Personal Strategy Institute

Above All, Stay True to You!

Randall Rogers — Sat, 19 May 2012 15:32:51 +0000

In the fast-paced, chaotic, ever-changing world that we live in, it is easy to lose focus of what really matters in life. All types of events bombard us daily influencing our emotions, actions, and thinking. Despite the chaos that is ‘our life’, we must not lose sight of who we are and want to be.

There have been many occasions where the happenings on the surface of life have distracted me from focusing on my long-term vision for self. More tragically, such distractions have caused me to either delay, postpone, or abandon one or more inner soul goals. This we must not let happen. We must never let that which occurs without delay, postpone, or abandon that which stirs within. I have learned over the years that there is one powerful tool or technique that will ensure we never lose sight of our personal vision, personal goals. The tool I speak of is: personal reflection. What is personal reflection? Personal reflection represents deliberately ‘stopping one’s life’ to focus on one’s life. Said differently, personal reflection is simply dedicating daily time (e.g., 30 min; 60 min) to the exercise of thinking about one’s vision, one’s goals, and one’s personal strategy to achieve such goals. When we do this, that is, when we engage in daily reflection, never will you lose sight of those things that matter most in your life and to which you currently strive.

I know the dedication and level of commitment that is required to achieve a substantive goal (e.g., write a book, start a business, lose 50 lbs, etc.). Because achieving an inner soul goal requires significant effort and time, it is imperative that you take whatever measures (i.e., personal reflection) are necessary to keep your personal vision in your face and top of mind. It is imperative because when we lose focus on what matters most to us, not only does this demoralize us, it kills our enthusiasm and momentum to ‘just keep going’ when the going gets tough. I speak from personal experience, so take advice from someone who has succumbed to the chaos, someone who has suffered the effects of a world-gone-gray, personal reflection works! It is all we need to ALWAYS stay true to who we are and were meant to be.

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. Together, we can make great things happen! If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org.

Seeking Purpose? Find Something to be the ‘End’ Of

Randall Rogers — Sat, 12 May 2012 20:02:49 +0000

We do not ask for life. But, having arrived, each of us innately desires purpose in our life. Now, while each of us innately desires purpose, few people actually know purpose. Like perhaps you, I sought purpose in life. I was not content with just ‘living’. I needed more from life. Specifically what I needed was “something” to rally behind that reflected essence of soul; I needed something to ignite (perpetually) my life spirit. For without having something in my life that reflected soul, touched spirit I knew my life would lack meaning ultimately resulting in me living a life diminished. This (a life diminished), I could not accept. I suspect, just by virtue of you visiting this website that this is how you feel. If so, please know that you are not alone as I believe the majority of people on earth feel this way. That said, there is a way out; there is a quick and simple way to determine purpose in your life – find something to be the “end” of.

For many years, I sought purpose in my life and then in August, 2005 I was struck with almighty wisdom of what to do with my life – of WHO to be and HOW to operate on the surface of life – I was going to be the “end” of:

Living the ‘Standard Life Design’
Living with disconnectedness and suffering
Living with separation between self and soul

Let me explain the above. The majority of people on the planet live by the ‘Standard Life Design’; living not an authentic life inspired by soul, but living a different, lesser reality. A reality often rooted in tired tradition, cultural norms, and arbitrary choices (e.g., pursuing a specific career/profession/role because your parents wanted you too, or because your best friend was pursuing such career, or because a sibling chose such path). I chose NOT to live by the standard life design, but instead blaze my own trail; live authentically. In choosing to live authentically, I chose, by default, to also ‘end’ the cycle of living with needless disconnectedness and suffering. So many people today are suffering due to personal misalignment – wrong career, wrong life partner, wrong location. NOT ME! I am actively working to remove all forms of disconnectedness from my life; to end all forms of suffering. I am the ‘end’ of such things. Finally, by opting out of a life without meaning in favor of living as soul would live, I chose to ‘end’ the abnormal (and absurd) separation between self and soul. You see, all living things yearn to be whole. A tree yearns to be whole. A bird yearns to be whole. And we yearn to be whole as well; self with soul.

If you have struggled with finding purpose in life, there is only one question to ask yourself: ‘What will I be the END of?’ When you answer this question you will know what path to take in life. Moreover, you will have discovered the “something” to rally your life around; to inspire your movements on the surface of life. When I chose to be the ‘end’ of such things above, my life changed for the better as I found my purpose in life – serving as a life coach, writing self-help/personal growth type books, and writing inspiring posts, hopefully, like this one. Your purpose is waiting for you; just around the corner.

So, I ask: ‘What will you be the END of?’

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Want Success? Then Adopt an Attitude of ‘Manufacturing It’!

Randall Rogers — Mon, 07 May 2012 14:25:41 +0000

Achieving goals in life requires more than desire, a ‘plan’, and raw doing. It first requires one adopt the right attitude. And the attitude that I speak of is one that reflects the belief that “I determine my path in life”; that “I determine my worth in life”; that “I determine my success in life”. Perhaps the best phrase that captures the essence of what I am trying to say is the following: “There is only one person looking out for you, and that is you”. Now, what this suggests, in an almost across-the-face slap is that each of us, YOU AND I, are entirely responsible for determining our level of success and happiness in life. No other person shoulders such burden.

Perhaps another way to say the above is that each of us, individually, is responsible for ‘manufacturing our own success’; neither our parents, siblings, priest, employer, doctor, friend, neighbor, nor random stranger shares in such burden. This burden lies squarely (and rightly) with you. The moment you acknowledge this ‘truth’, the more likely you are to achieve your life goals. Moreover, the moment you accept such fate, you are empowered to direct your life; to improve your life; to transform your life. We should never delegate this responsibility (even partly) to others as this is a personal matter. This is about YOU and YOUR LIFE. With such things riding in the balance, there is no chance I would rely on others to determine my fate. My ability to maximize the personal, professional, and financial potential that life offers rests squarely with me, and I fully (and graciously) accept it. So should you!

The question I would ask of you is: ‘Have you been relying on others to help you succeed?’ ‘Have you been successful in “Breaking Free”?’ If not, do not be discouraged over current condition, as you are not alone. This is a fault of the masses. That said, it is likely that you simply have adopted the wrong attitude or mindset to achieving your goals; relying perhaps more on others (to get ahead; to break free) than by your own accord. Know this: SUCCESS CAN BE MANUFACTURED! Achieving remarkable success in life is within your control. You may already have most of the critical ingredients (e.g., personal vision, inner soul goals, personal strategy, and desire) to transform your life. Perhaps all that is missing from the mix is ‘right attitude’. If this seems to reflect your situation, then do as I do and repeat this saying daily: ‘Want Success? Then Manufacture It!’ With knowledge of what this phrase means…

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

The Secret to Maximizing the Life Experience: Leveraging Your Innate Skills for Personal Gain

Randall Rogers — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 23:03:06 +0000

To achieve professional success in life often requires years of sweat, tears, and sometimes struggle. If you look at the back-story of most successful people in life (e.g., Oprah, Einstein, Harrison Ford, Sam Walton, JW Marriott, Tiger Woods, etc.) you will find that they did not become overnight sensations. Rather, they “labored” for years perfecting their respective ‘crafts’ to become successful. Today, it seems that we have forgotten (or dismissed) this important fact (or ingredient) to achieve success.

Few people throughout history have become overnight successes. While it is admirable to think that you will be one of the ‘lucky few’ who will breakthrough with little effort or in record time, please know the odds are significantly against you from actually doing so. Rather, as mentioned earlier, for the majority of people on the planet, success comes about not from flashes of genius but from constant, persistent labor, commitment, and indomitable will. Now, that said, there is something that, if known and later harnessed, can “fast track” you to achieve professional success in record time. What I am referring to, the secret to which I now speak of is to: a) know of and b) harness your “innate” skills.

Okay. Just so we are clear, let’s first define what ‘innate’ means.

For ‘something’ to be ‘innate’ means that it “exists in one from birth; that it is inborn; that it is native”. Of course, the thing I speak of is your special gifts; the attributes or ‘special traits’ that you were ‘born’ with. For example, some people are born with natural communication skills. Some people are born with intense empathy skills. And some people are born with remarkable math skills. The list could go on and on, as to the ‘innate’ things that each of us individually has been born with. The significance, relevance, importance of knowing, and later harnessing, one’s ‘innate’ skills is that by virtue of being born with such ‘skills’, it provides us with a distinct competitive advantage (if properly harnessed) over others who do not possess such skills.

If properly harnessed – these are the operative words. Now, there is no better illustration of this phenomenon than in the workplace. For, when we pursue a career, role, profession that allows us to “leverage” such skills it gives us distinct advantages (to succeed in our career, role, profession) that perhaps others do not hold. What this suggests, then, is that each of us identify (through deep soul searching, personal reflection, asking of others, etc.) what our innate skills are. With such insights, such knowledge, we can identify ALL the professions, roles, careers that “require” such skills to be successful. When you do this, that is, when you ALIGN your innate skills with your career, role, profession – great things happen!

Let’s consider an example to illustrate my point. Let’s consider the career/profession/role of: ‘Sales Representative’. When you think of such career, profession, role what skills do you think would be important, necessary to succeed; to be “a top performer”? For me, the following skills come to mind:

Great communication skills
Ability to empathize with others
Good looks
Great listening skills
Etc…

It seems to me, that to be a great sales rep, it would require someone to be a very skilled communicator, who can empathize with others, who ‘looks’ the part, and who is a great listener. Now, suppose further, that someone “innately” possessed these skills. Do you think such person would have a ‘competitive advantage’ over others to succeed in such role; to be a top performer? Let me save you the suspense…of course such person would have an advantage. Why would such person have an advantage over other sales reps who might not possess such ‘innate’ skills? It is because when we ‘innately’ possess a skill, regardless of what the skill is, anything that requires such skill comes “easily”, “naturally”, “with little effort”. If I possess just ‘average’ or ‘ok’ communication skills, then ‘making the sale’ is going to be much harder for me. I will have to exert far more effort to ‘close the deal’ and match the level of success of someone who naturally possesses such skill. The same can be said for the other skills shown above. Hopefully, what this example illustrates is that when we leverage the natural gifts that we were born with, as it relates to our career, profession, and role we position ourselves not only to be highly successful, but to achieve success in record time.

Therefore, if you want to join the ranks of the ‘lucky few’, do as I have done: 1) identify your innate skills 2) identify which careers, professions, and/or roles ‘require’ such skills, 3) reduce your list to 1-3 professions that interest you 4) relentlessly pursue your ‘dream job’.

Know This: Few people today know what their innate skills are. Fewer still have aligned their career, profession, and role to ‘leverage’ their innate skills. What this suggests is that you can “rise above” others quickly, easily by simply identifying your innate skills and then aligning them with your next job.
Trust me when I say this, if you ALIGN your innate skills with your chosen profession, career, or role – great things will happen. How do I know this? It is because YOU will hold a competitive advantage of the highest order.

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

The #1 Reason Why We Fail to Achieve Our Goals: “Out of Sight, Out of Mind”

Randall Rogers — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:59:55 +0000

How are you doing with achieving your 2012 goals? Making good progress? Goals stalled? If it is the latter, help is here. All too often when we set goals and then begin executing change to achieve our goals, not long after we seem to lose enthusiasm and our goals die a slow, painful death. Sound familiar? After much soul searching and reflection on years past as to WHY this happened to me, I discovered one profound truth; a ‘truth’ that most have heard in the form of this adage: “out of sight, out of mind”. It is an undeniable truth (fact) that when our goals are “out of sight”, they, too, are also “out of mind” and when both these conditions exist there is but one outcome: goal denied!

What I learned from my descent within, is that the combination of {goal defined, personal strategy to achieve such goal, and action} does not make for “goal achieved”. Something else, of even greater importance and significance, is needed to ensure goal success. The critical element, the missing link is that we need to keep our goal “in our face, and top of mind”. For when we do this, we do not lose sight of our goal and if our goal is plainly in sight, so, too, is it firmly in our mind. This is the key to achieving any and all goals – to keep our goals “in our face, and top of mind”. So…the question becomes ‘how can we do this with consistency; sustaining for the long haul?’

From deep soul searching, personal reflection, and trying numerous techniques, I believe I have found a set of “tactics” that work; that is, help us avoid the “out of sight, out of mind” syndrome. The best way to keep your goals front and center, to help you maintain enthusiasm, momentum to achieve your goals is to do the following:

1. Write each of your inner soul goals (separately) on the front of an index card
2. Write why you are pursuing the goal on the back of each respective index card
3. Review your goals (i.e., your index cards) each morning before you go to work/start your day
4. Review your personal strategy to achieve each goal
5. Reflect on what went well/did not go well the day before (in terms of executing your personal strategy); record your thoughts and notes in a personal journal (i.e., ‘Reflective Learning Journal’)
6. Decide what you will do differently TODAY to correct for the things that did not go well in #5 above
7. Read some inspirational quotes/sayings to ‘ignite your day’

By performing each of the steps above, with added emphasis on the need to review your goals/personal strategy DAILY, never again will your goals be “out of sight, out of mind”. Moreover, you will be firmly back on the path to achieving your goals, in short order. As it relates to step #7 above, here is what I repeat each morning, perhaps repeating similar quotes/sayings will inspire you as they do for me:

Do not be blinded by your current work, for your work to come
I am steadily building towards living my vision
Everyday represents movement, so just keep going
Who is my Self? What is my Work?
Victory or Death!
Be determined to make it (your success) happen
Do not settle for a life without meaning; passion
The best way to predict the future, is to create (manufacture) it
For soul to rise, self must die
If you had Only One Shot at opportunity, would you capture it OR just let it slip?
Failure is not an option; never doubt that you will succeed
My will must be at ATTENTION!
Concentrated attention is the SECRET of genius
You can do anything you set your mind to

Have faith. Be courageous. Practice enthusiasm. You can be who you want to be. You can live the type of life you hope to live. It took me 5+ years to realize that the difference between goal attainment and goal failure is that I MUST “keep my goals in my face and top of mind”. I promise you, if you do this, DAILY, by practicing the steps outlined above your relentless assault will result in you achieving your dreams.

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

The Essence of Personal Strategy: Do Many Things Well and Integrate

Randall Rogers — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:48:34 +0000

Most of us know when things are misaligned in our life. For example, we know when we are in the wrong job, role, or profession. How do we know, you ask? We know because, among other things, our attitude is poor, our demeanor is weak, and our willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ for our employer is nonexistent. Similarly, we know when we are ‘out of shape’ or ‘living in the wrong location’ or ‘living with the wrong partner’, etc., etc. I mention these things not because each example represents a different form of ‘personal misalignment’ that requires rectifying, but because our typical ‘response’ to rectify such misalignment is often flawed.

As humans, we are fortunate to know when we are ‘misaligned’ (in terms of who we are and want to be on the surface of life) in that we can feel it. Further, in addition to ‘feeling’ misalignment, several other symptoms (or “warning signs”) often exist that inform us quite acutely that change is needed in our life, and fast. Now, while the warning signs (of misalignment) emerge seemingly without much effort on our part, correcting for such misalignment actually requires much of our effort. This is where most people fall down, as responding to misalignment often requires one to make great change in one’s life.

