The Greatest Success Tip of All Time

I had the rare opportunity to have tea with my teacher Chetsang Xian Rinposhe. As we sat, sipped tea, and engaged in conversation, I asked him the following question. “Teacher, if you had one success tip to share with the world what would that be?”  

True to my beloved teachers character and style he answered me by first sharing the following story:

There is an ancient story about two monks who sought to achieve enlightenment at a well-known monastery.  The first monk, named Druki, did not like to share his knowledge with others, but the second monk, named Chiko, shared his knowledge with everyone who would listen.

Druki  thought, “If I share my knowledge on achieving the path of enlightenment with the others, they will become my competitor in the monastery”. But Chiko thought differently, remembering the Buddha’s teachings that, “To give is to gain”. 

Druki was puzzled by Chiko’s actions as he noticed that he spent much of his time answering his fellow monk’s questions about his experience on the path towards enlightenment. Yet never did Druki hear Chiko complain and say, “I am wasting my time answering the questions of my brothers”.

One day, out of curiosity, Druki asked Chiko why he spent the majority of his time sharing his knowledge with the other monks. To which Chiko simply answered by saying, “To give is to gain”.

“What does that mean?” asked Druki. 

“It means,” answered Chiko, “that anytime I answer a question, I sharpen my knowledge”.

But Druki did not understand and thought, “How silly. How can he sharpen his knowledge, and what has that to do with the path of enlightenment?”

Not soon after his encounter with Druki, Chiko achieved the state of enlightenment; and he was greatly revered by the other monks for he achieved so much in so little time.  It was only then that Druki understood that; to give knowledge is to gain knowledge. 

At the end of the story Xian Rinposhe said this, “As the knife that is constantly sharpened loses its effectiveness, so is knowledge gleaned that is not shared. The greatest success tip of all time then is to share what you know with others.” 

Master Xian’s answer had a profound effect on me, causing me to contemplate the value of sharing what you know with others, instead of selfishly hoarding it.  I began to realize that knowledge freely shared is like a Cosmic ripple, evolving not only the consciousness of the teacher but also the student.                                           

There is an ancient proverb that says, “The tribute to learning is teaching.” When you share your knowledge with other people you receive back that knowledge with a deeper understanding of its intrinsic meaning; and this type of clarity is power.

Sharing your knowledge with others increases their experience and wisdom, and that new found wisdom broadens not only the student’s perspective on the subject, but also the teachers perspective as well. 

Learning something new increases the student’s joy, enthusiasm, and zest for life.  This excitement and passion is contagious and carries over from the student to the teacher.
Take some time today to find ways you can share what you know with others. Teach a class, write an article, create a blog or podcast. As you share your knowledge and experience with others, you will find that you want to share even more. Sharing your knowledge with others is a way of  ‘paying it forward’. 

Everyone has a unique and transferrable form of wisdom to pass onto to others, and freely sharing that wisdom creates a lasting legacy for both teacher and student.  “Share your knowledge with others,” says  His Holiness the Dalai Lama. “It is a way to achieve immortality.”

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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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The Shocking Truth About How To Increase Your Productivity!

Before I share with you the simple, yet somewhat shocking truth about how to increase your productivity, take a look at the following questions to see how you fare.

Have you ever spent valuable minutes, hours and perhaps in some cases, even days searching for something you misplaced?

Have you ever argued with a loved one or scolded them for misplacing something of his or hers?

Have you ever missed a important date or an appointment because you forgot?

Have you ever been halfway to your destination and remembered you didn't bring what you needed?

Do you have piles of papers scattered on your desk or around the house, or have a stack of unopened and opened mail that you will get to someday?

Do you have that nagging notion constantly telling you to get organized?

Do you find yourself reading books and/or articles on how to get organized?

Have you purchased organizational tools to help you stay on top of things and then never used them?

If you answered yes to even one of these questions you are most likely not organized to the point you would like to be. I have a very simple solution to this problem. This is a tried and proven method to get you organized and eliminate all that wasted time spent trying to get organized. You can read as many books on the subject of organization as you want, and buy all of the tools, but you only need one thing. Let me share with you a little secret.

