vehicle to impact and develop good people by teaching
positive life skills and values. So I sought out one of my students
at the time. He was my Master in the world of finances. It turned
out this person shared my passion and desire to inspire as many
people as he could to lead a financially secure and healthy life.
What was ironic is he was limited in his impact to just his clients. I
told him about an opportunity to train under Bob Proctor who was
running a school in Florida. As you might have guessed the person
I am referring to is my partner Nick. The rest as we say is history.
Now, with the creation of Empowered Mastery, my partners and
I are able to impact thousands of people in this country as well as
millions of people around the world.
” —PAUL
“ I was successful in all of my past business endeavors. I retired at

the age of 39. Yet something was missing. I had more money than
I needed. I had the luxury of free time that most people don’t
get until they are too old to enjoy it. People envied my life, yet I
was miserable. I had no focus, no passion, and no burning desire.
I learned the hard way that money does not buy happiness and
money does not mean you are successful. What I lacked was a
Worthy Ideal. Now with the creation of our company, Empowered
Mastery, I wake up in the morning feeling more energized than
I’ve felt in my entire life. I truly love what I do. I no longer have a
job or even a career. I have something infinitely more powerful; a

LIFESTYLE! I have learned first hand when you discover your
Worthy Ideal, everything around you changes for the better.
”
—RICK
“ In my martial arts academy, I teach people of all ages, backgrounds,

and abilities. I remember when I opened my academy; I questioned
whether or not I should have pursued a teaching career. Looking
back on that time in my life, I am extremely happy and grateful
that I went in the direction I did. I remember talking to Paul and
asking him whether or not I should do it. He said to me, ‘This is
you; you are a professional martial artist. You have to do it.’ I also
remember thinking that, as a teacher, I would get financial security,
summers off, and be home to eat dinner with my children. I also
remember thinking that being a martial arts school owner meant
that the success of the school was solely dependent on me. I now
realize that thought came only out of fear. With Paul’s help, I
realized that through martial arts I could impact and create a better
society for all people in the community; not just the twenty-five
kids I would have had in a classroom. I also get to see students
grow from young children to confident, strong adults, who make a
positive contribution to society. No career is more rewarding than
that.
” —CHRIS
“ When I was growing up, my father always told me to become a

doctor or a lawyer. After college when I decided to go into financial
services, my dad said to me, ‘It’s ok, until you go to medical or law
school. Then you’ll have a real career.’ After a few years of working
in financial services, I realized that I was impacting lives. My
clients were appreciative for the wealth and legacy I helped create.
I began to feel great about the impact that I made in their lives.
AWARENESS 93
As a financial advisor I helped thousands obtain a better quality of
life. Now, through Empowered Mastery, I am able to teach people
outside the financial services arena how to tap into the power of the
mind in order to live a life of passion and purpose. By doing so, I
can begin the process of changing people and society to make the
world a better place for future generations. This is the legacy that I
plan on leaving behind.
” —NICK
WHAT IS YOUR WORTHY IDEAL? WHEN ANSWERING THIS

QUESTION, DON’T THINK OF “HOW I CAN” OR “WHY I CAN’T.”
JUST LET YOUR IMAGINATION FLOW AND WRITE WHAT COMES
TO YOUR MIND FIRST.
94 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER AWARENESS 94

CHAPTER SUMMARY
฀
status in life.
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UNCOMMON from the common, the successful from the status quo.
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qualities.
AWARENESS 95
[ CHAPTER FOUR ]
Never Give Up
{ Many of life’s failures are people who did not

realize how close they were to success when
they gave up.
—THOMAS EDISON {
Persistence is one of the most crucial elements in attain-
ing success in any endeavor. It is a combination of two
key elements: will and desire. Partnering these two
elements enables you to achieve great accomplish-
ments. Persistence gives you the power to overcome all
obstacles and setbacks that come along as you are on
your path to living through your Worthy Ideal.
96
Thomas Edison is the classic example of a person who exemplifies
persistence. It took him ten thousand tries to finally succeed in inventing the
light bulb. Talk about will and desire! One of the main focuses in martial arts
training is persistence. Students are taught that there will be obstacles in their
training but that the end reward far outweighs any challenge. The ones who are
successful in martial arts are those who refused to quit and follow through with
their goals. We tell our students that a black belt is a white belt who never quit.
“ Chris introduced me to mountain biking. Although I wasn’t at his

skill level, I was training hard to get there. Chris constantly talked
about a mountain bike race that he was entering but never asked
me to join him. It wasn’t until later that I realized he was planting
the seed in my subconscious. Two days before the race, Chris
finally asked me to go with him. I made every excuse I could think
of—my bike was in the shop, I had an appointment that day, and
I had too much work—that didn’t stop Chris though. The night
before the race, he left a message telling me that he had already
entered me in the novice race, which was “only” one nine-mile lap
around a mountain. That night I couldn’t sleep. All I kept thinking
about was how I would feel if I didn’t do the race. Then I began
thinking about how I would feel if I really did compete in the race.
When I showed up that Sunday morning in my T-shirt and shorts,
with everyone else in racing gear, I noticed that the novice race had
already started, so I decided I would race in the sport class, which
was the eighteen-mile ride instead.
About half way through the race, I’m thinking to myself,
‘What in the hell am I doing?’ I told myself, ‘I shouldn’t be in
the eighteen-mile race. I’m just a beginner,’ so I decided to just
complete the first lap and then stop. But as I finished my first lap,
I saw the spectators lined up all along the finish line clapping and
urging all the riders by yelling ‘One more lap!’ I thought about our
seminars and what we teach. How could I quit when we tell others
not to? So it was time to ‘walk the walk.’ I thought to myself just
one more lap, I can do this. Only minutes later, I ran out of water,
NEVER GIVE UP 97
my body cramped, and I fell off of my bike. Still, I wasn’t going
to quit. I visualized my family standing at the finish line. I kept
thinking about my wife and daughter clapping for me as I finished
the race. I didn’t let my body experience the pain. I just visualized
the end result. And just like in the movies, a beam of sunlight broke
through the trees and illuminated a Gatorade bottle. I think I even
heard angels singing. Someone had dropped a full bottle during the
race. I picked it up and downed it. As I was racing downhill, I hit
a rock and flew through the air. A man jumped out of the bushes
with a video camera and then ran away. He was recording wipeouts
for his Website. Despite all of these obstacles, I kept my eye on
the goal and didn’t quit. I finished the race with my wife and my
daughter clapping for me at the finish line. Still to this day, I remind
Chris that I owe him one.
” —PAUL
{ When your desires are strong enough, you will appear to

possess superhuman powers to achieve.
—NAPOLEON HILL
{
Will
Will is your inner strength propelling you toward success and achievement. It
pushes you into action in every area of life. By asserting your will, life is filled
with one accomplishment after another; which in turns helps develop more
confidence in yourself. Each one of us has will; the difference is whether or
not we choose to use it. Will helps you to overcome laziness, procrastination,
vulnerability, lack of self-confidence, and low self-esteem. With will you are

able to control compulsive or harmful impulses. It also enables you to make
sound decisions, to abide by them, and to follow through with persistence
until their successful accomplishment. This ability gives you the courage
and strength to endure and overcome inner and outer resistance, opposition,
difficulties, and hardships. Many times it is like a mental sparring match. The
voices inside your head are saying to do something or not do something. When
you possess a strong “Will,” you can overpower the negative voice or paralyzing
paradigm and follow through with your goals.
“ My son wanted me to attend a martial arts class with him. My first

thought was ‘No, I’m too old. I can’t do that.’ I had to recondition
not only my training regimen but also my thoughts regarding age.
I told myself that age is just a state of mind. It took a tremendous
amount of willpower to balance my career, family, and training. My
son Joseph and I pushed each other. I’ll never forget the day we both
received our black belt. As I held his hand, I realized how willpower
and determination gave me one of the best days of my life.
”—NICK
Here’s someone you might be familiar with, Christopher Gardner. Through a

fierce sense of will and determination, he persisted through grave challenges
to become the owner and CEO of an international corporation with offices in
New York, Chicago, and San Francisco. His story was so inspiring that it became
a best-selling novel and hit movie, The Pursuit of Happyness. His childhood was
scarred by domestic violence, alcoholism, sexual abuse, and extreme poverty. He
never knew his father and spent the majority of his youth in foster homes.
In 1981, he was determined to find a career that would support his son.
Even though he had no college degree, he pursued a job in the financial
industry. Gardner applied for training programs at brokerages, willing to live
on next to nothing while he learned a new trade. Despite his circumstances,
he fought to keep his son because, as he said, “I made up my mind as a young
kid that when I had children they were going to know who their father is and
that he isn’t going anywhere.”
NEVER GIVE UP 99
After earning a spot in the Dean Witter Reynolds training program, he
became homeless when he could not make ends meet on his meager trainee
salary. From 1983 to 1987, he worked at Bear Stearns & Co. and became a top
earner. In 1987, he founded the brokerage firm Gardner Rich from his home in
Chicago with just $10,000. Christopher Gardner is a prime example of what can
be accomplished by never giving up and utilizing one’s own will, desire, and
persistence.
As with self-control, developing will is a gradual process. You must
formulate healthy and productive habits. Training and exercising your will
gives you strength, courage, and assertiveness. As your will increases, so does
your confidence, which enables you to rid your life of the bad habits, negative
attitudes and paralyzing paradigms standing in your way to a better life.
WRITE A SCENARIO IN YOUR LIFE WHERE YOU USED YOUR

WILL TO ACCOMPLISH A GOAL.

To be a Black Belt in the martial arts requires a burning desire and
the will to overcome numerous obstacles physically, mentally and
spiritually. When a student struggles on a breaking technique or
some other training that they are finding difficult, we as Martial Arts
Masters often become happy. Not happy that the student is struggling,
but happy that when they are successful with the technique, they will
have demonstrated perseverance without giving up. This is the most
powerful learning experience that a martial artist and others from all
walks of life could learn.
{ A desire to be in charge of our own lives, a need for

control, is born in each of us. It is essential to our mental
health, and our success, that we take control.
ģƫċƫ {
Burning Desire
Many people believe that there is no difference between desire and a burning
desire. In reality, there is an enormous difference between the two. A desire is
just a want or a wish, while a burning desire is a need and desire that consumes
your every thought. It runs so deep that you feel it in your gut. You are driven
to fulfill that need. An individual with a strong Worthy Ideal will also have a
strong burning desire. Wanting and wishing aren’t enough. For example, many
people want to be millionaires but most of them aren’t because they don’t have
the burning desire to do what it takes to become one.
Let’s take your average “fanatical” sports fan. How successful would their
lives be if they applied that same level of energy, that burning desire for their
team, toward their own lives? Now don’t get us wrong, all four of us are pretty
avid sports fans. However, if you really think about it, sports fans are basically
rooting fervently for other people to succeed, people they don’t know and
wouldn’t benefit from if they did. Anyone who achieves their best, no matter
NEVER GIVE UP 101

what that is, has an unstoppable hunger lurking behind the scenes. Do you just
want something or do you really want something? The question, “What do you
want?” is certainly important, but the question, “How much do you want it?” is
key to achieving it.
A burning desire is nothing more than a reflection of your passion for
what you want. Do you really want to improve your life? Do you really want
to become successful? Do you follow through on what you say you want? Are
you taking the appropriate actions? This yearning creates a strong, energetic
force that propels you toward your goals and fulfilling your Worthy Ideal. As
a result, you make choices that are effective and even ineffective at times. It
doesn’t matter though, because the passion you have for achieving something
continually moves you forward. You will discover what works for you and what
doesn’t, as long as you’re paying attention.
Can you truly say that you have a burning desire to succeed in life? Take
a moment and ask yourself the following questions about your desires.
1. Is it a focused desire, or am I continually distracted by some new

adventure?
2. Is it a desire I am willing to make great sacrifices for?
3. What is my ultimate motivation for fulfilling this desire?
Without a burning desire, obstacles and challenges prevent you from

accomplishing the success you seek. So what is burning desire, and where does
it come from? A burning desire is an insatiable longing for your ideal of success.
You have to want something strongly enough that you’re willing to step out of
your comfort zone to achieve it. Initially, this may be difficult, or you may not
know how. Your burning desire needs to be so strong that the achievement of
this success becomes your purpose for being. It has to be a burning desire!
We believe there are levels of desire. Everyone has a desire to achieve
something. However, the people who develop this desire into a true burning
desire are those who will achieve goals and be successful in life. If you had
to do something for the well being of your family, would you do whatever it
takes? For example, when a parent has a child with special needs, it becomes a
burning desire to help him or her live the best possible life.

“ My wife Kathy and I have five children. Our oldest has been
diagnosed with a mild form of Aspergers. It has been a very
challenging road to find the right program and school for him. The
difficulties began in elementary school. In the fourth grade, he was
suspended from school over thirty times. While he is extremely
high functioning, speaks normally, and has the appearance of
a typical child, he processes things in a unique way that is not
mainstreamed or accepted by the public schools, and so he has
been viewed as disrespectful and uncooperative.
Part of his disability is a misconduct disorder that makes him
respond inappropriately to the teachers. For this reason, some of
his teachers thought he was doing the behaviors on purpose, and
he was sent to the principal on a daily basis. My wife and I spent
hours defending his case because we understood that his behaviors
were due to his disability and were not on purpose. My wife even
went so far as to ask the teachers to find a positive in what he was
doing in his classes to try to save some of our son’s self-esteem.
One of his teachers outright refused to do this and said that he had
nothing positive to say about him.
My wife dedicated two full school years to countless meetings
with the committee of special education, with student advocacy, and
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of dollars spent on psychiatric testing, therapy, and hours upon
hours of preparation for the meeting my family endured. At the end
of the seventh grade, it was finally determined that my son would
be placed in a highly therapeutic day program to accommodate
his special needs and that his behaviors were not on purpose but
were in fact due to his disability. At the end of the day, my wife did
whatever it took to get him in the right placement where he could
experience success. It was truly her burning desire.
” —CHRIS
NEVER GIVE UP 103

Those who develop their desires into a true “burning” desire are those who
will ultimately be successful in life.
All of your successes must be in alignment with your desires. Your desire
determines your persistence. Desire is the starting point for all of your wants in
life. Keep this in mind: without a burning desire, persistence is just a word.
Persistence is a strong state of mind, built around the following causes:
1. Desire: This is the single most important element of persistence.

2. Purpose: You have to know exactly what you want and what your
purpose in life is to develop persistence.
3. Positive self-image: Believing in your own abilities is crucial for
persistence. When you believe in yourself, you will have the
persistence to follow your dreams.
4. Organization: Your plans must be organized. The more organized you
are, the easier it is to stick to your plans. By sticking to your plans with
consistent action, you will build strong persistence.
5. Knowledge: Knowing what you are doing and having the skills
to accomplish your tasks and goals will give you the strength and
encouragement to persist in any situation in life. If you don’t have the
skills, either make the commitment to learn the skills or find someone
with the specialized knowledge to help you.
6. Support: Support and understanding from others, most importantly
your family, builds persistence through the power of faith that others
have in you.
7. Habits: Good habits are the direct result of persistence. You will
experience greater persistence each day through the habits you have
created. Especially when they become part of your subconscious.
8. An open mind: A mind open to new ideas gives you a fresh perspective
and helps to achieve higher levels of success.
{ Never let your persistence and passion turn into

stubbornness and ignorance.
ģƫ
ċƫĚ
{
The Skill of Persistence
Developing the skill of persistence makes up for our deficiencies in all the
other areas. It will allow us to be a winner in life no matter what obstacles are
placed in front of us. Persistence levels the playing field. To have the ability to
move forward and meet the challenge when everything around you is collapsing
is empowering. We all aspire to be professional. For example, take the average
salesperson who spends three hours cold calling for new clients. Even though
they don’t feel like making those telephone calls, they continue to dial. Many
of us know what we need to do, yet we choose not to do it. Almost all people
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dirty. We spend our time looking for the one step that will change our life,
rather than using the path of persistence to win. Some people in society today
want something for nothing—consider those late night commercials promising
overnight riches or instant weight loss with no effort. There is no magic pill to
solve all of our problems.
Will → Burning Desire → Persistence → Success

Now, we want to make a little point about success. Success is however
you define it. There is no right or wrong. We can tell you that success will be
a continuous journey throughout life. You will never get to a certain point in
your life and say, “Now I am successful.” We have had clients who experienced
success in certain areas of life, like business or money, but were also overweight
and had poor health and vitality. We’ve also coached clients who were highly
spiritual but couldn’t pay their bills. To us, both do not demonstrate success.
Success should be experienced in all areas of life and ultimately should create
happiness within your life’s journey.
You have to work before you receive the reward.
“ In 1999, my martial arts school was growing, and it needed to relocate.

I didn’t want to pay rent, but I couldn’t find any commercial real
estate within my budget. About a mile from my studio was a vacant
building with a For Sale sign. It needed a lot of work. I met with the
real estate broker. He mentioned that the price was $350,000. I went
NEVER GIVE UP 105

to the tax office to find the owners and negotiate a deal. The couple
listed on the deed as the owners lived in Florida. When I called to
ask about the building, I was told it wasn’t for sale. I mentioned the
For Sale sign on the building and that I was interested in buying. It
turned out that the tenants leasing the building were trying to sell
it without the owner’s knowledge. The owner explained that her
husband had owned the property but left it to her when he passed
away. She was in litigation with her tenants, was paying taxes on the
building, and was not getting any rental income from it. She explained
that she couldn’t sell me the property until the litigation was over
and asked how much the tenants were trying to sell the building for.
‘Three hundred and fifty-thousand dollars,’ I replied. ‘Well, when
this is done,’ she told me, ‘I will sell it to you for two hundred and
fifty thousand dollars. But you have to speak with my attorney.’ After
a few more phone calls, she finally gave me her attorney’s name and
number. I called, and the attorney ignored me.
So, I decided to call both the attorney and the owner every
week. I did this for one year. One day, the owner was so frustrated
with paying her taxes, paying attorney fees, and not receiving any
rental income that she sold me the building for $100,000.
” —PAUL
Persistence starts with one step at a time. You need to have a vision of
what you want. If you want to change your financial situation, the first step
is to assess your finances. There is a great saying, “What gets measured gets
managed. You cannot change your finances if you don’t even know where your
finances are. You can’t expect to wake up one morning deciding to be rich
and go to bed as a millionaire. Such a thought process certainly sets you up for
failure. Remember, there is no magic pill. You have to set goals and stick with
them. Your desire for wealth will come true if you practice persistence on a
daily basis. Start by selecting one action item you need to do today in order to
obtain your financial goal, and then make sure you complete it before the end
of the day. Don’t ever end your day before you get it done.

The best way to learn persistence is to start. This sounds easy enough,
but it is the biggest barrier for most people. The anticipation is the worst part.
As with most activities in life, the first time is never as bad as our minds make
it out to be. Once you begin, you pick up both momentum and the positive
self-talk of accomplishment. Persistence is the skill that we need to master.
It is the one skill that helps us achieve success in both our personal and
professional life. Describe a time in your life where you used persistance to get
what you wanted.
{ To make our way, we must have firm resolve, persistence,

tenacity. We must gear ourselves to work hard all the
way. We can never let up.
—RALPH BUNCHE {
Pursue
Recall that Thomas Edison failed ten thousand times before he invented the
light bulb. How could someone have patience to fail that many times when
people told him it was impossible? Today, we hear so many examples of people
who quit after their first failure. Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys,
became a billionaire by drilling in a location where someone else had already
given up. He drilled one time and struck oil. What did Thomas Edison have
that these people don’t? He knew how to PURSUE his burning desire. To
PURSUE you must:
Persist Until Reaching Strong Undeniable Effects
Successful people believe in themselves and their pursuits. All successful

people fail at one time or another in their life, so what is the difference between
you and them? They don’t have the word failure in their dictionary and they
turn failures into learning experiences. From this day forward, remove failure
from your vocabulary because you only fail when you quit. Successful people
have the ability to keep their eyes and focus on the prize, and to never allow
the obstacles and challenges to block their vision.
NEVER GIVE UP 107

So how do you PURSUE what you want in life? How can you develop
an unshakable persistence that keeps you moving forward no matter how
many times you fail? Find and work toward your purpose in life, your Worthy
Ideal. Once you discover your true purpose in life, you become unstoppable.
Following your Worthy Ideal or Life’s Purpose will give you a sense of your
own existence, and by doing what you love, you will make a difference and add
value to the world around you.
Your purpose fuels your inspiration no matter how long the journey is or
how many times you fail.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
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[ CHAPTER FIVE ]
Self-Image
{ Science and psychology have isolated the

one prime cause for success or failure in
life. It is the hidden self-image you have of
yourself.
—BOB PROCTOR
{
Self-image is defined as how you perceive yourself. It can
inhibit or empower you. Without a good self-image, it’s
easy to capitulate to others who try to break you down
with harsh criticism. Because of their remarks, you berate
yourself and take things personally, rather than viewing
it as constructive criticism about you or your behavior. A
positive self-image instills confidence in who you are and
what you can achieve.
109
Conversely, you lack a positive self-image, you fall prey to others’
judgments of you. Constantly worrying what everyone thinks translates into
negative thoughts, like not asking for and therefore not getting what you want
in life. So let’s delve into your mind, your own perception of who you are, and
see what your self-image looks like.
Below is a short questionnaire about your self-image. Read through each
statement and mark either true or false. Remember, be honest with yourself.
This book is for your personal development, so answer the questions based
on how you feel, not on how you think you should feel. These exercises will
help you to tap into your infinite power, but only if you answer them with the
utmost honesty.
STATEMENT TRUE FALSE
I admit my mistakes.
I stand behind my values even if

others disagree with me.
I am comfortable spending
time alone.
I affirm myself and others.
I easily accept compliments from others.
I can reach out to those around me

without fear.
I accept my faults.
I am happy for other’s

successes.

I am calm and possess an
inner peace.
I love who I am.
I am open with my feelings for

other people.
I don’t compare myself with others.
I believe I have something to offer

to others.
I don’t care what other people think

of me.
I accept all people without

judgment.
I don’t change my personality to suit

others.
I am not afraid to admit my faults as

well as my strengths.
If you answered true to most of the questions, then you have a good
self-image. If not, don’t worry; it can easily be fixed. As a matter of fact, a
person’s self-image generally is always evolving as we go through different
stages of our lives.
SELF-IMAGE 111
{ What lies behind you and what lies in front of you, pales
in comparison to what lies inside of you.
—RALPH WALDO EMERSON
{
Keeping up with the Joneses
Do you compare your weaknesses to other people’s strengths? Sometimes you
might develop a low self-image by constantly judging yourself against others.
You look at other people’s successes and accomplishments and say, “I can’t
do that.” You’re in competition with your neighbors, relatives, friends, and
coworkers. Or perhaps you look at others with envy and wonder why you aren’t
as successful as they are. You ask yourself, “What do they have that I don’t?”
There is so much pressure in society today to keep up with the Joneses. You
want desperately to attain some aspect of their life: their car, their house, or
their clothes. This is so evident with the pressures that our children are under.
For example, approximately 31 percent of teenage girls in the United States
have an eating disorder. They look at models and celebrities and instantly feel
bad, not taking into account that the majority of the pictures or images they see
have somehow been altered through digital photography or lighting.
Keeping up with the Joneses is seductive. It’s like gambling—sometimes
you win, but more often than not you lose. In the end, you feel inadequate or
inferior to the people you are comparing yourself to. It’s okay to admire people;
unfortunately, most people make the mistake of envying them. Take a moment
and look at yourself introspectively and answer the following questions.
I’m not __________________ enough compared to ______________

What did you discover about yourself? Is keeping up with the Joneses
robbing you of your self-image? We want to share with you something we learned
a long time ago—something so basic, so obvious, yet overlooked by most people.
There will always be someone with more money, a bigger house, a nicer car, or a
better job than us. There will always be someone who is thinner, more muscular,
or better looking. The list is endless. Everything is relative. No matter who you
are, someone inevitably will have more than you. But that’s okay. That’s the way
life is. Fortunately the converse is true as well. That is, no matter what you think
you don’t have, there will always be someone who has less. There will always
be someone who is envious of you as well. So, the sooner you stop comparing
yourself to others, the sooner you will be on your way to a better self-image.
As you improve your self-image, everything around you begins to change.
Emotionally you feel better, and confidence soon follows, allowing you to pursue
your goals and dreams in life. You come to believe that you deserve everything
you desire in life. Your attitude conveys a strong sense of self-assurance, and as
other people see you in this new light, they can’t help but agree as well.
So, how is your mind programmed to see things? Let’s do a quick test.
What do you see in the picture below? Do you see an old lady or a young one?
SELF-IMAGE 113
“ I recently conducted a ten-week coaching program on self-
image for professional women. In the first session, I showed
her the above photo. She was only able to see an old, ugly
woman. Ironically, from her original perspective, everything
in her life was in shambles. She wasn’t happy with how much
money she was making or with her physical appearance.
Her relationships with family and friends weren’t where she
wanted them to be, and ultimately, she always attracted
the wrong guy into her life. She caught herself complaining
about everything. During the two months that she and I
worked together, we reconditioned her mind regarding how
she viewed life and began applying our teaching concepts.
It wasn’t until the eighth visit that I asked her to go back
to review an exercise I had her do in her journal. Next to
that exercise was that picture of the lady. She began to cry,
because that was the first time she really saw the beautiful
young lady. Her mind had shifted. She’d started seeing the
good in herself.
” —PAUL
DESCRIBE IN DETAIL WHAT TYPE OF QUALITIES YOU

WANT IN A PERSON. (FAMILY-ORIENTED, RESPECTFUL,
HONEST)
1.
2.
3.