For example, the ‘typical response’ for someone wanting to combat obesity; that is, wanting to ‘become exceptionally fit’ reflects something like this:

Exercising at the gym (a few days a week) OR
Modifying one’s diet to reduce calorie intake OR
Taking fat-burning diet pill/supplement OR
Reading literature on how to live a healthier life

Now, while individually each of the tactics above is ‘good’ and ‘needed’, rarely does one take ALL the actions above (taking a holistic, systemic view to enacting change) electing instead to making just one change OR another. The problem with this approach, this “response to misalignment”, is that to be successful with ANY personal transformation (e.g., overcome obesity, change careers, quit addiction, etc.) it requires that we do MANY things well (at once) and INTEGRATE them. This is the core essence of personal strategy – “do many things well, and integrate them!”

Consequently, if you have been unsuccessful in making transformative changes in your life, consider your “response”; that is, take a close look at your action(s). You might find that your current action(s) reflect just a ‘part’ of a broader system of actions needed to bring about such transformation. Know this: it is unlikely that you will be successful with achieving any transformative goal for yourself without approaching with a ‘system’ of actions (i.e., that is, MANY actions that form a more integrated and complete whole).

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

How to Break the ‘Cycle of Desperation’

Randall Rogers — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:32:38 +0000

Stuck in a rut? Looking to transform self and life? Feeling desperate? If you answered ‘yes’ to any of these questions, read on…help is here.

I myself have felt all of the above. I have been “stuck in a rut”. I have wanted to “transform self and life”. I have “felt desperate”. It is because that I have been in your shoes, walked your walk, so to speak, that enables me to offer you a solution.

Collectively, the way I think about the situations posed above is being stuck in a “cycle of desperation”. Most of us have been there. That is, most of us have operated (existed) in life where we felt our life was stuck in neutral; little to hope for. I, for one, hate feeling this feeling. If I do not feel as if I am moving forward (in terms of maximizing the personal, professional, and financial potential that life offers), then I feel as though I need to make change. It is because of this drive, desire to “achieve” in life, to make something of my life, that continually inspires me to push myself to realize the type of life I have always wanted; long ago dreamed.

If you feel the same; that is, if you also want to realize the highest form of you, listed below are six steps you can take (practice) to help break the “cycle of desperation” you may now be stuck in.

Trust me. You can transform your life. It is within your control. Wherever you are today, whatever state you find yourself in is only TEMPORARY. You are the MASTER of you. As such, YOU control your destiny. YOU control your level of success in life. YOU control your emotional state.

Do as I, and many others, have done, by executing the six steps above. Take some risk. Be courageous. What have you got to lose? Better said, think of the life you can LIVE! A better life awaits you; just around the corner.

Let 2012 be your best year yet!

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

To “Live” for Something – This is the Goal!

Randall Rogers — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:16:16 +0000

What do you live for? Seems like a simple enough question to answer, but for many people it can be one of the most difficult questions to answer. Without dismissing typical (and admirable) answers like “I live for my kids” OR the more primal “I am just trying to survive”, I ask this question today because for many people, they simply do not have an answer. Perhaps I am talking about you? In any case, I raise this issue because we need to LIVE for SOMETHING. Why is it necessary to live for something? It is because without having a purpose in life, something to strive for, our life lacks focus, energy, and life spirit. And when our life lacks focus, energy, and spirit we die inside; a little bit, every day. Enough to say, this is no way to live.

Each of us was “blessed with life” and, therefore, each of us has an obligation (to self, soul, family, and world) to “make a life”. This is where having purpose, identifying something to “live” for becomes relevant. For, the moment you dedicate yourself to some purpose, to some-thing, your life if forever altered; and in a good way.

For example, consider how your life might change (for the better) if you stated any of these as your life purpose:

Start a not-for-profit to feed the homeless
Volunteer as an instructor to teach kids how to read
Write self-help books to help others live a fragrant life
Start a business to work, operate, and live freely
Earn a medical degree and offer services in 3rd world countries
Become a video journalist documenting world events to drive social change

The list could grow endlessly, but you get the point – To LIVE for SOMETHING, enables one to “LIVE”, this is the operative word; rather than the predictable opposite (as noted by Henry David Thoreau), “DIE A SLOW DEATH”. When you distance yourself from family, friends, work, etc., what you are left with is SELF and SOUL. If you were to do this, that is, seek isolation, even if for one day, what would your SOUL say? What would soul be telling you then? I would suggest to you, especially if you cannot answer the question posed above, that you do seek isolation – to hear what soul has to say. It has been said that “when we are most quiet, when we are at our quietist (in life), that we are MOST alive (in life).” Why is this true? It is because that when we are quiet, when we are alone, do we finally discover who we really ARE and were MEANT to be.

If you know what your life purpose is already, great. Step 2 is to define, implement, and begin managing a personal strategy to ensure you realize life’s purpose. If, on the other hand, you have yet to define your life’s purpose, consider this your wake-up call to “get busy living” rather than the dreary and life-sapping alternative of “get busy dying”. Your SOUL is waiting to emerge. Therefore, let it out! Let soul sing. All that is required of you is to meet soul half-way. The rest will fall into place.

Therefore…

Decide TODAY to join the living. Decide TODAY to find your purpose. Decide TODAY to live for something. Trust me, YOU will be glad you did.

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Chance Favors the Prepared Mind: 10 Steps to ‘Ace’ Phone Interview

Randall Rogers — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 13:19:46 +0000

Getting an interview today is difficult. You can expect that for any given job you might be interested in at least 100-300+ applicants have applied for the job, from all over the country, if not the world. Because we are living in such competitive times, it is imperative that you prepare adequately for your job interviews (phone, face-to-face, skype, etc). One of my favorite quotes is “chance favors the prepared mind”. Believe me, when it comes to “passing” an interview, chance DOES indeed favor the prepared mind. As such, in today’s post, I share with you 10 steps that I have refined over the years that have, for me, created almost an unfair competitive advantage over others when it comes to aceing a phone interview. Trust me when I say, I am a ‘master’ interviewee. My success rate in “passing” a phone interview (to get to the face-to-face interview) exceeds 90%. Therefore, listen up, review, and practice the steps below as you, too, can be a “master interviewee”:

1. Find a quiet place to conduct the interview (seek isolation)

2. Conduct research on the company (e.g., Recent news, Latest quarterly results, Stock price, Recent annual report, Key products/services, Markets served, Business challenges)

3. Conduct research on yourself (e.g., Tell me about yourself?; What are your strengths?; What are your weaknesses?; What is your leadership style?; What are your professional goals?; Why interested in the role?; Why interested in the company?; Why leave your current employer?; Why the company should choose you?; What are some of your key achievements in life?; Where did you demonstrate leadership skills?; What type of adversity have you had to overcome in life?; What challenges have you had to overcome in life?; What have been some failures in your life and what did you learn from them?; What is your ability to influence others?; What is your ability to multi-task?)

4. Practice, practice, practice

5. Create ‘cheat sheets’ with info on both the company and you

6. Strategically place all cheat sheets in front of you on a desk before the interview begins

7. Review the location of all content to enable a quick response to any questions above

8. Think of 5-10 questions to ask the interviewer; have your ‘questions sheet’ nearby to access

9. Rehearse your answer to the question ‘Tell me about yourself?’; should be a 1-2 minute response

10. Go to bed early the night before the interview; wake up refreshed; practice for :45 minutes before the interview; relax – remember, interviewing is a two-way street. That is, just as the interviewer will be rigorous with you, so, too, should you be rigorous with the interviewer. After all, you have to be equally “impressed” by the company, the role, and the people to accept an offer.

These tactics I have personally used dozens of times. They work, believe me! I have mastered the ‘art of the phone interview’ and SO CAN YOU.

Good luck.

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

The Death of Soul! – Do Not Let This Happen

Randall Rogers — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 13:38:27 +0000

I am going to make a bold statement about you; an indictment about you – that YOU are not “really” living; not yet, at least. Why do I feel confident in making this statement of you, someone I do not know? It is because for the majority of people on the planet, they have suppressed soul – are not living as soul would live. And to suppress soul, to deny soul from seeing the light of day, is to live a diminished life. This is the state of most people today – living a “diminished” life.

Please note, I am not saying you are living a “terrible” life or a “difficult” life, just a “diminished” life. And this my friend must change. Having arrived on the planet, each of us was meant to live a fragrant life, full of color. The type of life where we wake up in the morning excited to confront the day. Is this how you feel today? Be honest with yourself – soul is watching!

What I am suggesting to you is to not let the dream die. Said differently, do not let your soul die. You may not be living as soul would live yet, but with a vision for self, a personal strategy to achieve vision, and indomitable will, you will arrive; soul will emerge on the surface of life to feel the sun’s warm glow. In a world designed to deliver the opposite, choose to “go the other way”. Choose life. Choose living.

Above all, choose soul. Soul is waiting to emerge, just behind the shadows. It would be a terrible shame NOT to let it out; to see the REAL you. The world needs the REAL you. Let it emerge…beginning today.

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Freedom Carries Sacrifice

Randall Rogers — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:02:26 +0000

Most of us want to achieve the same high-level goals in life: health, wealth, happiness, etc. Said differently, most of us want to be ‘free’. In reality, however, few people achieve such goals on a sustained basis. In reality, few people are ‘free’. Why is this? Why is it that so few of us ARE healthy, wealthy, and happy (on a sustained basis). Why is it that so few of us ARE free. To these questions, I believe I know the answer: it is because those who achieve such goals, acheive such freedom have made the necessary sacrifice; in other words, they have “paid the price” for success. This is where most people fall down. While it takes some effort to achieve such high-level goals, to acheive some level of ‘freedom’ in the short-term, it is something altogether to sustain such things for the long-term.

Consider your current level of sacrifice in achieving your goals with respect to the examples below:

To achieve the goal: ‘be exceptionally fit’ (healthy), on a sustained basis, it requires making the following sacrifices:

Eating the ‘right’ foods (and therefore avoiding the ‘wrong’ foods)

Exercising regularly (allocating time to exercise, daily)

Knowing your body

Maintaining will power

Similarly, to achieve the goal: ‘financial independence’ (wealth), it requires making the following sacrifices:

Paying one’s dues (long-term focus)

Professional development

Intense dedication and commitment

Self reflection and ‘knowing’ oneself

What the above examples illustrate is that success requires sacrifice. Said differently, freedom, in all its forms (spiritual, mental, physical, financial), requires sacrifice. If you have been unsuccessful with achieving spiritual freedom, ask yourself ‘have I made necessary sacrifices to achieve such freedom?’ If you have been unsuccessful with achieving financial freedom or physical freedom, ask yourself the same questions. Only YOU can determine success with achieving such freedoms.

Make ALL necessary sacrifices today to acheive your dreams; to ‘break free’. You will be glad you did.

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

The Key to ‘Breaking Free’: Enabling Yourself to Take Risks

Randall Rogers — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:32:23 +0000

There are many things that hold us back from achieving greatness. Sometimes it is because we are lazy – not wanting to pay-the-price for success. Sometimes it is because we are fearful – we lack the courage to face our fears head-on. And sometimes it is because we lack confidence in our ability to really bring about transformational change (e.g., quit addiction, start a business, lose 40 lbs). Now, while it is true that all these things do hold us back from achieving our goals, from achieving greatness, there is a bigger obstacle that most of us face today – current lifestyle.

To ‘break free’ from where one is, to where one wants to be it often requires ‘taking risks’. For example, many people desire to work for themselves; to be an entrepreneur. I understand this desire as I am a small business owner and there is nothing like being your own boss; being in control of your own destiny, your earnings, and your freedom. To start a business requires faith, courage, and enthusiasm. Moreover, it requires taking a risk that you will succeed; that you will have the ability to support self (and possibly others). Now, while this challenge, risk is real the greater challenge we have is putting ourselves in a position “to” take risks. This is perhaps the central problem we face today – the inability to take risks. Most people are not in a position “to take risks” (like start a business) because they have too much debt, too big a house, too expensive a car, etc., etc. The sheer weight of current lifestyle prevents the “willing” to break free, cut over, take risks and begin living a better, more authentic life. Consider your situation today. Are you able to take risks? How does your ‘current condition’ prevent you from taking risks to begin living a better life? In my opinion, it is our current ‘overweight’ lifestyle that is preventing many people from pursuing, living their dream. We are not living within our means and as a result we are denied from ever really living life; from maximizing the personal, professional, and financial potential that life offers.

What is the solution to this sad state? It is simple – we must downsize our lifestyle. Practically what this means is to do one or more of the following:

Drop from a two-car household to a one-car household

Sell your bigger house; move into an apartment or condo

Stop eating out at restaurants for lunch; brown-bag it

Find ways to reduce common, recurring costs (e.g., insurance, groceries, utilities, etc.)

Get rid of the housecleaner; clean the house yourself

Begin relentlessly tracking your money and what you spend it on

Avoid expensive vacations; explore your local surroundings to generate fun

Sell some possessions to generate cash to lower your debt

Apply 100% of tax return to lower your debt

Become ‘handy’ by reading a how-to book; do your own home repairs

Etc…

What the list above suggests is that there are multiple tactics one can employ to reduce debt to enable oneself to “take risks”. Here is the reality: by employing the tactics above (and others that you think of), you will inch closer to living the life you want to live. Taking any of the actions above takes a certain amount of commitment and courage, but the payoffs can be breathtaking. There is one person I know who employed many of the tactics above to get himself (and his wife) to a point where they could operate their own home-based small business. How are they doing? They are making six-figures and the best part is they are happy, alive, and free! Amen. What a great testimonial for all of us to emulate. Therefore, swallow your pride. Check your ego at the door. If you are nervous about what others will say when you lose the car, or move into a smaller home, or drop needless life amenities (like a lawnmower service, or house maid, etc.), just tell yourself “better days are coming, just around the corner”. Your “real” friends will understand and support your move. And to the critics, like you really care what they think anyway.

So…what are you going to do? Will you take action today? Will you put one foot forward today to inch closer to who you are and want to be on the surface of life? I hope so. This is my wish for you. To live as soul would live, for when we do this…happiness follows.

All now rests with you!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Desire a Better Life? Get Mad, Then Get Busy

Randall Rogers — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:42:44 +0000

For most of us, happiness, success, love, and health rank high in terms of desires. We desire to be happy. We desire to be successful. We desire to be loved. And we desire exceptional health. The challenge is such things do not occur naturally. Said differently, to achieve such things requires effort – and plenty of it. Therein lies the rub. While most of us want such things, few are willing to pay-the-price to achieve such things. There are many reasons why we don’t pay-the-price. One reason is we are complacent. We would rather sit on the couch watching TV than ride the stationary bike. We would rather read a book, than write a business plan. We would rather hold a grudge, than work out our differences with others. Another reason we do pay-the-price for success is that we fear failure with the task. We reason, “why bother with exerting effort as I will not likely achieve my goal anyway”. Finally, we do not pay-the-price because we do not know what to do. We lack precision with what ‘key leverage points’ to address to improve condition. With the first two obstacles, I offer three words of advice: faith, courage, and enthusiasm. Have faith that you will succeed. Be courageous with your thinking, acting, feeling. Finally, be enthusiastic about the ‘emerging’ you. As I like to say, “better days are just around the corner, so just keep going”. Regarding the latter obstacle, I offer a different strategy:

Step 1 – Commit to paper what happiness/success/love/health mean to you (i.e., a vision)
Step 2 – Define a personal strategy to realize your vision
Step 3 – Commit to reviewing your goal, personal strategy, and progress daily
Step 4 – Course correct your strategy based on daily learning’s

Repeat steps 3-4 continuously.