If you are serious about increasing your productivity and getting results you must get organized. Here is a little secret that my mother taught me when I was a little girl and it still works form me today – every time!!

PUT EVERYTHING BACK WHERE IT BELONGS.

Organization starts with putting everything in its own designated place. It doesn't mean to dump your stuff in a corner of a room designated for that particular item, but instead having a clean, and uncluttered area in which you can find the things you need in an instant.

It doesn't take a lot of work to get your life organized, but it does take dedicated effort to make it a habit. Here are just a few ideas that can help you become better organized.

Write your appointments and important dates in a designated calendar as soon as you are aware of them. You can also use the calendar application on your cell phone, as well as several online free reminders services, or your email calendar, in order to remind you of upcoming dates and appointments.

Develop a method to quickly and easily navigate through your mail. I often open up my mail in front of my paper shredder. Make three piles of mail in the following category - important, interesting, and trash. If the item is important it will need your immediate attention. Examples of important items are incoming bills, membership dues, and life, health, auto, and home insurances. Interesting items include magazines, and other pieces of mail that you would like to read a bit further. The trash pile is self-explanatory.

Designate an entire day to create "stations" for your stuff. I did this with my craft items and am quite pleased with how fast can find what I need.

Increasing your productivity starts with the habit of consistent organization. If you want to achieve massive results in your life you must learn to be organized. An organized life is not only a peaceful life, but more importantly, it is a successful life.

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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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3 Power Traits of Highly Successful People

I don’t know about you, but I am always on the lookout for success tips and strategies that can help me to accelerate success in my life. And in my own life, one of my favorite things to do is to read biographies about a variety of highly successful people; people past and present who have achieved great things in their life time. As I study these people I jot down their insights and beliefs in an attempt to unlock their personal strategy for success.

Throughout my study I have narrowed down 3 three power traits or habits that all highly successful people have:

1. Never give up. Perseverance is the number one power trait of highly successful people. To never give up means to stay focused on what it is that you want to achieve in life and to not quit. This means to keep at it and to always move forward no matter what challenges you may face along the way. The dominant attitude of highly successful people is this: I will always advance forward one more time even if the road towards success appears bumpy or difficult to navigate.

Jack Canfield says, “Whatever your dream is don’t give up. You may have to fine tune it . . . learn some new skills, or go back to the drawing board and start over . . . but don’t give up.”

2. Ignore the ‘good opinions’ of others. Highly successful people do not worry what other people think about their dream or goal. Stay true to what it is that you want to achieve. Your dream or goal is specifically yours, and as a result, no one has the right to tell you what they think you should do or not do in relation to what it is that you want.

The truth is that most people feel threatened when someone they know are attempting to break out of the box of mediocrity. When they see others attempting to trade in a life of mediocrity for a life of success and fulfillment, they recognize their own failures, shortcomings, and regrets in life and are then quick to judge and criticize others.

When I first began studying personal development and success thirty years ago I received a fabulous piece of wisdom at a goal setting workshop I attended. The advice I was given was to keep your heartfelt goals a secret, because the only person you need to approve of your success is you!

I applied this sage piece of wisdom in my own life immediately; because at that particular time in my life, I was surrounded by negative people who were content with the status quo. I then began to covertly set and achieve my success goals on a routine basis unencumbered by negativity and I felt totally free! The results in my life were absolutely liberating because in doing so I was able to navigate my way towards my personal best without carrying the emotional baggage of others.

It all comes down to this, when you become less concerned with what other people think, you will open the door to much greater opportunities for success and abundance in any area of life you choose.

3. Take 110% responsibility for your life. Highly successful people take absolute control over their lives and know that blame has got to go. Statistics show that 70% of the people on this planet blame others for their failures in life. Instead of pulling up their boot straps and trying again, they give up, and blame their mom, their dad, the environment, the economy, etc.

As soon as you buy into the blame game, you get knocked off the winner’s platform of victory. You place yourself in a losing situation because you are depending on the outside world to be successful and happy.

Highly successful people realize that success is created from the inside out. This means that you need to take responsibility for what you think, what you visualize, and what you say and do; because these are the things that control your life experience.