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
WHAT KIND OF SELF-IMAGE DO YOU NEED TO ATTRACT THIS

TYPE OF PERSON INTO YOUR LIFE?
SELF-IMAGE 115
Did the qualities above match your self-image? If those attributes don’t
match your current opinion of yourself, then it will be difficult to find that
someone you’re looking for. Like attracts like, so you can’t attract your ideal
mate until you first love yourself.
We have worked with many people who were able to turn their lives around
and become successful by starting with a simple change in how they perceive
themselves. At first, they were uncertain who they really were and what they
wanted to accomplish. By focusing on their good qualities and visualizing
themselves as the person they always wanted to be, their confidence level slowly
increased. Others began to recognize their efforts and achievements. One of the
most rewarding experiences from teaching seminars and workshops is knowing
we can help improve someone’s life for the better.
The woman in the story above learned how to see the good in herself,
but it wasn’t until she valued and loved herself that she was able to marry a
man with all the qualities she was looking for. In our seminars, we teach the
philosophy that what you think about is what you become; if you believe in
yourself and have a confident self-image, then there are no limits to what
you can achieve. You need to start out with that belief, which helps to create
the experiences to support it. Of course, external circumstances and certain
situations can help you accomplish certain goals, but if you lack a good self-
image, all the favorable circumstances in the world won’t give you that feeling
of empowerment you need for continued success.
Once you develop a positive self-image, you gain an “I can do anything”
feeling and are ready to take on new responsibilities, which lead to personal
growth. If you believe that you can achieve a particular goal, then once you
know you can do it, you can. It all comes back to belief. You must believe and
know that you have the power to create the life you want, and then that belief
will empower you to follow through.
The key to improving your self-image is to overcome fears, anxieties,
self-doubts, and limiting beliefs like “I can’t do it” or “I’m not good enough.”
You have to focus on what you can do, on knowing you can do it, and on seeing
yourself doing it. Whenever we think about what we do well, it’s a form of self-
affirmation that builds our self-image.
The following Conditioning Exercise is a good way to evaluate your self-
image. Take some time and search introspectively before writing and, as with
the previous Success Conditioning Exercises, make certain your answers are
honest. Perhaps have your significant other do this as well. If you have teenage
children, then they should also join in.

What is your current How do you want to
self image regarding… improve yourself image
regarding…
Your physical
appearance?
Your family
Your friends
Your career
Did you learn something about your self-image? How about your
significant other or your kids? Did it match what you want to be? If not, don’t
worry because whatever your results, you’re already one step ahead of most
people simply by doing this exercise in the first place. Most people never look
introspectively to improve. If you don’t have the characteristics that you want
now, you can develop them. Remember, it is all about belief. If you believe,
then you can have those characteristics; you’ll develop them, and your self-
image will improve. If that belief turns into knowing, then you will have
jumped to the head of the class.
Your self-image is what you see when you look in the mirror. You either
like yourself or you don’t. If you don’t like who you see in the mirror, it’s
probably difficult to trust yourself, or anyone else for that matter. Here’s
another exercise that will prove useful. Use the space below to list your talents
and abilities. Now don’t be bashful. Believe us when we say you do have
talents and abilities.
SELF-IMAGE 117
LIST TEN TALENTS AND ABILITIES.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

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image have difficulty identifying their talents and abilities. They don’t believe
they have anything to offer the world. Was it hard for you to complete your list?
If so, again, don’t worry. There are no failing grades here. We’re here to lend
you a guiding hand.
Let’s show you how to replace your old beliefs with new positive ones
about yourself. The first step is to affirm what you want to get and then truly
believe it. In the latter portion of this book, we define affirmations as our
“Mind Muscle Exercises.” Remember that even if you don’t have that quality
now, by truly believing, you will become the person you want to be. The
qualities must align with the person you want to become in your lifetime.
Here’s an example: Each morning I affirm the following in my life:

I am loving
I am thankful
I am grateful
I am appreciative
I am passionate
I am focused
I am determined
I am persistent
I am confident
I am financially free and abundant
I am wealthy
I am fun
I am happy
I am internally vital
I am physically flexible
—PAUL
SELF-IMAGE 119
IN THE SPACE BELOW, WRITE YOUR OWN AFFIRMATIONS
ABOUT WHO YOU ARE OR WHAT YOU WANT TO BE. MAKE CER-
TAIN TO WRITE THEM IN PRESENT TENSE. AFTER ALL, THINKING
IS ONE OF THE MAIN PURPOSES OF THIS BOOK, AND WE ALL
MUST BE ABLE TO DO IT TO ATTAIN INFINITE POWER.
WHAT ARE YOUR AFFIRMATIONS? BE SURE TO BEGIN YOUR
AFFIRMATION WITH I AM…
I AM…

When you say these “I AM” statements, communicate with your whole
body. Speaking these words alone is only 7 percent effective. Altering your
tonality increases your words’ effectiveness 38 percent, while adding body
language increases it by 55 percent. A more enthusiastic and focused body
language makes your words much more powerful. Think about how you tell
someone “I love you.” Do you mumble the words and look away? Or do you
take them into your arms, smile, and tell them? There must be a gesture with
each “I AM” statement; otherwise it doesn’t have the same effect. A slow,
drawn out tone says it, but it’s not believable. When you condition a hand
gesture for each “I AM” statement, then you anchor it in your mind.
Remember, any time you attach the words “I AM” to a statement, you
become it. Select your most important affirmation and focus on it for about a
minute. Now, repeat your “I AM” over and over to yourself for two to three
minutes. As you do this, see the statement you have written in your mind’s
eye. Don’t just hear or see the words. Translate your message into a visual
image. Practice this technique once a day for the next twenty-one days, and
soon you’ll notice feeling better about yourself and that things you want are
coming into your life. Don’t just take our word for it; take it from one of the
most famous personalities of the twentieth century: Muhammad Ali.
Muhammad Ali was very animated and passionate with his words. The
most powerful statement that illustrates our point is his famous affirmation,
“I am the greatest!” He told everyone who was willing to listen that he was
the greatest. He said it with such conviction that soon even his opponents
believed him. It was so powerful that he intimidated many of his opponents
before they ever entered the ring.
Affirmations are a powerful tool because they lead to a subtle attitude
change that transforms your belief and affects how you feel about yourself.
As they build your self-image, adding visualization to them further increases
the magnitude of your beliefs. This process works because you not only
make yourself more aware of who you are, but also feel what it is like to be
successful, healthy, wealthy, or whatever you want in life by visualizing it.
You’re using mental imagery to convince yourself that you are experiencing
what you want in the present, and your feelings and actions respond to
complement and reinforce that mental image.
SELF-IMAGE 121
One of the greatest benefits of being a martial arts instructor is to see
our students both young and old develop a martial arts mindset. This
is when they take on the identity of a martial artist and all of their
thoughts funnel through the five tenets of taekwondo; Perseverance,
Self Control, Indomitable Spirit, Respect, and Integrity. One who
has the self-image of a martial artist has the ability to filter their
challenges through the five tenets and find the best solution.
“ Early in my career, I envisioned myself as the president of the

executive committee of a major insurance company. I held that
vision in my mind throughout my career and in 2001, I was voted
by my peers as the president of the executive committee. As I gave
my acceptance speech in front of two thousand people, I realized
the power of I AM statements.
” —NICK
By focusing on and visualizing what you want, you will experience life-
altering transformations. The following Conditioning for Success Exercise
should be repeated once a day for twenty-one days to reinforce and strengthen
your self-image. Later, you can turn these feelings into reality by initiating new
actions to implement your vision.
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yourself as an abundant, successful person helps you to take full
control of your life.
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your success happening.
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of power this brings.
122 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER 122

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You feel warm and glowing as you receive their praise. They tell you
how successful you are.
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you want.
You need to decide the self-image most suited for you both personally
and professionally. Previously, we asked if the self-image you want matches
your current one. If it doesn’t, then you have to identify the areas you want to
develop further to get closer to your Worthy Ideal. Determine what you want
to become. Ask yourself: “How would I like to improve?” However you want
to, the Conditioning for Success Exercises we presented can help you imagine
which qualities to eliminate and which to develop. Once you decide who
you want to be, rehearse the role over and over again in your mind until you
reinforce the reality of this new image. Soon, you’ll see the new you.
“ We have several young adults who work for us. We designed

a leadership program to help them take on leadership roles.
Most kids are trying to find themselves. They’ll do anything for
acceptance. Their image among their peers is very important. They
don’t care if it’s positive or negative; they just want to fit in. We
want them to have a healthy self-image. Our program has made a
”
difference in the lives of several of our young employees.
—CHRIS AND PAUL
Now take the new image you have created and put it into practice in
real-life situations. The process of creating a new self-image is much like the
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who you want to become, and then decide which qualities are most important
to you so that you can work on achieving them first.
SELF-IMAGE 123
CHAPTER SUMMARY
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ourselves to others.
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mind.
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[ CHAPTER SIX ]
Focus
{ Our thoughts create our reality—where we

put our focus is the direction we tend to go.
—PETER MCWILLIAMS
{
This step in our T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine is
one of the most difficult disciplines to learn and master.
The concept and art of focusing is nothing new. In the
Korean martial art of Taekwondo, a series of choreo-
graphed moves against an imaginary opponent is used
to teach trainees to defend themselves. This is known as
poomse, which is a Korean term for patterns or forms.
We practice poomse daily during our training to help
our students develop the art of focus. The practice of
poomse originates with ancient warriors who, after wit-
nessing battle techniques that worked, returned home
and intently practiced the methods until they became
automatic. In their world, success meant staying alive, so
they had to focus and practice these moves to survive.
125
In this chapter, we’re going to focus on focus. Ironically, while writing
this chapter, we had challenges and couldn’t focus on focusing. We found this
chapter the most difficult to complete. Between Nick constantly messaging on
his cell phone and Chris’ spontaneous laughter, it’s a wonder we finished at all.
So try your best to stay with us here. Make sure to turn off your cell phone and
avoid your own spontaneous fits of laughter.
In all seriousness, we truly believe that the scientific aspect of the
discipline of focus is vital to your success. You have to passionately concentrate
and focus your time, talents, creativity, and energy in order to achieve the goals
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With a determined focus, the mind releases untapped energy and
magnifies all of your capabilities. When you priortize positive energy and
relentlessly focus on your goals, you create your own destiny. But staying
focused is a continuous challenge, as we experienced first hand. This chapter
was quite a learning experience for us. Paul used a pre-meditation technique
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to get rid of our frustration and maintain a state of calmness. Paul told us to
concentrate our attention on one spot in the room and to focus on our breathing.
With each breath, we slowly released our tensions and excess energy to the
point where our minds were clear and our emotions calm.
Martial arts are perhaps one of the best disciplines for developing focus.
We teach people of all ages how to focus with amazing success. When we give
seminars to schools and corporations, we use the analogy of being like a laser
to harness and focus energy on the task at hand. Now, we’d like to share these
principles with you.
Principle 1: Focus on progress, not perfection.

1. Compete with yourself.
2. If you are always focused on where you want to go, then you will
experience success.
3. Appreciate the journey while you focus on your accomplishments, and
you will have the confidence to move toward your destination.
Principle 2: Focus on the positive.

1. You have to make the choice.
2. Choose to find the positive in any situation because there always is
one. Be a good finder.

Principle 3: Focus time.
1. Focus on what you want.
2. Set aside a time every week as your “focus day” when you focus on
your unique abilities.
3. Be present and eliminate all distractions.
4. Spend the majority of this designated day working on focused “Action
Steps” that will assist you in attaining your goals or objectives.
The result of following these three principles is more productivity in less

time. This will leave you more free time to do the leisure activities you enjoy,
like exercising or spending time with family and friends.
The art of breaking a stack of boards or a cinderblock with your hand or
foot is possible through determined focus and concentration. Ever wonder how
kids half your weight and strength can break a stack of boards or blocks? It’s all
about mastering the art and discipline of focusing your mind like a laser on one
specific objective. Anybody who wants to live in health and vitality must win
the constant battle of temptation to sleep in rather than to work out. Staying
focused on the way you want to live your life will help you win this battle.
Distractions, disappointments, and interruptions interfere with our lives on a
daily basis. If you find your enthusiasm diminishing or disappearing during this
battle of your mind, then you’ll have to implement the three principles below,
which will help you stay focused from start to finish.
Your energy flows where your attention goes.
Three essential ingredients are needed to stay focused.

1. Burning desire
2. Endurance
3. Patience
FOCUS 127
The Science of Focus
Okay we’re going to get technical here, so let’s put our focus to the test. Block
out all distractions. Pretend you’re in a movie theater and turn your cell phone
off. Let’s see how far you get. Metaphysical teachings state that by intensely
focusing your expectation on a desired result, you physically realign the signal
that the energies created by your emotions and imagination send—which then
permeate everything within the universe. This signal then attracts energy
that matches your projection of thought, resulting in the manifestation of the
conditions you imagine. Have you ever mentioned someone’s name only to see
them hours later? Or have you ever had a bad day only to have it continue to
worsen? What about a good day that only gets better? Scientific evidence has
proven how expectancy and assumptions change our biochemistry. Fear and
anxiety, for example, depress the immune system while optimistic attitudes
seem to improve immune function. In other words, what you focus your
thoughts on can actually alter some of your brainwaves, giving you a better
ability to turn your thoughts into reality.
Science has also proven the powerful effects of the placebo response.
This undeniable healing response is activated when individuals believe they
have been given a powerful drug but are actually taking something with no
scientifically acknowledged active ingredient. From the mind-body perspective,
belief is the active ingredient in the placebo response—or any treatment. Strong
belief in a cure can be a catalyst for shifting our attention—our unconscious
visualizations—from a focus on sickness to one that allows healing.
“ When I was 13, I started having painful stomachaches. I would

wake up at night bent over in severe agony and these pains
continued to occur at the same time each night. They were so
intense that I would wake up in a sweat. The only way I could
ease the pain was to sit up in bed bent over. After a while I would
eventually fall asleep in this position. In the morning the pain
would mysteriously be gone, only to return again that night. My
parents took me to the emergency room several times, where I
was poked and prodded everywhere with no result. Finally after
a few weeks, my doctor admitted me to the hospital to run more

tests. Still, they couldn’t find what was wrong and the stomach
pains persisted. One morning, my doctor came in along with my
parents and told me they’d finally found out what was wrong. He
gave me some medical explanation I didn’t understand. What got
my attention was when he told me he was giving me pills to take
the pain away, and they would make me feel better in a matter of
hours. I readily took the pills and have never had the pains since.
I slept through the night and was released from the hospital the
very next day. I remember thinking that my doctor was a medical
genius. It wasn’t until many months later that my father told me the
pills were sugar tablets, a placebo. I was blown away. As a side note,
for many years thereafter and occasionally to this day, I would still
wake up in the middle of the night only to fall back asleep sitting
up. My wife says, ‘Now I know what it’s like to see someone sleep-
walking. You think they’re awake and talk to them, only to realize
they’re in a deep sleep and can’t hear a word you’re saying.’
”— RICK
Repetition is often a by-product of strong belief, since you tend to return

mentally to thinking about and picturing anticipated results. But the shift in
belief that changes your feelings is the catalyst in using visualization for change.
Why do you have to keep repeating this mantra if you really believe you’ll get
well? Couldn’t you just go about the business of healing without belaboring the
matter? If you can believe with absolute conviction in a completely new way of
being, one energetically charged vision of this desired self can be enough to set
you on the path of improvement.
Most people think the mind is an organ. We, on the contrary, believe the
mind is an activity.
Brain is a noun and Mind is a verb.
Most people believe that we are physical beings having a spiritual
experience. We, however, believe that we are spiritual beings having a physical
experience and that our bodies are just the manifestation of the activity of our
minds. All your active beliefs propel your feelings. To us, our health is one of the
main focuses we should have. For example, take a patient’s belief that something
FOCUS 129
outside of them—a drug—could cure them. This promotes feelings of hope,
optimism, and confidence. Please don’t misunderstand us; prescription drugs
are necessary in many circumstances, and we certainly aren’t advising in any
way to discontinue the use of any medications. We do want, however, to explore
the connection between healing and a positive attitude. To achieve healing, you
must be mentally prepared to make the necessary changes to receive it.
You must maintain a positive attitude toward healing to achieve it. Attitude
is everything; change it and apply those changes necessary for healing in your
life. Make your attitude, your mental position, a positive one to get the results.
A positive attitude is a healing attitude! The following diagram is a good
example of the connection between attitude and health.
Negative attitude → Toxins → Stress → Disease

Positive attitude → Appreciation → Energy → Body at ease
There is no question that the things we think have a

tremendous effect upon our bodies. If we can change our
thinking, the body frequently heals itself.
ģċƫƫČƫ ċċ
The Mind-Body Connection

Your personal mind-body connection and the interactions among your thoughts,
body, and social environment are an integral part of beginning to achieve focus
in your life. Scientists, philosophers, and religious thinkers have developed
theories and adhered to a wide variety of beliefs on the subject. Is a person’s
body simply a physical entity, separate from the mind and controlled by
biochemical reactions and environmental stimuli? Or can one’s thoughts and
feelings wield a power over one’s body? Can the body’s own physical qualities
affect thoughts and emotions?
As stated at the beginning of this chapter, we practice poomse. This
technique develops the mind-body connection as students learn to focus on

each movement of their hands, feet, arms, and legs. The mind and body work
as one to achieve the desired results. When a person begins training, they feel
awkward and uncomfortable. Why is this? Because they’ve not yet developed
this mind-body connection. Learning to ski or snowboard is a great example of
this. A novice skier or snowboarder lacks this connection. Once they develop
this skill, the sport becomes effortless, and they feel as if they’re floating.
The term mind-body connection covers two separate but related ideas.
On the one hand, it refers to the belief that thoughts and emotions have an
influence on whether people maintain overall physical health and also on
whether and/or how quickly and completely they recover from illness. On the
other side of the mind-body connection is the reverse effect: the influence
that biochemical events in the body, particularly those taking place in the
brain, exert over human emotions, mental state, and behavior.
Although many people use the terms mind and brain almost
interchangeably, they refer to two related but different aspects of the same
thing. The brain is the physical organ that houses the mind, while the mind
is where thoughts, emotions, and perceptions occur. The brain is a part of
the central nervous system and is divided into parts. Like all other organs
in the body, its functions and activities are the end result of many complex
biochemical and electrical interactions. Much has been discovered about how
these biochemical processes work, but this area of science still contains many
mysteries. Certain types of physical conditions in the brain correspond to
certain types of mental states.
The term “mind” is often understood to refer to the thoughts, emotions,
and perceptions that you actually experience. Suppose, for example, you are
looking at a photograph of a friend. While this is happening, you are unaware
of the millions of biochemical reactions taking place that enable you to
recognize the picture and to respond to it. However the only item you actually
are aware of is the picture of your friend. Though the workings of the mind are
very complex, they are so natural to us that we are unaware of them, and until
we achieve that awareness, we cannot alter how our minds work.
FOCUS 131
Board breaking is an important part of training that requires precise
placement of your hand or foot executed with power to successfully
break a board or cement. If the student loses focus, they are in danger
of hurting themselves and the person holding the board. Many times we
have seen young children accomplish a particular break where an adult
failed. It has nothing to do with size and strength and has everything to
do with focus and technique. Through martial arts training, students are
taught to focus all their concentrated energy to accomplish the task at
hand. When applied outside the martial arts, adults have more focus at
work and home whereas children are more focused at school.
{ {
You cannot control what happens to you, but you can
control your attitude toward what happens to you, and in
that, you will be mastering change rather than allowing it
to master you.
—BRIAN TRACY
Self-Control
Self-control is a foundation of focus. It can be both physical and mental.
Physical and mental self-control makes up a total mind-body connection. It will
come about with lots of repetition and practice, but it improves as time goes on.
Hard work and dedication push you toward your focus.
For the average person, mental self-control is a skill that needs to be
harnessed and developed. There is so much confrontation in our society and
most of it comes from a lack of mental control. So many people feel the need to
hear themselves speak when they should actually be listening. We must gain
the ability to control our reactions, so we can see things from another person’s
point of view. People react without thinking and talk to hear themselves talk. A
disagreement is nothing more than one person trying to convince the other that
his or her point of view is correct.

If someone says something negative to you, you have to decide how to
react. If you react in haste, then the situation can escalate, and there can be a
strong confrontation. If you are able to control your reaction and analyze why
the person is acting this way, then you will probably be able to coast through
the situation and find common ground. The amount of self-control necessary
in these types of scenarios can be enormous. We have to remember that when
an argument or tempers flare, no one wins. We have to act as a stream flowing
through a rocky bed. If there is a rock or a tree blocking the flow, the water
will find a way around the obstacle. It is not going to entertain or stress over
the obstacle. It is just going to flow around it as if it wasn’t there. Don’t put up
mental resistance and entertain another person’s negativity or anger. Let it roll
off and float away.
Self-control at work is another method to give you an edge in your chosen
career. People will always try to pull ahead of you and be the best they can be.
Most people are looking out for their own best interests and have no qualms
about stepping on someone else’s toes to do so. We’ve all come across people
who are always happy and positive and people who are constantly negative
and complaining. When you find yourself confronted with a negative person,
think about what they are saying. Is it worth wasting your time and energy on
them? We like to call these people time bandits. They steal your time. Explain
to them that you will work better as a team than if you always disagree. This
kind of reaction states to them that you are willing to work together while still
explaining how you could contribute to the solution of the challenge. Don’t let
anyone steal your time. Remember, everything is energy and negative people
suck the energy right out of us, so first try to help them to see the good in life
and others, but if you can’t, then avoid them. Be “good” finders, be the leader.
But if they don’t change, then they’re going to drag you down with them. Avoid
or spend less time with them.
FOCUS 133
“ I developed a life skills program for underprivileged teenagers in
Westchester County, NY, called Power Time. Most of the teenagers
who participate in the program come from broken homes, and some
have had serious addictions and challenges in life. You can see
when interacting with many of these teens that they have already
lost hope. They would walk into our meeting room with their heads
down, angry at the world. I would gather them into a circle and
would try to start each session with a positive focus. It was a huge
struggle for everyone, but I refused to give up. Slowly but surely,
some of the kids would start smiling and talking about what went
well that day. Now, almost all of them walk into our Power Time
sessions with smiles and hugs, and can’t wait to talk about the
positive things that happened to them during the week. This has
been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life.
” —RICK
We must also remember that different people handle stress or pressure in

different ways. For example, while you’re working toward a relaxed life and a
life of calmness and tranquility, others may have a straw in their wallet or purse
so they can suck the life right out of you. We like to call these people energy
leeches. With them, we have to gain control and not let their negativity and stress
affect us and how we feel. We control how we feel; therefore we should control
our actions and reactions. When you meet an energy leech, smile and explain that
you completely respect their opinion and want to look at the situation from both
sides to find a solution. Once again, as with the time bandits, follow the same
steps mentioned earlier. Explain to them, “We’ll work better as a team than if we
always disagree.” We realize this is sometimes easier to say than do. However, we
are looking to live our life with black belt character, to always find a peaceful yet
productive resolution. Having enough self-control means maintaining a positive
state of mind. As mentioned in the previous chapter, like attracts like, so people
who are more focused and positive attract the same.
Self-control is a key ingredient for healthy and lasting relationships. When
you are married and have children, the natural tendency is to spend a lot of
time with your spouse and family. Developing the art of self-control will help

to get through the inevitable disputes and disagreements. Sometimes we will
take things for granted and not listen to the individuals closest to us. For a
healthy relationship with your life partner, you must always be willing to listen
to what they have to say. For example, think about the importance of listening
thoroughly before reacting. Because you are so comfortable with your spouse or
significant other, you may tend to react more irrationally than with a coworker.
Be sure to listen to what they say and most importantly respect it. Even if you
do not agree, try your best to see their perspective. Most troubled relationships
have inability to communicate at their center. Have the black belt self-control
to listen before you speak. It is not always easy. As with everything, it takes
hard work and commitment.
Self-control should be applied in every aspect of your life. Remember
to always listen and search a little deeper about why something is happening
before there is a reaction. If you do this, then you will be a happier and calmer
person, and others will look toward you as someone who is level headed and
well balanced.
{ Focus on your potential instead of your limitations.
—ALAN LOY MCGINNIS
{
Focus Your Energy
The ability to focus harnesses your energy on one specific area or topic like a
laser beam. Think of the sun’s energy. If we lay out in the sun on a hot, summer
day, then we can get a golden tan. But, if we use a magnifying glass on the sun’s
light, we can burn a hole in our arm. When we harness our attention and focus
on a certain person, area of life, topic, or life purpose, then we become that
laser. A key factor pertaining to energy that we all must understand is that we
only have a certain amount of mental energy at our disposal at any one time.
If we focus our mental energy on others or what we don’t want in life, then we
won’t have enough left to use for our own benefit. During our seminars, many
of our clients tell us what they don’t want. For example, “I don’t want to be
FOCUS 135
broke,” or “I don’t want to be sick,” or “I don’t want to fail in business.” Our
task is to get them to focus their energy or attention on what they do want in
life. We inspire them to say, “I am financially free and abundant,” or “I am
healthy and vital,” or “I am a successful business owner.”
Think of all the areas of your life. If you had a set “focus time” for each
one, how much do you think you could improve? How much time is wasted
during your day by not being focused? Learn to block out scheduled times
during your day or week for your most important areas. Let’s review some
important aspects.
Areas of Life
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฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
or significant other
4. Physical Appearance
5. Money
6. Work
7. Spirituality
8. Social
9. Organizational Discipline
10. Charity
11. Learning & Growth
12. Mind Development
13. Fun Activities
14. Technology
Which is more important to you, health or money? Is spirituality more

important than relationships? Now arrange the areas of your life in an order
of importance with one being the most important and fourteen being the least.
Remember there is no wrong answer. It’s your life!