If you are like most people, and to lean on a phrase from Joel Osteen, you are not likely ‘living’ your best life yet. This does not have to be your reality. You can work for yourself. You can be exceptionally fit. You can have healthy relations. And you can be financially independent. You just need to get busy executing the steps above. What is holding you back? Don’t do what most people do and trick yourself into thinking that next week, month, or year you will finally get it right. TAKE ACTION TODAY! You have only one shot at life; at living. As such, we have great need to get busy sooner, than later. What helps me with the ‘stinking thinking’, with getting my butt in gear, is to imagine the life I have always dreamed of and then realize how far I am from living that life. Why do I do this? Because every time I do so, I get mad. And when I get mad, I get busy. If getting mad is what it takes for you to get busy, then get mad. Today, and everyday!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

New Year’s Resolutions: Necessary But Not Sufficient

Randall Rogers — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:06:13 +0000

It is interesting that a change in calendar year can seemingly motivate, inspire the masses to enact personal transformation. This is admirable, funny, but admirable. Before I appear to flip on the matter, I must confess that I, too, have relied on the coming of a “new year” to inspire changes in my life. The trouble is, as most people come to realize is that to verbalize a goal represents only step one. Moreover, to verbalize a goal is the easy part. What most people do not do is take step two which is to draft a personal strategy to achieve such goal. Why does this step rarely take place? This is largely the result of people not knowing how to define strategy; that is, they lack knowledge of a framework that can take them from “goal asserted” to “goal achieved”. What this all suggests is that while ‘resolutions’ are NECESSARY (to transform one’s life) they are not SUFFICIENT. We need more than declarations that I will lose 40 lbs, or start a business, or earn a degree, or beat addiction. We need more than the typical mental gaming that most of us engage in to make ourselves feel better.

To achieve ANY goal you may set for youself only requires five steps, as outlined below:

Step 1 – Establish your goal (e.g., lose 40 lbs by June 1st, 2012)
Step 2 – Draft a personal strategy to achieve such goal (Purchase a copy of: Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Passion)
Step 3 – Execute your personal strategy (that is, get to work)
Step 4 – Reflect on your progress daily
Step 5 – Course correct your personal strategy if it is not working

REPEAT Steps 3-5

Achieving great things in life requires great effort. There are no shortcuts. Do what other great achievers before you have done – develop a personal strategy and then get to work. 2012 can be your ‘Best Year Yet’ if you want it to be. All now rests with you.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Focus Your Efforts and Success Will Follow

Randall Rogers — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 03:11:36 +0000

So the New Year is upon us. The question becomes, what are your goals? What will you try to achieve this year? Will this be the year you start a business, lose weight, or quit smoking? Will this be the year you write a book, beat addiction, or quit your job? Will this be the year you resolve family problems, buy a home, or establish a charity? For most of us, we answer affirmative to all questions. But why do we do this? We do this because we rationalize that accomplishing all goals is possible (our first mistake) and by doing so it will result in our best year yet. Now, while this practice is admirable, it is clearly not realistic. The reason this is true is that to achieve any meaningful (read: challenging) goal, it often requires great effort. Consequently, achieving one goal is difficult, let alone achieving the entire bunch. So…here is my advice to you. Be realistic for a change. Face reality head on and acknowledge that you will likely only be able to complete one goal instead of two or three. I, myself, have made this mistake in the past thinking I could effect great change in my life (that is, achieve multiple inner soul goals at the same time) when in fact, due to dispersed energy, I failed to achieve any goal. Therefore, to ward against not achieving any goal, focus your efforts on achieving only one goal. Two of my favorite thinkers, Einstein and Newton, both acknowledged that it was intense personal “focus” (i.e., “concentrated attention”) that allowed each of them to achieve their goals; to succeed in life. They did not attempt to achieve multiple goals at one time because they knew the effort would be futile. Thus, I ask, how will it be that you will be able to achieve multiple inner soul goals when some of the strongest known intellects to have walked the earth had difficulty doing so? The short answer is, not very.

2012 can be your best year yet simply by a) focusing your efforts, b) channeling your resources, and c) rallying your energies around a single (common) goal. Do what other great achievers have done; acknowledge what other great achievers have acknowledged – when we focus our efforts, success will follow.

Wishing you the best in 2012…Cheers!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

2012: Your ‘Happiest’ Year Yet

Randall Rogers — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:40:23 +0000

Well…2011 is nearly a memory and 2012 confronts us. What will become of us in 2012? What will we achieve (or not achieve)? What will we strive for? Will we advance personally, professionally, and financially? These are some of the questions I ask self as we are about to ring in a new year. Since this is the time when all of us should be thinking about the questions above, I offer you this suggestion. Rather than ask “what goals do I want to achieve in 2012?” ask first “what is my vision for self?”. What is the distinction? To pursue and achieve goals is admirable, but if we do so without the context of a broader personal vision (and strategy to achieve vision), we may not maximize the personal, professional, and financial potential that life offers.

The reason we put our goals within the context of [a vision to strive for] is that pursuing a vision (for self) is more inspiring; provides us hope; reason to live. Whereas, stating and acheiving goals represents merely a step or milestone on the way to achieving vision. Another way to characterize the distinction between goals vs. vision is that, whereas goals give us focus, vision (aka ‘our dreams’) gives us power; power to pursue a new life, a different identify, a more fragrant life. As I (and the Personal Strategy Institute) confront 2012, our vision remains the same:

To become a recognized authority, thought leader, and catalyst in helping others develop personal strategy, establish personal alignment, and maximize the life experience

We at the Personal Strategy Institute will continue to offer inspiring and helpful content in 2012 about developing a personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and maximizing the life experience. Remember that we are always in a state of ‘achieving alignment’ as establishing personal alignment is a moving target. If you did not achieve your goals in 2011, do not be discouraged. The most important thing is that you made progress- that you just kept going especially when the going got tough.
I wish you great success in 2012 – personally and professionally. Remember, with a set of inner soul goals and a personal strategy to achieve each goal, nearly anything (within reason) is possible. If you have not established your personal strategy for 2012 yet, consider purchasing our latest award-winning book ‘Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Passion’.

I leave you with this…”when we pursue our passions, happiness follows”. Make 2012 your ‘happiest’ year yet.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

The Tipping Point

Randall Rogers — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 03:45:22 +0000

For each of us, there comes a time when we reach the “tipping point”; the time when we decide to eat right, exercise, and finally get into shape; the time when we decide to beat addiction to lead a more inspired life; the time to start living authentically, as who we are and were meant to be. Are you at the tipping point in your life? I can remember the times, only because their occurrence was so rare, that I reached the tipping point. I remember the time when I decided to get into shape – and I lost 40 lbs. I remember the time when I decided to change careers – and I increased my income by 40%. I remember the time when I decided to live authentically, to be true to who I am and always wanted to be – and I wrote a book.

I remember a time. Do you?

I ask this, as to deny such feelings, to dismiss what soul is telling you to do is to deny yourself life. I must confess that as I write this post I am not as fit as I once was. I am, once again, by clinical standards, obese. For nearly all my adult life I have struggled to maintain proper weight. It has caused me great suffering over the years. The good news is, I have reached the tipping point and I am on the path to better days. Already, I am down 7 lbs for the week and feeling good. This time, and for the last time, I will achieve, maintain, and sustain my goal to be exceptionally fit. It is liberating to get to the ‘tipping point’ with some aspect of your life. I cannot explain why it is or how it is that we arrive at a point where “status quo” will no longer do. We all privately struggle with some vice, some aspect of self and life that we wish we could change. My advice to you – remain hopeful. As a stranger recently said to me on a plane ride home, “the day will come when YOU will WANT to make a change”. Hallelujah! For me, that day has arrived. Has that day arrived for you? Have you reached the ‘tipping point’ to make dramatic change in your life? If so, do not deny the feeling; do not deny next steps. “Tip” in the manner as prescribed by soul. You will be glad you did.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

The Arithmetic of Happiness

Randall Rogers — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 16:32:10 +0000

Achieving and maintaining personal happiness is difficult. The reason this is true is that so many things (or factors) affect our degree of happiness. For example, our career/profession/role affects our happiness. To the extent that we are doing what we love and loving what we do, we are either happy or sad. The same could be said about our relations with family and our relation with nature. But happiness is determined by so much more, including our health or degree of fitness and our financial state, among other things.

Many people (myself included) exist on a happiness roller-coaster where one day we are happy and the next day we are sad. For obvious reasons, this is no way to live. Each of us was meant to live happily; a life fragrant, full of color. That said, there is a way to get off such roller coaster. The way to get off the emotional roller coaster is to first take an inventory of those things in your life that both make you happy and make you sad. Let’s call each of these items ‘factors’. Now, tally your list of happy and sad factors. Which list is coming out on top? That is, which list is longer? Are the factors in your life bending towards happiness or bending towards sadness? If your list is mostly ‘happy’, remind yourself of this fact daily. Say to yourself “the majority of my life is happy and I should be grateful for this fact”. Reminding yourself daily that the majority of your life is ‘positive’ might possibly rid you of your mental illness. If your list, however, is mostly ‘sad’, then identify enough of the sad parts of your life that you can do something about to turn sadness into gladness. By doing this, you will shift the emotional balance in your life to be at least 51% happy and then you are on the path to sustained happiness. The key here is to address a few things in your life, not all things as when we attempt to reengineer all aspects of our life we get quickly overwhelmed and we abandon the effort.

The key to maintaining a happy emotional state is to turn ‘happiness stealers’ (sad factors) into initiatives (part of a broader Personal Strategy) that uplift, inspire, and entertain. The arithmetic of happiness is clear: when we have more happy factors than sad factors defining our life, we are happy, alive, and free. When we do not, we are depressed, irritable, and numb. Therefore, if your life reflects placement on the wrong side of the happiness balance sheet, take action today to shift the balance, to get happiness back on your side. You can take comfort in knowing that many people have operated on the wrong side of the happiness balance sheet, but, then, through either daily reminders or through explicit action (i.e., a personal strategy for living) they were able to take control of their emotions and, therefore, their life. Decide TODAY to take your life back.

I wish you well.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Alignment Is Everything!

Randall Rogers — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 20:32:53 +0000

Recently, I spent a week at Acadia National Park in Maine, USA. It is a beautiful national park with much to offer: hiking, biking, boating, and camping, among other things. While at the park, I met an individual who was staying at my same campground and who sought life advice. She seemed troubled about things within her life and after some digging she confessed that she recently quit her job, got divorced, and was trying to determine next steps. Her spirits were low and her anxiety high. As we chatted around the campfire, she opened up about her recent life struggles and clearly desired feedback on her current condition. It was apparent she needed some life coaching help.

I explained to her that each of us innately seeks ‘personal alignment’. We seek alignment with our 1) vocation (what we do in life), our 2) life partner (who we choose to be with in life) and 3) location (where we choose to live while alive). Upon hearing such feedback, she mentioned that she was MIS-aligned in all three areas and that such misalignment was deeply affecting her life. Now, while she clearly possessed a heavy heart, I did highlight the fact that her recent changes in life (quit her job and divorce) represent steps toward establishing alignment. In other words, I tried to recast her recent, dramatic life changes in new light; as positive things. For each of us, making dramatic changes in life is difficult. To quit the job you have had for 5, 10, 20+ years is difficult, but if soul is telling you this is the right move, you must act from soul. To leave your partner after 15, 20, 30+ years is difficult, but if soul is telling you this is the right move (for you and your partner), you must act from soul. Finally, to pack up and move to a new location of inspiration is difficult, but if soul is telling you this is the right move, you must act from soul.

I explained to my campmate that the majority of people lack courage to make the changes she made and that she now has great opportunity to begin life anew. At bottom, I reiterated the point that we MUST be aligned; self with soul, self with work, self with family, and self with nature. For when we are not aligned, suffering ensues. For many years, my campmate suffered; she has now begun the healing process. Way to go Martha! I am proud of you – first for listening to (your) soul, and secondly for acting from soul. The courage you display is a model for us all.

Martha’s actions inspired me. Moreover, her actions reminded me that alignment is indeed everything.

If you are not aligned (self with soul, work, family, and nature), take steps TODAY to establish alignment. Ultimately, you will be glad you did!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

‘To Be A Rock, And Not To Roll’ – A Reflection of Humanity Today

Randall Rogers — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:40:28 +0000

“To be a rock, and not to roll” and so goes the famous lyrics from the smash 70’s rock hit ‘Stairway to Heaven’. Recently, I was driving and this song came on the radio and as I listened to the lyrics I was struck by the phrase stated above. You see, in my youth, I must have listened to this song dozens of times, but never paid much attention to the lyrics. Today, I look through a different lens of life and things that went unnoticed long ago, today stop me in my tracks.

Today, I experience life with new view of life; new sensibilities; deeper sensitivities. Ever since I re-connected with soul years ago, I have become sensitized to see differently, hear differently, think differently, and act differently. This was the case when I heard the song stated above on the radio. Specifically, I locked on to the lyrics “to be a rock, and not to roll”. The reason I locked onto this lyric is because of what it suggests. Such lyrics suggest something existing not as what it really is, but existing instead in an imposter form. To be a rock, and not to roll (when considering one-self) reflects a denial of innate design; it reflects a denial to live authentically as who one really is and was meant to be. As I thought about these lyrics, I thought about how sad it is that so many millions of people around the globe represent such ‘rock’. That is, so many millions of people do not live authentically but instead operate as imposter self; exist as some other being entirely. For discussion sake, let me define what it means to live authentically. It means, for starters, that one is working in a profession/role that caters to/reflects one’s passion. Further, it means that one is living with the right life partner and that one is living in the right location. Accordingly, to not be living one’s passion, to not be with the right life partner, and to not be living in a location of inspiration ALL suggest living as imposter self.

Collectively, humanity represents the ‘rock’ that fails to ‘roll’. Individually, few among us are living authentically; are true to innate design. This must change! Each of us must make it our highest personal priority to operate as who we really are and were meant to be. Now, while not all rocks are meant to roll, the analogy works as all of nature exists, operates authentically on the surface of life. The same cannot be said of our species; the human race.

Therefore, the call to action is this: make a resolve today to move towards innate design. That is, take immediate, determined action to begin living authentically today, and every day. For when this happens, when your head, heart, and hands are aligned around YOUR common purpose, great things will happen. This I can assure you is the truth.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

To Witness Soul, Is To Experience Beauty

Randall Rogers — Sat, 24 Sep 2011 17:54:46 +0000

Why do we cheer when…

The orphan child rises above poverty, lack of resources and lack of opportunity to achieve the American dream?

The addicted shake addition; remake themselves in inspiring ways?

The retired man/woman decides to pursue a passion late in life?

Why do we cry when…

Witnessing the triumph of the human spirit?

Seeing the downtrodden of life provided food, shelter, and healthcare?

Hearing of the terminal boy who desires to help feed, clothe the homeless as his final act on earth?

Why do we chill when…

Someone speaks from the heart; reveals true empathy?

An event connects us with something larger than ourselves?

A song, movie, or book transports us to a deeper, higher place?

The reason we cheer, cry, chill is that we are witness to soul, to an expression of soul and it is beautiful. Each of us is connected at soul level, soul-to-soul. As such we innately share common goal, share One voice, share a common bond. Consequently, we cheer the rise of soul as in some alien way, we rise. Similarly, we cry when soul suffers, soul triumphs as in some alien way we too suffer; triumph. And we chill when in the presence of soul as in some alien way, we too feel empathy, feel connected, sense higher placement.