I love what my mentor and teacher Tony Robbins says about your governing your inner life for success and achievement. “It all comes down to the inner game. Changing your life is an inner game. You can’t always control what is going on in the outside life, but you can take control of what is going on in your inner life.”

Your success is closer than you think. Apply these 3 power traits of highly successful people in your life starting today and not only begin to achieve your personal best, but also experience the satisfaction of living the life of your dreams.


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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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5 Amazingly Simple Goal Setting Techniques

Goal setting techniques needn’t be a chore.  If you are passionate about changing the circumstances in your life and carving out a compelling an fulfilling lifestyle that you  have previously only dreamed about then its crucial to find the fastest and most direct route to get there.

Some years back as a newbie goal setter I came upon a goal setting system offered by personal development guru that was cumbersome, confusing, and in the end brought me to tears.  What I wanted was a few simple steps that I could apply in my life in an instant so that I can begin to to achieve immediate results.

What I discovered is that I didn’t need a fancy system or method for setting and achieving my heartfelt goals.  If you want a fast, simple, and more importantly effective goal setting method, all you need is a piece of paper and a written response to the five following goal setting steps:

1. Know exactly what you want.  Knowing what you want is like the key that starts the engine of your success mobile. Knowing what you want gives you clarity, direction and a purpose.
2. Write it down.  Writing your goal down on paper does several things but in a nutshell it lets your conscious and subconscious mind know that your serious. “Hey guys,” it says, “take a look at this! The boss wrote it down! This is important.”
3. Attach a reasonable deadline to your goal.  A goal set without a deadline is a dream.  Here is an example of how I attach deadlines to my goals that you may find helpful to you.  Before my written goal I write the following: “On or before date/month/year . . .”
4. Break your goal down into doable steps.  Personal development great Anthony Robbins calls this “chunking it down.”  I call this the “pizza pie” technique.  You cant (well at least I cant) sit down and eat a large, gooey, cheesy, pizza all in one bite.  You take it slice by slice.  Break your goal down into smaller steps.
5. Take effective action everyday.  This is where you take your broken down goal steps and go for it.  If you want to succeed in life you must take action and do what you need to do to get from where you are to where you want to be. 

Effective goal setting is an easy process and achievement of your goals begins when you follow the five simple techniques of goal setting presented above.  So go for it! Get your piece of paper out today, write down what you want, give it a deadline, break it up into steps, and go out there and make it happen!

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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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The Incredible Power of a Smile

This morning I had the opportunity to recognize the incredible power of a smile. As I stood in line at the supermarket I had the opportunity to admire a rosy cheeked baby who seemed fixated on my face. I couldn’t help myself - I smiled at him, and he instantly smiled back causing me to feel those familiar, warm, fuzzies in my heart.

Smiles are powerful things, and very contagious. As the other people around me noticed the child smiling his incredible, toothless grin, they began to smile as well, setting off a chain reaction of smiles by passerby’s. The sad truth however is that few people become aware of this simple mood lifter, and even fewer; ever take the time to smile on purpose.

In my own life I believe that I have gleaned a lot of valuable wisdom from being in the trenches of life. I feel privileged and honored as it seems that my life has been enriched with loads of great and memorable experiences even though there were a few difficult circumstances to deal with along the way. As a Transformational Spirituality teacher I have the honor of getting to know and of associating with a lot of really fun and interesting people, and I have been able to enjoy numerous hours of pleasure engaging with them and making fun memories with each of them in the process. I am happily married, I love my children, and I am vibrant and healthy.

Yet, perhaps like you, there are days in my life when I allow myself to become bombarded with negatives and all I want to do is to hide myself away somewhere and have a good cry. It’s on those rare days that I gratefully recollect the wisdom that my dad always gave me as a child. When I was having an off day he would say to me, 'Dar, remember, whatever happens today, don't forget to smile, because nothing is ever as bad as it seems.'

I've found my dad's advice extremely helpful on countless occasions as I encountered some of life's curve balls. I remember one Friday morning when I was ten. I ditched elementary school because I felt as if my life was about to end. My pet rat Rosie died the night before and I felt like I couldn’t face the world.　The pain was so great that my ten year old heart thought that I was going to die.