LIST THE AREAS OF YOUR LIFE IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
FOCUS 137
“ The most important area of my life is to be healthy and vital. Most
people ask me if it’s more important than my family. My answer
is yes, because I can’t serve or be there for my family if I am sick
or ill. Therefore, I must take care of my internal and external well
being. My goal is to live to 120 years old and still be as healthy and
active as I am now. It doesn’t matter if I have all the money in the
world; if I don’t have my health, then it’s meaningless.
” —PAUL
Now arrange the Areas of Life below into 2 categories. In the second column
list how you are CURRENTLY devoting most of your time in order of
importance from highest priority to lowest priority.
For example, are you spending all your time working and making money?
Or, is it with your family and relationships?
Then in the third column do the same process this time listing how you
would LIKE your Areas of Life to be in order of importance. In each column
simply designate a number 1-14.
Remember, there is no wrong answer. Everybody is different. It’s your life.
Once you have your list of importance, we recommend you take your top
four which we call your CORE FOUR and choose three activities you can do
every day, week, month, or year to improve that area. Create a menu of daily
action steps that will help you increase the results in that area of life. This way,
if you can’t do one particular action step that day, you can easily choose another
and still feel fulfilled.
Remember the Action Steps you choose must be specific. For example,
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Step shouldn’t be simply to work out. After all, if you lift weights for 5 minutes
you don’t say, “I’m in shape; I don’t have to work out anymore,” do you? Of
course not. You need to be more detailed; how long do you want to work out,
what days, what time, etc.
For your other areas of life, only choose one activity you can do each day or
week to improve that area. If you put your attention and focus toward that area,
you will see it dramatically improve, and you will create balance and harmony
within your life. Below are Paul’s examples:

AREA How you have been How would you like
OF LIFE devoting your life to devote your life
Health &
Family
Relationships
Physical
Appearance
Money
Work
Spirituality
Social
Organizational
Discipline
FOCUS 139
Charity
Learning &
Growth
Mind
Development
Fun Activities
Technology

AREA FOCUS ACTIVITY
฀ ฀
in distilled water
b. Eat organic vegetables
c. Drink wild green tea
Relationship a. Tell my wife “I love you” when

I wake up
b. Slow dance before work
c. date night at Winery
Family a. Call mom after work

b. Eat Sunday dinner with family
c. Read 30 minutes with kids
Physical Appearance a. 60 minutes Martial art training

b. Cross Fit class
c. Mountain Bike 10 miles
Money a. Set up automatic withdrawal

for investment
b. collect rent from tenants
c. Adjust net worth monthly
Spirituality Meditate 60 minutes
Mind Development Say my Mind Muscle Exercises

in the morning
FOCUS 141
Work 30 minute staff meetings before we
begin our workday
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
Learning and Growth Read 30 minutes before bed
Organizational Clean and organize desk before leaving

Discipline the office
฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
Seminar at Middle School
Social Meet with my mastermind group
Technology Complete computer programming

course
Remember our quote at the beginning of this section. Focus on your

potential, not your limitations. Focus on progress, not perfection. Everyone is at
different stages of life. Not everyone can be as disciplined as Paul. It took him a
long time to develop this discipline. Remember, don’t make your expectations
too high. In time, these steps will become easier.

ATTENTION = LOVE
attention to your children would they think that you loved them? Well, what
if you totally ignored them? Do you think they would feel you loved them? I
don’t think so. So we must FOCUS and pay attention to the Areas of Life that
are most important to us.
Be like a laser and focus on what you love!
Being Present
Just because you choose to spend time with your kids doesn’t necessarily
mean you are focused on them. Are we on our cell phones, on our computers,
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you need to be present. That is why at the start of all Empowered Mastery’s
programs we always insist that our clients turn their phones off and eliminate
all distractions so they can be present and focus.
We want you to focus on your top CORE 4 Areas of Life first. Why four?
Well, think of a car. A car has four tires, right? But if one of those tires has a flat
what will happen? Maybe the car won’t drive as efficiently. What if two or three
of those tires had a flat or even a slow leak? The car will drive even slower,
that’s if it can drive at all.
Most of us only have air in one or two of our tires. We are only focusing in
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efficient. If you want to drive a car all four of your top Areas of Life must have
air in them. Now, some of our clients may not be ready for a car so we only have
them begin to ride a bicycle, with two Areas of Life.
When you can handle a bicycle, then a car, maybe you upgrade to having a
trailer on your car or even begin to drive one of those tractor-trailer trucks. Just
make sure you can drive with air in your tires. Yes, sometimes you may get a
flat or even have a slow leak, that’s okay, just be smart enough to pull over and
fill up with air or buy a new tire!
FOCUS 143
EXERCISE:
Write your new CORE four areas of life, and three Action Steps to
focus on that will improve that area.
AREA OF LIFE FOCUSED ACTION STEP
1.
a.
b.
c.
2.
a.
b.
c.
3.
a.
b.
c.
4.
a.
b.
c.

Schedule your ACTION STEPS.
Have you ever scheduled an important meeting? No matter what, you
made sure you blocked out time for that meeting, right? How about a very
important client? Someone that’s really important? I bet you made sure
you were there. Well the same goes for your Action Steps!
You must block out time throughout your day, week and month to
focus on your action items.
How did you do with this chapter? Did you find it difficult to focus? Were
you able to read through it in one sitting? Reading this chapter itself is a good
exercise on focusing. This chapter more than any other should be read over and
over again, because with each review you will learn and digest more and more.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
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overcome illness.
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฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
your success.
฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
* Attention equals love—Be like a laser and focus on Action
Steps that will enhance your CORE 4 Areas of Life
FOCUS 145
[ CHAPTER SEVEN ]
Opportunities
{ In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.

—ALBERT EINSTEIN
{
Each one of us faces obstacles at some time in our life.
None of us are immune. However, it’s what you do with
those challenges in life that ultimately determine who you
become and what you accomplish. Very few people in
this world are able to turn obstacles into opportunities.
One person could grow up in poverty and come to the
realization that they will never be anyone of importance,
while another in that same circumstance realizes that’s
the very reason why they must become important.
146
The first sees circumstance as a stumbling block that creates impossibility.
The second uses the “obstacle” as a way to relate to people that opens doors
and leads to success. Same circumstance, completely different outcome. One
of the best examples of this is Oprah Winfrey. Having spent her early years
in poverty-stricken, rural Mississippi, Winfrey later faced sexual molestation
and the death of her child as she aged. Today, the talk-show host is as well
known for her generosity as she is for her fame. Funding a $40 million school
for girls in Africa is just one of Winfrey’s many charitable acts. And the only
difference between her and others who grew up in similar poverty was her
mindset. The following are other examples of people who turned obstacles
into opportunities.
1. Woody Allen. The Academy Award-winning writer/producer/director

flunked motion picture production at both New York University and
the City College of New York and also failed English at N.Y.U.
2. Lucille Ball was once dismissed from drama school for being too quiet
and shy.
3. Quaker Oats, Wrigley’s, and Pepsi Cola went bankrupt three times.
4. In 1962, Decca Recording Company turned down the Beatles.
5. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell offered the exclusive rights of the
telephone to Western Union for $100,000. William Orton, Western
Union’s president, turned down the offer, remarking, “What use could
this company make of an electrical toy?”
6. Albert Einstein failed his first college entrance exam at Zurich
Polytechnic.
7. Malcolm Forbes, the late editor-in-chief of Forbes magazine, one of
the largest business publications in the world, did not make the staff
of his university newspaper.
8. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team.
9. Steve Jobs was fired from the company he created, Apple, only to
return as CEO when the company suffered some hard times.
10. Jay-Z couldn’t get signed to any record labels.
Fear is the roadblock to opportunities.

Too many people are afraid to move forward. It is almost as if they are
scared of success. No sooner do they begin a new endeavor, than they quickly
decide they aren’t going to succeed. Let’s use an analogy of rock climbing.
FOCUS 147
Most people stand and stare at the huge rock looming over them. They know
it will be difficult and at times even scary. So why do they take that first step?
Because they know the end result outweighs the trials and tribulations along
the way. Those are the ultra-successful individuals who not only surmount the
obstacle in their path, they gain the skill and confidence to then climb any
mountain they face.
BEFORE YOU CAN TURN AN OBSTACLE INTO AN OPPORTUNITY,

LET’S TAKE A FEW STEPS BACKWARD AND COMPLETE THE FOL-
LOWING CONDITIONING FOR SUCCESS EXERCISES.
List five major decisions you made recently.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Do those decisions serve your goals or work against them?

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
List five decisions you are currently facing.

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

“ In August of 1993, my wife Linda and I were prepared to give birth
to our first-born son, Nicholas. Much to our dismay, Nicholas did
not survive. The cord was caught, and he suffocated and died in my
arms. This is life’s ultimate challenge. The memories of the future
were gone. I had to be strong for Linda and for everyone else who
was deeply affected by this tragedy, but no one knew the pain that
I was feeling. I was like the song, ‘Tears of a Clown,’ happy on the
outside but empty and depressed on the inside. How could I convert
this challenge in our lives, the worst possible thing that can happen
to a parent, to an opportunity? I began to write a letter to Nicholas:
Dear Nicholas. It has been forty-six days since you left
Mommy and me, and I really want you to know how much we miss
you. There hasn’t been a minute that we don’t think about you;
your cute little nose, big blue eyes, that pudgy face. You are truly
our angel from God. We will miss your first steps, we will miss the
first time you say Mommy or Daddy, we will miss your laughter and
crying, we will miss the first time you blow out the candle on your
first birthday cake, we will miss playing catch with you or taking you
to the park, we will miss the memories of the future, we will miss all
the rest of our years here on earth with you, but that’s okay because
we know God’s promise, that we will someday be together again.
In the few minutes that we knew you and in the nine months
that you were in Mommy’s tummy, you’ve given us more love,
more peace, and more joy than we’ve ever had, and we want to say
thank you for that. A great person once told me ‘hope touches the
intangible, sees the invisible, and achieves the impossible.’ We truly
believe that hope is God.
How much we long to hold you, to kiss you, and to cuddle with
you. Through this emptiness in our lives, we seem to find peace or a
fulfillment through the power of God. People say that a son usually walks
in the shadow of his father’s footsteps, but today we begin our journey
walking in the light of our son, a light that shines so brightly and never
burns, a light that strengthens us each and every day. Thank you for
giving us that light. We miss you, love always, Daddy and Mommy.
”
—NICK
FOCUS 149
It is not the events in life that shape your destiny, but the decisions
you make about those events. Becoming aware of them, and consciously and
carefully choosing your responses or reactions to those circumstances gives you
unlimited power. By just paying attention to the decisions you make on a daily
basis and nothing else, you’re well on your way to creating the life you desire.
This places you firmly on that pedestal with the elite achievers. Circumstance
can no longer be the opportunity for an excuse. You have successfully
eliminated “obstacles” from your life.
Fortunately and unfortunately, injuries are part of martial arts as well

as any physical activity. There are countless stories of setbacks in
one’s training. It is through the injuries or setbacks that the dedicated
practitioner will find the opportunity to work on another technique
with another part of the body. For example, if a practitioner injures
the right leg, they now have an opportunity to develop and strengthen
their left techniques. A challenge that students also have is their
inability to relax when executing their motions. When an injury
occurs, we recommend to the students that they practice softly and
all of a sudden, they are improving their training due to a setback.
Now that is an opportunity!
{ Whenever you see a successful business, someone once

made a courageous decision.
ģƫċƫ
{
How Successful People Make Decisions
We all make an infinite number of mundane decisions every day—from what
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we make at work. Most of the major decisions we make, however, are based on
our Paradigms. We might vote for one party due to how our parents voted. The
same goes for our investing. Where we live, the jobs we take, and even how
we bring up our children involves how we were taught. When we struggle with
these decisions, it can be the start of major conflict.
Deciding not to make a decision at all is what usually separates the
average from the successful. Indecision sets up an internal conflict within
ourselves, which in turn brings about all the stress we have in our lives. At
some points, we might face a decision with ambivalence, which is defined as
opposed feelings toward the same objective. For example, should we eat at
this restaurant or that one? Or should I work out or put it off till tomorrow?
Successful people make numerous major decisions on a daily basis. They
make them quickly and change them very slowly if at all. Below are the
ABCD’s of successful decision-making.
A. Assume Risks—All successful people assume risks when making

decisions. This is what decision making is all about.
B. Burden Lifted—When you make a decision, you will find that a
tremendous burden is lifted from your shoulders and you are happier
for it. It also frees your mind to move on and tackle the next decision.
C. Courage & Commitment—Decision-making means having the courage
and conviction to make them. President Roosevelt said it best, “The
buck stops here.” A successful person has the commitment to stand
by that decision no matter what the obstacle. President Reagan said,
“When I’ve gathered enough information to make a decision, I don’t
take a vote, I make a decision.” Have enough courage and confidence
to believe your decision is the best and commit to its result.
D. Direction toward Your Worthy Ideal—A decision must put you on a
path of right direction that is in alignment with your Worthy Ideal.
This will then funnel down to your goals which will have substantial
meaning because they are related to your Worthy Ideal. Your decision
must be in sync with your Worthy Ideals.
Most people make decisions after they have found the resources to do so.
FOCUS 151
This is perhaps the most common and unfortunately the biggest mistake you
can make. If you wait to find the resources, then you might never find them
and if you do, it probably will be too late and the opportunity will have already
passed you by. We believe that the hardest part of making a decision is making
the decision. Once you have overcome that obstacle, the opportunities will then
present themselves.
Make your decision first and the resources will follow. History is filled
with successful people who had this in common. The decisions they made
were in tune with their Worthy Ideal. They were committed to it despite
everyone’s limiting beliefs and they made the decision before they found the
resources. Did Thomas Edison have the resources to invent the light bulb
before he made the decision to experiment in his lab? No, and yet he made
the decision to do so and committed to it despite failing an astounding ten
thousand times. By the way, Thomas Edison didn’t believe he failed; he felt
he’d created ten thousand ways not to make a light bulb. Below are a few more
examples of people who chose to make their decision without having the
needed resources.
1. Sir Edmund Hillary—He was the first person to successfully climb Mt.
Everest. He made the decision to start on his journey before there was
any blueprint on how to do it.
2. Roger Bannister—He was the first person to run a four-minute mile
when it was thought to be impossible. Medical experts stated that our
bodies weren’t capable of withstanding the stress, yet he made the
decision before he had the resources.
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when women were not even supposed to work outside the home. She
started a business in the kitchen of her small home and grew it to be
one of the most well-known, multi-million dollar companies in the
United States as well as the first female-owned company to be listed
on the American Stock Exchange. Today, she continues to be one of
the country’s leading catalog retailers.
When you make a decision and commit to it the resources will come to you.

“ I was set to close on my commercial building on Tuesday, January
15. I needed $75,000 for the down payment. It was Friday evening,
January 11, and I had just received word that my private funding
wasn’t going to come through. To make matters worse, it was a
holiday weekend, the banks were closed, and I wasn’t anywhere
close to having the money. I took a step back, took a deep breath,
and said, ‘I can do this.’ I called my wife and one of my top
instructors into my office and said these exact words. ‘We have a
situation; the money we were going to get just fell through. We
need to come up with $75K by Tuesday or we lose the deal. I know
every reason in the world why we can’t make this happen, and I
don’t want to hear any of them. All I want to know is how we are
going to make this work.’ After about an hour of brainstorming, my
wife, Kathy, Master G. and I decided to sell lifetime memberships
to my students. They would pay a certain amount of money
up front and could then come to any of the programs we offer
for as long as they liked. They would never have to pay tuition
again. We also set up a program so that if a student advanced any
amount of tuition, then we would double it on the back end of the
membership. We e-mailed all of our students and the response
was great. We sold a number of lifetime memberships, and many
students took us up on our offer. We did fall short of raising the
$75,000. However, in three days over the holiday weekend and
thanks to my wife spending hours and hours on the phone, we
managed to raise $74, 989.11. We managed to find the remaining
$10.89. We were able to close on the property and continued to
fulfill a lifelong dream of owning our own martial arts building.
—CHRIS
”
When a problem occurs, you often hear that you need to “get past” it or
avoid it. This is not true; you first need to see it as a challenge. This is vital in
so many ways. How do you feel when you have a problem: stressed, anxious,
and fearful? How do you feel when you face a challenge: excited, inspired,
and energized? See the difference? The next step is to learn to transform your
FOCUS 153
challenges into opportunities. By following this process, you are enhancing
your chances for success. When you encounter a challenge or an obstacle, how
do you react? Most successful people embrace challenges and look at them as
opportunities to grow. There are three levels of language to convert obstacles
to opportunities. The levels include:
1. Level One. “I have a problem.” or “There is a problem.” “Problem”

is another word that should be permanently eliminated from your
vocabulary. Problems just don’t exist in the world of Empowered Mastery.
2. Level Two. “I have a challenge.” or “I’m excited to find a solution for
this challenge.”
3. Level Three. “This is a great opportunity.” or “How is this an
opportunity?” or “What’s good about this?” or “How can I learn from
this?”
Some of the greatest inventions, from penicillin to Post-It Notes, came

from visionary people who chose not to “get past” or avoid the obstacle, but
rather to turn it into an opportunity. In 1968, a researcher at 3M was researching
the development of an extremely strong adhesive. One of his batches of glue
was very weak, hardly strong enough to hold two pieces of paper together.
Rather than toss it out, he discussed it with his colleagues. Later, another 3M
researcher, Art Fry, sat in his church choir struggling to keep paper bookmarks
from falling out of his hymnal. He remembered the weak glue and wondered
if it had the ability to re-adhere once pulled loose. Using the failed glue, Fry
began experimenting; Post-it Notes were the ultimate result. They are now one
of 3M’s most profitable products.
Pain can be turned into gain, a problem can be turned into a profit, and an
obstacle can become a glorious opportunity. Here are seven ways you can turn
an obstacle into an opportunity.
1. Seek out the advantage inside the adversity.

2. Keep obstacles in perspective.
3. Identify new opportunities.
4. Ask for help.
5. Accept responsibility.
6. Be persistent.
7. Learn to laugh at yourself.

There is good in everything.
The best life lessons come when we are challenged and pushed to the
edge. Adversity is often the preamble to greater achievement. Adversity reveals
true character. Those who face personal trials either rise to the occasion or fall
down in despair. A crisis strips away all pretenses and reveals true character. Are
you the sort that feels beaten down by the obstacles in your life, or do you use
them and profit from your challenges? Take any successful person you know
and you will find that they faced obstacles. They used the difficulty to their
advantage. All successful people experience failure at some point, however,
turning these failures into achievements are true signs of success. Remember
the examples of the famous people we spoke about above.
Everybody makes mistakes, blunders, and errors of judgment. The key
for successful and vital living lies in the way we respond to those human
shortcomings. Most successful people view mistakes as learning experiences
and rarely make the same one twice. Consider these ways of responding to your
mistakes so that those mistakes work for you rather than against you.
1. Choose to admit the mistake. Those who stop making excuses are
always the ones who start making results. When it’s obvious that you
have erred, acknowledge it to yourself and to others who may be
affected. Doing so allows you to take ownership of the situation and
begin the process of correcting and adjusting.
2. Choose to act. Perhaps the biggest mistake when making a mistake lies
in not changing directions. Don’t let an error in judgment preclude you
from taking corrective action. Remember that life rewards action.
3. Choose to apologize. Promptly and honestly say the right words when
the wrong things have happened.
4. Choose to learn from the mistake. Every mistake contains within it a
tremendous opportunity for learning and growth. When you make a
mistake, don’t ignore it.
Below is a great Conditioning for Success Exercise to help you transform
an obstacle into an opportunity. As an example, we’ve used the story of Chris
and his financial challenge while purchasing his building from earlier. Fill in
your own challenges and create a corresponding opportunity for each. When
doing this exercise, remember the Law of Polarity. The Law of Polarity states
that everything in the universe has an opposite and cannot exist otherwise. If
there is an up, there has to be a down. If there is a left, there has to be a right. If
something appears to be a challenge, then there has to be an opportunity as well.
FOCUS 155
CHALLENGE OPPORTUNITY
$75,000 in three days Create lifetime memberships
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

CHAPTER SUMMARY
฀
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your goals.
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to you.
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learning experiences.
FOCUS 157
[ CHAPTER EIGHT ]
Realization
{{ Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself

into some new work you believe in with all
your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will
find happiness that you thought never could
be yours.
—DALE CARNEGIE
{{
At one point or another in your life, you might take a deep
look inside and come to the realization that you aren’t ful-
filled. It is important to understand that the realization of
your purpose is the number one priority. Before you can
live according to it, you have to know what it is. At times,
it is difficult to concentrate because there are many situ-
ations and circumstances in life that make focusing on
your purpose challenging.
158
These difficult times are when you need to keep a stable mind and look
toward the future. Every day is a test to see if you have come to this realization.
Throughout this chapter, we’ll talk about discovering your Life’s Purpose and
living according to your Worthy Ideal. Realization is the act of knowing what
you want out of life and working to achieve it. Later in this chapter we ask you
to define your Life’s Purpose. Refer to the illustration below, and to chapter 3,
where we discuss your Worthy Ideal.
Worthy Ideal and Life’s Purpose

Whatever you are passionate about guides you to your Worthy Ideal. So many
times in our seminars we hear participants say, “I don’t have a Worthy Ideal.”
Or “I don’t have a Life’s Purpose.” Some people may be confused with the
differences between a Worthy Ideal and Life’s Purpose.
WORTHY IDEAL LIFE’S PURPOSE
WHY we do what we do. HOW we do what we do.
Bigger than you. About you.
REALIZATION 159
Empowered Mastery’s Worthy Ideal is to inspire and impact professionals
and entrepreneurs to achieve ULTIMATE success personally, professionally,
spiritually and physically so they can live a life filled with passion and purpose.
Empowered Mastery’s Purpose is to be the best leaders, coaches
and teachers we can be for our family, friends and clients. We will do this by
incorporating EMC’s principals and philosophies into all aspects of our lives.
Everything we do each and every day is to work together with you for this one
purpose.
Our Worthy Ideal is why we do what we do. Our purpose explains how we
do it. You can’t fulfill your Life’s Purpose unless you have a Worthy Ideal. Your
Worthy Ideal is what drives you to get out of bed in the morning. Oftentimes we
also hear in our seminars that people equate their Life’s Purpose with money.
This isn’t the case. Money is just a means to a lifestyle. Everyone has purpose.
Once you realize your purpose, you can’t ignore it. It is just a matter of
discovery. Some people find theirs right away while they are young, others not
until they get older. There is no age requirement or expiration date on realizing
your purpose. It is never too late to realize yours.
Every once in a while we meet someone who inspires us. These people
exude enthusiasm and care genuinely about what they’re doing, who they
work with, and who they surround themselves with. They express a joy from
deep within; it’s not forced or superficial. You sense their true passion and
selflessness. They also have a genuine care toward those around them because
they’ve come to the realization and fulfillment of their Life’s Purpose. Because
of this realization, they are consciously and continuously working on purpose.
They live according to their Worthy Ideal and know the difference they want
to make.
Once you come to this realization as well, your work will be consistent
with your purpose. Clarity and focus on purpose sets us apart from most of the
people in this world. Who has come to this realization? It can be anyone—a
teacher, parent, or someone you just met. It doesn’t matter who they are, where
they come from, or what they do. What matters is that they’ve accepted this
realization. Their purpose echoes through their actions.
Fulfillment comes from the inside out, not vice versa. Take a minute and
think of the people in your life who seem to love what they do. In the space
provided, write down the names of three people who know their Life’s Purpose
and describe the characteristics and qualities they possess.