Recently, I was watching a reality television show (X-Factor), and I witnessed an expression of soul. I did cheer, I did cry, I did chill. In short, it was beautiful. What a magical thing to witness soul, an expression of soul, as it reflects the highest form of the human race. If only we could experience such expression on a sustained basis, how remarkable, how beautiful the planet would be.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

015 A Strategy Driven Life – Meditations With Emerson: The Over-Soul

Randall Rogers — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 23:35:48 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 015 – Meditations with Emerson: The Over-Soul

In this episode, you will learn…

Who Ralph Waldo Emerson was and his thoughts on self, soul, and life

What his essay, ‘The Over-Soul’ is all about

Meanings and interpretations behind some of Emerson’s passages

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

What Will Become of You? A Time of Endings and New Beginnings

Randall Rogers — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 04:04:49 +0000

Do you feel so passionate about something that it just consumes you? If so, have you ever asked yourself what is the source or impetus or driver of such passion? For many people, to pursue a passion, to live a passion is born out of an inner desire, an inner fuel that will not dissipate; it represents a flame that will not die. To be consumed by such desire, such fuel, such flame is genius. It is genius because of the power we yield when we surrender to such passion.

To be guided by passion, to be driven by passion represents the highest form of living that any human can attain. Although all posses the potential to live one’s passion, to live as soul would live, few do. For those that do, however, living such passion reflects more than just pursuing a dream. For such people, pursuing, living their passion borders the fanatical, the spiritual, the radical. And it is from such mix of emotions, conditions, and actions that great things happen. To be precise, what emerges from the ‘system’ is a confidence, a set of behaviors, a force of will that is un-shakable; indomitable. And this, in turn, gives rise to great movements; specifically, the end of something old and the beginnings of something new.

Ghandi exhibited such confidence, set of behaviors, and force of will. The result was a movement towards freedom.

Martin Luther King exhibited such confidence, set of behaviors, and force of will. The result was the civil rights movement.

Mother Theresa exhibited such confidence, set of behaviors, and force of will. The result was a movement to help the poorest of the poor.

For such freedom seekers, for such soul searchers, their mission was clear. They each felt that they (through their actions, through their words, through their good deeds) were the END of something old (dead and decaying) and the BEGINNING of something new (alive and inspiring).

How powerful, how inspiring; what a model for ALL to emulate!

I, too, feel that I am the END of something old and the BEGINNING of something new. I feel that I am:

The END of the standard life design and the BEGINNING of intentional design

The END of self disconnectedness and the BEGINNING of connectedness

The END of separation between self and soul and the BEGINNING of personal alignment

I am the END of dying things. I am the BEGINNING of great things.

That said, what are you the END of? What are you the BEGINNING of? In short, what will become of you?

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Who Is Your-Self? What Is Your Work?

Randall Rogers — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:58:03 +0000

To ‘break free’ (from where you are to where you want to be), like all things, is a process. It first requires knowing two foundational things: 1) who is my-self? and 2) what is my work?

To know one’s self, is to know soul. Specifically, it means to know desires of soul. To know one’s work, on the other hand, is to know one’s purpose in life. Because few people have been schooled/trained in the art and practice of ‘descending within to affect without’, few know who one’s true self is. That is, few people know soul. For most people, soul is that internal voice that occasional comes into view; occassionaly speaks to us about self and life. Although we may somewhat ‘hear’ the voice of soul, few people act on the voice of soul. Therein lies the problem. Without conversing with soul, without knowing soul, one cannot effectively transform one’s life. A similar type of problem exists when one is not sure of what one’s work should or ought to be. This latter problem describes most people’s lives where people work in a profession/role that does not represent passion; does not reflect ‘doing what I love and loving what I do’.

Tragically, the result from not knowing ‘who is my-self’ and ‘what is my work’, is a life diminished. Life does not have to play out this way. With time, patience, courage, and enthusiasm you can determine such things about your-self. Years ago, I was in perhaps the same boat as you in that not only did I not know soul (or desires of soul), I did not know of my hidden passions. And the lack of such self intimacy resulted in great suffering. If you find yourself not knowing the answers to these two fundamental questions, you must act immediately to learn of such things to enable you to transform your life. The path to answer both questions begins with getting in touch with the ‘inner’ you. Hold on! Before you get anxious and tune out, please know that both of my books ‘Only 1 Shot: Aligning the Inner Soul with Action’ and ‘Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Passion’ were both written for the beginner. With expert instruction and over 200+ illustrations to guide your way, both books can help you answer the questions above.

Know this: to answer the questions above, is to find a new place to start.

Find Your New ‘Place’ Today!

Cheers.

Randall

Nuggets of Gold: Top 10 Accelerants to Achieve Career Success

Randall Rogers — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 09:48:03 +0000

Recently, I participated in a panel of top business leaders who shared their personal experiences on what factors were most important to accelerate their career. Because of the universal applicability of such advice, I thought I would share such information with you.

Listed below are the Top 10 accelerants to achieve career success:

1. Be adapatable to change/embrace change
2. Intellectual curiosity/always be thinking two levels ahead of where you are
3. ‘Like’ being part of a team/find the romance in being part of a team
4. ‘Own’ your career
5. Work on relationship management/be a positive force
6. Engage in self-reflection/look inward to effect outward
7. Maintain a positive attitude despite trouble and/or obstacles
8. Take the challenging/difficult assignment that nobody wants
9. Must be ‘all-in’ in terms of your career, your employer, your role
10. Develop a passion to solve problems; be creative

Spend some time internalizing the list above. If you do this, I am confident you will find that these are ‘nuggets of gold’ in terms of establishing a personal development plan (i.e., personal strategy) to accelerate your career success.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

014 A Strategy Driven Life – The Power of Will: How to Grow Will

Randall Rogers — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 00:46:09 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 014 – The Power of Will: How to Grow Will

In this episode, you will learn…

What ‘will’ (power) is

What are the determinants of will strength

What it means to have a strong will

What it means to have a high quality will

How to utilize will for personal gain

How to grow will; increase the power of will

Next podcast of ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ will be published on: Thur, 9/15/11. The topic is: ‘Meditations with Emerson: The OverSoul’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. Together, we can make great things happen! If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 847-773-7505.

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

What Will Be Your Legacy From Having Walked The Earth?

Randall Rogers — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 03:07:16 +0000

What will be your legacy from having walked the earth? Will you inspire a movement, like MLK? Will you advance knowledge of mankind, like Einstein? Will you dazzle the world, like Steve Jobs?

Each of us has great potential to do great things. The key to realizing such potential is to get in touch with your inner soul – to pursue and live your inner soul goals. When we live as soul would live, we are inspired. And to be inspired, is to do great things. MLK was inspired, and he did great things. Einstein was inspired, and he did great things. Steve Jobs was inspired, and he did great things as well. What will you do? What will become of you? Trust me when I say, you can only achieve true greatness by listening to your heart and following its path. Do not be swayed by your-[self]. Listen only to soul. For when you do, great things happen.

Recently, I had a family member pass. As I reflect on her long life, it forces me to reflect on my life. And so I ask, ‘what will be my legacy from walking the earth?’ How will my life’s work be remembered when I, too, pass? This I know…I want to do great things. And so, I listen to soul and with any luck I will one day live as soul would live and life with joyful, fragrant, and free.

I wish the same for you.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

How You Start Your Day, Determines The Life You Live

Randall Rogers — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:38:38 +0000

How do you start your day? Do you allocate 30-60 minutes thinking about your inner soul goals? Do you allocate time to review your actions of the previous day asking yourself which actions advanced your personal strategy and which ones did not? Do you review your personal strategy to ensure correct personal strategy? Those who are among the top performers in life often start their day reviewing such things listed above.

When I first developed a personal strategy, I did not realize the importance of reviewing my goals, personal strategy, and previous day’s events daily. I did not realize that investing a little time (e.g., 30 minutes each morning) could have such a profound effect on me, my personal strategy, and ultimately my life. I have changed my ways. I have learned the important lesson that: ‘How I start my day, determines the life I live’. If you have had difficulty making significant progress with achieving any of your goals (e.g., weight loss, starting a business, beating addiction, earning a degree, etc.), consider starting your day with a dose of strategy. That is, consider allocating 30-45 minutes EACH MORNING to spend in personal reflection on your goals, your personal strategy to achieve your goals, and, most importantly, what you are going to different TODAY to ensure achieving your goals. Do not make the mistake that I made years ago and just wallow in self pity that my goals are going nowhere, do as I NOW do and inject some personal reflection time into your daily routine. By doing so, you will always keep your goals in your face and top of mind. Moreover, in time, not only will you see great progress with advancing your goals, you will begin to achieve them with greater regularity and speed.

That said, start your new habit today. Spend 30 min NOW to review your goals, personal strategy, and actions of the day. You will be glad you did.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

013 A Strategy Driven Life – A Systems Approach to Self and Life

Randall Rogers — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 14:28:06 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 013 – A Systems Approach to Self and Life

In this episode, you will learn…

What a ‘system’ is/means

What ‘systems thinking’ is/means

What ‘The Self System’ is and the components of ‘The Self System’

Key interactions, interdependencies and interrelations that shape and influence our life

How to establish ‘leverage’ over the life experience

What it means to approach self and life from a ‘systems’ point of view

Podcast Handout:We have created a PDF Document that contains supporting illustrations to describe what it means to establish a ‘systems approach’ to self and life. Please use the link below to download this document in support of this podcast episode.

Right-Click Here To Download the Supporting File

Next podcast of ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ will be published on: Thur, 9/1/11. The topic is: ‘The Power of Will: How to Grow Will’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. Together, we can make great things happen! If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 847-773-7505.

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

Torn Between Two Passions: How To Reconcile the Divide

Randall Rogers — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 02:39:51 +0000

Are you torn between a dying passion and a new passion, now emerging? Is your new, emerging passion dominating your thoughts, actions, and feelings? Do you lie awake at night hoping, dreaming, wishing that somehow you could make your new passion a reality? If you answered yes to any of these questions, I can empathize with you as I have walked in your shoes. I have felt your (hidden) pain. To be in the cross currents of two passions is both exciting (mostly as it relates to the hope offered by the NEW passion), but also can result in much suffering. It is this latter condition I wish to coach you through today.

To have a new, emerging passion and not be able to yet ‘live’ that passion (on a full-time basis) can be very frustrating, depressing, crushing. Believe me, I know! To this day, I am still caught in a cross current of two passions. How does this affect me? Well…I am mostly anxious about the possible future that I could experience, live IF ONLY I could segue. My problem is that my NEW passion does not yet produce the necessary income for me to segue. As such, I must keep on plodding; day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year pursuing a passion that has since lost its shimmer. I share this story with you because you must not let such condition affect you and your view of life. This is what you must do – you must continue to plod to realize the emerging you; just keep going.

It is easy to abandon a new, emerging passion when you see no light at the end of the tunnel; when you see no immediate hope or opportunity to ‘break free’. When you encounter these debilitating thoughts and feelings, dismiss them immediately. You must keep going, despite the slow progress; despite continued heartache. To overcome such debilitating thoughts and feelings is difficult. This too, I know. The key to dealing with such situation, to dealing with transitioning from passion of old to passion of new is to a) remain optimistic – think of something good that is coming just around the corner b) just keep going – especially when the going gets tough (‘stinking thinking’) c) continue pushing, advancing your passion every day, every week.

I have agonized endlessly (mentally) over my plight, just as you may now agonize. Do what I (now) do to shake off such agony; to quell the suffering. Just tell yourself the following thoughts each morning:

I can do anything I set my mind to

I am operating from soul – the highest form of me

Everyday represents movement, so just keep going

I will not be blinded by my current work for my work to come

I am determined to make my success happen

I will not settle for a life without passion

A better life awaits me; there is a better way to live

I have got a vision and I am steadily building to realize my vision

Better days are coming. Maintain faith. Practice courage. Show enthusiasm. The emerging you will not be denied. Soul will not be hidden from view.

You will BREAK FREE!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Have’s vs. Have Not’s – Is This What Humanity Intended?

Randall Rogers — Sun, 14 Aug 2011 13:39:37 +0000

Recent events from the evil-inspired stock market triggered dormant thoughts and feelings…

Not long ago, I returned from a week-long retreat to St. Maarten; great weather, great beaches, and great food. What is not so great about the ‘friendly’ island is the disparity between the ‘haves’ (i.e., visitors to the island, myself included) and the ‘have not’s’. When you cruise the interior of the island and view firsthand how the native people live, you see just how desperate their situation is. Their houses are small, old, and in many cases, in disrepair; many people appear unemployed with hopeless expressions lining their faces; many seem to have nothing at all. When I reflect on their situation (‘state of living’), I am saddened (disappointed) that billions of people around the globe live this way; that is, with few resources, few reasons to be hopeful. The world is awash with plentiful bounty that could improve the quality of life for such people, yet, for a myriad of reasons, the primary one – a profit motive (Wall Street Reference) – such people are denied.

I envision a New World Order where no one is denied. I hope for a New World Order where no one is denied. Many organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army, and ONE help such people, but their efforts – as noble as they are – simply treat the symptoms (suffering souls). We need to enact global change; enact a wholesale readjustment of what ‘humanity’ is, stands for, and should aspire to be. We need global-level systemic change – regarding EVERYTHING (monetary system, educational system, social systems, etc.) One word characterizes, catalyzes, inspires precisely what needs to occur to ensure that ALL win not just the privileged few:

ONE!

How can the world operate as ONE? Do you agree there is a need for the world to operate as ONE? Do you agree that the world needs massive, foundational systemic change? What does ONE mean to you?

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

For Soul to Rise, Self Must Die

Randall Rogers — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 21:35:36 +0000

Let’s assume that you have developed a new set of inner soul goals that upon pursuing (and achieving) will make you happy, provide meaning to your life, and make you proud. Let’s assume further that you have designed a personal strategy to achieve each goal. Now the question becomes: how successful will you be with realizing the emerging you? In other words, how successful will you be with casting off old to make way for new? Compared to ‘implementing’ your personal strategy, defining personal strategy is the easy part. Usually where most people have difficulty is when rubber meets road; when it comes time to implement one’s initiatives and tasks to achieve a goal. This is where most people fall down.

The reason we have difficulty at this point in the goal achievement process is that to be successful with personal transformation, it often requires shaking off old thinking, old habits, and old behaviors; deeply embedded thinking, deeply embedded habits, deeply embedded behaviors. To be successful, we must think differently, act differently, and will differently. Because casting off one’s past is difficult, I devote in both of my books ‘Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Passion’ and ‘Only 1 Shot: Aligning the Inner Soul with Action’, an entire chapter on how to overcome the obstacles of personal strategy that stand in your way and prevent real progress.

For most of us, the inner soul goals we define represent desires of soul. Moreover, pursuing such goals reflect a desire to ‘live as soul would live’. This is, and continues to be, The Goal. That said, for soul to rise, self must die. Therefore, cast off historical you. Let soul’s shadow (finally) emerge from behind darkness. Reveal to self and world WHO you really are and were meant to be. As much as the world is anxious to see the REAL you, I suspect that YOU are doubly anxious to reveal the REAL you.

Let’s get on with it…

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

The Missing Insight: Where Spirit and Talent Meet, Great Things Happen!

Randall Rogers — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 05:00:51 +0000

Our educational system is flawed! I make this claim because, for the majority of us, we were never educated on the ‘softer side’ of life. That is, we were never educated on how to ‘design our life’ or how to engage in ‘personal reflection’ or how to ‘live’ a fragrant life. Now, the result of such (flawed) education is that few people are equipped, empowered to live vibrant, fragrant lives; living instead in quiet desperation.

