2. Think of another time when you persisted and reached your goal.

  A. What was the challenge?

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  B. What did you do to persevere?

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  C. What did you achieve?

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  D. What did you learn from this experience?

  * * *

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  3. Think of a third time when you persisted and reached your goal.

  A. What was the challenge?

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  B. What did you do to persevere?

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  C. What did you achieve?

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  D. What did you learn from this experience?

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  Refer back to this track record of success to bolster yourself in the days ahead when you are faced with the inevitable challenges that will test your willingness to persist.

  WRITE YOUR OWN SUCCESS STORY:

  “How I Overcame Challenges to Reach My Breakthrough Goal”

  You’ve probably heard this expression: The best way to predict your future is to create it. When you set your Breakthrough Goal and begin working toward it, you are working to create the future you most want. One of the ways to help ensure that future is by taking the time now to envision how you will overcome any of the challenges that may emerge along the way.

  It’s time to write your future success story using the questions and prompts below.

  1. Review your Breakthrough Goal in Chapter 4: Use the Power of Goal-Setting to Achieve Your Vision.

  2. Describe an imagined moment in the future when you are so excited because you have just achieved your Breakthrough Goal—or some other crucial goal!

  What’s the date?

  Imagine what exactly you have seen or heard that tells you that you have achieved your Breakthrough Goal.

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  What is the strongest positive feeling you have as a result?

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  How does this success change how you view yourself?

  * * *

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  * * *

  3. Continuing to imagine you are in the future—and that you’ve reached your goal—describe the biggest challenge you had to overcome to get there—and how you overcame it.

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

  * * *

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  * * *

  Add to Your Life Success Journal

  Turn to Your Life Success Journal and complete the exercise for this chapter.

  Part Two

  Transform Yourself for Success

  Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.

  LEO TOLSTOY

  Celebrated Russian Author

  Chapter

  12

  Practice Meditation*

  When you have achieved a state of deep meditation, you unlock the door to your subconscious mind. That is where the power to create the life you desire lies.

  ADRIAN CALABRESE

  Author of How to Get Everything You Ever Wanted

  Decades of research show that meditation provides tremendous benefits in the areas of health and stress reduction. But for me, these benefits go even further: I meditate for 20 to 30 minutes most mornings, and have found that all the creative ideas and solutions I need to complete any task, solve any problem, or achieve any goal are all available inside me and will often appear while meditating.

  When I was 35 years old, I attended a meditation retreat that changed my life forever. For an entire week, from 6:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.—with breaks only for meals and silent walks—we meditated. At first, I thought I might go crazy. Sometimes I fell asleep, and other times my mind would race from one topic to another as I reviewed almost every experience of my life, planned how to improve my business, and wondered what I was doing sitting in meditation while everyone else I knew was out enjoying their life.

  However, on the fourth day, a beautiful thing happened. My mind became much quieter, and I moved to a place from which I could calmly witness everything that was occurring inside and around me without judgment or attachment. I had a profound sense of peace. I still had thoughts, but now they were deeper, more profound, and more insightful. I began to see connections I had never seen before. I understood my motivations, fears, and desires at a much deeper level. I became aware of creative solutions to problems I had been facing in my life. I felt more relaxed, calm, aware, and clear than I had ever felt before. When I focused on my deepest, most heartfelt goals and desires, solutions would come pouring into my mind. I would see the steps I needed to take and the people I would need to speak with to overcome any obstacle. It was truly magical.

  What I learned from this experience is that all the ideas I need to complete any task, solve any problem, or achieve any goal are all available inside of me. I’ve used meditation for centering, for stress reduction, and to access the wisdom and creativity of my subconscious and higher conscious mind ever since.

  A regular meditation practice will help you achieve all of your goals more quickly and more effortlessly, too. It will help you clear out your mental and emotional distractions and provide you with valuable insights and ideas.

  MEDITATION WORKS WONDERS

  Using neuro-imaging and genomics technology to measure physiological changes in their subjects’ brains and bodies, scientists at Harvard Medical School recently proved that meditation boosts the activity of genes involved in energy metabolism and insulin secretion—and reduces the activity of genes associated with inflammatory response and stress.

  Better yet, just one session was enough to have a measurable positive effect—even for novices who had never meditated before.