PEOPLE WHO HAVE A PURPOSE IN LIFE
NAME CHARACTERISTIC
1.
2.
3.
Many times the word passion is used to describe purpose. In Chapter 3,

we defined the difference between the two. Passion isn’t intellectual or rational.
Instead it stems from the heart.
REALIZATION 161
“ In my previous business, I had tremendous success yet wasn’t
happy. I had no direction, drive, or purpose. Fortunately, I was able
to retire at age thirty-nine. To everyone on the outside, my life
appeared perfect. On the inside, however, I was still unhappy. I sat
home, watched movies, slept, and ate. I became lazy and irritable. I
was like Michael Keaton in the movie Mr. Mom. I rarely shaved and
my daily attire was sweats and an old flannel shirt. I was envious of
those around me who woke up each morning with a purpose and
went to bed each night fulfilled with a sense of accomplishment.
What I was missing was the realization of a Worthy Ideal and my
Life’s Purpose. In the end, it took me forty-seven years to finally
realize what I am truly passionate about. I have found both my
Worthy Ideal in forming Empowered Mastery and also the forum to
fulfill my Life’s Purpose by speaking to schools, corporations, and
other organizations to help others live fulfilled lives.
” —RICK
If we fail to listen to our purpose in life, we experience stress, fatigue,

frustration, and dissatisfaction.
Worthy Ideal → Life’s Purpose → Transform your life
Think of what type of person you have to become in order to fulfill your
Worthy Ideal.
Some people may be confused with a Life Purpose and Worthy Ideal.
{ Before you can do something, you must first be

something.
—GOETHE
{
A Life Purpose is a model for the person YOU ultimately want to BECOME
within your lifetime. The primary target is the word BECOME. Most people are
always focused on what they want to do, where they want to go, and what they
want to have.
That mindset is working from the outside in not the inside out. To us that is
backward. Everything in the universe grows from the inside out not the outside
in. So in order for you to have the things you want; money, relationships, house,
car, job, or physical body, you must first become a certain type of person inside.
The “having” mode is certainly seductive. But by definition having is
possessing, and that means it can disappear as easily as it came. We are born
with nothing and leave this world with nothing as well. People remember who
you are, not what you possessed. The “being” mode is the most important.
In this state, you are centered, authentic, and connected to your spiritual
self. You have your personal power to assist you in creating and realizing your
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Becoming the person you want to be is the primary target. This is your
first focus.
Have
Do
Be
REALIZATION 163
For the aspiring martial artist, there comes a point in time where you
come to the realization of who you are. We teach many dedicated
adults and teenagers to learn the skills to instruct. Watching teenagers
excel in instructing and making a huge positive difference in the
children that they teach is nothing less than amazing. Where many
teenagers are going out smoking, drinking and doing other less
desirable acts; our Junior Instructors are changing the lives of others.
They have accepted and realized the responsibilities that come with
being an instructor, and it is that identity that then funnels through
the other areas of their life. This sense of responsibility informs their
life both inside and outside of the martial arts school. That is how we
make leaders in the martial arts.
{ To be or not to be.
—WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
{
To have, do, or be?
In the book To Have or to Be? Eric Fromm described a group of people
living their lives trying to:
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because then they can. . .
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This group made the common mistake of thinking from the outside in.
Fulfilled people want to first be happy and then do and have the things they
desire. This is thinking from the inside out.

EXERCISE:
What are certain “BE” qualities that you think you need to
incorporate into your identity or character that will support your
Worthy Ideal and Life’s Purpose?
I want to BE: ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
I want to BE: ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
I want to BE: ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
I want to BE: ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
I want to BE: ________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
As you write down all the “BE” qualities that you would like to
possess as a person, they can be qualities or characteristics that you
currently have or that you would like to have within your lifetime.
For example:
I want to be passionate, dedicated, confident, focused,
considerate etc.
REALIZATION 165
Unfortunately, most people get stuck at the first step. This is because
they’re trying to live their life from the outside in rather than the inside
out. They can never have enough. This is why ‘BE’ is at the center of the
main target. One day you reach the end of your life and realize you’ve never
accomplished anything. In order for you to have a fulfilling life you must think
from the inside out:
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Ideal and Life’s Purpose. This self-awareness will lead you to. . .
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gifts. Because you are giving yourself away, you will be rewarded, and. . .
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everything you want!
So, how do we do this? First, making money must cease to be our primary goal.
Stop measuring success by your bank account and possessions. Get your
priorities in order and follow your heart, as guided by your Worthy Ideal and
Life’s Purpose.
The “having” mode is certainly seductive. But by definition having is
possessing, and that means it can disappear as easily as it came. We are born
with nothing and leave this world with nothing. People remember who you are,
not what you possessed. The “being” mode is not so transient. In this state,
you are centered, authentic, and connected to your spiritual self. You have your
personal power to assist you in creating and realizing your purpose. If you can
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outside approval disappears.
From the centered place of “being,” your vision of who you are can express
itself. You will be drawn to your purpose. In the “having” mode, you feel driven.
It is no coincidence that you hear about being “market-driven” or even “value-
driven.” These concepts come out of the “having” mode. The language of
purpose is “value-led” or “customer-led.” What feels better to you, being led, or
being driven?
Think back over times when you have felt inspired—times when you were
drawn to a person or an idea. Recall situations in which you thought to yourself,
“I’d like to make that kind of impact.” When you felt inspired you may have
noticed that you reacted physically with shivers up your spine, or with tears of
awe. Describe three situations when you felt inspired.

INSPIRING SITUATIONS
1.
2.
3.
As you reflect on those situations did you feel pulled to take any action?
Your purpose will be an inspiration to you if you let it be.
{ It’s true that we don’t know what we’ve got until we lose
it, but it’s also true that we don’t know what we’ve been
missing until it arrives.
—ANONYMOUS {
Qualities of being
We spend so much of our time doing or having that sometimes it is difficult
to understand what it means to be. The following Conditioning for Success
Exercise should help. Review the following list of “being” qualities. Place an
X beside the ones you have experienced. Put a Y beside the qualities you
would like to develop. For example, we’ve listed a few of our own; please add
any to the list that you feel are important.
1. Discipline
2. Responsibility
3. Positive Self-Image
REALIZATION 167
4. Being Present
5. Awareness
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7.
8.
9.
10.
{ You never find yourself until you face the truth.
—PEARL BAILEY
{
Who Are You?
I am positive. I am focused.
I am energetic. I am healthy.
I am loving. I am patient.
I am grateful.
I am rich and abundant.
—NICK
In previous chapters, we talked about Muhammad Ali. Most people think he

adopted the mantra “I am the greatest” after he became a successful boxer. In fact,
he said it before he even knew he was. None of us have the power to read the future.
But we do have belief in ourselves, and the knowledge that greatness is inside
us. In Chapter 5, we asked you to write down your “I AM” affirmations. We feel
these statements are so important that now that you have this new information, we
want you to write them again. In the following Conditioning Exercise, answer this
question ten times. Add any of the “BE” qualities from the previous exercise and
convert them into “I AM” statements. Just write, don’t think about your answer.

“I AM” STATEMENTS
1. I AM…
2. I AM…
3. I AM…
4. I AM…
5. I AM…
6. I AM…
7. I AM…
8. I AM…
9. I AM…
10. I AM…
REALIZATION 169
{ The purpose of life is a life of purpose.
—ROBERT BYRNE
{
Why is this Your Worthy Ideal/Life Purpose?
In Chapter 3, we asked you to write your Worthy Ideal. Now go back and
review what you wrote. With the information you’ve learned in this chapter,
make any improvements and rewrite your Worthy Ideal. Write out your Life’s
Purpose as you now understand it in the box below. You might want to include
the following parts in your statement: first, use a verb to describe your purpose
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outcome that you want.
So let’s begin writing your Life’s Purpose Statement.
Your Life Purpose Statement Must Have The Following:

1. Be stated in the positive.
2. Have “Be” and “Do” statements.
3. Include yourself and others.
4. Should be able to be experienced every day.
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6. Use emotionally “charged” words that resonate with you.
7. Remember, this statement must make you happy…really happy.

Use the template below as a guide.
Feel free to change and customize what resonates with you.
The purpose of my life is to be the best ____________________________ ,
_____________________________, _________________________________ I can be.
To enjoy a life of ________________________ , _________________________,
______________________________________, ___________________________________.
I do this by ___________________________ , _____________________________ ,
_______________________________________, __________________________________.
For myself _________________________________, ____________________________________,
__________________________________________, ____________________________________.
“ The purpose of my life is to be an inspirational leader, and to

enjoy a healthy, vital life of love, gratitude, passion, contribution,
and financial abundance. I will do this by living my life to its
full potential, leading by example and sharing my specialized
knowledge. For myself, for my family, and the students I teach.
—PAUL
”
REALIZATION 171
IMPROVED WORTHY IDEAL:
LIFE’S PURPOSE:

Empowered Mastery’s Purpose is to be the best leaders, coaches and
teachers we can be for our family, friends and clients. We will do this by incorporating
EMC’s principals and philosophies into all aspects of our lives.
{ Our life is composed greatly from dreams, from the

unconscious, and they must be brought into connection
with action. They must be woven together.
—ANAÏS NIN {
Fulfilling your purpose
You may have thought of your purpose as some grand endeavor that seemed
difficult to accomplish. But now you can actually see on paper how you have
already been living it, even if through small actions. Now increase those actions
each week. For example, if a part of your Life’s Purpose is to be a good parent,
what do you need to do to fulfill that Purpose? Read to your kids, spend quality
time with them, and teach them the difference between right and wrong.
Before you know it, you will have raised them correctly and sent them out into
the world as a good finder.
No feat is too big to accomplish as long as you apply your talents along with
your intellectual qualities. You soon will live a life once thought unimaginable.
Everyone is capable of achieving greatness, but only those with a defined
purpose and clear vision will realize success in life. Realization gives you an
insight into the future and an image of where your purpose and vision will
be five or ten years from now. If you want to live a purposeful life, then you
are going to have to take action and make it a reality. Your life cannot propel
forward unless you provide the initial push. If you aren’t growing, you’re dying.
REALIZATION 173
CHAPTER SUMMARY
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your Worthy Ideal.
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possessions.
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they enable you to live according to your Life’s Purpose?

[ CHAPTER NINE ]
Meditation
{ Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation

leaves ignorance. Know well what leads
you forward and what holds you back, and
choose the path that leads to wisdom.
—BUDDHA
{
We often begin our meditation seminars for both compa-
nies and schools with this quote, “Life creates it, makes
it grow. Its energy surrounds us and binds us. Luminious
beings are we, not this crude matter. You must feel the
[energy] around you, here, between you, me, the tree, the
rock, everywhere, yes.”
175
Do you know who said this? When we ask our seminar participants, the answers
range from Plato and Socrates to Thomas Edison and Martin Luther King.
When we tell them it’s Master Yoda from The Empire Strikes Back, they are
shocked. We have to admit that we do change the word “force” to “energy” so
as not to give it away. George Lucas researched Eastern philosophy for years to
develop the concept of the “Force” in the Star Wars universe. Now, we’re not
going to teach you to lift X-wing fighters out of a swamp, but we can teach you
how to tap into this higher energy source that Eastern philosophers have been
practicing for thousands of years.
Here’s another question first: do you believe in a higher power? If so, how
do you tap into that higher power and energize your life? For the majority of
people, this is too much to grasp. Most people would agree that everything is
energy. If you take any physical item and look through a sufficiently powerful
microscope, you will see that everything is a molecular structure vibrating at
a particular rate—the denser the item, the faster the vibration, and the more
tightly compacted the molecular structure. Let’s take water for example.
Water provides a great analogy for explaining how we have the ability
to tap into a higher power. In a physical state, a person is able to see, touch,
taste, hear, and smell water. The water is in a physical form and vibrates at
a particular rate. We call this a corporeal vibration. Once water boils at 212°
Fahrenheit, it turns to steam and becomes a vapor. You can actually hear the
molecules vibrating faster as you boil the water. When it is vibrating at a higher
rate, you can see the water, yet you don’t. It becomes transparent but still
visible. The vapor is easily felt, touched, and smelled as well. As you boil it
further, the molecules continue to go faster and to vibrate at an etheric level.
This same water turns into a gas. You cannot see it or feel it but you still know
it exists. In this state, it is impossible to detect water with any of our senses,
but we still know it’s there. The same is true with our own being. When we
are thinking thoughts based on what we see, hear, touch, smell, and taste, we
are basing our information on a particular vibration. We are neither here nor
there, we just are. In this state, there is no particular enthusiasm or excitement
in anything that we do or say. This is a very primitive and animalistic way of
thinking.
We are vibrating at a slow vibration. Now, imagine that you start to get
excited about something. Perhaps someone gave you an idea about a new
business venture, an exercise regimen you feel confident you can follow, or you
have decided to go on a weeklong vacation to the Caribbean. The idea came in,

you become emotionally attached, and suddenly you start to theorize on how
this new idea could be made to work. You start to visualize and use your IQ’s to
formulate desired results that don’t exist yet, except in your mind. This is like
the steam you can still see and touch. The idea exists in your mind but it is not
tangible at this time. A fire now burns inside of you, creating a higher vibration,
and you start to think of solutions to obtain the desired result, as if turning
up a flame to boil water. Now, for a select few, the new idea that has been
formulated in your mind then comes to fruition through a power far beyond
your own physical capacity.
There is a power that flows to and through you that provides epiphanies or
solutions to obtain the results you are searching for.
At this point, you are vibrating at a very high frequency, tapping into an
energy that you definitely cannot see. This is what sets apart the best from
the rest, their ability to tap into a higher power and live on a plane that most
people only dream of. It can only happen if you are emotionally connected to
the Worthy Ideal that you are working toward. The beauty of this is that while
few people have the ability to do this, we can show you how. Meditation is the
pathway to help you tap into a spiritual power that you never knew you had.
Your higher power is lying inside of your subconscious right now. Most of
us have a thousand ideas running through our mind. These are the thoughts
of your conscious mind, and as long as they are there you will not get in touch
with your subconscious. The key is to relax and let those thoughts go. True
relaxation—the kind that relieves you of all your daily pressure, stresses, and
obligations—revitalizes you. We all have a tremendous amount of potential
energy inside of us, but most of us don’t know how to tap into that force.
Instead, we remain sluggish. Meditation is one of the best methods to tap into
those unlimited amounts of energy. When we energize ourselves, we are better
suited for finding our purpose and living our vision.
Many feel that meditation is only for the “gurus” and people who sit
“Indian style” with palms up, eyes closed and humming. Despite what you
might have been told or saw or thought with your five senses, meditation is
more common than you might think.
Would you believe it if we told you that you have probably been practicing
meditation for a long time? Let’s prove it by asking this question: do you
participate in a recreational activity that you love? It might be running, hiking,
or perhaps you like to walk around the block in your neighborhood. It could
even be an exercise regimen, like bike riding or an even more intense activity
MEDITATION 177
like skiing or snowboarding. Or something more relaxed like reading, listening
to music, or doing a craft. If it’s an activity that you enjoy completely and that
engulfs your mind to the point where you are able to be free from all other
thoughts, then you are practicing meditation.
We believe that meditation is a single activity that engulfs your mind,
body, and spirit, all in one. This is done by having the ability to free your mind
of unwanted thoughts while gaining the ability to focus on one thing. A time
when you are completely in sync with whatever you are doing at a moment is
indeed a form of meditation.
Did you ever notice that when you are completely engulfed in an activity
and free from other thoughts that you will come up with unbelievable ideas.
Sometimes, those ideas could be life changing. This is because you have
tapped into a higher frequency or faster vibration than the physical. Your body
was one with the activity, which allowed the thought power, or energy, to flow
to and through you by coming up with epiphany-like ideas.
Another example comes from a question we ask at our seminars: “Where
do you get your best ideas?” The answers vary but a majority of the time
someone always says either while driving or taking a shower. Why is this?
Because during both of these activities, you are relaxed and extremely
comfortable, which allows thoughts to come and go freely.
Now on the contrary how many thoughts come to you freely when you are
in a stressful traffic situation? None, because energy cannot flow freely when
you are stressed. That is why it is crucial to practice some form of meditation
that allows our minds to be free and relaxed. Let’s put this another way, with
water again. Imagine there’s a hose and water is flowing freely through it. This
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situation is like kinking the hose so the water only trickles out. Energy does
not and will not ever flow in stressful situations; it is a blockage in your system
that restricts your internal energy system. Meditation will allow your thought
energy to flow to and through you helping you find solutions to your challenges
and answers to your questions. The results will be astounding.
Now that you understand you have already been practicing some form of
meditation, let’s dive into more “traditional” methods, which will allow your
thought power to increase and give you the results you desire.
For us the best way to combat the unwanted side effects of a hectic life
is to understand the concept of meditation. The best times to meditate are
as soon as you get up in the morning and right before you go to bed in the

evening. Your subconscious mind is more susceptible to impact during these
times. Meditation is not as detailed or challenging as many think. The ultimate
goal is to lower your resistance and come into alignment with your own source
of energy, and to raise your spiritual level. When you’re able to put yourself in a
relaxed position and quiet your mind, then you stop that resistance and tap into
a higher energy source. Meditation is an art, in that you must get better at not
thinking and quieting your mind.
As martial arts practitioners, masters, and professionals we have had the
honor and privilege to learn about meditation from one of the most spiritual
people we know, Grand Master Byung Min Kim. He is not only a martial
arts grand master but also our spiritual mentor and guide in our quest for
enlightenment. He has the honor of training with his master, who has helped
him achieve great success in the area of meditation while traveling on the
path to spiritual enlightenment. We’ve been taught many different styles of
meditation including:
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the flame on a candle, for example.
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replay it to correct a mistake.
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injury has occurred. In this instance, you visualize yourself channeling
Ki energy to the specific area that is injured.
“ The meditation we use, however, is used by our mentor Grand

Master Kim and focuses strictly on breathing. When you focus on
your breathing and nothing else, your mind clears of all thought.
Once this happens, your mind is open and you’re able to tap into
higher power and creativity. In our experience, this is the best
method of meditation.
” —PAUL & CHRIS
MEDITATION 179
Meditation relaxes our mind and body so energy flows to and through us
and opens the doors to a higher power. Setting aside time to practice relaxation
and meditation is essential to eliminating the unwanted distractions in your life.
Energy won’t flow through a restricted environment. Stress, anxiety, fear, and
doubt close the pathways for energy. Calmness, love, peace, and gratitude open
that pathway.
What makes one of two individuals with the same training and skill
surpass the other? What makes two individuals from the same background and
education have such different results? Why are some people wealthy and some
poor? The difference revolves around who has the ability to tap into a higher
power. In professional sports, there is something known as the “zone.” This is a
time when the athlete is at the top of his game and something special has come
over them. Have you ever been in the zone, when everything just flows and
happens with minimal effort? Reggie Miller is a good example of this. In 1995,
he single-handedly knocked the New York Knicks out of the NBA playoffs
by scoring eight points in eleven seconds. In an interview after the game, he
remarked that the basket felt like it was eight feet wide and he just couldn’t
miss. There was something present beyond him that caused events to go as
they did. This is what happens when you’re in the zone.
The eastern philosophy Taoism promotes calmness and meditation. The
Tao is a time in your life when you’ve completely tapped into that higher power
and your body becomes nothing more than a vehicle for whatever the venue is.
Reggie Miller was one with the Tao. A good question to ask is “Was there ever
a time in my life when I was doing something and everything just went right?”
“ I remember when I was fighting against the National champion at

the time at the US Team Trials in 1989. He did a technique, and I
responded, but I had no clue what had happened. I scored the point
and took a hop back and remember thinking, “Holy cow, I just did
that,” knowing that I had not done it consciously. It just happened.
”
I attribute this to tapping into a higher power.
—CHRIS

In the space below, describe a time in your life when you were ‘in
the zone’ and everything went smoothly.
MEDITATION 181
Relaxation techniques nourish you on a deep plane so that you can achieve
a higher level of mind-body-spirit awareness. You’ll find it’s a great way to
achieve calmness and serenity. The object is to relax your entire body. Begin
by repeating slowly and softly the following four words: calm…peaceful…
tranquil…relaxed…
When we are living day to day, we live on the physical plane, all the while
obtaining our information from our five senses. When we get motivated, ideas
flood our minds. This inspiration unites us with our Worthy Ideal. This is
possible to achieve if allow energy to flow to and through you. Professional
athletes along with martial artists practice by visualizing events in advance, so
by the time they perform, they have already gone through it hundreds of time
in their mind and are able to give their best performance.
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successful outcome over and over.
“ I have used advanced visualization techniques for competitions

and for my black belt promotion levels in Taekwondo. When I
graduated to fifth degree, I had already gone through everything
mentally way ahead of time so that when I performed, it was as if
I had already done every single kick, form, cement breaking, and
even knew what the room would look like.
” —CHRIS
“ The best stress reliever that I’ve found is meditation. That’s what
I do to start every day. It’s a discipline and a setting of priorities.
I’m not going to allow my mind to create situations, expectations,
and attitudes that may or may not be true but can negatively
influence my experience of the day ahead. Instead, I want to be led
by the feeling or the spirit of whatever the reality is and however it
manifests.
” ģ ƫ
Čƫāāƫƫ ƫƫƫ

Most people have a pre-conceived notion that martial arts training
is about kicking, punching, fighting, and even cage fighting.
They think it is a very physical art. Just the contrary. Martial Arts
training is the development of your self physically, mentally and
spiritually so one can live a life of health and happiness. A martial
artist develops physically through repetition of physical motions,
mentally by developing the confidence through their successes
and spiritually through meditation. You could only go so far in your
training without your spiritual development. There is a point when
it goes beyond physical development. When one practices diligently
in their meditation, a whole new level of training and deepening
understanding presents itself at the perfect moment. When applied
properly, your mind, body and spirit work as one and you personally
become masterful. At this point you accomplish things in and out of
your training that you had previously only dreamed of.
Breathing
The key to meditating is breathing. It is your natural resource to health and:
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Breathing is the single most important need that your body requires
to function. Breathing is more important than sleeping, eating, or drinking.
Breathing and meditation go hand-in-hand. It is vital for the development
of your internal energy. In martial arts we call it your Ki energy. Remember,
everything grows from the inside out, not the outside in.
MEDITATION 183
Breathing helps overcome almost every challenge. Most of us don’t realize
that relaxed breathing helps control our emotions, reduce stress, quiet our body,
and focus on our thoughts—all things that we want to cultivate and weave
throughout every aspect of our lives. Meditation gives us the ability to do that.
When we teach meditation, we first focus on our breathing. We inhale and
exhale through our nose, bringing the air all the way down to our lower energy
center. That inhale breath has to go down low. Most people when they breathe
fill up their lungs and their stomach retracts. That is incorrect. When you
inhale, the oxygen comes along with positive energy, thoughts, and clean air
in and pushes out your lower stomach so it fills up with air. On the exhale, the
stomach goes in, and the negative thoughts, doubts, fears, and toxins release
from your body. Have you ever watched a baby sleep? Watch their stomach,
how it rises with each inhale, and lowers with each exhale. They are born
breathing correctly. As we grow, our breathing changes to an improper form.
People breathe from their upper chest instead of their lower center.
Every breath has a count to it. If you inhale and exhale once, that is a
count. One ten-minute meditation involves counting approximately from one
to twenty and back from twenty to one. As you become more comfortable with
the meditation, increase the count. From one to fifty and back from fifty to
one is about a fifteen-minute meditation; one to one hundred and back is about
half an hour. When you are able to do this, ideas will roll in and roll out. Your
job is not to resist them but to allow those thoughts to take their natural course.
Eventually, when you are in a very relaxed state, the thoughts that come will
start to formulate the solutions you are searching for. Why? Because you are
letting energy flow to and through you without stress or restriction. A better
way to explain this is that our energy in our body is like a hose. When the hose
is clear, the water flows easily and effortlessly. When there is a kink in the hose,
then the water trickles.
Stress is like a kink in our hose, and the energy cannot flow. Energy stops
when we tense or tighten up. In our martial arts training, we practice relaxing
completely while we are executing a technique and then snap into a particular
position at the end for an explosive impact. Our energy is flowing through us
until we choose to abruptly stop the flow onto the target. We cannot get the
power in the technique if we first don’t completely relax.
Stress breaks a chain if all the pressure is on one link, but when the stress
is spread out evenly over the length of the chain then there’s no pressure.
Meditation helps alleviate that pressure on our chain! If you’re tense and

stressed, breathing can return your body to a normal level. If you are facing an
important decision, stop and breathe. Whenever you have a question in your
mind about what to do next or how to do it, breathe. Breathing is the most
crucial element of strong emotional and spiritual health.
How you feel is reflected in

how you breathe.
Tension and stress have an impact on breathing. Anxiety creates shallow,
ineffective breathing, and in stressful situations some people actually hold their
breath. Breathing is the foundation of relaxation techniques and meditation.
As you breathe, you begin to feel your body relax and almost slow down to
match the pace of your breathing. With your total concentration on slow, calm
breathing, your muscles will loosen, and your mind will clear. You will not be
able to concentrate on challenges, obstacles, or other events in your life if you’re
totally concentrating on your breathing.
Imagine all of the stress and anxiety in your body being released through
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up through your body, first through your toes, then your feet, ankles, calves,
knees, thighs, abdomen, lower back, chest, shoulders, arms, wrists, hands,
fingers, neck, face, and head. By the time you get to your scalp, you ought to be
completely relaxed.
This is all it takes to begin the process of deep, healthy breathing. Allow
the fresh oxygen to get down deep into your diaphragm.
Practice your breathing regularly while driving to work in the morning,
cooking dinner, and before you go to sleep. With this calming technique
perfected, you’ll be able to call upon it in times of stress and be better able to
handle difficult situations.
It is important to pay attention as you practice your breathing. Let each
inhalation empower you, and let go of tension and stress on each exhalation.
The rhythm of your breathing sets a calmer pace for your mind and spirit.
Clear your mind, if only momentarily, and focus on the sensation of your
breathing. Try not to let outside distractions interfere with the process, and
definitely try to keep your mind chatter to a minimum and eventually at
zero. The ultimate goal is to sharpen your ability to concentrate, to tap into a
calmer and more stable state of being, and to be better able to make clearer
decisions.
MEDITATION 185
Researchers are beginning to apply scientific measurements to this
subjective experience. People who meditate have been found to function
more efficiently psychologically. Many of the physiological effects of stress
that speed up the aging process are slowed and even, some experts believe,
reversed through the process of meditation. One of the most fascinating aspects
of this research, which has been ongoing for over two decades, is that long-
term meditators can have bodies that are physiologically comparable to typical
bodies that are five to twelve years younger.
“ Grandmaster Byung Min Kim has the physical appearance of

someone twenty years his junior and the physical ability to match.
Remember, every seven years, we get a whole new body; why not
make the next one your best one. Break free of the paradigm that
you are too old, maybe you’re just due for a new body.
” —CHRIS
One of the major results of meditation is a calming of the mind and a

deeper level of relaxation. Meditation eases tension, and actually helps you
become more accepting of others and, maybe more importantly, accepting of
yourself. Meditation teaches you how to enter into a state of relaxation and
calmness.
When you first begin to meditate, you should not expect too much too
soon. The first day you start studying a foreign language you don’t expect to
speak it, right? Meditation is simply a way to disentangle us from the clutter
and chatter of our minds. Eastern philosophers contend that meditation creates
a balance and a flow of energy through the body.
You’ll need discipline and practice to achieve the full benefits of
meditation. When you meditate, you want to find a comfortable position. Sit
against something that supports your back. Your body should be erect while
remaining relaxed and comfortable. Finding that steadying posture becomes
essential as you practice meditation, so your breath will flow easily throughout
the body. It is recommended that you sit crossed-legged, but only if it’s
comfortable for you. If you choose to sit in a chair, your feet should be flat