Not surprisingly, when this occurs, that is, when we incur such suffering, the questions that always rise are: ‘what is this life for?’ and ‘what should I do with my life?’ It is tragic that so many people on the planet traverse life having never resolved such questions. If we were only provided some instruction, a little guidance on how to architect our life – how much happier and more successful we would all be. Well… the Personal Strategy Institute is meant to fill this (educational) void. Through our books, video training tutorials, webinars, and blogs, our goal is to educate humanity; to help people resolve the suffering; to help people resolve questions above. When people ask me what is the right ‘formula’ to craft the perfect life, the way I respond is that “where spirit and talent meet”, great things happen.What does this mean? Well…our spirit equates to soul, and specifically to desires of soul. Talent, on the other hand, equates to one’s innate skills (i.e., those things you are naturally good at and enjoy doing). So, the task at hand is to align one’s desires (aka ‘passions’) with one’s innate skills and when this happens, trust me, GREAT THINGS WILL HAPPEN. You will be happier. You will be more successful. You will finally operate free.

The way I see it, you are just a few short hours or days from ‘Breaking Free’. The closest I can come to offering you a silver bullet to “the good life” is to live the creed: “where spirit meets talent”.

Once you determine your passions, once you determine your innate skills, develop a personal strategy to realize such passions; to leverage such skills. Then, implement your strategy, course-correcting as you change and your environment changes. Today, you learn of ‘The Missing Insight’. ALL NOW RESTS WITH YOU!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Why Set Personal Goals? It Gives Us Reason to Live!

Randall Rogers — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 11:37:31 +0000

I have encountered some people over the years who seem to need a reason to set personal goals. I believe I have a reason which trumps all others – “something to live for”. I know first hand the pain and sorrow that comes from not living as soul would live. But I also know that when we set meaningful goals, inspired by soul, that some of the pain and some of the sorrow disappears. Why does it disappear? It is because we now have something to live for; we have something to keep us going especially when the going gets tough. In my most difficult moments, in times when I thought I was experiencing personal crisis, it was my ‘goals’ that kept me going. The goal to ‘be exceptionally fit’ and to ‘publish a book’ and to ‘build a company’, all these goals gave me hope, inspiration, and reason to live.

I have made this comment many times, but it is worth repeating: as it relates to goal achievement, the key is to just keep going. The majority of people ‘quit’ their goals long before they had a chance to ripen and flourish. Do not quit on your goals. Moreover, continue to set goals because when we do, it gives us reason to hope, reason to put forth energy, reason to live.

Need a reason to pursue a goal? How about this: goals give us reason to live!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Resurrect Your Youth and You Resurrect Your Life!

Randall Rogers — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 01:24:21 +0000

The question is often asked, “how do I begin to transform my life?”. To this question, I always answer the same: “go back to the start”. What does this mean? To “go back to the start” is to reconnect with your youth; to a time when things were simpler; to a time when you carried less baggage; to a time when your dreams were in fanciful flight. Why do we want to transport ourselves to such a time period? It is because at such time, we were free – free to dare, free to dream, free to be. And freedom is what we aim for; said differently, freedom is the outcome from transforming one’s life. You see, to transform one’s life is to initiate new direction for one’s life. It could mean, for example, that you seek new surroundings. It could mean that you seek a new profession/role. It could mean that you seek a new life partner. For some, it could mean all three. Now, the way we establish new direction for our life is through setting of meaningful goals (aka ‘inner soul goals’).

The question becomes WHAT goal(s) should I set for myself. This is where my guidance of “going back to the start” becomes relevant. When we think back to simpler times, to a time when we dared to dream, it reminds us of the things we enjoy most in life. It reminds us of our passions in life. It short, it informs us of next steps. Such reminder re-connects us to former times; to inspired feelings of who we are and were meant to be. Further, when we inherit these dormant feelings, we inherit something infinitely more powerful and sustainable: HOPE. We inherit feelings of hope; that better days lie ahead, just around the corner.

Therefore, if you are stuck trying to determine next steps for your life, with how to transform your life, take the following actions TODAY:

Stop your life

Reflect on your youth

Recall lost interests; lost passions; lost feelings

Develop a personal strategy to live your passions

Get to work by executing your personal strategy

Know this: every day not pursuing, not living your passion is a day lost. Do not let this be your life story! Do not let the trappings of life deny you life. You still have time to be who you ONCE longed to be.

The directive is clear: Resurrect your youth and you resurrect your life!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Star Fading OR Star Rising?

Randall Rogers — Sat, 06 Aug 2011 00:53:38 +0000

Each of us is a star! We arrive on the planet and have great opportunity to do great things. For each of us, the intent has always been to pursue that which is informed by soul. Said differently, we should pursue desires of soul (i.e., our passions). Sadly, we are never taught how to determine desires of soul. We are never taught how to converse with soul; to hear what soul has to say. This void in education debilitates us all in that, for the majority of us, we pursue a career that is inevitably ‘off the mark’. We become acutely aware of this misalignment at some point in our career as we increasingly start thinking, feeling, and acting in ways that suggest frustration, disappointment, and unhappiness.

The work that we are doing at the Personal Strategy Institute is to educate humanity on the need to re-connect with that which lies within. Through our books, podcasts, video training tutorials, webinars, and blog entries, we are focused on helping others get in touch with their inner star. Can you imagine a world where every person was doing exactly what their soul informed them to do? We would not have all the sadness, disconnectedness, misalignment that currently debilitates us. A world of ONE!

Our time is short on the planet. When you factor out the first 18 yrs of life and the last 10 years of life, each of us has ~50 years to ‘live’. The question is: “are you going to (really) live, while alive?” Are you going to live up to the creed that SHOULD define every life experience: that each of us lives authentically – as who we really are and were meant to be? I insist of myself to live authentically! I insist of myself to not give up; to just keep going even if the going gets tough! I insist of myself to live as soul would live!

What do you insist of?

The way I see it, there are only two directions we can head in life; two life journeys that characterize the ‘life experience’: we are either ‘Star Fading OR Star Rising’!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

012 A Strategy Driven Life – A Sample Personal Strategy to Obtain Your Dream Job

Randall Rogers — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 06:18:53 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 012 – A Sample Personal Strategy to Obtain Your Dream Job

In this episode, you will learn…

How to design a personal strategy to obtain your next job, quickly

What the key components are that comprise a personal strategy

What ‘innate skills’ are and why we must know what we are innately good at doing

How I used the sample personal strategy to obtain a job in < 30 days

Podcast Handout:We have created a PDF Document that contains a sample personal strategy to achieve the goal: ‘Obtain Dream Job’. Please use the link below to download this document in support of this podcast episode.

Right-Click Here To Download the Supporting File

Next podcast of ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ published on: Thur, 8/18/11. The topic is: ‘A Systems Approach to Self and Life’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. Together, we can make great things happen! If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 847-773-7505.

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

got Hope?

Randall Rogers — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 13:09:47 +0000

Recently, I took a road trip out of state and I saw a bumper sticker that caught my eye. The sticker read: ‘gotHope?’. As I read the bumper sticker I could not help but to think of the meaning behind ‘gotHope?’ and its relevance to achieving one’s goals and maximizing the life experience.

To maintain ‘hope’ OR to be ‘hopeful’ is vital to execute personal strategy and achieve one’s goals. The reason we must remain hopeful when pursuing our goals is that to achieve anything meaningful requires time and persistence and it is hope that keeps us motivated; keeps us moving forward. Moreover, when we encounter setbacks it is hope that quells the suffering; that keeps us going when the going gets tough. Hope is often the only thing that we can rally behind to just keep going when we have reason to quit. Three times I quit writing my first book ‘Only 1 Shot: Aligning the Inner Soul with Action’, for a myriad of reasons, and three times hope kept the dream alive.

I know the difficulty with ‘breaking free’ from where one is to where one wants to be. I know the suffering one feels when progress comes slowly. I know the sorrow that accompanies a life without meaning. Now, that said, I also know hope. I know that hope inspires us to continue executing personal strategy to achieve our goals. I know that hope quells the suffering. And I know that hope is what turns sorrowful days into sunny days. For each of us the message rings true. For each of us the call is: ‘gotHope?’

I am hopeful. I hope that you are hopeful too. Know this: it is when we are hopeful that great things happen. Let great things happen! Acheive your goals. Maximize the life experience. Live the life you have always hoped for and were meant to live. Hope is on your side.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

‘Breaking Free’ Book Wins NABE Pinnacle of Excellence Award for Best Self-Help Book Summer 2011

Randall Rogers — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 02:54:06 +0000

We are very pleased to announce that our lastest book ‘Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Passion’ was just honored with a NABE Pinnacle of Excellence Award for best self-help book in summer 2011.

In ‘Breaking Free’, the challenge, key message is to develop a personal strategy (for your life) that reflects soul, as this will enable living as soul would live. Moreover, by implementing a personal strategy this will enable establishing personal alignment; that is, alignment between self and soul, self and work, self and family, and self and nature. Why is this desirable? Why would one want to live as soul would live? Why should we strive to be aligned? The reason each of us should live as soul would live, to become self-aligned, is because doing so will result in the most inspired, generative, and meaningful type of life one could possibly live.

In Breaking Free one learns how to:

Assess where one is – mentally, spiritually, emotionally. and physically

Converse with soul (engage in personal reflection)

Identify one’s inner soul goals

Design a personal strategy that reflects soul

Implement personal strategy to achieve one’s inner soul goals

Overcome stumbling blocks to personal strategy

Grow will power to develop new habits/patterns for one’s life

Manage personal strategy (as one changes and one’s environment changes)

Live a strategy driven life

With ‘Breaking Free’ serving as one’s life coach, mentor, and friend, one ultimately learns how to maximize the personal, professional, and financial potential that life offers. At bottom, the essence, goal of ‘Breaking Free’ is to encourage, inspire, motivate, and educate humanity to pursue their passion; to live passionately. Why is this the goal? It is because, as I like to say, “when we pursue our passions, happiness follows”.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

‘All-In’ OR ‘Nothing At All’

Randall Rogers — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:03:42 +0000

When it comes to goal achievement, there is one rule that trumps all others and this is it: you are either ‘All-In’ (in terms of mental, physical, and resource commitment) or you should not pursue the goal at all. This may seem like a harsh distinction to draw but, for each us, we know the validity in this truth.

For each of us, we know that when we provide 25% or 50% or even 75% commitment to achieve a goal that it is simply NOT enough. The reason for this is that it is easy for goals to “drift and die” when they are not in our face and top-of-mind. To achieve a goal, it requires we keep the goal in our face and top-of-mind AT ALL TIMES not only when achieving the goal is convenient. This is our challenge and our goal. Personally, I know the struggle to achieve one’s inner soul goals. I have struggled, just as perhaps you might struggle. The key is to not give up. The behavior we must reflect is to be ‘All-In’.

If you are struggling to achieve your goals, take a good hard look at the degree of your mental, physical, and resource commitment. I suspect that you are lacking in either mental commitment and/or physical commitment and/or resource commitment. Know this: without a strong commitment to achieving one’s goals, one effectively has no goals. Said differently, it is difficult (some would say impossible) to achieve any goal you may have for yourself without a great deal of commitment. This is the root-cause of most people’s failure. This is the root-cause of our suffering.

Therefore, if you have struggled, suffered with achieving your inner soul goals, reflect on your current levels of commitment. This will likely suggest a new place to start.

Good luck!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Just As Setting Goals is Universal, So Too Is Developing Personal Strategy Universal

Randall Rogers — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 13:32:08 +0000

There is some debate about the universal applicability of having a personal strategy for living. Let me clear the air…

Regardless of age, gender, place in the world, or station in life, personal strategy is universal. I make this claim in that we use personal strategy to achieve personal goals and goal setting is an activity that spans all ‘categories’ of people. From the student who sets goals to achieve A’s, or make the track team, or save for a summer trip to the working professional who sets goals to earn a promotion, or pursue a certification, or develop a skill to the retiree who sets goals to maximize retirement income, or volunteer time, or write a book about his life.

Just as goals and goal-setting is universal, so too is developing a personal strategy universal. If you have been putting-off either setting goals and/or developing a personal strategy to achieve each goal, take action TODAY! Studies have shown that when we commit our goals (and our personal strategy) to paper we are more apt to achieve such goals. Whatever goal you may have for yourself – it is within reach. That is, you can ACHIEVE such goal.

Therefore, do what world-class achievers before you have done: a ) establish goals (in writing) b) develop a personal strategy to achieve each goal (in writing) c) implement your personal strategy and d) course correct personal strategy as you change and as your environment changes.

There is a famous self-help line that goes something like this: “if you can think it, you can achieve it”. I repeat, “if you can think it, you can achieve it”.

Now, get to work!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

You Still Have Time…To Be Who You Want To Be

Randall Rogers — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 23:27:20 +0000

Life got you down? Not happy with where you are personally, financially, professionally? For what it’s worth, I have been where perhaps you are now. That is, I have felt your pain; I have operated on your plane. From one suffering soul to another, do not give up. Just keep going. You still have time.

One thing I have realized over the years is that, for each of us, we can either support self or we can debilitate self. Most people, my (former) self included, debilitate self. How do we do this? We communicate to our soul something like the following:

I will never succeed with achieving my goals

Success is coming too slow, so why bother

I will never ‘break free’

It is easy to think such things. The key is to not give such thoughts any energy. That is, when such thoughts enter your mind, dismiss them quickly. Just say to yourself, this is not who I am. I am above such thoughts. I am above such debilitating emotions. Remind your-self that you are soul. And we only entertain what soul says, what soul thinks.

Continue your freedom walk. Continue pursuing your passion. Continue executing, managing, and refining your personal strategy as you change and your environment changes. You still have time to be who you want to be. Remember that with each day comes movement (of your personal strategy). And with movement, comes hope; a belief that better days are coming, just around the corner. So just keep going, even if slowly!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Live the Life You Hoped to Live: (10) Steps to ‘Breaking Free’

Randall Rogers — Sat, 23 Jul 2011 17:21:56 +0000

Occassionaly, I am asked what is the one-single-thing that I can/should do to ‘Break Free’. The way I respond to such inquiries is that there is no silver bullet to ‘break free’. To reengineer one’s life, to transform ‘who one is’ to ‘who one wants to be’ often requires employing a “system” of change. That is, it requires making multiple changes in one’s life (e.g. changes in how one sees, thinks, acts, feels, etc.). Further, such changes often reflect multiple dimensions of one’s life (e.g., work, family, nature).

Listed below are the (10) steps to ‘Break Free’:

1. Acknowledge your feelings / what soul is telling you to do
2. Stop your life (take a day off work; immerse yourself in nature)
3. Determine where you are (reflect on current condition)
4. Determine where you want to be (what do you want in life and from life?)
5. Determine your innate skills (those things you are innately good at and enjoy doing)
6. Develop new vision; new goals for your life
7. Develop a personal strategy to achieve your goals; to realize vision
8. Execute your personal strategy; evalaute your personal strategy daily/weekly/monthly
9. Course correct your personal strategy as you change and your environment changes
10. Reflect on your personal strategy/life progress (process repeats itself with step #1 above)

If you follow the steps outlined above you will ‘Break Free’. How do I know? Because following such steps have enabled me to ‘Break Free’. For more information on how to ‘Break Free’ consider purchasing my latest book: ‘Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Passion’.

Now, get to work!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Personal Strategy Institute: A Call to Action / A Request for Feedback

Randall Rogers — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 17:30:14 +0000

In this post, I am both encouraging you and informing you on the type of feedback that we, at the Personal Strategy Institute, would like to get from you. Here is the type of feedback and/or inquiries that we would be grateful to receive back from you:

Requested Feedback:

How is our podcast content? Would you like to hear something different in our podcasts?