  In a separate study, Nobel Prize winner Elizabeth Blackburn and scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles found that 12 minutes of daily yoga meditation for eight weeks boosted telomerase activity by 43%. (Telomerase is also known as the “immortality enzyme” and has been proven to slow the cellular aging process.)

  But the effects go far beyond your brain and body.

  Meditation has also been scientifically proven to help you regulate emotions, decrease anxiety, increase your focus and attention, boost your self-control—and improve your ability to be creative and think outside the box.

  Wouldn’t those benefits help you significantly as you pursue your goals?

  SOME FAMOUS MEDITATORS

  But don’t just take my word for it. Benjamin Franklin, Jerry Seinfeld, Tim Ferris, Deepak Chopra, and Madonna all meditate. So do Jim Carrey, Kristen Bell, Sting, the Beach Boys, and Bill Ford (executive chairman of the Ford Motor Company).

  What do other successful people say who’ve made meditation part of their daily practice?

  Ray Dalio, billionaire hedge fund founder and author of Principles, says, “Meditation more than anything in my life was the biggest ingredient of whatever success I’ve had.”

  Richard Gere, Golden Globe–winning actor, has been meditating for more than 40 years. He says, “It helps me set my motivation for the day.”

  Eva Mendes, actress who has been meditating for 20-plus years, says, “I’m actually huge into meditation, . . . and that really helps create a sense of balance, . . . serenity, and kind of a calm state of mind.”

  Tom Brady, six-time Super Bowl Champion quarterback for the New England Patriots, said he loves Transcendental Meditation.

  Tim Ryan, U. S. Congressman from Ohio, went on a five-day meditation retreat and has been hosting meditation sessions for members of Congress and their staff for years.

  Russell Simmons, cofounder of Def Jam Records, states, “You don’t have to believe in meditation for it to work. You just have to take the time to do it. My advice? Meditate.”

  Robert Stiller, billionaire founder of Keurig Green Mountain (the company behind the coffeemakers), said, “If you have a meditation practice, you can be much more effective in a meeting. Meditation helps develop your abilities to focus better and to accomplish your tasks.”

  Katy Perry, one of the bestselling music artists of all time with an estimated net worth of $125 million, told Marie Claire magazine, “I start the day with Transcendental Meditation.”

  Hugh Jackman, Golden Globe and Grammy-award winning actor, has been meditating for more than 20 years. He said, “In meditation, I can let go of everything. I’m not Hugh Jackman. I’m not dad. I’m not a husband. I’m just dipping into that powerful source that creates everything.”

  MEDITATION PREPARATION:

  Time, Physical, Mental, and Environmental

  In a moment, I will give you instructions for a beautiful, relaxing meditation. Before we get to that, here are some things to keep in mind to have a beneficial—and pleasant—experience.

  Choosing the time to meditate. I recommend meditating in the morning before you start your day. The benefit is that it helps you set a positive tone for the day. It raises your vibration, which will help keep your thoughts more positive and creative, your emotions more centered and less reactive, and your ability to stay focused stronger. Some people prefer to meditate at the end of the day as a way to relax, release stress, and transition to being present at home after work or as preparation for going to sleep. I also recommend writing the exact time you are going to meditate into your calendar or day planner. Research has shown that writing or typing it into your daily schedule significantly increases your chance of actually doing it.

  Physical preparation. Avoid meditating on a full stomach, when overly tired, or while wearing restrictive clothing. Do not meditate while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Use your judgment when using prescribed medication.

  Mental preparation. It is helpful before meditation to prepare yourself mentally. For example, you may read, discuss, listen to, or think about something of an inspirational nature.

  Environmental preparation. Find a quiet time when you will not be disturbed by your phone, doorbell, children, or other interruptions. When you have moved into the inner stillness, all your senses are heightened, and a sudden noise can be a sudden shock to your system.

  READY TO START? CLICK THESE LINKS AND I’LL GUIDE YOU THROUGH YOUR FIRST MEDITATION SESSIONS

  Below you’ll find written instructions on how to meditate, together with a link to a YouTube video in which I guide you through a basic meditation session. Once you’re comfortable with meditation, consider purchasing Awakening Power, a set of my most powerful guided meditations, recorded with Dr. Deborah Sandella, where I further guide you through 11 different meditations (along with a 30-page study guide).