However, I felt better about Rosie's death later that evening after my girlfriend Barbie invited me to spend the night at her house for a pajama party. We watched cartoons, played games, and smiled and laughed as we read elephant jokes to one another. The smiles and laughter eased my broken heart.

I also remember a time when I was in high school and feeling as if my life ceased to have meaning. I was interested in student government, ran for class secretary, and I lost. I felt like a complete failure, and the feeling of rejection literally crushed me inside. Dad told me to keep my head up and to remember to smile, and he assured me that my life would turn out just fine even though I was not nominated.

Smiles are incredibly powerful. Here are some ways you can use the power of a smile in your own life:

• Practice smiling at yourself. In my present life, having gleaned the secret power behind a smile, I honor myself and my father by facing every day with a smile. No matter what I may be going through, the minute I greet my face in the bathroom mirror I smile at myself. Practicing smiling at yourself will also do wonders for your self-esteem.
• Look for the humor in life. One of the biggest things that have allowed me to face each day with a giant smile on my face is my pet children. My "kids" help me to keep my sense of humor and my internal laughter meter at 110 percent smiles.　 Especially my curious cat, T-Bone. My pet kids are always doing hilarious things that keep me laughing throughout the day, causing me to keep a smile on my face no matter how harried my day may be. Look for the humor in your life on a daily basis. Throughout the years I have trained myself to look for what is funny in various situations in my life, and I have found that there are a variety of ways that you can look for the humor in life. As an example, watch funny television shows and movies, go to comedy clubs, or read funny anecdotes and jokes.
• Smile for no reason at all, and more importantly, smile often. A smile can change your emotional state in an instant! Remember the warm fuzzies I told you about when the baby smiled at me in the market?　 Medical science has found that smiling activates certain neurotransmitters and hormones such as serotonin, which is often referred to as the "feel good" hormone.

Find reasons to activate the power of a smile in your own life starting today, and remember those words a very wise man shared with me so many years ago -　 'whatever happens today, don't forget to smile. Nothing is ever as bad as it seems.'

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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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4 Power Packed Tips to Help You to Crush Fear and Anxiety!

Some people have a difficult time managing their anxieties and fears, which often results in low self esteem and self-confidence. As a result, not only does low self esteem and low self-confidence carry over into other areas of your life such as in your career, and in your relationship with others, but it can also affect your motivation to carve out a life of success and achievement. This means that if you want to put your best foot forward in life and to be effective that you must learn to manage your fears and anxiety.

The truth is that you can decide to manage your fears and anxieties or you can let them manage you! To crush fear and anxiety you must choose to take control by facing your fears and breaking through them. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "You gain strength, courage and confidence by experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face."

Here are four valuable tips you can apply in your life starting today to help you effectively manage your fears and anxieties, and that will you to help to raise your self esteem:

1. Exercise patience and persistence with yourself. Remember that practice makes perfect. Whenever it comes to dealing with your anxieties or any other task; practice, patience, and persistence is the name of the game. If you don't get the desired results the first time around, then keep trying until you do get the results. Through practice, you will become better at the task at hand and your self-confidence will increase.

2. Use your fear and anxiety as a learning partner. In every anxiety related situation you experience, you can begin to look for and to learn what works, what doesn't work, and what you need to improve on in managing your fears and anxieties. When you do this your fears and anxieties not only become a useful learning tool, but also a helpful guide. Here is an example - you are at work and begin to experience a lot of anxiety, so you decide to take a walk to help you feel better, and it works. The walk eases your stress and refreshes your mind, your body, and your emotions. The next time you begin to feel anxious you can remind yourself that you got through it the last time by taking a walk. This then inspires you and gives you additional confidence that you can and will be able to manage your anxiety the next time it surfaces.

3. Mentally rehearse a positive outcome when facing situations that bring out your fear or anxiety. Sometimes, you can get anxious over a task that you will have to perform in the near future. When this happens, visualize yourself doing the task in your mind, and having a positive outcome. For example, you have to give a report at the next corporate meeting in front of a large group of people in the next few days. Before the big day comes, see yourself addressing the group in your mind. Mentally see your audience being interested and engaged in what you are saying. By rehearsing the event first in your mind, you will feel better prepared to perform when the real time comes. Visualization is a great way to reduce not only your fear, but also the stress of an up coming situation - and it also increases your self-confidence by leaps and bounds.