How is our blog content? Would you like to see something different in our blog posts?

What type of Video Training Tutorials would you like to see?

What type of books would you like us to possibly write?

What type of content would you like to see, but as of yet do not, on our website?

What services would you like us to offer that, at present, we do not?

How can we better meet your informational needs and requirements?

What type of ‘how-to’ webinars would you find useful as it relates to personal strategy?

Requested Inquiries:

How you are using a personal strategy to transform your life

Struggles you are having with designing, deploying, and/or managing a personal strategy

Questions about the FREE templates available in the Personal Strategy Toolbox

Questions about our books: ‘Only 1 Shot’ and ‘Breaking Free’

Questions about our FREE eGuide: ‘The Personal Strategy Handbook’

Enhancements you have made (or would suggest) to PSI templates/techniques

Favorite PSI tools and/or chapters in our books: ‘Only 1 Shot’ and ‘Breaking Free’

To the extent that you provide us feedback, we can orient our products and services to better meet your needs and requirements. We highly value you (the reader/subscriber/ listener/customer) and, therefore, your feedback. Any feedback and/or inquiries you can send our way would be highly appreciated. FYI – Starting in August, 2011, we will begin sharing with our listener community (via our ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ podcast) the inquiries we receive so as to help others do a better job with defining, implementing, and managing a personal strategy for living.

Let’s achieve greatness, together!

As always, we LOOK FORWARD to your reply.

Cheers.

Randall

The Key to ‘Breaking Free’ – Sacrifice!

Randall Rogers — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 13:03:39 +0000

In a previous post, I spoke of [personal reflection] as being a key to ‘breaking free’ to begin living the life you want to live. Another key to breaking free is: sacrifice. Sacrifice is the “surrender of something prized or desirable”. It is often because we have to ‘give up something’ that doing so prevents us from executing our personal strategy and, therefore, prevents us from truly ‘breaking free’.

From previous experience, I can tell you that without personal sacrifice, it will be difficult, if not impossible, for you to break free and achieve your goals. Consider the examples below:

Goal: Be Exceptionally Fit
Sacrifice Required: Time (to exercise; read healthy living literature; to reflect on personal strategy), Food (from the bad list),

Goal: Finding a Job
Sacrifice Required: Time (to develop resume; post resumes on job boards; apply for jobs; participate in interviews; reflect on personal strategy); Money (to get career counseling advice; to develop resume; to apply for premium sections on job boards)

Goal: Building a Business
Sacrifice Required: Time (to develop plans, marketing material, products, & contacts; reflect on personal strategy); Money (to develop products, market services, publicize broadly)

Goal: Being a Great Spouse/Partner
Sacrifice Required: Time (to share with spouse/partner; reflect on personal strategy); Money (to share experiences with spouse/partner)

It should be obvious from the examples above, that to achieve personal strategy, to achieve your goals, to ‘BREAK FREE’ it will require sacrifice on your end to make it happen. Know this: if you have had little success with achieving your goals (whatever they may be), it is likely that, upon reflection, you will discover that there has been a lack of sacrifice, a lack of commitment on your part to advance the goal. The good news is, that all it requires from you to get back on track, to finally break free, is to re-commit to your goals. And what this entails is remaining steadfast in sacrificing whatever resources are needed (time, money, other, etc.) to achieve your goals.

You can be successful. You can start over, as there is still time. Moreover, you can break free! Re-commit yourself today to start over. Don’t beat yourself up, just get on with it. Make the commitment of sacrifice, and you will once again be on the path which leads home.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Not Sure What to Do in Life? We Take Our Clues From Nature!

Randall Rogers — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 20:35:32 +0000

Recently, I took a nice bike ride through a local forest preserve. The bike trail was a nice 8-mile stretch taking one through densely forested areas and open stretches. As I glided along during the ride, I could not help to think how nice and peaceful it is for those that inhabit nature (i.e., trees, animals, insects, flowers, bushes, etc.), as they are following innate design. That is, each living thing in nature is operating authentically, as who they really are on the surface of life. We cannot say the same for those who live outside of nature – namely us (the Human race). The majority of people today do not live according to innate design. That is, few people today are doing what they love and loving what they do. Trees operate as who they are and, thus, are true to innate design. Flowers operate as who they are, and thus, are true to innate design. How wonderful the world would be if each of us operated as who we are and were meant to be. How nice it would be if each of us listened to our heart, listened to what soul had to say, and they lived as soul would live. It is possible, you know, to live as soul would live. It simply requires that you do the following:

Listen to what your soul is trying to say

Design a personal strategy to bring soul forward, onto the surface of life

Commit to living as soul would live

Get to work as you have Only One Shot at life

Know this: just as nature adheres to innate design, so too should we adhere to innate design. If you have been living an imposter life, imposter existence up to this point in your life, commit TODAY to begin living as soul would live. We can learn much from nature. With adequate pause, one learns that if we take our clues from nature, nature will show us the way.

Thanks be to nature. I wish you well.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

The Power of a SINGLE IDEA to Transform Your Life

Randall Rogers — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:35:12 +0000

In a recent movie I watched, there was reference to the power of a SINGLE IDEA to spur someone to take new action; to develop new mission, new vision for one’s life; to transform one’s life. After hearing this, I thought about this notion of a SINGLE IDEA possessing the power to transform one’s life and it occurred to me that this is what happened to me in my life. In August 2005, I was driving to work and had an IDEA to write a book about developing a personal strategy methodology that all could use to help them transform their life. Upon receiving this idea, I worked relentlessly over the next five years to write my first book: ‘Only 1 Shot: Aligning the Inner Soul with Action’. A SINGLE IDEA so transfixed me, so inspired me that it caused me to re-evaluate everything I was doing in my life – personal mission, personal vision. A SINGLE IDEA changed my world (in a good way). Consider other (more famous) examples of how a SINGLE IDEA transformed not only individual, but the world:

Ghandi – The idea that India should exist, operate free

Mother Theresa – The idea that the ‘poorest of the poor’ need an activity/change agent

Martin Luther King – The idea that no person should be treated differently based on race

Bono (of U2) – The IDEA that no country should operate, exist in poverty

There are countless examples of how a SINGLE IDEA has transformed not only individual lives but humanity. I share my story with you to inspire you to find your SINGLE IDEA that can transform your life. What SINGLE IDEA can you rally around? What SINGLE IDEA can inspire you to take new action; establish new direction for your life? What SINGLE IDEA can set you on a different course; motivate you to live a remarkable life? There is a famous quote that says “Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” I can modify this to say:

“Never underestimate the power of a SINGLE IDEA to transform your world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has.”

How can you find your SINGLE IDEA? Follow these steps below:

STEP 1 – “Stop your life” – take a day off work, go to a natural park, and just sit quietly

STEP 2 – Take in the sounds and sights of nature around you

STEP 3 – Ask yourself this SINGLE question: “What are you so passionate about that, if able to do on a full-time basis, would inspire a gush of energy, commitment, and desire to achieve? Note: the answer to this question is your SINGLE IDEA

STEP 4 – Develop a personal strategy to REALIZE your SINGLE IDEA by: a) reading my book: ‘Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Passion’ b) downloading the FREE ‘Personal Strategy Toolbox’ available at www.strategydrivenlive.com

Do as others have done before you – let the power of a SINGLE IDEA transform your life. The model works. As I said, there are countless stories of ordinary people transforming their life by simply aligning their head, heart, and hands around a SINGLE IDEA.

A new life awaits you. Determine your SINGLE IDEA today! Then, get to work REALIZING your SINGLE IDEA.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Become an Outlier in Life – (4) Steps to Living a Remarkable Life

Randall Rogers — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 11:44:39 +0000

The way I see it, there are only four key ingredients required to be highly successful in life. First, you must put your goals in writing. Studies have shown that those who put goals in writing are FAR MORE SUCCESSFUL in life than those who keep them locked within. Second, you must develop a strategy to achieve each of your goals. As I am sure you can attest, simply declaring a goal to self and world will not help you achieve your goal. You need to transition from ‘thinking’ to ‘doing’ and the first step in “doing” is to create a personal strategy that specifies the activities, commitments, and initiatives that will help you transition from goal asserted to goal achieved. Third, you need to execute your strategy. Each morning, you MUST review your goals, review your personal strategy to achieve each goal, and then execute your daily strategy. This could mean, for example, limiting your calorie intake if you have a fitness goal. It could mean that you write 25 pages if your goal is to complete a book. It could also mean that you develop a business plan if your goal is to start your own business. Each day, you must remain committed to keeping your goals in your face and top of mind. Only by doing this will you prevent the waters of apathy and the daily grind of life from overtaking your goals. Finally, you must commit each week (at a minimum) to review your goals, review your personal strategy and course correct strategy if it is not working.

Today, few people on the planet have: a) written goals b) a strategy to achieve each goal c) execute strategy daily, and 4) course correct strategy as they change or their environment changes. What is the result of not having such things? You already know – a life diminished! If you lack these key (4) ingredients, decide TODAY to commit your goals to writing. Then, consider purchasing either of my books: ‘Only 1 Shot: Aligning the Inner Soul with Action’ OR ‘Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Passion’ as either book will show you not only HOW to design a personal strategy for living, but also show you how to implement personal strategy and most importantly how to manage personal strategy over time.

You can live a remarkable life. You can have the big home. You can drive the fancy car. You can work only 6 months out of a year. But it requires that you dig in, rise up, and get to work. Become an outlier in life. Follow the road less traveled. Do what successful people do by ‘paying-the-price’, today and every day. I wish you good luck.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

011 A Strategy Driven Life – How to Determine ‘Where You Are’ vs. ‘Where You Want to Be’

Randall Rogers — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:28:11 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 011 – How to Determine Where You Are vs. Where You Want to Be

In this episode, you will learn…

What questions to ask self to determine where are you – mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically

What questions to ask self to determine where you want to be

How to define a personal mission for your life

How to define a personal vision for your life

Next podcast of ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ published on: Wed, 8/3/11. The topic is: ‘A (Sample) Personal Strategy to Get a Job’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. Together, we can make great things happen! If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 847-773-7505.

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

What Is This Life For?

Randall Rogers — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 03:14:29 +0000

The question, ‘What is this life for?’ is the mother of all questions. It gets past the triviality of everyday living; to consider our place in the world; to consider our existence; to consider origin. People have asked, pondered, and debated this question for thousands of years. From Aristotle, to Sartre, to the present, people still ask the question. But why do we ask? It is because self demands an answer. For if we do not ask, our life becomes, in the words of Sartre, “absurd”. Sartre’s argument was that we arrive, then what? He stated that life was absurd because there is no inherent purpose for our life, upon arrival. There is some truth to this, in that no one hands us a mission statement, vision statement upon arriving on earth. Nevertheless, purpose does exist, has always existed; it’s just lying below the surface; waiting to be found. The answer to the question above lies not with others, in a ‘secret’ book, or in religion, it lies with you; within soul.

Each of us has heard the phrase “Life is what you make of it”. This is a true statement, in that each of us writes, directs, and produces (‘makes’) our own life story. The challenge with living is not the ‘how’ of life as each of us finds our way; it is the ‘what’ of life. What do we include in our script of life? What content defines our life story? As I have said before, purpose comes from soul; can only come from soul. You cannot acquire purpose, nor can you find purpose in a book, library, or have a career counselor coax it out of you. The best any of these resources can do is provide you tools, techniques, and methods to facilitate the process, as finding purpose is an internal exercise and, therefore, requires a resource of a different kind: you. Soul, if you let it, will guide you through life. It is what soul was meant to do. Soul’s reason for being is to show you the way, to answer, in very definite terms, what your life is for. For some, soul directs to become a doctor to heal the sick. For some, soul directs to start a business to provide goods and services people need. And for others, soul directs to write a book to help others find soul and bring it forward, into the present, onto the surface of life.

So, where does this leave us? How do we answer the mother of all questions? Which answer seems appropriate, relevant, and applicable to all? I believe that I have the answer. What this life is for, what we should aspire to do, is to live as soul would live. To live as soul would live means that we:

See as soul sees

Think as soul thinks

Act as soul would act

Feel what soul feels

Therefore, we see life not with one’s eyes but through one’s eyes (through soul), and life is glorious. We think of opportunity and imperative; of mission, vision, inner soul goals; of alignment; as One, and life is meaningful. We achieve as soul would achieve; maximizing the personal, professional, and financial potential that life offers. Lastly, we live as soul would live, and life is fragrant. Our schooling may have inadequately prepared us to live purposefully, meaningfully, happily. It may have left us fettering in an unforgiving, relentless, competitive world, but we can find purpose, meaning, and happiness. Know this: when you commit to converse with soul, when you commit to operate from soul, when you commit to live as soul would live, never again will the question, ‘What is this life for?’ confound you, as you already know.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Before You Can Fly, You Must First Be Free

Randall Rogers — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 11:34:45 +0000

Ever dream of driving the fancy car? Ever dream of building your dream home? Ever dream of having the luxury to travel the world six months out of a year? Such things are possible, and you do not have to be a celebrity, a movie star, or sports hero to do so. Such things are possible for you if you simply recognize that ‘before you can fly, you must first be free’.

Few people today are living fragrant, inspiring lives. Most are simply trying to get by; living day-to-day, week-to-week, or month-to-month. As I have written about in the past, this is no way to live. Each of us was meant to live inspired, fragrant lives; a life of happiness; a life of leisure; a life of freedom. But, to live such a life we must first set self free; to fly to new destinations; to free oneself to live the life one was meant to live. Now, the way we do this is simply to focus on our passions. Whether your passion is baking, woodworking, river guiding, hiking, photography, fitness, preaching, etc., you must work actively and relentlessly to live your passion. What does this mean? To work ‘actively and relentlessly’ to live your passion is to develop a personal strategy that is designed to take you from where you are to where you want to be. Trust me, having a personal strategy to achieve one’s goals works. I have used a personal strategy to publish (2) books, lose 40 lbs, and build a business (Personal Strategy Institute).

The key elements to achieve any goal, to acheive your personal strategy are:

Develop a plan

Execute your plan

Monitor your results

Course correct as necessary

Decide TODAY to live your passion. Decide TODAY to set self free. For, when you do this, you will be walking the path which leads home. Do not for another moment forego the life you were meant to live.

How could you decide any other way?

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

010 A Strategy Driven Life – Discovering Your Innate Skills for Personal Gain

Randall Rogers — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 04:50:12 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 010 – Discovering Your Innate Skills for Personal Gain

In this episode, you will learn…

What are innate skills?

How can we discover our innate skills (strengths)

Why knowing one’s innate skills position’s one for remarkable success

How to leverage one’s innate skills when designing a personal strategy for living

Podcast Handout:We have created a PDF Document that contains several techniques/tools from the Personal Strategy Toolbox that one can use to determine his/her innate skills and/or strengths. Please use the link below to download this document in support of this podcast episode.

Right-Click Here To Download the Supporting File

Next podcast of ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ published on: Wed, 6/29/11. The topic is: ‘Where are You? – A :30 Minute Assessment’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. Together, we can make great things happen! If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 847-773-7505.

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

Life is not a Dress Rehearsal – Act with Urgency!

Randall Rogers — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 18:54:47 +0000

You have probably heard the phrase ‘life is not a dress rehearsal’. It is worth repeating and, discussing, the essence of this phrase, as the majority of people today act as if life is a dress rehearsal; that is, they act without a sense of urgency to live the life they both desire and were meant to live.

