Charles F. Haanel ... Was he a visionary or a nut?
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July 2, 2009

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Faith the Dog

A friend of mine — actually, he’s a member of the Master Key Coaching Program — forwarded an email to me today. Usually, I don’t open emails that people are forwarding. I think that many of us are all too familiar with how that works out. Against my “better judgement,” I opened it anyway.

It was an email about a dog. A two-legged dog. You see, this dog, Faith, was born with only two legs. What a way to start life! Nobody wanted him, not even his mother.

This is his story.

I am going to include the entire story here, pictures and all. Before I do that, though, I want to point out that this story is 100% true!

As with many emails that people forward, such as the sundry political diatribes that make the rounds and are purported to be written by someone famous or even the ‘Bill Gates read the Master Key System‘ rumor, they are often proven to be false, or at the very least mostly factually inaccurate.

A good place to check the veracity of stories that you hear online or via email is Snopes.com. And that’s what I did: I checked Snopes.

Yup! This story about Faith is true!

Thus, without further ado, here is a story that will make you smile a little, make you cry a lot, and give you inspiration by the ton. Enjoy!

This is ‘Faith’

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This dog was born on Christmas Eve in the year 2002. He was born with three  legs — two healthy hind legs and one abnormal front leg, which needed to be  amputated. He of course could not walk when he was born. Even his mother did not want him.

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His first owner also did not think that he could survive. Therefore, he was thinking of “putting him to  sleep.”

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By this time, his present owner, Jude Stringfellow, met him and wanted  to take care of him.

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She was determined to teach and train this dog to walk by himself.  Therefore she named him Faith.

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In the beginning, she put Faith on a surf board to let him feel the movements. Later, she used peanut  butter on a spoon as a lure and reward for him to stand up and jump around. Even the other dog at home helped to encourage him to walk. Amazingly, after only six months, like a miracle, Faith learned to balance on his two hind legs and jump to move forward. After further training in the snow, he now can walk like a human being.

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Faith loves to walk around now. No matter where he goes, he just attracts all the people around him.

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He is now becoming famous on the international scene. He has appeared in various newspapers and on TV shows.

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There is even one book entitled With a Little Faith being published  about him. He was even considered to appear  in one of the Harry Potter movies.

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His present owner Jude Stringfellew has  given up her teaching post and plans to take him around the world to teach that even without a perfect body, one can have a “perfect soul.”

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In life there are always undesirable things. Perhaps one will feel better if one changes the point of view from another direction.

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And that, my friends, is Faith. Faith the dog.

Take from that story what you will. Perhaps you’ll take from it the idea that you have to use mind over matter. Others will say that with adversity comes opportunity or the seeds of greatness.

What I saw was this: We are all dealt certain cards in life, both good and bad, and our aim should be to use what we got to get what we want.

If Faith did, don’t you think that you can, too?

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© Anthony R. Michalski/Master Key Coaching | Print This Article | (1) Comment

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June 18, 2009

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Dream a Little Italian Dream

Here is a short video taken by a fellow from the Italian Car Show in Philadelphia, PA not too long ago. I find the video particularly enjoyable because I own a 1992 Alfa Romeo Spider Veloce.

Italian Car Show from Robert Wynn on Vimeo.

It’s nice to watch videos like this. Why? Because it’s nice to dream and to see things that may serve as an inspiration to you. Then, you just may find that those dreams of yours will become your goals.

And that, my friends, is when the “magic” starts to happen.

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© Anthony R. Michalski/Master Key Coaching | Print This Article | (3) Comments

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June 17, 2009

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Questions & Answers About Exercises #1 and #2

I received this email from a fellow who is studying The Master Key System. I actually receive quite a few emails asking very similar questions about the exercises in Week One and Week Two. Here is his email to me -

I came across your website and had a question if you have the time. For exercise #1 you are to stay still for 15 minutes and let your mind wonder. Do you keep your eyes closed or does that not make a difference?

For exercise #2, you are to not allow any thoughts into your mind. The book mentioned this would be difficult and most would only be able to do this for a few moments. But how long should each exercise session be? Should I try to do this over and over again for 15 mins to a half hour or literally just try it for a moment? This one is going to be tough for me (lol).