4. Pray for Divine guidance. Prayer is an incredibly powerful thing, so do don't forget to pray and ask for Divine assistance and strength especially when you are feeling fearful or stressed out about something. As a human being you can only do and handle so much, so roll the overload into the lap of Universal Source. Asking for spiritual guidance can give you additional insights and resources to help you manage your fears, and to increase your self-confidence.

Endeavor to apply the above four tips in your daily life on a regular basis and watch your anxiety and fear disappear! It may feel at times that handling your fear and anxiety is a difficult process, but remember that you and only you can make the decision of whether or not you take a stand and control your fears, or if you will let your fears control you!

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." ~ Frank Herbert

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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional 
information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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How to Have Confidence and Power in Dealing With People

One of the many reasons why people lose confidence and power in dealing with people is because they are too overly concerned with what other people think. They feel they won't be liked if they said what was on their mind. What they are really saying is that they are trying to avoid conflict, when the conflict is the exact learning experience they need to provide the growth, knowledge and confidence for dealing with people in the first place.

Conflict management or managing the conflict of ideas and thoughts between two or more people can be an incredible learning experience for everyone involved, so much information is revealed in these intense periods that if we can learn to keep our integrity in tack during these short bursts of emotion, common ground can be quickly found.

However, if your confidence and power in dealing with people is somewhat watery at best, here are three tips to clarify your thinking and get you back on track.

1. What Do You Want Confidence And Power For?

We interact with different people on a daily basis, we need cooperation from these people because we know we cannot do it alone, we expect a certain amount of reciprocal behavior to get to where we want to be, so it would be beneficial to know what our motives are for persuading people over to our way of thinking?

2. What Is Your Attitude Towards Conflict?

True self-confidence is developed from the act of carrying out a successful task that has an element of personal risk or challenge. Confidence is also about disagreeing or saying no without feeling guilty in situations where we have strong opinions, to stand up for oneself so to speak. So if someone violates your space in some way, do you take the courage or confidence to take responsibility for the situation and speak up or do you just ‘let it go’…again?

3. Preparation Is The Key

One of the key secrets to real confident behavior is preparation, look at the words you are habitually using and prepare your speech in advance. Learn to be speak with authority, maybe even take a few singing lessons to develop vocal power. Develop a mental picture of your successful self, speaking confidently with the desired outcome.

Dealing with people effectively is a skill that can be learned and developed over time, at some point, you will have to get started, you will have go up to someone and say your piece, even if you stand their dumb struck and your face turns crimson with embarrassment, the first step has to be taken. If you feel nervous or shaky about doing this, you need to feel the fear and do it anyway, if its on your mind, the time will come when you will have to act, go in, do it with the expectation you are going to get it all wrong, but it is never as bad as you think it is going to be. One thing is for sure, conflict is a learning experience, you will learn more about confidence in one session than a lifetime of reading books or articles on the subject.

Remember, confidence is an attitude, a skill set that is learned and developed through application, a state of mind that can be achieved through deliberate consistent actions. You might be naturally shy or quiet and think real confidence is beyond you, but personal confidence can be one of your greatest assets. Learn to believe in yourself and your abilities, it is not easy, you will only gain power and the mental toughness needed through struggle, there is no short cut. You will only learn and grow through the challenge of getting started.

Make no mistake, to act with deliberate intention and say what needs to be said will require consistent effort on your part, you must rehearse what needs to be said, like a musician performing a great song, they had to rehearse once upon a time. Great speeches or monologues are not 'winged,' there is always great preparation that is goes unseen, which can give you the misconception of 'they were born that way', when this is in fact, far from the truth.

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Copyright 2012, by Dardarji. All rights reserved. If you would like some additional information on self improvement, meditation, and spirituality go to http://www.transformationalspirituality.com/ to down load free ebooks, mp3's, and other resources. Like us on Facebook!

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