Instead of actively working towards pursuing their passion, living their passion, the majority of people stop far short of achieving such goal. In essence, they abandon the dream. This is not how we were meant to experience and live life. Each of us was meant to fully participate in life; to experience the full pageantry that life offers from living out our passion(s). We must not act in a manner that exhibits living life as a dress rehearsal. Said differently, we must stop living a lie. We must stop living an imposter life. It would not matter much that we live authentically if each of us had nine lives to ‘get it right’. But, alas, we have Only One Shot at life. As such, we must work actively and urgently to pursue the ‘right’ profession and role, among other things. Only by doing this can we live a fragrant life, full of color.

Therefore, decide TODAY to begin living life. Make it your highest personal priority to live authentically as who you really are and were meant to be. Each day that our life reflects a ‘dress rehearsal’ is a day lost. As such, how many ‘lost’ days you tally in life is your choice.

Do as I have done…

Articulate your passion (aka – your inner soul goals)

Plan your passion (via personal strategy for living)

Live your passion (by executing your personal strategy)

Refine your passion (by managing your personal strategy)

Know this: The moment you choose to ‘go the other way’, to live your passion, is the moment you begin living life. Threfore, make TODAY the first day of your new life. Listen to what your inner voice, soul, is calling you to do. Then do it. Get out from behind the curtains. Live boldly, vividly.

What are you waiting for?

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

Personal Strategy Institute: Our Message is Universal, Our Reach is Global!

Randall Rogers — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 17:08:50 +0000

It has been six months since we began publishing weekly podcasts (‘A Strategy Driven Life’) via Personal Strategy Institute (PSI) website. In celebration of this milestone, I thought that it would be exciting and informative to share with all of you the (growing) global ‘reach’ of PSI. Despite operating out of a single office in Chicago, IL USA, the growth and expanse of Personal Strategy Institute has been both exciting and unexpected.

Listed below are some statistics related to the breadth of the PSI community:

Website visitors from 56 different countries and territories

Over 1000+ unique visitors to www.personalstrategy.org website

Top 10 country visits from: USA, Canada, Nigeria, UK, Brazil, India, Russia, Germany, Philippines, and Netherlands

Over 1000+ downloads of our podcasts for the show ‘A Strategy Driven Life’

Top 10 country downloads from: Turkey, USA, Saudi Arabia, India, Brazil, Germany, Korea, Malaysia, China, and UK

As the above statistics confirm, our reach is indeed global. I believe the reason for this is that our message (at PSI) is universal. And this is driven, in large part, because our mission is universal – “to help and enable ALL people to live up to the extraordinary personal, professional, and financial potential that life offers”. At PSI, our goal is clear…to help and enable ALL people to:

Develop a personal strategy for living

Establish personal alignment

Maximize the life experience

How will we achieve these goals? We will achieve these goals in part by: 1) the books that we write (e.g., ‘Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Passion’ AND ‘Only1Shot: Aligning the Inner Soul with Action’), 2) the video training tutorials that we create (e.g., ‘How to Design a Personal Strategy for Living’) 3) the podcasts that we publish (‘A Strategy Driven Life’), and 4) the community/dialogue that we jointly build and foster online. Know this: ALL of what we do at PSI, is to help YOU achieve YOUR mission, vision, and goals in life; to help you live a more remarkable life. This is our purpose! This is what inspires us daily to do what we do – and with very little financial support, I might add. In the months and years to come, we will continue to pursue our passion; that is, to do what we love and love what we do. We will continue to write books that educate on how to live as soul would live. We will continue to bring you video training tutorials that offer ready-made coaching, support, and guidance to help you design, implement, and manage your personal strategy. And we will continue to deliver informative and motivational podcasts to inspire your field walk, wherever your journey may take you.

Our ask at PSI, is that you will join others in becoming a more integral part of our ‘community’. How can you become more involved? You can share with us your story. You can tell us how you are trying to live a more inspired life. You can send us inquiries regarding your struggle and successes with designing, implementing, and managing a personal strategy for living. Please know, we are here to help AND we want to help. It is time to ‘join the community’.

Peace.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

009 A Strategy Driven Life – How to Become Exceptionally Fit Using a Personal Strategy

Randall Rogers — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 11:20:43 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 009 – How to Become Exceptionally Fit Using a Personal Strategy

In this episode, you will learn…

How to define a personal strategy to become exceptionally fit

How to track your personal strategy; to determine if it is working

How to measure your personal strategy using personal performance measures

How to record data associated with your personal strategy

What a personal strategy to achieve extreme fitness looks like

Podcast Handout:We have created a PDF Document that contains a sample personal strategy to achieve the goal: ‘be exceptionally fit’. Please use the link below to download this document in support of this podcast episode.

Right-Click Here To Download the Supporting File

Next podcast of ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ published on: Wed, 6/15/11. The topic is: ‘Discovering Your Innate Skills for Personal Gain’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 847-773-7505.

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

Black Inside: How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success

Randall Rogers — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:18:15 +0000

Let me paint the picture. You are dissatisfied with multiple aspects of your life – your physical appearance, your job/career, your attitude towards life, possibly even your relationship with your significant other. Little is going right for you. You are black inside. If this describes your current condition, let me confide in you, I have been where you now are. I have felt your pain. I have operated on your plane. Do not despair. There is a way out! There is a way to resurrect not only your spirit, but also your life. What is the key? It is a personal strategy.

Many years ago, I felt black inside. Not knowing what to do to get out of my ‘funk’, I started to descend within, to listen to what soul had to say. In the course of such discussion, I found my way out. Over a period of months, I had designed a repeatable method that any and all could use that could transform one’s life from where they were to where they wanted to be. The method was a personal strategy. Upon identifying my inner soul goals (i.e., ‘desires of soul’), I then designed a personal strategy to achieve each goal. When I did this, it gave me instant hope and motivation that I could reach sunlight. Suddenly, I possessed the key to transform my life. Suddenly, achieving any goal seemed possible; within reach. All I needed to do was to execute my newly developed strategy and course correct when things did not work as intended. By designing and executing a personal strategy for living, I was able to do the following SIMULTANEOSLY:

Wrote my first book: Only 1 Shot – Aligning the Inner Soul with Action

Lost 40 pounds (became exceptionally fit)

Rapidly formed and implemented a new company (The Personal Strategy Institute)

Never before had I achieved such great accomplishments in such a short period of time. The key to such achievement, to pulling me out of my hole, was that I developed a precise personal strategy and then executed that strategy daily – always moving forward. You are capable of doing the same. You, too, can climb out of any hole that you may be in. You, too, can reach daylight.

Decide today to develop a personal strategy for living. My new book, ‘Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to Living Your Passion’, will help you find the path that leads home. To ease your efforts, also consider downloading the FREE ‘Personal Strategy Toolkit’ with over 30+ templates you can use TODAY to develop, implement, and later manage your personal strategy. Do what I did and take a leap of faith. With courage, faith, and enthusiasm you will succeed. How do I know that this is possible? It is because it happened to me just as assuredly as it will happen to you.

ALL NOW RESTS WITH YOU!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 847-773-7505.

To Join the Living, That is the Call!

Randall Rogers — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:11:01 +0000

In my last post, I mentioned that when we pursue our passions happiness follows. This is a true statement as anyone who IS pursuing their passions will tell you. But, why is this the case? Why is it that pursuing passions brings the best out in us? The reason is, and to modify the statement above, when we pursue our passions, a willing mood follows.

The reason that we are happy, successful, and free when pursuing, living our passion is that for each of us, pursuing a passion does not represent work; does not feel as work. This is great news. For, when we pursue our passion a willing mood (to pay-the-price for success) naturally results which provides us the necessary fuel to just keep going when the going gets tough. The same cannot be said when we do NOT pursue, live our passions.

The majority of people today are not pursuing passion, not living their passion. What do we call such situation, such condition? We call such situation ‘work’. That said, the majority of people today ‘work’, they do not ‘live’. This must change. For each of us, we must not only find our passion, we must LIVE our passion. Today! NOW! In the moment!

The moment we choose to pursue, and then later, live our passion is the moment we stop ‘working’ and start ‘living’. Brother, Sister, IT IS TIME TO JOIN THE LIVING.

Decide today to pursue, live your passion. Decide today to begin living life. Decide today to begin loving life. You will be glad you did.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 847-773-7505.

When We Pursue Our Passions, Happiness Follows!

Randall Rogers — Sun, 05 Jun 2011 15:03:56 +0000

I am pleased to announce the publication of my latest book: ‘Breaking Free: The Ultimate Guide to ‘Living’ Your Passion’ (6/2011). Breaking Free is based on, and a continuation of, my previous book: ‘Only 1 Shot: Aligning the Inner Soul with Action’ (6/2010). In both books, the underlying storyline is the same: by developing a personal strategy (for your life) that reflects soul, you will be able to live as soul would live. Moreover, you will establish personal alignment; that is, alignment between self and soul, self and work, self and family, and self and nature. Why is this desirable? Why would one want to live as soul would live? Why should we strive to be aligned? The reason each of us should strive to live as soul would live, to become self aligned, is because doing so represents the most inspired, generative, and exciting type of life one could possibly live.

In Breaking Free you will learn how to:

Assess where you are – mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically

Converse with soul (engage in personal reflection)

Identify your inner soul goals

Design a personal strategy that reflects soul

Implement personal strategy to achieve your inner soul goals

Overcome stumbling blocks to personal strategy

Grow will power to develop new habits/patterns for your life

Manage personal strategy (as you change and your environment changes)

Live a strategy driven life

With this book serving as your coach, mentor, and friend, you will learn how to maximize the personal, professional, and financial potential that life offers. And what great things will come from that!

At bottom, the message of Breaking Free is to pursue your passion; to live passionately. For when we pursue our passions, happiness follows. To purchase a copy of this book, click here.

Happy reading.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 847-773-7505.

008 A Strategy Driven Life – Using Life Aids to Achieve Your Goals

Randall Rogers — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 05:29:00 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 008 – Using Life Aids to Achieve Your Goals

In this episode, you will learn what ‘Life Aids’ are and how they can help us achieve personal strategy and, therefore, our inner soul goals.

Podcast Handout:We have created a PDF Document that contains samples of several ‘life aids’ to follow along with and support this podcast. Please use the link below to download this document.
Right-Click Here To Download the Supporting File

Next podcast of ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ published on: Wed, 6/8/11. The topic is: ‘Using a Personal Strategy to Achieve Extreme Fitness’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

How To Design a Personal Strategy for Living (Part V)

Randall Rogers — Sun, 15 May 2011 21:08:24 +0000

Part V: Living a Strategy Driven Life

In this episode, you will learn/obtain…

What it means to live a strategy driven life

A summary of the process for designing a personal strategy for living

Final words (advice really) on how to acheive your personal strategy and live a remarkable life

Slides Printout:We have created a PDF Document that contains each of the slides from the tutorial presentation. Please use the link below to download this document.
Right-Click Here To Download the PDF of the Slides

Downloadable Video File:You may stream the video from this session here on this site using the embedded video below. You may download the video by < Right-Clicking > on the link below and choosing the option to save the linked file to your hard drive.
Part V – Living a Strategy Driven Life

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

Never Let Another Put Out Your Flame

Randall Rogers — Fri, 06 May 2011 13:57:05 +0000

It is often a very lonely road when pursuing greatness – the long nights, doubtful thoughts, disparaging comments from others. All of this, especially the negativity of others, can cause one to question the viability or value of pursuing a dream. Here is my advice: despite not seeing immediate results, despite the debilitating thoughts, despite the naysayers – never let another put out your flame. To pursue a dream is to pursue a desire of soul and there is no more inspired state in which to exist. All that matters is that YOU believe in YOUR dream. We are not obligated, nor should we expend any mental energy trying to convince others of the soundness or legitimacy of our dream. You are the architect of your life. You are the visionary of ‘what can be’. As such, just keep going. Remember, that with each day comes movement and with movement comes success – dream realized!

Therefore…

Continue with your dream. Continue with your vision. Never let the flame subside.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

You’ve Been Layed Off, Now What? – (6) Steps to a Better Life

Randall Rogers — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:27:04 +0000

Few of us are trained in the art and science of meditation OR the practice of ‘descending within’ to get in touch with our inner voice (i.e., soul). This is unfortunate because from soul comes purpose; intention. There are millions amongst us, perhaps even you that are unemployed and looking for next steps. For many of such people, nervousness and anxiety fill their day as they consider what role, what employer, what profession to enter or exit. I have been in this position; that is, I have operated in this state contemplating my place in life, my profession. What each of us needs to do when in such a position is to take time to connect with our inner voice, with soul, to hear what it has to say. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, once said that ‘soul’ already knows what each of us should do and how we should operate, exist on the surface of life. Therefore, our task is simply to get in touch with soul to live as soul would live. But, as I mentioned, few of us have the knowledge of how to do this. Therefore, I present (6) steps to connect with inner to direct outer, to live a more fragrant life:

1. Isolate yourself (preferably within nature, to hear the voice of soul)
2. Relax, close your eyes (for 60 minutes do nothing at all – listen to the wind blow)
3. Begin asking questions of self to prompt soul (e.g. what do I really want to do in life?)
4. Listen for the answer (this is more a matter of one’s heart than one’s head)
5. Document your conversation with soul
6. Act on what soul is telling you to do

By isolating your-self you liberate self from ‘noise’ of everyday living; of society. When you close your eyes, there is soul. When you ask questions of self, soul responds. Soul’s responses are silent, so do not insist on spoken word. Write down what soul is telling you to do – this represents your ‘game plan’; next steps. Finally, choose to live as soul would live by acting on desires of soul. I know the fear, anxiety, and hopelessness that comes from being layed off or more, broadly, from being misaligned with who I am and who I want to be. My advice to you is to first get centered (using the steps above). Connect with soul; converse with soul; learn from soul. Then, get to work. You have much life to live. You have much to accomplish. You can live happily.

I wish you the best.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

To Unify Love and Work – This is the Goal!

Randall Rogers — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 14:48:40 +0000

To unify love and work – this is the goal! But what does this mean exactly? For each of us, there exists different passions. For some, their passion is photography. For others it is woodworking. And still for others, it is hiking. The interesting thing about passion is that with passion comes excitement, interest, commitment, and love. A deep passion of mine is to write self-help, personal growth books so that others can live a more inspired life. Because writing such books is my passion, I am excited about performing such work. Moreover, I am interested, committed to pay-the-price to complete my work. This is what it means to unify love and work. I recently read an article in the USA Today Newspaper where an author talked about how losing his ‘crappy’ job was his ticket to bliss. He stated that when he got laid off he was free to pursue and live his passion (writing). His message was that when we align our passion and work, great things happen.

Are you aligned in this manner? Have you unified love and work? If not, decide TODAY to make this your goal in 2011 – to unify love and work. For when you do this, GREAT THINGS HAPPEN!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

Let Soul Sing!

Randall Rogers — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:36:35 +0000

So few people (in their lifetime) share with the world who they really are and were meant to be. That is, few people live as soul would live. Most people, my (former) self included, reflect imposter self, imposter living. In what way, you ask? One way where people reflect imposter living is that they are not working in a profession/role that reflects passion; that does not reflect soul. This must change. The reason we need such change is that when we pursue our passions (live as soul would live), happiness follows. Moreover, when we live authentically we are inherently better people. Our view of life is positive, our attitude is positive, and we exude a joyful vibe. Can you imagine a world where every person was living as who they really are and were meant to be? I think it would be a remarkably better planet. For each of us, we would realize a remarkably different life experience. Earth would become such an inspiring place to live. Humanity would exist, operate from higher ground.