  MEDITATION PROCESS:

  Step-By-Step

  Here is a simple process for beginning your meditation practice.

  Note the time. Meditate for at least 10 minutes when you are beginning. Work up to 20 minutes or more over time.

  Meditation can be done sitting cross-legged on the floor on a cushion, or as most people find more comfortable, sitting in a chair.

  Relax. It is helpful if your spine is straight. It is surprisingly easy to relax in an upright position if you will imagine a string tied to the top your head pulling straight up toward the ceiling.

  Gently close your eyes, if you’re comfortable doing so. It is not required.

  Feel where your body touches the chair and the floor. Notice the sensations associated with sitting, such as pressure, or weight against the chair.

  Take a deep, slow breath, then another. Become aware of the sensations of breathing. Notice where you feel the breath—either at your nostrils, the expansion and contraction of your chest, or the rise and fall of your abdomen.

  Whenever your mind wanders, remember your breath, and gently return your awareness to the physical sensations of it.

  Remembering your breath, and returning your attention to it, is the practice. If you do that a hundred times, that is fine.

  RECORDINGS OF GUIDED MEDITATIONS

  To learn the meditations skills that I teach my students in my Breakthrough to Success Online program, I’ve recorded the following YouTube video where I provide instructions on how to meditate. In the second half of the video, I guide you through my Four-Part Meditation.

  Visit JackCanfield.com/workbook-resources to access the video.

  Breakthrough to Success Online

  The Breakthrough to Success Online program includes sessions where I guide you through the following three meditations: The 4-Part Meditation, The Tree of Life Meditation, and the Disidentification Process Meditation. You can learn more about it and purchase the program at JackCanfield.com.

  Awakening Power: A Complete Set of Guided Meditation Recordings

  Another resource you can purchase at my Web site, these are some of my most powerful guided meditations and guided visualizations, recorded with Dr. Deborah Sandella. Visit JackCanfield.com.

  MAKE-IT-A-HABIT WORKSHEET

  Make Time to Meditate

  Every day this week, meditate for at least 10 minutes. Over time, you may want to increase it to 20 minutes. Pay attention to your experience as you begin this new practice.

  Set a reminder on your smartphone every day this week to practice mindfulness several times a day, if only for a moment. You can use the silent vibration mode on your phone, if you prefer.

  Every day this week, locate one new resource for maintaining your meditation practice, whether an online meditation source, a local meditation group, a book, or a Web site to help you sustain your practice. See Additional Meditation Resources below.

  ADDITIONAL MEDITATION RESOURCES

  There are many resources available to help you learn meditation and to guide you in maintaining an ongoing meditation practice. A few of these include:

  Apps, such as Insight Timer (insighttimer.com) or Headspace (headspace.com).

  Web sites, such as UCLA’s Mindful Awareness Research Center at www.uclahealth.org/marc/mindful-meditations.

  Local Meetup groups and local meditation centers such as those affiliated with the Insight Meditation Society. Visit www.dharma.org/resources/meditation-centers-and-communities.

  Transcendental meditation. Visit TM.org.

  Add to Your Life Success Journal

  Turn to Your Life Success Journal and complete the exercise for this chapter.

  Chapter

  13

  Clean Up Your Messes and Your Incompletes*

  Clean up your own mess.

  ROBERT FULGHUM

  Author of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

  Successful achievers know the importance of releasing old, excess emotional baggage on their journey to success. They know it robs you of energy and is an ongoing distraction. Well, the same principle applies to physical messes that are left incomplete, as well as relationship issues that remain unresolved in your life.

  Are there areas where you’ve left uncompleted projects or failed to get closure with people? The problem is that when you don’t complete your past, you are not free to fully embrace the present or to easily create your future.

  WHY DON’T PEOPLE COMPLETE?

  Often, incompletions represent areas in our life where we’re not clear—or where we have emotional or psychological blocks. For instance, you may have a lot of requests, projects, tasks, and other things on your desk that you want to say no to—but you’re afraid of being perceived as selfish, insensitive, unappreciative, or uncooperative. So you put off responding to avoid saying no. Meanwhile the sticky notes and stacks of paper pile up and distract you from your more heartfelt goals. There may also be situations in which you need to make decisions that are difficult or uncomfortable. Rather than deal with the discomfort, you let the incompletions pile up.