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that you automatically associate it with that peaceful, calm state of mind. We
recommend that you practice with your eyes closed. Allow yourself to focus
on your breathing. Breathing is essential to all that we do, but it also has a
natural calming effect, making it easier to reap the benefits of meditation.
Don’t just hear your breath, feel it. Try not to alter the pattern, but become
aware of it. Inhale and exhale through the nostrils, if you can’t breathe
through your nose, then exhale through your mouth. Take long, deep, slow
breaths. Feel the air streaming in as you inhale, and visualize it flowing out of
your body as you exhale. As you focus on your breathing, other thoughts will
keep popping into your head. That’s fine. They will come and then will go.
Keep your focus on your breath until the chattering of your mind stops.
Be patient with meditation. After a few weeks you should find that you
are calmer and more relaxed. You might be surprised at how energized you
feel. As with any exercise, the results are not immediate, but they can be
long-term if you keep up the workouts.
And speaking of workouts, meditation can even be used while you’re
working out, making it an active or moving meditation. You can even do a
walking meditation while strolling through a park or on a nature hike during
your lunch break. Focus on your movements and your breathing. The more
relaxed you are while exercising, the more efficiently you build muscle.
MEDITATION 187
“ Grand Master Kim had asked some of the other masters and me
to begin an overnight meditation once a month. My coauthor
Chris Berlow was a part of the group that attends the overnight
meditation, which includes an hour-long hike up Bear Mountain
in upstate New York. We sit in a specific area under some pine
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drink wild green tea and then meditate for about two hours. We
then take a break, have tea again, and meditate for another one to
two hours before we hike back down the mountain.
The very first time we attempted to go on our overnight
meditation, there was a tornado and hurricane watch in the lower
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decided to go anyway because we had told our grand master that
we would do it. We packed our supplies and proceeded to hike
up the mountain at ten o’clock at night. We got to the top after a
great hike, had green tea, and began our meditation. Considering
that it was pouring rain, that we had ponchos on, and that it was
our first time doing an overnight meditation, it still was one of the
best meditations I had ever experienced. The only challenge was
when we stopped to take our first break. I hadn’t realized that Chris
had set up our meditation on an uneven area. Chris was sitting on
the elevated side, so all the rain was finding its way to me. When
I paused from my meditation, I found I was sitting in a puddle of
water. Talk about overcoming adversity and trying to be a good
finder. The only good I could find was that it would be a funny
story to tell about our meditation experience.
” —PAUL
Meditation plays a key role in your mental development. With time, it

becomes easier to analyze and prioritize the events of your day, week, and
upcoming year. Meditation acts as a soothing silence and stillness in life, and
the benefits are as important as the physical benefits of exercise.
The only way to gain the ability to tap into that higher power, a spiritual

power within you that most people don’t even know exists, is through
relaxation. It is impossible to achieve it if you don’t have the ability to relax. We
highly recommend that you practice meditation regularly. You may even want
to seek out a spiritual leader who teaches meditation techniques. We guarantee,
through practice and repetition, you will have the ability to accomplish things
you have only dreamed of.
You don’t have to be a martial arts master to meditate. At our seminars, we
do a focused meditation. We teach students that they need to be comfortable
but should not have their back supported, they should align their spine on
their own if they can. If they have a medical condition, they should get a back
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straight, and their left hand placed on their lap, the right hand over it, with the
left thumb close to you and the right touching the left. The first step is to have
everyone focus on breathing.
Whether you practice a specific form of meditation, learn some easy
breathing exercises to let go of that mind chatter, or simply practice a relaxation
exercise; these techniques will ease your tension. Utilize your time by
practicing breathing while you’re driving, on a train, walking or anywhere.
However, it’s much more effective if you have a designated space that is meant
for that purpose, allowing you to escape daily stresses. If you practice the
simple meditation techniques in this chapter, you’ll be reaping the benefits
in no time: A life filled with more calmness and tranquility, with sustainable
energy that will last throughout the day.
MEDITATION 189
CHAPTER SUMMARY
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realizing it.
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a higher power.
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one of the best methods to eliminate them.
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helps to maintain a state of calmness and relaxation.
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[ CHAPTER TEN ]
Attitude
{ The greatest discovery of any generation

is that a human being can alter his life by
altering his attitude.
ģ ƫ
{
What is attitude? If you ask ten different people, you’ll get
ten different answers. Most people have no idea just how
powerfully their attitude affects direction and attracts
results in their lives. Whatever your goals are—success,
health, money, or spirituality—attitude is the fuel for the
journey. It is expressed in three ways, through your:
1. Thoughts
2. Feelings
3. Actions
191
It can’t be just one. It’s all three. Your thoughts are the foundation for your
feelings and actions, and your actions ultimately impact the results. It’s the
results that we want to improve in our lives.
→
Positive Positive
Thinking Results
Results
→
Positive
Actions
→
The attitude that you project determines
the kind of life you will have.
Your thoughts are revealed to others through your actions. If you project a
positive attitude, then positive experiences happen. Unfortunately, it works the
same way with a negative attitude. A negative attitude reaps negative results.
Everywhere we turn, there seems to be a predominant focus on negativity.
Take local news, for example. Most of the lead stories are based on murders,
stabbings, and other criminal activity. Other stories include personal
tragedies rather than personal triumphs, reality tv shows based in negativity,
or destructive gossip about celebrities and other people’s lives rather than
their accomplishments. Rarely is there a story focusing on the good of the
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
successful ones almost always have brutality of some sort in them; some
even primarily focus on killing and destructive behavior. Popular music is no
different. Music has taken on a predominantly visual aspect. Today it seems
that popular songs and videos promoting violence are more popular than ever.

Our youth are exposed to an unlimited stream of media sensation and
unsuitable information. With everything available at our fingertips through
smartphones it makes it more challenging to monitor what our children are
listening to and watching. With all of this negativity impacting our generation,
it’s a wonder how we get out of bed each morning. It is a sad testament for our
culture when people feel better about themselves seeing others in distress.
Knocking others down somehow makes people happier. Why? Poor self-esteem?
Lack of a positive attitude?
We demonstrate this in our seminars by choosing someone to stand on a
table and then asking for three or four volunteers to pull that person down. The
volunteers almost never have any trouble doing so. The purpose of this exercise
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the person standing on the table to pull everyone up on the table. Inevitably
people find that pulling others up to their level is much more difficult than
trying to pull them down. Pulling people down helps build some people’s self
esteem and makes them somehow feel superior. This is a dangerous precedent
because it encourages people to look for the bad in others as a prerequisite to
feeling better. We need to raise our level of awareness as discussed in Chapter
3, to reprogram our minds to have a positive attitude regardless of who and what
we are surrounded by. Unfortunately we’re often a product of our environments,
and sadly this is filled with negativity. One of the major purposes of writing this
book is to raise people’s awareness about their own attitudes and those around
them. Our goal as a company is to create more leaders with positive attitudes
who have the ability to stand on the table rather than those standing below.
With all of the negative influences in our culture, it is arduous to keep
our attitude positive. It is as if we are fighting an uphill battle because it
seems that everywhere we turn there is negativity. The question is, “How
do we stay positive and have the strength to not be influenced by our current
surroundings?” The answer is simply to train our mind to be a good finder.
Every situation that arises in our lives always has a positive side to it. Think
back to a traumatic event that affected a large group of people. How did people
act? In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the whole country rallied to help and
support the people of New Orleans. This is a testament to the true character
and potential within each and every one of us.
Another good example of this is the martial artist we mentioned earlier
who injures his right leg. They have trouble walking, and it becomes
ATTITUDE 193
increasingly difficult to kick with that leg. If that person focuses on the pain
and discomfort, then they won’t be able to kick effectively, let alone perform
other activities. Can we somehow promote a positive attitude with all of these
negative thoughts running through our mind? Where is the positive in the above
example? The positive is that the martial artist will have a greater appreciation
for his or her body and consequently will learn how to train more effectively to
prevent the injury. There is also the opportunity to make the other leg more
effective while the one is injured. The injury also gives the student a greater
understanding of a major martial arts principle known as perseverance and
how it applies to any situation. It all comes down to their attitude toward the
experience. Positive attitude gives us the ability to get the most out of any
experience to live a healthy and vital life. Remember, we all have the ability to
choose our thoughts.
At the start of our martial arts classes we always ask our students what
is important to a martial artist. They in turn tell us what’s important
to them and we write it on the board. When a student demonstrates
those values they get to write their names on the board as a form of
recognition. It is a unique way to inspire students to uphold martial
arts values in and out of class. At almost every class a student will say,
“Black Belt Attitude.” They understand that a black belt is a state of
mind, an attitude that we possess, a lifestyle. It is not about earning
the black belt or achieving it, it is about applying the values to their
everyday life and living the life of a black belt. As quoted in Chris’s
book, It’s Not About the Belt, “You don’t need to wait for the black belt
to encircle your waist. You can live by the code of the Martial Artist,
because a black belt encircles your heart.”
{ {
A man who is master of himself can end a sorrow as
easily as he can invent a pleasure. I don’t want to be at
the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy
them, and to dominate them.
—OSCAR WILDE

Are you an emotional puppet?
We all wake up every morning with a choice. We can choose to be negative or
positive, lazy or confident, depressed or inspired, sad or happy, mean or nice.
We can choose to speak badly about others or to speak well of them. No one
controls how you feel except for you. We all have the ability to control how we
think, feel, and act. We all have the power to control our mind and emotions.
Once we raise our level of awareness and develop this power, life becomes
empowering. Is this easy? No. We all endure negative emotions, experiences,
and events in our lives. It’s okay to think and feel those emotions every
now and then, but where people make the mistake is by living there. When
something doesn’t go their way, they hold on to those negative emotions for the
rest of the day, week, month, sometimes even for their entire lives.
Imagine you wake up late one morning for work, get stuck in traffic, and
then someone cuts you off. Your morning didn’t go as planned and as a result,
your whole workday is consumed by negative thought patterns. Your day is
ruined. A great analogy for this is touching a burning stove. If you touch the
stove while it’s hot, your natural reaction is to jerk your hand away. Some
people, however, choose to keep their hand on the stove even though it’s
burning them. These people choose to live in pain.
Have you ever had someone do something you didn’t like? For example,
you were asked to perform a task you didn’t agree with. Or have you ever
experienced a time when a situation didn’t go as planned, or you got really
angry? Of course you have. When you let an event or another person control
your emotions, you become an Emotional Puppet. This is when someone
allows outside people, situations, circumstances, or events to control how
they think, feel, and act. They have no control over the situations in their life,
whether good or bad. These Emotional Puppets cannot break out of their state
of mind because they have not conditioned themselves to think and feel good.
Once we understand the concept, we have the power to control our mind.
Again, you have the ability to choose your thoughts. You have infinite power.
Successful people do not allow outside circumstances, situations, events, or
people to control how they thnk, feel, and act.
ATTITUDE 195
“ Conditioning your mind to focus only on the positive and to push
away the negatives so they don’t control your emotions is not easy.
Most people often don’t know they are capable of doing so until
something dramatic happens. In 1996, my best friend was killed in
a motorcycle accident. The day after his accident, I had to teach a
martial arts class to twenty-five four- and five-year-olds. I didn’t eat
or sleep after I found out about the accident. As I sat in my office
crying, I wasn’t sure what to do. I didn’t have anyone to cover my
class and couldn’t afford to cancel. I had no other choice but to step
out on that floor and do what was expected of me: to teach, inspire,
motivate, and care for my students. I still was distraught over the
death of my friend, but I made a conscious choice to push those
feelings aside and be in control of my emotions for the benefit of
my students and me. At the time I did not consciously know how
the mind worked, but subconsciously I had the ability to be in
control. Someone once told me that a pro is a pro regardless. After
that day, I realized that I raised my level of awareness and was able
to consciously choose to have a positive attitude.
” –PAUL
Emotional Puppets have no control over their feelings or actions. They

are more likely to react to a negative situation in a negative way and just make
things worse. Life is unpredictable. You never know what circumstances it may
bring, but never allow someone or something to pull your strings. You don’t
have to be a victim of circumstance unless you choose to be. It doesn’t matter
where you’ve been: what matters is where you’re going. Your attitude is much
more important than your current appearance, talents, or abilities. No matter
how bad your past experiences or present circumstances may be, you should
always focus on having a positive attitude regardless of the situation.
Don’t focus on the pain of past relationships; focus on the joy and
excitement of future ones to be had.

{ We awaken in others the same attitude of mind we hold
toward them.
—ELBERT HUBBARD
{
Focus
A positive attitude requires FOCUS
Finding Optimism Consistently Under any Situation
“ In October 1998, I was let go from the Taekwondo School I had

been teaching at for more than twelve years. At the time, I had two
children, a mortgage, a car payment, and was now unemployed. I had
such a sour taste in my mouth, I decided to leave the field of martial
arts and pursue a teaching job. After encouragement from Paul and
other very close friends, I decided to open Berlow’s Taekwondo
Academy. Over the first few months of opening my martial arts
academy, my wife and I struggled financially. We barely made ends
meet and were scrounging to find money to pay the bills. I borrowed
$10,000 at 25 percent interest to open the doors to my school. I had
a tremendous amount of purpose to make things work. I remember
the owner from one of the companies I hired telling me he would
probably be taking down the sign in front of the building because
most businesses fail in the first year. I told him that I wasn’t ‘most
businesses.’ My goal was to get one hundred students by our one-
year anniversary, and had two hundred before the end of the year.
Now my business flourishes, and I haven’t looked back. I couldn’t
have done this without a positive attitude.
” —CHRIS
ATTITUDE 197
Find the positive in every situation because there almost always is one. In
Chapter 7, we described finding the good in every opportunity. Now we want to
add positive attitude into that equation. We ask our seminar clients to come up
with a challenge and lead them towards finding the opportunity in that challenge.
It is our responsibility to find the silver lining in every situation. By finding
the good in situations and in others, more good will come to you. Remember, a
bad day turns worse unless you gain the ability to shift your mindset. The bad
day continues the downward spiral because you are attracting it. Use the same
concept to attract the good in life instead. Positive attracts positive and negative
attracts negative. Therefore, we must find the good in all events and situations
to attract like energy to us. Be a good finder and you will live a happier and more
fulfilled life. Stay away and shield yourself from the negative.
“ A few years ago I was having one of the worst mornings of my

career. Two clients cancelled their policies, which cost me a
significant amount of money. I walked into my office in a very
negative frame of mind. Paul and Rick happened to be there, and
sensed my negative attitude right away. After explaining to them
what had happened, they looked at me with smiles on their faces
and said, ‘Who’s being an emotional puppet now?’ They continued
to give me a reality check by telling me that I have a choice
between allowing others to control my thoughts, turning a bad
morning into a terrible day, or choosing to be positive by finding
the opportunity in my situation. A light clicked on and I knew that
they were right. I was being an emotional puppet, and I am better
than that. I immediately changed my attitude to one of positive
thoughts. The result was that I had an incredible afternoon, and
more than made up for the money that I had lost.
” —NICK

You Control How You Feel and You Always Choose to Feel Positive.
We’ve just discussed the importance of being a good finder and how hard it
is with the age of technology. Negativity sells, and because this influences what
a good majority of people see hear, touch, smell, and taste, this in turn affects
how they live their life. Everyone has an excuse for not getting the results they
want. They blame their story. People are more apt to point the finger of blame
rather than to look internally at themselves. Such people think society owes
them something but don’t even know what it is. The glass is forever half empty,
and other people’s hardships make them feel better. Complaining is easier than
taking action to correct their problems.
We all know or have seen people just like we’ve described above. They
live in their own world and feel they have the right to act any way they choose.
However, we can’t let their attitude affect our way of thinking. We have to be
strong enough in who we are to withstand their negative tendencies and to not
let them bring us down.
Now that we’ve gotten all the negativity out of the way, we can finally focus
on the good stuff. Let’s get back to who we are and what we’re about—the positive
side of life. The people who look at the glass as half full always find the good in
every situation. They are good finders. Situations are challenges not obstacles. A
challenge excites us, while an obstacle weighs us down. Positive people live a very
purposeful life and view each day as a new opportunity. They take advantage of
these new opportunities by putting their energy into whatever is in front of them.
They focus on their Worthy Ideal and Life’s Purpose. They believe that they
could make a difference simply by having the right attitude. You will always see
them smiling and going out of their way to make someone else happy. They spend
their energy finding solutions rather than complaining. These are action-oriented
people who love to live and enjoy life to the fullest. They are masters of their lives
and wake up each morning choosing to be positive. No one influences how they
feel because they are in the driver’s seat and are always focused on what’s ahead.
These are people you are naturally drawn to and love to be around.
ATTITUDE 199
“ One evening after dinner, I decided to take my children to Carvel,
a local ice cream franchise. Our usual location was closed, so we
drove another fifteen minutes to another. The owner was an
elderly, immigrant man, who had the most positive attitude I have
ever seen. He was so grateful for our business and treated my
children with genuine kindness and friendliness. He had a smile
so wide and loved kids. Once he served us, I purposely asked my
kids to watch how he was with the other customers. The smile
never left his face, and he clearly took pleasure in serving others
and had pride in his business. I then gave what my kids would call
one of my many ‘fatherly lectures,’ pointing out to them that here
is a gentleman who no doubt worked twelve-hour days and made
very little money yet was obviously happy with his life and had an
engaging, infectious personality. On the car ride home, I told my
kids that no matter where life leads them, if they have only one
choice in life, then they should always choose to have a positive
attitude. From then on, we’ve tried to make it a point to drive those
extra fifteen minutes for ice cream, specifically because of this
man’s positive attitude.
” —RICK
So how do we avoid the negative and gravitate to the positive? We must gain
the ability and awareness to separate the two. As you go through your day, look
closely at how people present themselves. Do they have positive body language
and smile often or do they slump their shoulders and have a constant frown?

FILL OUT THE ATTITUDE EVALUATION BELOW TO FIND OUT IF
THOSE AROUND YOU ARE AFFECTING YOUR ATTITUDE.
LIST TEN PEOPLE YOU

HOW DOES IT AFFECT
SPEND THE MOST TIME
YOUR ATTITUDE?
WITH.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
ATTITUDE 201
Take time and think about the individuals in your life that you list as
negative and those you list as positive. Think about your family, friends,
and coworkers. Who looks at the glass as half full, and who looks at it as half
empty? Who is always happy and who is always complaining? As you put your
list together, you will get a better understanding of who you are and who you
surround yourself with.
Your friends are a reflection of your attitude toward life. You are born into
your family and your friends are acquired over time. You’ll always have an
association with your family, so set an example for those who are negative. An
important point to mention is that no matter how much you attempt to help
them, they have to be willing to improve. In some cases, you just have to accept
and love them no matter what their attitude is like. Think of the old saying,
“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.”
{ {
The best way to inspire people to superior performance
is to convince them by everything that you do and by
your everyday attitude that you are whole-heartedly
supporting them.
ģƫċƫ
Surrounding Yourself with

Like-Minded People.
We all have a certain amount of mental energy. Eventually you will become
drained if you continually attempt to lift negative people up but get no results.
Avoid negative behavior. If you encourage their negative attitude by agreeing
with them, when in your heart you disagree, or if you give them constant
sympathy, they will never improve. You may make them feel better in the
short-term, but in the long-term they are doomed to repeat the behavior.
Remember time bandits and how they zap the energy right out of you; you may
find that a friendship is more work than it’s worth. This is when you have to
make the decision to move on and not let them bring you down.
Be a positive person and surround yourself with positive people; soon you
will be acting with black belt character. A black belt always looks for the positive

in every situation. They will be willing to help anyone but also have the ability
to recognize if the relationship is healthy or not. They listen to their instincts
and are guided by them. They are not influenced by negativity and have the
ability to think things through to find the win-win situation every time.
You have the power to create the destiny you desire by controlling your
attitude. You can make life easier, more fulfilling, and more rewarding for
yourself. Of all the people we know who are successful, not just financially
but in all areas of life, they all have this common trait: a positive attitude. Your
attitude determines your level of success. So, why not choose an attitude that
attracts success? SUCCESSFUL is:
S = Strong Burning Desire
U = Use Their Imagination
C = Commit to Excellence
C = Care about a Worthy Ideal
E = Energized with Passion
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S = Sense of Optimism
F = Focused
U = Utilize Their Intuition
L = Love and Gratitude
Take a moment now to closely examine your attitude to see if you’re

attracting success or driving it away. Your attitudes are learned; you weren’t born
with them. You do have control over your destiny because you have complete
authority over the way you think. If the way you think is not attracting success,
then you have the ability to change your thinking. When you are able to control
your attitude, you gain complete control over your feelings and your actions.
ATTITUDE 203
“ As a professional martial arts master, one of my responsibilities
when I step onto the floor is to teach with a positive attitude toward
every aspect of life. Our students and clients pay us to help them
improve not just physically with martial arts fitness and exercise,
but in all areas of their life. People leave our classes thinking,
feeling, and acting better about life in part because of the positive
attitude of the staff and me. It’s a choice to think, feel, and act
with a positive attitude. It is a contagious energy that is sent out to
every person around you. People may have had a bad day or one
of the worst days of their lives, but when they come to one of our
classes they feel re-energized because they are in an environment
that sends a positive energy around them. We begin every class by
asking the question, ‘How is everyone doing today?’ Everyone’s
response is to make two fists, touch their chest, and throw their
fists in the air while yelling, ‘Great, sir!’ We anchor or condition
them to think, say, and feel those positive words every day. If it
is conditioned and practiced every day, it exercises your mind for
success. They have no choice but to be attracted to that energy. In
return, they leave our classes feeling better and share their positive
energy with their family and friends.
” —PAUL
{ As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that

the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live
by them.
ģ
ƫċƫ {
The Attitude of Gratitude
An attitude of gratitude is based on your perception. Gratitude is the natural
feeling that comes when you recognize the real value of the people and things
in your life. Focus on the good, and you cannot help but have a better attitude
and experience of life. Gratitude, then, is something you can encourage,
something you can learn.
Your life is better when you feel blessed, when you can look around and
say, “Thank you.” When you see life as a wonderful gift, your experience is a
richer one. Gratitude is possibly the most powerful way to improve your life.
The power of gratitude is this: the more that you are grateful for, the more
positive experiences you will have. So how do you begin to create an attitude
of gratitude? One of the greatest ways we have found to develop the habit of
expressing gratitude is write a Gratitude Journal. When you write down what
you are grateful for, it puts your life in an entirely new perspective. You realize
how much abundance you already have, right at that very moment. Keeping
a Gratitude Journal allows you to stay focused on all that is good in your life.
Subconsciously you begin to expect more good things to come your way. It
teaches you and gets you in the habit of becoming a good finder.
You don’t already have a Gratitude Journal? No problem, we’ll help
you get started. In the space below, foster your own attitude of gratitude by
writing.
LIST TWENTY ITEMS YOU’RE GRATEFUL FOR IN YOUR LIFE:
1.
2.
3.
4.
ATTITUDE 205
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19
20.