The challenge for each of us is to a) find out who we really are and were meant to be and then b) begin living authentically as only by doing so can one live a fragrant, happy existence. We must exhibit needed courage to connect with inner; that is, to discover soul. For when we discover soul, we unleash soul within. That is, we enable self to Let Soul Sing. The message is this: be who you are and were meant to be. Why would you choose to live any other way? If you have been living an imposter existence, decide TODAY to live as soul would live. Whatever soul is telling you to do. Act on such message. Now. At this moment. Let the world know you, see you, as who you really are. You will be glad you did.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

007 A Strategy Driven Life – Quotes that Move Me

Randall Rogers — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 05:15:15 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 007 – Quotes that Move Me

In this episode, you will hear of inspirational quotes…

On Purpose

On Happiness

On Living

On Home

On Achievement

On Freedom

On Alignment

On Soul

On Being Whole

The purpose in sharing/discussing such quotes with you is to: a) inspire you b) ignite new beginnings and c) encourage you to “just keep going” when the going gets tough.

Next podcast of ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ published on: Thur, 5/19/11. The topic is: ‘Life Aids: What are They and How to Use Them’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

Look Not Up, but Within to Transform Your Life

Randall Rogers — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 02:38:11 +0000

While I would not claim to be an overly religious person, I am in fact a very spiritual person. And this serves me well as all of what I do with the Personal Strategy Institute is about spirit; is inspired by almighty soul. Many people, when in times of trouble, often seek refuge in religion. I understand this practice, as religion (and religious people) often have a way of soothing a troubled soul; mending a broken heart. But I am not here today to spew the benefits of ‘looking up’ (towards the heavens) as I am here to spew the benefits of ‘looking within’ (towards soul).

To ‘look within’ is to connect with your inner voice – soul. To ‘look within’ is to converse with soul, to hear what it has to say. And when we do this, we learn desires of soul. That is, we learn what we want in life and from life. For many years, I struggled with what to do with my life. And what amplified my problem was that I lacked a method of how to determine next steps; to transform my life. Then, I began to look within, to practice self reflection and what I discovered was soul, or more precisely the voice of soul. As I descended within, to the quiet room, soul called out to me and it is within and from such dialogue that I was able to determine next steps. I learned of what to do with my life; what my true purpose was on earth.

That said, if you are at a crossroad in your life, a ‘pause’ point, to consider more of the same or go the other way, but are unsure of next steps, do as I do – look not up, but within. Soul will reveal the path which leads home. How is this so? It is because soul, somehow, already knows what is best for us. Therefore, listen to soul. Embrace soul. Live as soul would live. There is no more inspired state in which to operate. But, there is no need to communicate this as your soul already knows the truth.

Peace.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

006 A Strategy Driven Life – Key of Keys: The Power of Personal Reflection (Part II)

Randall Rogers — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 22:25:18 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 006 – Key of Keys: The Power of Personal Reflection (Part II)

In this episode, you will learn…

What are Reflective Learning Journals

What are the benefits of personal reflection

Supporting Illustrations:We have created a a couple of illustrations to support this podcast episode. Please use the links below to download each document.

Right-Click Here To Download ‘Reflective Learning Journal Template’
Right-Click Here To Download ‘Personal Reflection: Two Processes at Play’

Next podcast of ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ published on: Wed, 4/13/11. The topic is: ‘Quotes that Move Me’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

Eminem’s Got It Right: You Can Achieve Anything You Set Your Mind To

Randall Rogers — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 18:36:01 +0000

It is hard sometimes to pursue a dream; to achieve dramatic, life-transforming goals. Why is this so? It is because such goals, by definition are long-term by design and, therefore, take much time to achieve. Moreover, to achieve our inner soul goals requires incredible persistence, great resolve, and continued steadfastness in the wake of adversity. My advice: just keep going. Believe me, I know the struggles of trying to ‘break free’; to become a successful entrepreneur. There have been many nights when I labored till 2-3am to achieve a dream. Do not the let prospect of work get you down. You must endure. Your emerging self is counting on your current efforts to ‘make it happen’.

Therefore, resolve TODAY to:

Always keep going – no matter what

Achieve your goals

Live your dream

Never let the dream die

Pay-the-price for success

Realize the emerging you

To achieve the above, you must maintain your faith, courage, and enthusiasm. Success will come. Happiness will arrive. How do I know this to be true? It is because no goal can withstand the relentless assault of the human will to achieve such goal. In other words, if you practice relentless determination, you have no option other than to achieve your goal. You’ve got a vision. Now, ‘steadily build’ to live your vision. All successful people steadily build to be a success. Scientists steadily build. Rock stars steadily build. Movie stars steadily build. And sports stars steadily build. Your time is now. The present is your servant. Before long, you will find yourself reflecting back with great profundity and pride in having realized life vision; having achieved life mission. And how great life will be for you then. Never doubt your success. Do as I do and deliberately focus your mind on something good coming up; just around the corner. We can take Eminem’s sage advice when he states: “you can achieve anything you set your mind to”. That said, let’s get to work!

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

10 Keys to Ensure High-Quality Personal Reflection

Randall Rogers — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 02:33:07 +0000

Personal Reflection is a high-order action that all should practice, for when we engage in reflective thought – great things happen! To ensure that you benefit from reflective thought, to ensure you do it correctly, listed below are 10 keys to engaging in high-quality reflection:

10 Keys to Engaging in High-Quality Personal Reflection

1. Make personal reflection your highest personal priority in your life
2. Do not rush through reflection; plant seeds slowly
3. Set aside regular time to reflect (e.g. 30 minutes in AM); create a reflection calendar
4. Focus on quality of self dialogue, not quantity
5. Seek penetration; face reality; be brutal with self when in the presence of soul
6. Be patient (to hear voice of soul)
7. Focus on the outcomes of reflection; namely deep insights into self, soul, and personal strategy
8. Use a Reflective Learning Journal to incorporate the past, review the present, glimpse the future
9. Suspend current beliefs, thoughts, and assumptions in the air for challenge; revision
10. Ask questions, then sit back and let the answers come; on their own accord; in their own way

Know This: It is because we do not stop our life, do not reflect on life, do not converse with soul, do not know soul that we are in the shape we are in.

Develop a habit TODAY to engage in personal reflection. Decide NOW to converse with soul; to know soul; to live as soul would live. You will be glad you did.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

Contemporary Living is Flawed – A Call to Action!

Randall Rogers — Fri, 08 Apr 2011 02:14:41 +0000

I cannot help but think that contemporary living is flawed. Somehow, we have arrived at the place where we are all working 50-60 hour weeks. More disturbingly, we all accept this. How did we get to this point? It seems that as humanity ages, we increasingly lose our humanity. This is not how we were meant to live – working increasingly longer hours, increased separation, rising hostility, depression, outrage.

While I do not yet have a solution that will course correct humanity’s dangerous descent, I do know that we were not meant to operate as rats in cage. We were meant to live in harmony, fragrantly, as One. The sad part is that humanity’s ills are bigger than you and I. In other words, the ills that plague us cannot be solved by just you and I. A movement is needed. A movement that demands harmony, addresses humanistic concerns. We must go the other way. Meaning, EVERYTHING MUST CHANGE. The workplace must change. Our schools must change. Our values must change. Our expectations for the life experience must change. Our world economic model must change. All our systems (macro) are on the path to destruction. All our systems are collectively bringing us down. We need a new movement to believe in. I am ready for such movement. Are you? I am ready for more inspired living; a more inspired, humanistic planet. Are you?

It has been said that all that is needed to change the world is to assemble a group of five or so like-minded, passionate individuals who believe in a cause so strongly that the world will take notice. We need to assemble! Join the PSI community. Together, we can remake individual stories, if not the world story.

Consider this a call to action!

Peace.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

005 A Strategy Driven Life – Key of Keys: The Power of Personal Reflection (Part I)

Randall Rogers — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 04:24:11 +0000

A Strategy Driven Life Podcast
Episode 005 – Key of Keys: The Power of Personal Reflection (Part I)

In this episode, you will learn…

Why personal reflection is the ‘Key of Keys’ to live a fragrant life

What personal reflection is/means

On what do we reflect

Why we must engage in personal reflection

How to engage in personal reflection (i.e., the process)

Supporting Illustrations:We have created a a couple of illustrations to support this podcast episode. Please use the links below to download each document.

Right-Click Here To Download ‘Personal Reflection Questions’
Right-Click Here To Download ‘Process of Personal Reflection’

Next podcast of ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ published on: Mon, 4/11/11. The topic is: ‘Key of Keys: The Power of Personal Reflection (Part II)’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

Subscribe to ‘A Strategy Driven Life’ Podcast – Free Feed:

How to Design a Personal Strategy for Living (Part IV)

Randall Rogers — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 21:14:18 +0000

Part IV: Keeping Score of Personal Strategy

In this episode, you will learn…

What it means to measure the life experience

Why we must measure the life experience

The process of measuring the life experience

What support tools are needed to measure adequately

How to begin measuring your life experience today

Click Here for Part V of ‘How to Design a Personal Strategy for Living’

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

The Key to Goal Achievement: Personal Reflection

Randall Rogers — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 18:08:43 +0000

What prevents us from living fragrantly? What stands in our way of achieving and sustaining happiness in our life? Why do we not achieve our goals? These are important questions we must ask self, as the answers will reveal the path which leads home. That is, such answers indicate next steps. For my entire adult life, I have struggled to maintain my goal weight of 200 lbs. Over the years, my weight has fluctuated from 200 lbs to in excess of 240 lbs. Often I have asked my-self, why am I not able to achieve and sustain my goal? After all, I am a determined, willful type of person who gets things done. Over time, I did learn why I was not able to achieve and sustain my weight goal and now I share it with you. The root cause of why I vacillated between success and failure with achieving my goal was due to me losing consciousness of my goal. I learned that when I did not actively think about my goal, daily, I lost sight of my goal. And when my goal was out of sight, out of mind, I no longer did the things that I know I needed to do to maintain weight. For example, I observed that I was…

Not planning my day

Not executing all (parts of) my personal strategy

Not monitoring my personal strategy

Not engaging in personal reflection

Not collecting data on life performance

Not improving/tuning personal strategy

Not applying my will power; my will was not ‘at attention’

And in not doing the above, my goal slid farther and farther into the recesses of my mind. In time, I lost all enthusiasm and momentum to achieve my goal. However, the moment I regained consciousness of my goal, largely through engaging in daily, personal reflection where I reiterated my goal to my-self, I once again started performing the activities above. Over time, my attitude improved, my enthusiasm restored, and I was back on the happy path. I share this story with you to make a few points. We are all created equal in that, for the majority of us, if we do not actively think about our goals, we lose sight of our goals and our goals tend to drift and die. However, when we converse with soul, when we spend just :30 min each morning to reflect on our goal, to think about our goal, something magical occurs – we begin to act in the service of our goal. Therefore, if you have a goal you want to achieve because it will make you happy or increase the quality of your life, but the goal is buried deep, do as I did, use personal reflection to bring your goal back to life; to the surface of life; to feel the sun’s warm glow. Know this: personal reflection can (if you let it) ignite the light that is buried within. Decide TODAY to allocate :30 min each morning to reflect on your goals. You will be glad you did.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

To Give Rather Than Receive – This is the Goal!

Randall Rogers — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:56:12 +0000

Given all the suffering, all the disconnectedness that exists in the world today, one wonders whether we are living. One wonders whether our current existence is as good as it gets. One wonders whether our current reality is the highest form humanity can achieve; ascend. Today, the life experience offers a reality few people want. We live in a world too expensive to live, where the social divide continues to escalate, where many feel disconnected, deceived, are searching for the truth. The indicators are clear. We are not living, for if we were, we would not see, hear, or feel the suffering that now afflicts us, debilitates us, diminishes all that is good in life. What is needed is to rewrite humanity’s story with different themes; different outcomes. To rewrite this story is not difficult, as it simply requires us ‘go the other way’. The world story today is not relevant, engaging, or memorable as it reads not of that which inspires, but of that which debilitates.

Having said this, a new movement is among us. The tide is turning. I can feel it, and perhaps you do too. An undercurrent of emotion, discontent, is sweeping the globe, as humanity will no longer tolerate its current story; current condition. We have tired of the suffering; tired of the stress, famine, homelessness, poverty, disease, and inequality. The soul of humanity wants more, demands more. It is desperate for a new movement to believe in. We demand that a new story be written for what is possible for humanity; what the ‘life experience’ means, represents. We demand that disconnectedness leave us along with its troublesome cousins: deception and mistruth. We demand an end to the suffering. Everywhere I look today, I see signs that humanity demands new priorities, seeks a different existence, a better reality for all. On the radio, I hear songs about living purposefully, of seeking a better life. In the theatre, I see movies illuminating our desire to live happily, simply, freely. On bookstore shelves, I see books about finding one’s purpose, about increasing happiness, about living an inspired existence. Finally, in casual conversation, I hear people joke about not having a life but desperately wanting one. When you ‘tune in’, expand your periphery to the undercurrent of emotion, to the discontent that exists today, you will see the signs and they are everywhere. From what we believe, to what we see and think, to how we act and feel, the signs of humanity wanting more, demanding more abound.

Collectively, the signs indicate we are in the middle of an epochal shift. A new world order is emerging; the world’s story is being rewritten and we are its authors. So of what epochal shift are we in the midst? We are in the midst of a profound shift where humanity, human consciousness, is reaching, striving for ‘higher ground’, as ‘more of the same’ will not do. Humanity is dictating new priorities, new details for the world to focus on and what tops the list is to advance the human story, to attend to humanistic concerns, to give rather than receive.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.

The Challenge of Our Time: Finding Happiness

Randall Rogers — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 16:51:09 +0000

To be happy, to live while alive – this is the goal! Sadly, few people live this way. Personal happiness, it seems, is in short supply today. Thus, the challenge of our time is to find happiness; to ‘live’ again; to love life again. We are challenged to do all this in a world designed to deliver the opposite and determined to knock it out of you when it does exist. What this tells us is that happiness does not arrive by default; we must deliberately pursue happiness. We must make it happen. Know this: those who deliberately pursue happiness find it, and those who do not, rarely do. And although we do not ask for life, but having arrived, we do have choices. For example, we choose what profession/role to work in, we choose who to share our life with, and we choose where to live. It is the choices we make in life that determine our life; that determine the quality of our life; that determine our mode of living.
Generally speaking, there are three (3) modes of living:

Thriving

Surviving

Dying

To ‘thrive’ means to live joyfully, meaningfully, happily. It means you are doing what you want in life to get want you want from life, throughout life. Few people live this way. To ‘survive’ means just the opposite. It means one is living in quiet desperation, a life lacking joy, meaning, or happiness. The majority of people live this way. Lastly, to ‘die’ means that one is alive on the outside but dead on the inside; soul buried deep, spirit sleeping somewhere cold. Tragically, many people live this way as well. Because we have only one shot at life and because the years pass so quickly, it is imperative that one elevate the self from a state of dying or surviving, to thriving. Through deliberate action, and with faith, courage, and enthusiasm you will realize a new life, a better life – find happiness.

Look forward to your reply.

Randall

LIFE COACHING: I’m available for one on one life coaching. Whether you want to acheive higher levels of success in business and life or feel you are moving on a random course without definition, direction, or control, I’d love to work with you. Together, we can determine your next steps. Together, we can identify and prioritize the appropriate actions needed to succeed. If you are interested in developing personal strategy, establishing personal alignment, and/or maximizing the life experience, email me at randall@personalstrategy.org or leave a message on our voicemail hotline at 630-451-1088.