Now that we’ve helped you get started, it’s time for you to do the rest. Go
out and get your own Gratitude Journal to write your thoughts in. Your journal
is very personal and should reflect who you truly are. Let your thoughts flow
and write whatever first comes to mind.
“ My wife always kept several journals and often I would see her writing
in them. In my subconscious, I wondered what and why she was
writing. Coincidentally, in one of our Empowered Mastery meetings
Paul mentioned that he and his wife kept a Gratitude Journal. When
I told him about my wife’s journals he suggested that my wife and
I should start one together. My old self would have immediately
laughed this off with some sarcastic remark, but this is the new me,
the one that has learned and still is learning to have a positive attitude
and to think with an open mind. That night I suggested to my wife
that we keep a Gratitude Journal and she immediately smiled and
said that would be a great idea. The next night while my wife and I
were in bed she gave me a colorful notebook with a picture of both of
us on the cover. She said this would be our new Gratitude Journal. We
then took turns writing down three things that went well during the
day. It wasn’t easy at the start, especially with four kids and both of us
working. However, we made sure to write every night and even made
a game out of it by seeing if we came up with the same things. As the
days and weeks went on, I found that I was training my mind to be a
good finder. I learned to find the good in any situation, no matter how
stressful my day was.
” —RICK
An attitude of gratitude is a powerful way to change your life. When you

focus on all there is to be grateful for, then you will notice there are more things
to be grateful for, and as you notice more things to be grateful for, the list will
become endless.
ATTITUDE 207
CHAPTER SUMMARY
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[ CHAPTER ELEVEN ]
Track Your
Goals
{{ A goal without a plan is just a wish.
—LARRY ELDER
{{
I know what some of you might be thinking: not another
book about goal setting. If you’re in the business arena,
no doubt you’ve taken classes or enrolled in some
sort of seminar on goal setting. We do agree that goal
setting can be paramount to achieving success in your
professional and personal life. But rather than reiterate
what everyone says, we would like to tackle it from an
uncommon perspective.
209
During our seminars and programs we love to ask the following question
to business professionals, ‘How many of you have ever set a goal?’ Inevitably,
everyone in the room will raise their hand. Then we ask, ‘How many of you
have achieved every goal that you set?’ Most of the hands in the room go down.
For the ‘million dollar’ question, we then ask, ‘Why?’
We get answers like:

฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀
฀ ฀ ฀
Although all of these answers can be true, the real answer to our question
is that most goals that are not achieved do not align with our Worthy Ideal.
GOALS AND YOUR WORTHY IDEAL

In the Awareness and Realization chapters, we spoke about the importance
of creating and living through your Worthy Ideal. We also mentioned that all
uncommonly successful people throughout history had a Worthy Ideal that
drove them. If we look at Martin Luther King as an example, we already know
that his Worthy Ideal was civil rights and equality for all. This is what drove
and consumed him.
All the rallies and speeches he made, including the march on Washington
in 1963, were goals. Furthermore, he had a burning desire to achieve all of his
goals, because they were aligned with his Worthy Ideal. If Dr. King had set a
goal of making a million dollars, do you think he would have achieved it? Do
you think he would have been passionate about it? Of course not, because
it was not aligned with his Worthy Ideal. It had nothing to do with his true
purpose and passion in life, civil rights.
All successful people have a true burning desire to live through their
Worthy Ideal. If the goals you set are not aligned with your Worthy Ideal, there
is a true disconnect. We often see our clients set goals that are not really theirs:
they have someone else telling them what they should be achieving.
A good majority of our clients are salespeople. They are often told by their
managers to come in to work on Monday and make 50 calls so they can make 10

appointments to make 3 sales. How inspired can you truly be in an attempt to
achieve goals that weren’t yours in the first place?
Nick has a better idea, one that he teaches all of our business clients: how
about making 5 calls, 5 appointments, and inspiring 5 people to take action to
improve their financial lives. Which one sounds better?
What makes martial arts so successful in the very goal oriented

western world is the belt system. Traditionally, all students start as a
white belt representing innocence. As the white belt gets more soiled
through training it gets darker ultimately become black. That is why
a black belt is the highest rank in our training. When the black belt
becomes frayed through over use and consistent training, it becomes
white again, returning to innocence. Over the years, the belt system
has been modified where students train to advance to a higher rank.
The higher the rank, the darker the belt color. This helps martial
artists set short-term goals such as individual belt ranks to achieve
longer-term goals by obtaining different levels of black belt. It is
through the tracking and accomplishment of achieving the new ranks
that students gain the confidence to achieve unparalleled success.
{ Set your goals high, and don’t stop till you get there.
ģƫ

{
TRACK YOUR GOALS 211
{ “You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a
new dream.”
Prioritize Your Goals

ģċƫċƫ
{
Don’t get us wrong: goals are important. They inspire us and motivate us. Once
you’ve developed a goal or a set of goals that you can realistically achieve, you
need to decide how relatively important these goals are to you, as you can only
focus effectively on a few goals at a time. Also, it is often helpful to have an
overall goal that is most important to you, as this provides a sense of direction
and focus. Then, with this primary orientation, you can concentrate your
energy on achieving your purpose.
Using the space below, write down all of your goals as quickly as you can.
Don’t think about them or judge them, just write them. Some goals may be
very general, some very specific, some long-term, and some short-term. It
doesn’t matter; just write down whatever comes to you. You may write some of
the same goals from previous exercises, or you may find other goals surfacing as
well. Keep going until you feel yourself slowing down and then concentrate for
perhaps another minute or so until you feel you’ve exhausted all ideas.
Goals
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Now review your goals and ask yourself this very important question: are they
aligned with your Worthy Ideal?

My Goals
When setting and tracking your goals, you should ask yourself why you want
to achieve them. Let’s take the common goal of losing weight. Most people
approach this task by asking themselves what they have to do in order to lose
the weight. That is thinking from the outside in, and is why diets are a billion
dollar industry. People go on and then off of diets over and over again. We’re
sure you know someone like that, and it might even be you. The real question
you should ask yourself is why you want to lose the weight.
People think it’s the goal that’s going to get them excited, but it’s actually
the purpose behind the goal that is most important. Take the example of making
a million dollars. It’s not the money per se but the feeling of exhilaration that you
experience by achieving the goal that is exciting. Understanding this is important
because if you attach a feeling or emotion to the right part of a goal, then it will
make it more realistic to you. You want to feel this sense of accomplishment all
the time. Again, it’s not necessarily the goal that inspires us but what you will
get from it. Just saying, “I want to make a million dollars,” might not be enough
to inspire you to achieve it, but when you attach the feeling of accomplishment
along with it, you will give yourself the confidence that “I can do anything.” You
may think that a million dollars is what you really want but it’s the feeling that
you are going to receive from accomplishing the goal that gets you pumped. It’s
all the stuff you can do with it that truly motivates you, and the positive feeling
you get from attaining that goal that is most important. In the space below, write
your goals again but this time in the column next to it write down your purpose
for this goal as well.
Goal Purpose
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.

Now in the space below, prioritize your goals, with 1 as the most important
and 20 as the least.
Their Importance
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Finally, assign a time line for when you wish to accomplish these goals,
whether in weeks, months, or years. The purpose of these exercises is first and
foremost to get you to think about your goals and their importance and purpose.
This helps to clear your mind and provides you with the tools needed to focus
on, one goal at one time. Once you’ve accomplished one, then you can move on
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be able to accomplish more than one goal at the same time.
{ If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably

doesn’t lead anywhere.
ģƫċƫ
{
Common Obstacles to Goals
Obstacles can be anything or anyone getting in the way of you reaching your
goals. Realizing that there are going to be obstacles along the way to achieving
your goal makes it easier to plan for, overcome, and avoid them. Before you
can remove an obstacle, you first need to recognize it. You are responsible for
overcoming your challenges and creating new opportunities; no one else is.
The moment you are able to learn and accept this, your life will become more
fulfilling. Once you take responsibility for your actions, you will be able to think
of ways to maneuver around those obstacles standing between you and your goals.
Identifying potential obstacles can help you develop a plan to deal with
them. Here are the ten most common obstacles:
1. Poor attitude
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3. Lack of confidence
4. Poor self-image
5. No vision
6. Not aligned with your worthy ideal.
7. Procrastination

8. Lack of ambition
9. Poor time management
10. Negative influences
Many people have no clear idea or vision about what they want in life while
others want too much. In both cases, they will never achieve anything because
they lack focus. People often set up unrealistic, impossible goals for themselves.
Perhaps they are being too vague about what they want. Saying, “I’d like to
be rich” is too general; there are no specifics to focus on. On the other hand, a
goal shouldn’t be short-term or very easy to achieve, like “I’m going to make
one extra sales call today” or “I’ll stick to my exercise regimen for a week.” Yet
another obstacle occurs when people don’t feel an intense conviction or burning
desire that they really want something, like better health or more money.
Some people don’t prioritize what they want and are unable to determine how
important achieving a goal is to them. So they diffuse their energy by going
after the less important items instead of concentrating on what they truly
desire. To set and achieve your goals, you must:
1. Have a clear and specific image of what you want.

2. Determine if your goals are realistic.
3. Act with conviction in the pursuit of your goal.
These questions are designed to help you better know yourself, so that you
can make the appropriate decisions about setting your goals.
Commit to Your Goals

Besides setting a clear goal, you also need to create a goal you can realistically
achieve, and then be truly committed to it. Don’t let your goals fall by the
wayside because you failed to plan for them. Goal setting and goal achievement
are much easier if you COMMIT to a series of steps to achieve them.
Choose. You need to make a conscious decision. This is the first step to
any goal. How much do you want or desire your goal. Weak desires bring weak
results, just as a strong sense of want and willingness to do whatever it takes
brings accomplishment. You’ve got to really, really want to achieve the goal.
Outlook. What is your attitude toward this goal? Positive? Negative? We
learned in Chapter 10 how important attitude is. Can you actually see yourself

achieving this goal? What will your achievement feel like? How will your
life unfold differently as a result? If the goal is something tangible, then we
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achieving the goal, chances are you won’t.
Make a plan. Create action steps to follow for accomplishing this goal.
Identify key achievements along the way—the most important steps that must
happen for the goal to become a reality. A builder can’t start a construction
project without a blueprint. In the same way, you can’t construct your goals
without a clear plan of what you want.
Map out your way. Commit to achieving your goal by writing it down.
Write down the plan, the action steps, and then map out the best route for
accomplishment. Writing down the goal, the plan, and a timeline sets events in
motion that may not have happened otherwise.
Invest time every day toward your goal. Establish specific times for
checking your progress. This enables you to take an inventory of your actions.
This practice helps you to see if there are any areas that need improvement
or change. Life changes on a daily basis, and this can cause interference with
your goals. Take a look at all of the factors in your life that keep you from
accomplishing your goals and then develop a plan to overcome them.
Track your overall progress regularly. You must move forward. If you
aren’t advancing, analyze why that goal is not being met. Don’t allow the goal to
just fade away. Figure out what you need to do to accomplish it.

“ When I first opened my martial arts school, I had to take out a
$10,000 loan at 25 percent interest. I also joined a martial arts
organization to help with billing and tuition collections. The
organization had a Top Ten Award for individuals who grossed the
top ten tuition collections. In the first year, my wife and I went to
their convention and received an award for most promising new
school. I had to come up and give an acceptance speech. I told
the audience that when I returned next year, I would be a top
ten school. A year went by and a month before the convention, I
knew it was going to be close and called every day to see what my
collections were. They wouldn’t tell me and said they would have
the announcement at the annual banquet. It turned out I didn’t just
make the top ten; I was the number four school in the organization.
Here I was, with my wife and me up in front of the banquet, very
excited about our accomplishment. During my acceptance speech, I
pushed the envelope further by saying next year I would be driving
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year, we had continued success and the school was flourishing. At
the next convention I said during my acceptance speech, ‘Last year
I declared that my wife and I would drive down in a brand new
yellow Hummer. I’m sorry to say I didn’t because I decided to buy
a black one instead.’ But it wasn’t purchasing the Hummer that was
really great. It was the fact that I had set out a high goal and did
whatever it took to achieve that goal. A very close friend of mine,
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industry than I will ever know because I gave many others the belief
that they can do it. I will admit that although it was a wonderful goal
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was a cheaper monthly payment then my Hummer.
” —CHRIS

Going for the “Goal”
We’ve talked about the importance of goal setting. Goals give you a purpose,
a direction in life. But the whole point of setting goals in the first place is to
achieve them, right? Each of us learns in a different way, so no one technique
works for everyone. People usually have a predominate style of learning—
kinesthetic, auditory, or visual, so why not apply this to achieving goals?
Kinesthetic. Writing down your goals is crucial. When you commit an action
to paper, you’re also committing to it in your subconscious mind. Furthermore,
consistently writing down your goals reinforces the concept of repetition, which
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Auditory. Create audio recordings in your own voice for each goal. Play
these recordings back at least twice a day to reinforce them. We suggest you
do this when you get out of bed in the morning and again before you go to
sleep. Use music to help reinforce them. Here’s a suggestion: while driving,
instead of listening to the same station playing the same songs or preaching the
same message, listen to audio books that motivate or inspire you. It can be an
extremely productive use of time
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magazines or print images from the Internet to reinforce the vision of what you
desire. Change your screensaver to pictures or statements of your goals. Using
pop-up reminders can also be a great way to reinforce your dreams.
Goal Cards
Earlier we mentioned Goals Cards. For many of us, identifying goals is difficult,
and we often lack the focus to accomplish our goals. A Goal Card provides a
structured process for identifying specific goals of your own choosing. The
Goal Card helps to:
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The act of identifying needs and setting goals is motivating in itself. When
people set their own goals, then they are more likely to follow through

and maintain progress once the goal is reached. Just having a Goal Card is
extremely empowering. It says, in effect, “This is your life. You are in charge
of deciding how to live it. You are capable of making good choices.”
With these cards, individuals identify and prioritize action steps that are
necessary to change their lives for the better. They set specific and meaningful
goals. The process allows for setting small goals, many of which will be readily
achievable, which leads to more success, enhances confidence, and increases
motivation for further change.
We feel so strongly about committing to our goals to paper that we use our
business cards as our Goal cards.
Goal Card Rules

Here are some helpful hints for writing your Goal Cards:
Each has to begin with, “I am so happy and grateful now that…”
Each has to be a specific and realistic goal. For example, if you just
say “I want to lose weight,” that’s not enough. You have to say, “I
want to lose twenty pounds.”
Each must determine exactly what you intend to do or give in return

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example, if my goal is to make a million dollars, then I will give back
by teaching seminars, writing a book, and helping other people live a
better life.
Each has to have a target date.
Each must be written as a statement.

Sample Goal Card
I am so happy and grateful now that I have lost twenty pounds.
I am so happy and grateful that I have lost twenty pounds by waking
up an hour earlier every morning to run.
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EXAMPLES OF PAST GOAL CARDS
RICK’S GOAL CARD
Target date January 1, 2009

I am so happy and grateful now that I have made the decision to
live a healthier life.
My goal is to improve my eating habits – I want to eat a fruit and
vegetable every single day for six months
My goal is to begin an exercise program – I want to work out every
single day for a year.
PAUL’S GOAL CARD

Target date January 31, 2009
I am so happy and grateful now that I am living a healthy, vital,
and energetic life with my family. I am so grateful and appreciative now
that I am a multimillionaire, operating profitable businesses, financially
free and abundant. I am excited now that I am coaching and teaching
millions of people across the world to achieve their personal full
potential in all areas of their lives.

NICK’S GOAL CARD
Target date December 31, 2009

I am so happy and grateful now that I am living a happy, healthy,
vibrant, and abundant lifestyle. I will earn three million dollars and
have a body fat level of 12 percent by the end of 2009. This will allow
me the freedom to provide a lifestyle for my family that my wife and I
have always dreamed about.
CHRIS’ GOAL CARD

Target date September 1, 2010
I am so happy and grateful that I have a loving relationship with
my son Brandon. He is successful in all his endeavors and we treat each
other with love and respect.
I am so happy and grateful that I am in my new martial arts facility
with 600 students, with my dream team supporting me all the way.
Goal setting is fundamental to achieving success in any endeavor. Every

great accomplishment in any area of life can be attributed to having a very
clear and specific goal. The challenge is that we’ve heard about goal setting
so often that we tend to ignore the process because we think we know it all.
However, unless you practice these concepts on a regular basis, then you will
find yourself falling back into bad habits.
With setting goals we create our destiny and live through our Worthy
Ideal. We all have goals whether we are consciously aware of them or not. The
difficulty is that most of us aren’t inspired enough to accomplish them. People
often become frustrated and give up on their goals too early, which results
in the feeling of un-fulfillment. We need goals that inspire us. Compelling
goals have the power to move us to transform our lives. Goal setting and
goal achieving both force you to challenge yourself to reach new heights you
never thought possible. Remember, you must make sure that your goals are in
alignment with your Worthy Ideal that we spoke about in Chapter 3.
Without goals, we have no clear direction of where we want to go in life.
Living life without goals is like getting into a car and not knowing where you
are going. If we jump into a vehicle and begin to drive, we eventually end up

saying, “Where are we going and why are we going there?” We should always
be consciously aware of what our goals are and what their purpose is, what the
plan of action is to obtain them, and what the target date for accomplishing
them is. Think of the goal setting process as a built-in navigation system. You
enter your goal, and it shows how to get there, where and when to turn, and
what the exact arrival time will be.
We need to set goals for how we are going to live our lives in every area—
emotionally, spiritually, physically, financially, and in our relationships and
our attitudes. Set goals for the kind of person you are committed to become.
Something happens as soon as you set goals. Almost instantaneously, you
change, because the expectation for yourself and for your life changes.
You acknowledge to both your conscious and subconscious minds that
you are not satisfied with where you are and that you are always seeking ways
to improve.
Pursuing our dreams in life is important because they have the power to
propel us forward. But more importantly, keep in mind that we need to realize
that when our lives come to an end it will not be how much money we have,
what type of car we drive, or how big our house is that will matter; it will be
who we became as persons. When we remember someone close to us who has
passed on, we do not focus on the possessions they left behind but instead
focus on whom the person was. Your life has meaning once your goals fall in
alignment with your Worthy Ideal and Life’s Purpose. As with any recipe,
you must have all of the ingredients to get the best results. Each ingredient is
necessary for the final result. Below is Empowered Mastery’s Life Alignment
Blueprint.

WORTHY IDEAL
↓
LIFE PURPOSE
↓
AREAS OF LIFE
GOALS
As you see, all of the above are key ingredients to living the life you choose.
Goals direct our focus. It is important to have goals to help direct our
thoughts and minds to focus on what we desire most in our lives. Set your goals,
regardless of previous “failures.” Remember, most successful people have failed
at one time or another. Start anew and do it properly. Come from a place of faith
and belief and then watch your life soar to greater heights of happiness and
fulfillment. Above all, enjoy life, for it is a gift. Live it with passion. Everything
you need is there. Just go get it. It’s yours for the taking.
Reward Yourself
One last point about goals: We work so hard to achieve them that we fail to
reward ourselves. Instead we tend to say, ‘ok, what’s next?’ When setting goals,
think about a reward when you achieve it. It doesn’t have to be grandiose
like a vacation or a new car, it could be something small like going to your
favorite restaurant or movie. Whatever it is, take the time to celebrate your
accomplishment. You deserve it!

CHAPTER SUMMARY
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[ CHAPTER TWELVE ]
Imagination
{ The world is but a canvas to the imagination.

—HENRY DAVID THOREAU
Imagination is what separates us from every other living

{
creature on this planet. Our life and everything around
us is a product of our imagination. Expand your horizon
and you’ll find the world itself expands. As you access
the power of your imagination, inspiration will flow to
and throughout you. As you fill your subconscious with
thoughts of what you would like to experience, you bring
anything you desire into your life. Imagination is the lan-
guage through which you communicate with the uni-
verse. As you develop your body through physical exer-
cise, so also can you develop your imagination through
Mind Muscle Exercises.
228
Your imagination creates the future. Challenge yourself to make your life
match your vision. No matter the current circumstance, imagination gives
us the ability to transform any situation that does not match our perceived
destiny and to free us from our past. Your past experiences no longer hold you
captive. Most people never engage their imagination because they don’t believe
anything better exists or don’t have the confidence to follow through with their
dreams.
Everything we need to succeed in life has already been created.
Our imagination expands what already exists in the realm of the universe.
Look at everything around us and all of the new technology at our fingertips.
Everything changes at an incredible rate. The computer you buy today is
obsolete tomorrow. This is all due to our imagination and our ability to create.
Imagination is the offspring of our thoughts. If our minds are always picking up
on different vibrations and are open to new ideas, then it’s important to capture
these diverse thoughts on paper so we can utilize them later in life.
Imagination is the creative mind constantly thinking and rejuvenating old
ideas into new concepts. Look at the example below:
Supercomputer Processors → Home PC → Laptop → iPhone

This illustrates revamping an old concept into a new one. The primary
function of the creative part of your mind is to organize your imagination and
manifest these new thoughts in reality. If you combine the power of this with
the action of the creative part of your brain, then you will be able to implement
anything you want in life. This will ultimately set you apart from the rest of
society. Think about it, most people still cling to old methods and status quo
results.
The way to fulfill your destiny is to use this creative force to develop
the life of your dreams. In the previous chapter, we focused on tracking your
goals. Imagination is an integral part of the goal setting process and is both
interpretative and creative. This means that it can receive impressions and
ideas and can also use these impressions and ideas to form new combinations
of the same. So, any one of us can take information from endless sources and
transform it into endless new combinations. Having an infinite number of new
combinations or ideas is, without debate, one of the most valuable tools we can
possess in our life. The city of Dubai provides a remarkable example of this.
In 1991, Dubai was nothing more than a few buildings among the sand. Today,
IMAGINATION 229
through imagination, the once barren city hosts some of the world’s most
innovative structures:
1. Palm Island. An additional eighty miles of coast was created in the form
of three artificial islands in the shape of a palm tree. These islands are
home to apartments, hotels, and shopping.
2. The World. Approximately three hundred artificial islands are arranged
in the shape of the world.
3. Burj Dubai. This half-mile high tower is the tallest in the world.
4. Hydropolis. The hotel is completely submerged under water with each
room having a panoramic view of the ocean.
5. Dubailand Ski Dome. An indoor ski resort in the middle of the desert
with six thousand tons of real snow.
Imagination reveals discoveries once thought impossible. It all begins

with a fantasy. Creativity fuels the inner workings of your mind, along with
hope, and faith. For every challenge there is a solution. Throughout the world,
people are using their imagination at an ever-increasing rate to constantly create
and achieve what was previously thought impossible. If your mind can dream
it and believe it, then you can achieve it. It reminds us that we have control
and mastery over our own destinies. The question is can you dream? Can you
believe? Of course you can.
Imagination is often thought of as a fantasy. This might be partly true,
but to say that that is all it is severely underestimates the full power of the
faculty. Your personality, self-image, and the way you see life are determined
by your imagination. Imagination is an asset or liability depending on how you
use it. You can imagine you can’t do anything right or always look at the worst-
case scenario. The glass is always half empty. On the other hand, you can use
imagination productively to lead to greater success. Many people get stuck
on auto-pilot because they’re not using their intellectual qualities. Successful
people make effective use of their imagination on a daily basis. They have
a mental picture of what they want to accomplish and make adjustments
as they learn from their mistakes. The unsuccessful keep doing the same
thing but expect different results. Have you ever heard the phrase, “The
definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting
another result?” Personal growth is an ongoing process. You should constantly
evaluate your life. Actions that aren’t producing the results you desire should

be replaced with actions that do. Open your mind and use your imagination
to better yourself. We all have negative voices in our head. Do not let these
thoughts become prevalent. Learn to develop positive thoughts and attitudes
to counteract negative ones that enter your mind.
Picture yourself at the top of your field. Imagine what it would be like.
Think of the goals you listed. Push negative thoughts away and plan for a better
future for you and your family. Act like you are successful now. Use your “I
AM” statements. Develop more confidence by celebrating your past successes.
Most people fail to advance in life because they do not believe they can do
better. Tell yourself you can. Start believing and you will. Master Yoda from the
groundbreaking movie Empire Strikes Back says it best, “Do or do not. There
is no try.”
Worthy Ideals arise from our use of our imagination, which leads to a world
of unbelievable sights, sounds, and sensations. It empowers us to make sense of
descriptions that are remote to our times or foreign to our experience. Using his
untapped creativity, Mozart heard silent music, and the Wright brothers created
a vehicle that could fly through the skies. Einstein considered imagination even
more important than knowledge.
Our imagination uses what we do know and reconfigures images into
something unique.
{ Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were.

But without it we go nowhere.
What is ‘That Box?’

—CARL SAGAN
{
One of the biggest catch phrases today is “think outside the box.” If you can’t
think outside the box, then you aren’t using your full creative potential. For
us, before we could truly think outside the box, we had to figure out what the
box was. Basically, the box this refers to is your current thought process. It
encompasses any assumptions you make. Thinking outside the box requires
drawing on your intellectual qualities and going beyond your five senses.
IMAGINATION 231
Below is a Conditioning Exercise to test your imagination. In the space
provided, there are nine dots. Connect all nine dots with four lines without
taking your pen or pencil off the paper.
Now that we’ve solved the mystery of the box, let’s imagine for a moment
that our lives are confined in that box like the picture above. The only contact
with the outside world we have is through pictures, through our five senses,
and what others have told us. Even the best pictures and the most accurate
descriptions can’t describe the outside surroundings. As a result, you may have
all sorts of assumptions that are not accurate.
The box is a great metaphor for our limited thinking. Our thoughts and
assumptions are like those pictures and descriptions that form the sides of your
box, limiting what you can see or know about the world. So what can you do?
Simple—climb over the side and break through.
{ Imagination is the living power and prime agent of all

human perception.
—SAMUEL TAYLOR COLERIDGE
{
We have taken thousands of children and adults from a state of
non-believers to confident black belts in our professional martial arts
careers. It always starts by helping the novice students paint a picture
in their heads and imagine themselves achieving their black belts. In
doing this, students take on the identity of black belts far before they
actually achieve it. This is because they have already accomplished it
in their minds.
Unleashing Your Imagination

and Creativity
The limitations we place upon ourselves are just as unreal as what is happening
in a movie, because we have chosen to hold on to something fictitious.
However, while we must accept the reality of the moment, we are not bound
in it forever. We can change the future with our imaginations. The personal
limitations you have accepted can be relinquished anytime you wish. Through
persistent imagination, you can discard an old script and start a completely new
story. You can free yourself from the paralyzing paradigms and misconceptions
that are holding you back and have all that you truly desire. All you need to
do is to have faith and believe in the unknowing. The following Conditioning
Exercise stimulates your imagination.
Previously, we asked you to be the Picasso of your life, but your awareness
then may not have been what it is now. Use your imagination to attract the
true life you desire. Remember—you have infinite power. Pretend you are the
director and writer of your personal movie. Anything is possible in it. With that
in mind, now create what we call your life script statement. Below is Paul’s:
I am internally vital, physically strong, emotionally balanced, and
spiritually centered. I feel younger and more flexible every single day. My wife
and I have a loving, passionate, fun, exciting, honest, and respectful marriage.
Our children are healthy, happy, educated, athletic, beautiful, focused,
determined, disciplined, organized, confident, respectful, and appreciative
people. My brother and I have a successful, profitable, and abundant martial
arts business. Our students, their families, and our staffs are happy, dedicated,
loyal, appreciative, and passionate. We positively impact thousands of people
IMAGINATION 233
within our community by teaching martial arts. My partners and I have a
successful, profitable, and abundant martial arts franchise and consulting
business. Our franchisees and clients are happy, dedicated, loyal, appreciative,
passionate, and profitable. They receive tremendous value from utilizing our
martial arts business systems. My partners and I have a successful, profitable,
and abundant public speaking and personal development business. We help
millions of people around the world to rediscover their inner strength and their
power of achievement by utilizing the power of their mind. My brother and I
have multiple real estate investments and additional streams of income. My
family and I are financially free and abundant. We travel around the world as a
family. I am a leader for my entire family. I keep my family together.
NOW IN THE SPACE BELOW WRITE YOUR LIFE SCRIPT

STATEMENT.

Life Script Statement
You are constantly running a mental movie with you as star. These images
determine your personal behavior and the kind of life you lead. You have the
power to mentally create a new life for yourself. Whatever you visualize, you
can have it. All you must do is imagine yourself as having achieved your desire.
We call it the truth in advance.
The most riveting and exciting aspect of imagination is how we can
choreograph mental images of what doesn’t exist yet in the physical world. Take
Walt Disney—he took a simple cartoon mouse and transformed him into the
largest entertainment resort in the world. He felt so strongly in the power and
strength of imagination that he called his engineers “Imagineers.”
We are also able to construct new ideas stimulated by and building upon
our previous experiences. Combining imagination with creativity gives us
more than just mental images. It causes things to come into existence, it makes
or originates, and it produces and brings about. When we creatively imagine
something, we actually cause it to come into being because it has been formed,
for the first time, in our minds. This allows us to transform our lives through
the power of creative imagination.
Whatever idea you hold in your imagination—whether it is negative or
positive, constructive or destructive—imagination will bring forth its own kind.
Creative imagination is a powerful force. It can be used to overcome
disease, poverty and depression, and push the human body to exceptional feats.
No situation is hopeless. Every obstacle has a resolution. Obstacles are really
just opportunities in disguise. We need to carefully examine every so-called
crisis in our lives for the hidden opportunity in it.
Our conscious mind limits us because it is dependent on the outside
world.
Air Force Colonel George Hall is a dramatic example of this. During the
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camp for seven years. Instead of focusing on his current environment, he
instead spent his days imagining himself playing a full round of golf. One week
after he was released from the POW camp, he shot a seventy-six at the Greater
New Orleans Open. Such is the power of our imaginations. Since our senses
often deceive us, we frequently accept false concepts, values, and beliefs. The
conscious mind is objective. It observes and is rational. We gain our willpower
though our conscious mind, which often inhibits our creative process.
What we see with our conscious mind often deceives us. When you look at
IMAGINATION 235
a long string of utility poles or power lines, they usually appear to decrease in
size and merge into one line. How many times have you heard the story of the
man wandering the desert chasing after an elusive pool of water only to find
that it is sand? These distortions are the result of false images and messages
from our conscious minds. Faulty images are accepted from our conscious
minds, and we choose to perpetuate them in our subconscious minds.
What do you see in the following picture?
Do you see a vase or two faces?

To free ourselves from the limitations of our conscious minds, we must
turn inward. To continue to look for inspiration externally is to continue to
experience those conditions that have been holding us back. For this reason,
we explore our subconscious mind to change any false beliefs into positive and
constructive ones. Through repetition and impact you intentionally program
them into your sub-conscious mind.
In Chapter 1, we discussed reprogramming your subconscious mind.
You are not powerless against it. It does not control you. But, because you are
unaware of this, you have lacked the imagination and creativity to improve
your life. Throughout the centuries, successful people have either intuitively
or knowingly become aware that they too possessed a power over their mind.
They called on this power to help them imagine and create great works of art,
music, dance, inventions, literature, and empires. This is what we described in
this book as our IQ’s.
Many untapped talents and unlimited capabilities are hidden deep within
your subconscious, but it can’t motivate itself. You have to command it to work

for your benefit. This will bring about whatever you most persistently impress
upon it. It is a valued, competent, and trustworthy partner that will supply
you with all the necessary information you need to function in a positive and
creative manner. Meditation is a key element in tapping into your creative
power and imagination. Remember, thought energy will flow to and through
you as long as you are relaxed and your “Energy” hose is unkinked.
We said that your subconscious responds according to the beliefs and
convictions held in your consciousness. Your conscious mind chooses what it
believes to be true, and your subconscious accepts without question whatever it
dictates. Your subconscious will accept failure as readily as success; it is, in fact,
the means that will bring about either one.
At this very moment, your subconscious is working for or against you.
Through your conscious mind, it senses and records all of your physical,
intellectual, mental, and emotional experiences and stores the information for
further use. The sum total of these experiences determines your present level
of awareness.
As we’ve said, our conscious minds are greatly influenced by our five
senses, so it is easy to see why we get confused when we use the conscious
mind alone to bring about the right answers to our challenges. The five senses
do not report the truth to us most of the time, so we accept, reject, and relate
everything based on a distorted view of reality. To look at a situation and
evaluate the information with the conscious mind alone is to look at the effect
instead of the cause. This makes us value-judge both others and ourselves and
evaluate what we see, hear and feel as if it were the truth. The lives of so many
people are plagued with one obstacle after another because they take actions
and make decisions based on false awareness. James Earl Jones, for example,
had a terrible speech impediment as a child but instead of succumbing to
it, he overcame his stuttering and now has one of the most distinctive and
recognizable voices in the world.
What we need to do is to train ourselves to look within and ask our
subconscious mind for guidance. As long as we rely on the conscious mind
alone, we will continue to make mistakes and become disappointed and
frustrated. There is a tremendous power in words. Words can build or destroy
your life. They made you what you are right now. Words are verbalized
thinking. You utter approximately twenty-five thousand of them each day. The
way you talk to yourself has a profound effect on your feelings, actions, and
accomplishments. What you say determines practically everything you do. Your
IMAGINATION 237
words can change your blood pressure, heartbeat, and breathing. Indeed, James
Earl Jones, who was ridiculed as a child, now makes his living from the very
words that were once his difficulty.
The subconscious accepts without question the words we use, whether
they are positive or negative. Positive statements or affirmations build your
life while negative statements or affirmations destroy it. Take a moment right
now to think about whether you use any of these negative and self- deprecating
statements.
1. I am not talented.
2. I’ll never be able to get in shape.
3. I don’t have time.
4. I can’t change.
5. That’s the way I am.
6. I’m not perfect.
7. I can’t do this.
Of course, the list could go on and on, but it is enough to show you how
we program ourselves. Your subconscious doesn’t know anything different
than what it is told, so these negative messages become a part of our thought
processes. This self-sabotaging mindset puts a halt to our creativity and limits
our imagination. We experience sickness, lack, limitation, and failure.
What you must do is monitor your speech and turn such self-defeating
statements around. The way to program your mind is to use our Mind Muscle
Exercises and repeat them over and over again until your subconscious accepts
them as reality. In psychology, this is called the Law of Predominant Mental
Impression. When you keep saying that you aren’t graceful or coordinated, your
subconscious has no option but to make you that way; instead, if you affirm
balance and harmony, your subconscious will make certain that is how you are.
Never rehearse an adverse situation by saying to yourself that you feel great,
only to tell the next person who asks how you are that you “feel terrible” just to
get their sympathy. Switching back and forth only confuses the subconscious,
and this will have repercussions in your life.
Emotion is the cornerstone of creativity. No creative act is performed
without it. The subconscious responds greatly to feelings and emotions.
Repetition by itself has little effect, but a word of caution: negative emotions
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force as their positive counterparts. This is why they are so destructive.
Speaking or listening to music while using repetition increases the intensity
of the vibrations and helps impress the information in your subconscious more
quickly. Psychological studies have shown that using soothing music or voice
recordings increases this speed by as much as 85 percent.
Everything starts in the mind. It is imperative to understand this.
Imagination or visualization is the picturing power of your mind. Your
subconscious responds to pictures and images held on your mental screen. Your
subconscious is the choreographer that creates your life. You are the dancer, and
your imagination and creativity is the routine.
Once you visualize the life you want, your desires will become reality.
You are a self-fulfilling prophecy. What you are thinking about today is a clear
indication of what you will experience in the future. Remember though—
you have to be realistic; physical limitations need to be factored into your
visualizations. Your thoughts of yesterday are what determined your results of
today just as the thoughts of today will determine the results of tomorrow. If you
truly want different results for the future, you have to change your thoughts now.
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enjoying them. See the details—colors, places, and people—as vividly as you
can. Hold the pictures clearly in your mind. Most important—you must put you
in the picture. Get yourself a scrapbook and call it your “Blueprint of Destiny.” In
it, put colored pictures of the things you want, the places you want to go, or the
things you want to do. Look at the pictures every day. Let them seep into your
subconscious. Soon, you will master the technique of visualization; in the process,
your desire will become your reality. You will create cells of recognition of the
images you imagined that will be permanently implanted in your sub-conscious.
You can train your subconscious to perform any act you consciously
choose. When a great athlete performs with ease, you can be sure that he or
she has spent years building habit-patterns of perfection in their subconscious.
Their subconscious mind stores these memories and releases them under
automatic control, so that he or she does not have to consciously think which
muscle to use each time they compete. It is the same with the martial arts.
Muscle memory is developed through repetition and practice. The goal is that
the martial arts practitioner reacts instinctively and not consciously so their
techniques are executed with lightning speed.
Your subconscious is automatic and provides solutions to obstacles. It is
never limited because it can be trained and retrained. Just as long as you keep
IMAGINATION 239
on picturing what you want, it will forget mistakes, change course, correct
itself, and bring you right on target, all automatically. The key to tapping into
your subconscious power is to foster the feeling that it’s working. You must,
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is already yours. Experience the enjoyment and the excitement now.
Your limiting, conscious mind may conspire against you through your
intellect. It may tell you your desires cannot be achieved; that they’re impossible.
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you will get what you want when you feel as though you already have it.
{ Every great advance in science has issued from a new

audacity of the imagination.
ģ
ƫ
{
Shifting From the Comparative to
the Creative Plane
Is it possible to find success without comparing yourself to others? The answer
to that could provide considerable insight into many aspects of your life. When
we understand the philosophy behind creation, and when we truly leave the
comparative plane for the creative plane, then we become free. When you are in
a constant state of comparison, then you are by necessity on guard. We like to
say that it is better to focus your energy on what you want rather then spending
your time comparing. For example, a martial arts school opened up right down
the street from Chris’s martial arts school. His first inclination was comparative.
He was worried and concerned that they would try to take his clients and
students out from under him. After about a day of this thought pattern he
shifted to the creative plane. Chris realized that this other school was not a
concern at all and that he would spend his energy on the development of his
students and expansion of martial arts in the community. The outcome; Chris’s
school continues to flourish while the other school was forced to close down.
Chris continued on the Creative Plane and the other school was definitely on

the Comparative Plane, which didn’t go so well for them.
When we move from the comparative to the creative plane, then we
know that there are no limitations to what we can achieve. We are no longer
consumed with the thought of protecting our property, our ideas, or ourselves.
We no longer need to keep our eye on the competition. We are free to share
and cooperate with others. Few have ever achieved true success by duplicating
others. Two people can take the exact same action, and one may find great
success while the other fails miserably.
“ In my industry, I never compare myself to others. I’m only aware

of my own capabilities and talents. I utilize my own creative
process to create my own business. I feel that I don’t have any
competition. When I first meet a prospective client, I want them to
get inside my head to understand our philosophy about money and
our planning methodology. I imagine them already as a client and
visualize our long-lasting business relationship; I see how I not only
have made a tremendous impact on their lives but also know that
they will be in a better place because of me. My level of awareness
is that the client has already experienced success. This gives off
positive energy to the prospective client. They want to work with
me even if they don’t truly understand our process fully.
” —NICK
Imagination Exercise
In a quiet room, close your eyes and imagine the ocean. Now seat yourself on
the beach and imagine smelling the sea breeze in the air. Taste the salt. Feel the
grains of sand with your fingers. Watch the waves roll back and forth over the
shore. Listen to seagulls flying through the air. Can you see the waves crashing
against the shore? Do you feel like you are truly there? What else do you see? Are
you hot, cold, calm, or relaxed? Did the exercise transport you to another place?
Did you truly feel as if you were sitting on the beach in front of the ocean? Now
instead of the ocean, imagine whatever it is you desire most in this life.
IMAGINATION 241
CHAPTER SUMMARY
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to the creative plane.

[ CHAPTER THIRTEEN ]
Organized
Planning
{{ Success is the progressive realization of a
worthy ideal.
—EARL NIGHTINGALE
{{
The previous twelve chapters taught you the techniques
of the T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine. Now we want
to arm you with a plan of action to apply these methods
to your life as we have ours. This chapter is so important,
we would like you to read it over and over again. Just
as repetition penetrates your subconscious, so will the
words and exercises in this chapter (as well as the previ-
ous ones) do the same.
243
We feel so strongly about repetition and committing your
T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine to paper that we will be asking you
to redo one exercise from each of the previous twelve chapters. To assist you
with this task, each of the chapter summaries are restated below. We will also
ask you to write a new I AM statement that coincides with each chapter.
Chapter 1—Thought
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subconscious mind.
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thought.
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conscious mind.
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you feel; how you feel determines your actions; your actions ultimately
determine your results.
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thoughts.
YOU ARE THE PICASSO OF YOUR LIFE

Chapter 2—Replacing Emotional Scars
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influential in our lives.
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paves the road for improvement and success in life.
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T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. of your thought process.
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that you set for yourself.
PARALYZING PARADIGMS
Example. I am too old to begin that exercise program.
1.
2.
3.
4.
POWER PARADIGMS
Example. I AM healthy and vital and am in the best shape of my life!
1.
2.
3.
4.
ORGANIZED PLANNING 245

Chapter 3—Awareness
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status in life.
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qualities.
These include:
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IN THE SPACE BELOW, REFLECT ON YOUR LIFE AND DESCRIBE TIMES

WHEN YOUR LEVEL OF AWARENESS WAS AT ITS PEAK AND WHY.
1.
2.
3.
REWRITE YOUR LAB REPORT:
Worthy Ideal Statement:
Life Purpose Statement:
Core Four Areas of Life:
Top Five Goals:

Chapter 4—Never Give Up
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WRITE A SCENARIO IN YOUR LIFE WHERE YOU USED PERSIS-

TENCE TO ACCOMPLISH A GOAL.

Chapter 5—Self-Image
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ourselves to others.
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mind.
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What is your current How do you want to

self image regarding… improve your self image
regarding…
Your physical
appearance?
Your family
Your friends
Your career

Chapter 6—Focus
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illness.
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success.
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LIST THE AREAS OF YOUR LIFE IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

REWRITE YOUR CORE FOUR AND THREE ACTION STEPS
1:_______________________________________________________________
action step:
action step:
action step:
2:_______________________________________________________________
action step:
action step:
action step:
3:_______________________________________________________________
action step:
action step:
action step:
4:_______________________________________________________________
action step:
action step:
action step:

Chapter 7—Opportunities
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your goals.
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to you.
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learning experiences.
LIST THE CHALLENGES YOU ARE CURRENTLY FACING. FIND THE

OPPORTUNITY IN EACH.
CHALLENGE OPPORTUNITY
Example: $75,000 in two days Create lifetime memberships
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Chapter 8—Realization
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discover your Worthy Ideals.
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legacy left behind to loved ones.
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possessions.
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enable you to live according to your Life’s Purpose?
IMPROVED WORTHY IDEAL:
LIFE’S PURPOSE:

Chapter 9—Meditation
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a higher power.
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one of the best methods to eliminate them.
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It helps to maintain a state of calmness and relaxation.
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MEDITATION EXERCISE
First close your eyes, sit up straight and focus on your breathing.
Count each breath as you inhale and exhale. Relax your mind and
body as you clear all thoughts and images that come to you. Once
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this event, replaying the successful outcome over and over. Get
emotionally attached to this picture as if it is already happening.
Zoom in on the picture. See yourself and those around you. See it in
color and up close. Now place yourself looking out at everything and
everyone around you, as if you were really experiencing the event
now. Feel the feelings of having or experiencing this event now. Ask
yourself how this makes you feel. Take a mental snapshot of that
image and store it in your mind so you can access that image at any
point in time.

Chapter 10—Attitude
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LIST TEN PEOPLE HOW DOES IT

WHAT IS THEIR
YOU SPEND THE AFFECT YOUR
ATTITUDE?
MOST TIME WITH. ATTITUDE?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Chapter 11—Track Your Goals
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WRITE DOWN YOUR TOP FIVE GOALS THAT ARE DIRECTLY

RELATED TO YOUR WORTHY IDEAL:

Chapter 12—Imagination
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to the creative plane.
LIFE SCRIPT STATEMENT
You are constantly running a mental movie with yourself as star of the
show. These images determine your personal behavior and the kind
of life you lead. You have the power to mentally create a new life for
yourself. Whatever you visualize, you can have. All you must do is
imagine yourself as having achieved your desire. Rewrite your Life
Script Statement as if anything was possible. Imagine you were the
producer, director, and main star of your life story. How do you want
your life to be?

[ CHAPTER FOURTEEN ]
The New You

Who I am today speaks far greater than
{ {
what anyone can say about me. I thank
God every day that I am alive and that I am
able to dedicate my life to teaching others,
enriching lives and acting as a vehicle for
empowerment.
—TOM MALIN
In Chapter 13, you found that your answers to our Con-

ditioning for Success Exercises may have improved from
before. Think back over the past ten years of your life, do
you act the same way? Do you associate with the same
people? How different are you now? We must constantly
strive to better ourselves. In the introduction, we men-
tioned what separated our company, Empowered Mas-
tery, from others. We also told you how this book would
be different as well. Perhaps you weren’t sure but were
enticed enough not only to spend your hard earned dol-
lars on this book but also to read it to this point. For that
we thank you. But we don’t want to rest on our laurels.
257
While reading this book, some of you may have thought about the
enormous difference between knowing something and mastering it. In any
profession or occupation, people achieve mastery by repetition until actions
become automatic in the subconscious mind. Recall the sales person in Chapter
4 who has to make a certain amount of calls per week or appointments per
day to make a sale. This is Sales 101 but very few salespeople are able to
consistently apply and master this concept on a weekly basis. The same applies
to our T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine. Even though you have read
it once, twice, or several times, actually knowing, applying, and mastering the
principles in this book is a whole new ballgame. Therefore, we want to take
what we have written to the highest level possible and demonstrate to you how
to put it to actual use. We can almost assure you that in this chapter we will
take you to a new level other books rarely dare to venture.
One of my coaching clients a few years back was a very successful

financial planner. He was also an avid reader of literature on personal
development, and was excited to take our coaching program. During
one of our first coaching calls, I started to teach him about our
tools and philosophies. He interrupted me by saying, ‘This is not
first rodeo, I know all about these concepts!’ I then very calmly
challenged him by asking him, ‘Are you applying them each day in
your daily life?’ There was a moment of silence as I could almost hear
him thinking. He then simply answered, ‘No.’ That person was John
Cammarano, who is now a valuable member of Embowered Mastery.
As martial artists our lives are predicated on character, discipline, and a

specific way of life. We are far from perfect and are on a continuous journey for
self-improvement, but we feel by teaching this information, it helps us improve
our mindset, too. We would like to now share with you the step- by-step
conditioning exercises we do on a daily basis. The outline of the “New You”
Conditioning Exercises contained here may be overwhelming for some people.
That’s okay. Do whatever is most comfortable at your own pace. However, we
strongly recommend that you try your best to push yourself to new levels;

after all, isn’t that what achievement is all about? So stay with us and open
your mind.
The following Mind Muscle Exercises are like lifting weights or working
out for physical muscles. You wouldn’t decide to get in shape by exercising
for one week and then say, “Wow, I’m healthy” and stop working out. On the
other hand, you might already be physically fit, but once you stop working
out the muscles you’ve developed will start to disintegrate. The same applies
to your mind. Your mind is the most powerful muscle you have. Every single
day you must do exercises that condition it for success. Get to the point where
performing these Mind Muscle Exercises is as much a part of your lifestyle as
brushing your teeth. We suggest you choose a few to start with and then add
more as you gain confidence.
Fourteen Conditioning Steps for Success

Say Thank You and I Love You. Say “thank you” as soon as you wake
up and continue to say it twenty times. Then look at yourself in the mirror,
smile, and say, “Today is a great day to be alive.” Give thanks for being alive,
for seeing another day, for being with the people you love the most, and for
breathing the air around you. As soon as you turn off the alarm, tell those close
to you that you love them.
See Your Goal. Then read your goal card out load and look at your vision. If
you haven’t created your vision board yet, place a corresponding picture that
aligns with your goal on a piece of paper or cardboard. It can be a car, a home, a
specified amount of money, or a photo of the body that you want to have. Every
morning make your goal the first image you see. Become emotionally attached
to it and let your goal be the fuel to energize you at the start of each day.
Drink Water. Drink a glass of water with lemon. Your body needs to hydrate
itself after fasting. That’s why it’s called break-fast. In the morning, you are
breaking your fast of not eating during your sleep. Your body is made up
of approximately 70 percent water. You’ll immediately feel energized after
drinking water because it’s what your organs need to function. But don’t just
drink any water. Yes, we know that you might be saying to yourself that all
water is the same, right? But you would be mistaken; there are five levels
of waters:
THE NEW YOU 259

5. Tap water. Almost all tap water has chemicals and toxins that aren’t
good for your body.
4. Filtered tap water. This is water in filtered jugs in any convenience
stores.
3. Bottled waters. Not all bottled waters are created equal. Look for
bottled water that states the pH level on the bottle. For example, Fiji
water has a pH of 7.5.
2. Reverse osmosis filtering system that you can put in your home.
1. Distilled water. You can buy at any health food store.
Power Breathing. Start your morning with a focused breathing exercise

instead of drinking that first cup of coffee. Your body can go days without
water but only seconds without breathing. Oxygen supplies energy to the body.
There is a direct correlation between your health and the level of oxygen in
your bloodstream. So inhale for four counts and then exhale for a four count
while walking. You will notice a difference as your body wakes up, especially
after drinking water.
Grateful Statements. Most people focus on all they lack in their life instead
of what they have. State out loud everything you are grateful for. Try starting
with five things. For example: I am grateful for my health, I am grateful for
my family, I am grateful for my home, I am grateful for the food I eat, and I
am grateful for the air I breathe. Almost anyone can use at least one of these
examples to begin their day. This exercise will automatically condition you to
become a good finder. The power of gratitude eliminates any negativity within
your life. Once you think, feel, and state what you are grateful for, you will
attract more positivity into your life. Think back to the Dr. Emoto experiment.
Imagine what’s crystallizing in you as soon as you drink your water and say your
power words of gratitude.
Rebounding. In the morning after you’ve completed the above steps, jump on
a mini trampoline for five minutes. Regular lymphasizing increases the flow
of lymphatic fluid throughout the body, feeds your cells and produces energy.
Rebounding also is the most effective way to stimulate the immune system
and increase internal cleansing to the cellular level. This balances the kinetic
energy in the muscles, making you feel revitalized and reenergized. If you don’t
have a mini trampoline, consider purchasing one or jump rope as a substitute.

Gratitude Journal. Keep a gratitude journal. Write in it every morning. A
good place to keep this is in the bathroom. As long as you’re in there, you
might as well make the most of your time. Begin your grateful statement with
“I am thankful for...” and begin your grateful intentions with “I am grateful
now that….” Writing your statements in the present tense will send messages
not only to your subconscious mind but also to the world around us.
Meditation. Meditation is your natural resource for health and has enormous
benefits. It increases oxygen and blood circulation, strengthens internal organs,
improves digestion, builds your immune system, balances hormones, quiets the
nervous system, calms the mind, and increases energy levels.
Sit in a crossed-leg or lotus position with your back and neck

straight. You may want to use a meditation pillow. If not, you can
sit on a chair. The lotus position may be difficult at first, however,
after some practice your body will adjust and you will find it more
comfortable Make sure to keep your back straight and place one
hand on top of the other, palms up and thumbs interlocked. The
hands should be about two inches below your belly button. The
main purpose for meditation is to focus on breathing and to quiet our
minds to tap into higher energy sources.
Paradigm Conditioning. Reconditioning your paradigms, or experiencing

paradigm shifts, is not a one-time event. It must be reinforced on a daily basis.
So much of what we talk about in this book is repetitive because that is the only
way to make an imprint on your subconscious mind. In life, we constantly strive
to improve, so we must make room for those new thought processes. Repeat
your new Power Paradigm statements five times.
Life’s Purpose Statement. Repeat your Life’s Purpose statement aloud. This
practice embeds it into your subconscious and also puts it in your awareness
for the rest of the day. You should repeat this statement often enough that it
becomes second nature. You should be able to repeat it as easily as your phone
number.
“I AM” Statements. Making “I AM” statements is one of our favorite Mind

Muscle exercises. The words “I AM” will be extremely powerful every time
THE NEW YOU 261

you attach them to a statement, but the goal is to choose a series of qualities
that you want to have or that align with the person you want to become. It must
support your Life’s Purpose, Worthy Ideal, and goals.
Life Script Statements. In Chapter 11, we asked you to be a director and

producer by writing your Life Script. Now we want you to be the star of the
movie by reciting that Life Script with passion, belief, and conviction.
Stretch. If you’ve ever watched an animal wake up, what is the first thing they
do? Stretching is the natural instinct in most animals. Take a look at your dog
or cat. Why do they do this; are they smarter than us? An inflexible body is
a result of an inflexible mind. Stretch. This loosens your muscles and eases
tension. At our retreats, we teach people how to do certain stretches or energy
exercises every morning as soon as they wake up. They are the same ones that
our grand master has taught us. Perhaps you can even take a martial arts or yoga
class to help you learn how to stretch and be more flexible.
Power Song and Mind Muscle Recording. On your way to work in the
morning listen to a song that motivates and inspires you. This is a great way to
start your day. Paul listens to U2’s “Beautiful Day” to energize him for the day.
Another song might be the theme from Rocky. Every time you hear your Power
Song, you’ll feel like going out and doing something productive and energizing.
Take all the Mind Muscle statements that you say every morning and create
a playlist. As you drive, you will have your Power Song, Grateful Statements,
Power Paradigms, Life Script Statements, Life’s Purpose Statements, and “I
am” Statements with you. Play this Mind Muscle recording every morning and
evening with any other series of empowering statements. These recordings
should be in your own voice.
As we mentioned earlier, don’t let these overwhelm you. We don’t

expect you to wake up one morning and do everything. Crawl before you walk
and walk before you run. Start slow and build upon each one. This may take
you out of your comfort zone, but this is what success is all about. Don’t expect
results overnight. Remember, it takes twenty-one days to make or break a habit.
This is a process so let your life evolve with these Mind Muscle Exercises.
Until we see you at one of EMC retreats or seminars, we would like
you to take our T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Challenge. In the diagram

below, we’ve included a seven-month pyramid. Each month take on two new
conditioning steps. By the end of the seven months, you will have successfully
completed all fourteen steps as a part of your daily routine. At the end of this
challenge, the reward is a new you! What can you accomplish with this new
sense of empowerment? How much better will your new life be? How many
people will benefit from your transformation? The only one stopping you is
you. We would love to hear your successful results, please email us at
info@empoweredmastery.com. And remember, you have Infinite Power!
The New You!
13 & 14
11 & 12
9 & 10
7&8
5&6
3&4
1&2
263
CONCLUSION
Before we get to our personal acknowledgements, we would like to

personally thank you, the reader. We are extremely honored and privileged
to have the opportunity to write this book, and to share our principles and
philosophies with you. We realize that there is a wealth of information in our
T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine, and that some of you might have had
to empty your cup. However, we know with all our heart that this book will
help you live a happier, healthier, and wealthier life. To show our appreciation
and gratitude to you, we would love to have you attend the many seminars
and programs that we host. Please visit our website www.empoweredmastery.
com. There is a wealth of information about us, Empowered Mastery, and
our programs, as well as free video content. Better yet, email us at info@
empoweredmastery.com. We would love to hear from you, and promise to
answer all emails. Thank you for allowing us to live through our Worthy Ideal.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to acknowledge my loving wife, my rock, Linda, and my two

beautiful children, Joseph and Lia, for your unconditional love and support. You
are all God’s greatest gift to me.
I would like to acknowledge my mom and dad for teaching me about
values, dedication, and commitment. You are truly the greatest parents a man
could ever ask for.
I would like to acknowledge my brother, Tony, for always being by my side.
Through our loss, our bond grew stronger, and I thank you.
I would like to acknowledge my business partner, Scott Tasch, and the rest
of the Opus Team, for the huge success in my career and for holding down the
fort while I focused on the book.
I would like to acknowledge my partners and friends, Rick, Paul, and
Chris, at Empowered Mastery for sharing the vision and the passion.
I would like to acknowledge the Saturday Men’s Fellowship for your
spiritual guidance, hope, and inspiration every week.
I would like to acknowledge Master Paul Melella, Master Anthony Melella,
and Master Chris Berlow, not only for teaching Joseph and me the art of
Taekwondo but also for giving balance to my life and sharing the bond with my
son all these years.
—Nick
You Have Infinite Power is a culmination of both life experiences and

philosophies that encourage everyone to believe that they have infinite
potential and can accomplish anything in life. There are many people I would
like to acknowledge who helped to create this book. They are not listed in
order of importance but have all had a profound impact on who I am today and
the philosophies in this book.
Kathy Berlow: My wife of over twenty years—her positive attitude and self-
lessness have carried us throughout our lives. Her support for all of our endeavors
is instrumental to every success we experience. I am very fortunate to live with
my best friend. I love her tremendously and am very proud to share a life with her.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 265
Brandon, Timmy, Kimberly, Andrew, and Stefanie: My children—they
have had a profound effect on why I do what I do. One of my biggest driving
forces is to show them that if they have a dream they desire, then they can
achieve it! I want to be an inspiration for them to see that dreams do come to
reality. I love them all tremendously, and they mean the world to me.
Curt Delano: my father—I could not adequately express the respect and
appreciation I feel for him. My father is solely responsible for teaching me
how to work hard and have fun doing it. His work ethic and knowledge will
influence generations for years to come. I love him very much.
John Berlow, Lynda Gustavsen, Amanda Williamson: My brother and
sisters—it is amazing how we all stay extremely close even though all of us,
except John, live so far apart. I am extremely grateful to have such a loving,
caring family, and look forward to a lifetime of laughs and fun. Love you guys.
Grandmaster Kim, Grandmaster Ed Ciarfella, and Master Joe Badini:
my Taekwondo family—I am so grateful and appreciative for the guidance,
leadership, and friendship from all of you. I am the person and the martial artist I
am today because of all of you. I am eternally grateful for that. Cam sa ham ni dah.
My United Martial Arts Centers team and students—I could not do what
I do if it wasn’t for all of you. Thanks for seeing the big picture and the vision
and allowing me to have the freedom to run.
Last but definitely not least: to my EMC partners, Rick, Paul, and Nick—
it is awesome to share the vision we have, and it is an honor to work with such
positive, energetic, and motivated individuals.
—Chris

I believe that there are no accidents in this universe. Everything is designed
for growth, evolution, and improvement. There was a reason why Empowered
Mastery was formed and why we as a team came together to organize this
information into the T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine. As this book
transformed from an idea into a physical form, I would like to express my
deepest gratitude to the following:
First to God, who I believe is the Creative Source. There is an energy
that comes to me and through me every time I speak and am in a position of
influence to serve others. I truly believe that this energy is all around us and
that we all have the ability to tap into our Creative Source. I am extremely
grateful for that awareness.
Next, to all the mentors and teachers I have had in my life:
To my selfless and loving parents, Paul Melella Sr., the hardest worker I
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
were my very first teachers and mentors. You gave me the foundation, belief,
and love I needed to succeed in life.
Dad, thank you so much for teaching me the true meaning of life. You
always told me that you were never financially wealthy, but you were wealthy
with family and your five children were your treasure. You always worked really
hard to provide for your family, and you made it happen. No matter how many
challenges you were faced with, you always had a smile on your face. You taught
me to treat others with respect and that there is another side to every story.
Everyone who knows you loves you, and so do I.
Mom, you always told me how you knew that, whatever I did, I would be
successful. There were times when I put you through some difficult situations
and maybe had you think twice about that comment. No matter how many
times I disappointed you or had to have you “go to bat” for me, you always
loved me unconditionally. You are a true example of a mother and continue to
selflessly care for all your children and grandchildren. You will always be the
Grand Master, and I love you.
To Grand Master Byung Min Kim, for teaching me the “way.” Without
your guidance in meditation and Dah Do, I would not have been able to raise
my level of awareness. I am deeply appreciative to have you as a spiritual guide
toward enlightenment.
To Grand Master Edmund Ciarfella, for your belief and vision as a martial
arts professional. You helped me see the light when it came to martial arts
philosophy.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 267
To Master Joseph Badini, for your continued friendship and support in
everything that I do. You are my older brother and my longest friend in the
martial arts.
To Master Paul Edwards, for your unconditional love and support as a
friend. I am grateful to share magical moments with our families.
To all my team members at the United Martial Arts Centers of Carmel,
New York, without your dedication, loyalty, commitment, and support, this
book could not have been completed. Most specifically, to my beautiful
sister, Gina, my director of operations and personal assistant, you are the
face everyone loves to see when they walk into our center, and you keep our
systems in place. Thank you for being so patient with me.
To my brother, partner, and best friend, Anthony Melella, you are my
protégé. The passion for making a difference has truly been passed down to
you. I know that you love to impact the lives of others through martial arts.
You allowed me to step away and live my Worthy Ideal and Life’s Purpose at a
higher level. Thank you for your support and continuous belief in everything
we do.
To my UMAC team, Mrs. Schnaudigel, Mrs. Leifer, Paul Maglietta and
Mrs. Maddock, all of you are influential to the success of our program. Your
unconditional love and selflessness is beyond measure. I can’t thank you
enough for being my loyal “padawans.”
To my sisters, Kathy Peverini and Dana Melella, for your laughter and love.
You always make me feel special when you laugh at my jokes.
To my grandmother, “beautiful Rose,” without your help I wouldn’t have
had a head start on life. I love you.
To my partners Chris Berlow, Nick Palumbo and Rick Wollman, I am
truly grateful to share our vision and Worthy Ideal together. It is refreshing to
surround myself with successful people that do not have any egos and respect
others’ abilities, strengths and talents. You all have helped me become a better
person.
To my loving wife Gina, my “little bootie” Kiahna Isabel, and my “little
Buddy ,” Pierce Michael Melella. For those fourteen-hour days when I would
be out of the house first traveling to corporations for Empowered Mastery in
the morning and then teaching for United Martial Arts Centers at night, and for
those weekends when I was away either writing, teaching, or speaking, thank
you for loving, supporting, and appreciating the fact that I am put on earth to
serve others and to make a difference in the world. I am truly living this Worthy

Ideal to lead by example and to provide a shift of mindset for our family. You
are the driving force in everything I do, and my world revolves around the love
I have for all of you.
Finally to all my UMAC students, EMC clients, and to you, the reader.
I thank you all for allowing me to serve you by teaching classes, giving
seminars and retreats, and most of all, by writing this book. I love teaching this
information. Without you, I would not be able to live my Worthy Ideal. Thank
you for allowing us to share the T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine
with you.
—Paul
I would like to thank my wife, Sharon, who took me from the abyss of despair
to the apex of happiness. She shined a light at the end of the tunnel where
I only saw darkness. She taught me the true meaning of love and all the
pleasures that come with it. She is my best friend, whom I look forward to
sitting with on our front porch during our twilight years, holding hands and
talking the night away.
I would like to thank my kids. Spencer, who is now 17, has a knack for
writing, a warm and caring heart, and tremendous insight and wisdom for
someone of his age. Max just turned 21, and has a businessman’s mentality. He
shows signs of being a true entrepreneur. Justin is 22 and has started his career
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
Jessica, 24, is a patent researcher in NYC. She has overcome many challenges
and is now thriving. She works harder than most adults and has a work ethic to
match. I am so proud of all of you.
Finally, to my partners, friends, and coauthors, Chris, Nick, and Paul.
I’d have to write another book just to describe how they have inspired and
impacted my life. They have given me my Worthy Ideal.
—Rick
269
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Nick Palumbo resides in Westchester County, New York, along with his wife,
Linda, and their two children, Joseph and Lia. In his free time, Nick loves to
golf, practice martial arts, and coach his children.
Paul Melella Jr. resides in Putnam County, New York, with his wife, Gina,
and their two children, Kiahna Isabel and Pierce Michael. When he is not
teaching martial arts, speaking at seminars, coaching corporations, or writing
new material, he loves spending time with his family, mountain biking,
snowboarding, hiking, weight lifting, and practicing martial arts and yoga.
Chris Berlow currently resides in Cortlandt Manor, New York, with Kathy,
his wife of fifteen years, and their five children: Brandon, Andrew, Timmy,
Stefanie, and Kimberly. He currently teaches martial arts at his school in
Briarcliff Manor and continues to work hard with Nick, Paul, and Rick to bring
the T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine to the world!
Rick Wollman lives in Rockland County, New York, with his wife, Sharon,
and their four children, Spencer, Max, Justin, and Jessica, and the family’s two
dogs, Snickers and Shelby. He is an avid runner and sports enthusiast who loves
spending time with his family.

INDEX
Action steps, 140, 144, 145, 251 Challenges, turning into opportunities, energy, 135–142
Affirmations, 55, 116, 119–122 146–150, 151–156 essential ingredients for, 127
Allen, James, 48 Churchill, Winston, 67 mind-body connection, 130–131
Allen, Woody, 147 Clark, Frank A., 217 poomse and, 125, 130–131
Areas of life, 136–142, 143–144, 250–251 Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 232 on positive, 126
Attention, love and, 143, 261 Collier, Robert, 19 principles, 126–127
Attitude, 191–208, 255 Commitment, awareness and, 74–76 on progress, not perfection, 126
about: overview/summary of, Comparisons, 112–113, 240–241 science of, 128–130
191–192, 208, 255 Concentration meditation, 179 self-control and, 132–135
defined, 191–192 Confidence, awareness and, 65–66 time, 127
Emotional Puppets and, 195–196 Conscious mind, 20–22, 24–25, 34, ฀ ฀
evaluating yours, 201–202 235–237, 240 Forbes, Malcolm, 147
of gratitude, 205–207, 261, 262 Core Four Areas of Life, 140, 143–144 Ford, Henry, 37
impact on life, 192–194 Crystal formations, thought power ฀ ฀
like-minded people and, 202–203 and, 27–29
of others, affecting you, 202–203, Gates, Bill, 16–17, 85
255. See also Energy leeches Dalai Lama, 83 Geneen, Harold S., 202
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ D’Angelo, Anthony J., 104 Goal cards, 221–226
197–203 Decisions Goals, 209–227, 256
SUCCESSFUL acronym, 203 ABCD’s of making, 151 about: overview/summary of,
Awareness, 57–95, 246 how successful people make, 209–210, 227, 256
about: overview/summary of, 151–155 committing to, 218–219
95, 246 impacting opportunities, 150 common obstacles to, 217–218
assessing current level, 58–60 review exercise, 148 goal cards for, 221–226, 261
commitment and, 74–76 Desire going for, 221
confidence and, 65–66 awareness and, 70–71 learning styles and, 221
desire and, 70–71 will and, 101–104 prioritizing, 212–214
faith and, 77–79 Dewey, John, 240 rewards for achieving, 226
giving life meaning, 83 Drucker, Peter F., 150 tackling from inside out, 41–42
imagination and, 63–64 thoughts and, 44, 48–49. See also
฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ Edison, Thomas, 96, 97, 107, 152 Thoughts
62–63 Einstein, Albert, 33, 146, 147, 231 Worthy Ideal and, 83–94, 210–211,
levels delineated, 58 Elder, Larry, 209 224–226, 255
living through Worthy Ideal and, Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 36, 112 X/Y Factor Conditioning Exercise
83–94 Emotional Puppets, 195–196 for, 53–55
optimism and, 67–69 Emotional scars, 33–56, 245 your, setting and tracking, 214–217
passion and, 72–73 about: overview/summary of, Goethe, 162
stress, tension and, 61 56, 245 Gratitude, attitude of, 205–207, 261, 262
vision and, 79–82 conscious mind and, 34 Gratitude journal, 261
defined, 34, 35
Bailey, Pearl, 168 replacing, 56. See also Paradigms Hall, Col. George, 235
Ball, Lucille, 147 subconscious mind and, 34 Hillary, Sir Edmund, 152
Bannister, Roger, 152 Emoto, Dr. Masaru, 27–28 Hill, Napoleon, 42, 98
Being, qualities of, 167–169 Empowered Mastery’s Success Hubbard, Elbert, 197
Beliefs. See also Paradigms Formula, 17–19
breaking free from, 37–41 Empowerment, defined, 19 “I AM” statements, 119–121, 168–169,
conscious mind and, 34 Energy 249, 262
limiting, 36–37 focusing, 135–142 Imagination, 228–242. See also Life
placebos and, 128 increasing. See Meditation script statement
repetition as by-product of, 129 vibration of, higher power and, about: overview/summary of,
subconscious mind and, 23–27, 33 176–177 228–231, 242, 256
X/Y Factor, 48–55 Energy leeches, 134 awareness and, 63–64
Bell, Alexander Graham, 147 exercise, 241
Bennett, Robert F., 101 Faith, awareness and, 77–79 shifting from comparative to
Be, to have, do or, 164–167 ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ creative plane, 240–241
Book overview, 12–14, 258 50–51, 217 thinking outside the box, 231–232
Breathing, 183–185, 189, 261. See also ฀ ฀ unleashing creativity and, 233–234
Meditation about: overview/summary of, value and uniqueness of, 228–231
Buddha, 15, 175 125–127, 145, 250 Inside-out change, 41–42
Bunche, Ralph, 107 action steps, 140, 144, 145, 251 ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
Byrne, Robert, 170 areas of life for, 136–142,
Byron, Lord, 72 143–144, 249 Jackson, Bo, 211
Byung Min Kim, Grand Master, 179, attention, love and, 143 Jackson, Phil, 182
186, 188 being present and, 143 James, William, 191
Carnegie, Dale, 158 beliefs and, 128–130 Jay-Z, 147
271
Jobs, Steve, 16, 85, 147 fear blocking, 147–148 Shakespeare, William, 164
Joneses, keeping up with, 112–113 turning obstacles/challenges into, Shaw, George Bernard, 45
Jones, James Earl, 237, 238 146–150, 151–156, 251 Spirituality, physical experience and,
Jones, Jerry, 107 Optimism 129–130. See also Meditation
Jordan, Michael, 147 awareness and, 67–69 Stress
Journal, gratitude, 261 finding, 197–203 affecting awareness, 61
Jung, Carl Gustav, 20 energy leeches and, 134
Paradigms, 245 relieving. See Meditation
Keller, Helen, 70 breaking free from, 37–41 thoughts, energy and, 178
Kennedy, John F., 204 changing from inside out, 41–42 Stretching, 262
King, Martin Luther, Jr., 77, 85, 210 conditioning exercises, 259, 262 Subconscious mind, 22, 23–27, 33, 34,
Koop, C. Everett, M.D., 130 controlling life, 35 36–37, 177, 221, 236–240. See also
creating shift in, 42–48 Meditation; Paradigms; X/Y Factor
L.A.B. Report, 91, 247 defined, 35 Success
Lewis, C. S., 212 as emotional scars, 35 conditioning steps for, 259–262
Life, areas of, 136–142, 143–144, limiting beliefs and, 37–41 formula for, 17–19
250–251 Paralyzing, 39, 45, 47, 99, 245 knowing what you want, 26–27
Life Purpose, 159–163, 170–172, 173, Power, 39, 40, 45–47, 245 new you and, 257–263
253, 263 Pascal, Blaise, 27 questions to ask for, 25–26
Life script statement, 48, 234, 235–240, Passion, awareness and, 72–73 SUCCESSFUL acronym, 203
257, 262 ฀ ฀ ฀ Swift, Jonathan, 79
Like-minded people, 202–203 Persistence, 96–108, 247
฀ ฀ about: overview/summary of, 96, Thoreau, Henry David, 41, 228
Love, attention and, 143, 259 108, 247 Thoughts, 15–32, 244. See also Beliefs;
burning desire and, 101–104 Paradigms
Malin, Tom, 259 developing skill of, 105–107 about: overview/summary of,
Mandela, Nelson, 30, 84 Edison and, 96, 97, 107, 152 32, 244
Martial arts, 12, 20, 24, 35, 59, 61, mountain biking example, 97–98 changing, for success, 17–19
80–81, 82, 87–88, 93, 97–99, 101, PURSUE what you want, 107–108 choosing, 21
105–106, 122, 125, 126, 132, 150, 164, will and, 98–100 conscious, 20–22
179, 183, 194, 196, 197, 204, 211, 220, Pictures, dual-image examples, 113, 236 feelings/emotions, actions, results
233–234, 239 Poomse, 125, 130–131 and, 17–19, 191–192
McGinnis, Alan Loy, 135 Power of thoughts, 27–31 ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
McWilliams, Peter, 125 Present, being, 143 15–17, 62–63
Meditation, 175–190, 253 Proctor, Bob, 10, 92, 109 life-changing phrase, 21
about: overview/summary of, Purpose. See Life Purpose mechanics of, 18–19
190, 253 PURSUE what you want, 107–108 mental capacity and, 20–27
benefits of, 180–182, 186, 188–189, mind-body connection, 130–131
261 Realization, 158–174, 252 power of, 27–31
breathing and, 183–185, 189, 261 about: overview/summary of, subconscious, 23–27, 33
calmness, Tao and, 180–181 158–159, 174 success formula and, 17–19
energy, vibration, higher power fulfilling your purpose, 173 Thurber, James, 57
and, 175–177 to have, do, or be?, 164–167 T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N.
exercise, 253 Life Purpose and, 159–163, 170– Doctrine
methods/types of, 178–179, 189 172, 173, 252 about: overview of, 12–14
posture and discipline for, 186–187, qualities of being and, 167–169 ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
261 Worthy Ideal and, 159–163, 166, 15–17
science validating experiences 170–172, 252
of, 186 Rebounding, 260 ฀ ฀
timing of, 178–179, 187 Reflective meditation, 179 ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀ ฀
who can meditate, 177–178 182, 239–240
who can practice, 189 Sagan, Carl, 231 ฀ ฀
the “zone” and, 180–181 Self-control, 132–135
Mental capacity, 20–27. See also Self-image, 109–124, 248. See also “I Water, drinking, 261–262
Conscious mind; Subconscious mind AM” statements Website, 266
Miller, Reggie, 180 about: overview/summary of, 109, Weldon, Fay, 22
Mind-body connection, 130–131 124, 248 Wilde, Oscar, 194
Music, listening to, 262 affirmations and visualizations for, Will, persistence and, 98–100
119–123 Winfrey, Oprah, 16, 147
New you, 257–263 assessing, 110–111, 112–114, Worthy Ideal, 83–94, 151–152, 159–164,
Nightingale, Earl, 243 116–119 166, 170–172, 210–211, 224–226, 231,
Nin, Anaïs, 173 Conditioning Exercise, 116–117 252, 255
defined, 109
Obstacles, turning into opportunities, keeping up with the Joneses/ X/Y Factor, 48–55
146–150, 151–156 comparisons and, 112–113
Opportunities, 146–157, 251 key to improving, 116 “Zone,” the, 180–181
about: overview/summary of, qualities you want in others and,
157, 251 114–115
decisions impacting. See Decisions Self-mastery meditation, 179
272

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YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

YoU HaVe InFiNiTe PoWeR

ChRiS BeRlOw PaUl MeLeLlA Jr. NiCk PaLuMbO RiCk WoLlMaN

528 Noh State Rd, Braircliﬀ Manor, NY 10510

© 2014 Chris Berlow, Paul Melella Jr., Nick Palumbo,

© 2014 Chris Berlow, Paul Melella Jr., Nick Palumbo,

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,

Distributed in Canada by Sterling Publishing

For information about custom editions, special sales, and premium

The consultants at Empowered Mastery helped my team of district managers

This book is dedicated in loving memory of my childhood best friend Michael

12 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

Empowering Statements. We believe these statements are so strong

Conditioning for Success Exercises. These exercises were

Chapter Summary. These offer a quick synopsis for each step

14 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

{ We are what we think. All that we are arises

You are your thoughts!

The Intellectual Qualities are

Our T.R.A.N.S.F.O.R.M.A.T.I.O.N. Doctrine guides you through the

Thoughts → Feelings/Emotions → Actions → Results

18 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

EMPOWERMENT = MENTAL CAPACITY 2

Mental Capacity (Your Conscious Mind)

20 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

You Have the Ability to Choose Your Thoughts

{ Only one thing registers on the subconscious mind:

24 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

What are my exact goals?

Do I have a clear picture in my mind of what I really want?

“ In 1976, I went to Italy to visit my relatives. I remember my uncle

26 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

{ Man’s greatness lies in his power of thought.

Many of you may be skeptical of these experiments. Whether you choose to

28 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

30 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

32 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

{ The significant problems we face cannot be

34 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

These paradigms or perceptions control our expectations and determine

One of the most rewarding experiences we have as martial arts

REPLACING EMOTIONAL SCARS 35

Most of us want to improve in order to reach our personal best. We think to

36 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

{ Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re

REPLACING EMOTIONAL SCARS 37

Don’t let fear steal your happiness.

38 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

REPLACING EMOTIONAL SCARS 39

40 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

—HENRY DAVID THOREAU

REPLACING EMOTIONAL SCARS 41

{ Opinions are the cheapest commodity on earth.

42 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

REPLACING EMOTIONAL SCARS 43

44 YOU HAVE INFINITE POWER

Five years from now ___________________________________________

Ten years from now ________________________________________________

How does this make me feel? ______________________________________

How has this affected my:

528 Noh State Rd, Braircliﬀ Manor, NY 10510

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