For those who don’t know (or who don’t remember), here are what Haanel provides as exercises for Week One and Week Two.

Week One Exercise
44. Now make the application: Select a room where you can be alone and undisturbed. Sit erect, comfortably, but do not lounge. Let your thoughts roam where they will but be perfectly still for ?fteen minutes to half an hour. Continue this for three or four days or for a week until you secure full control of your physical being.
45. Many will ?nd this extremely difficult; others will conquer with ease, but it is absolutely essential to secure complete control of the body before you are ready to progress. Next week you will receive instructions for the next step. In the meantime, you must have mastered this one.

Week Two Exercise
30. Last week I gave you an exercise for the purpose of securing control of the physical body. If you have accomplished this you are ready to advance. This time you will begin to control your thought. Always take the same room, the same chair, and the same position, if possible. In some cases it is not convenient to take the same room. In this case simply make the best use of such conditions as may be available. Now be perfectly still as before, but inhibit all thought. This will give you control over all thoughts of care, worry, and fear, and will enable you to entertain only the kind of thoughts you desire. Continue this exercise until you gain complete mastery.
31. You will not be able to do this for more than a few moments at a time, but the exercise is valuable because it will be a very practical demonstration of the great number of thoughts which are constantly trying to gain access to your mental world.

To answer your first question, it is probably easier to do with your eyes closed, since you won’t have to worry about blinking, which I would consider movement and you are supposed to keep perfectly still. So just sit, relax, and not move a muscle for as long as possible. This should illustrate to you a couple of things.
First, it will show you how many of your body’s movements happen practically subconsciously (or unconsciously). In other words, it will show just how little control we truly have at times OVER OUR OWN BODY! And if we can’t control ourselves to any significant degree, how can we control anything else?
Second, since ALL of our actions begins with a thought, either conscious or subconscious, these unconscious movements indicate that there are unbidden and unknown thoughts occurring in our heads. Thus, by keeping ourselves still, we are limiting those thoughts, perhaps acknowledging that they are there, and setting the way for us to truly control our “inner world.”
For the Week Two exercise, yes, you are supposed to quell all of your thoughts. Frankly, it is doubtful that you will reach fifteen minutes. Even five minutes may be pushing it! I think it is optimal to go for as long as you can, be that five seconds or five minutes. Once again, while it would be nice to quell your thoughts, I think the main point of the exercise is to show you that you CAN notice when errant thoughts are there and that you can quell them at will. For me, the bigger point is when you put it into action in everyday life. For example, we all run into those situations where we get into a mental log jam because too many thoughts are hitting us at the same time, thus causing our actions to be erratic or clumsy. That is when this exercise comes into play. You should be able to quell those thoughts, clear your head, and choose the best action for the situation–all at the flick of a switch. A mental switch, of course.

Regarding the first exercise, it is probably easier to do it with eyes closed, since you won’t have to worry about blinking, which I would consider movement and you are supposed to keep perfectly still. So just sit, relax, and not move a muscle for as long as possible.

This exercise should illustrate to you a couple of things.

First, it will show you how many of your body’s movements happen practically subconsciously (or unconsciously). In other words, it will show just how little control we truly have at times over our own body! And if we can’t control ourselves to any significant degree, how can we control anything else?

To illustrate this point, think of a time when you witnessed a person who just could not control them self. They fidgeted, they fiddled with their hair, they kicked their feet, they swayed, they rocked back and forth. Whatever they did, you could just tell that they were a mess. They were not composed.

Just by looking at them we could tell something was … not quite right with them.

Don’t let that be you! We can tell a lot about a person (and we usually do tell ourselves a lot about a person!) by the way that person handles them self. So, on a very practical level this exercise has an application.

Second, since ALL of our actions begins with a thought, either conscious or subconscious, these unconscious movements indicate that there are unbidden and unknown thoughts occurring in our heads. Thus, by keeping ourselves still, we are limiting those thoughts, perhaps acknowledging that they are there, and setting the way for us to truly control our “inner world.”

There is no need to become a monk while doing the exercises in The Master Key System!

There is no need to become a monk while doing the exercises in The Master Key System!

Just to make things clear, while it is important to master this exercise as much as possible, as I like to tell people, there is no need for you to become a monk! Do your best. Make sure that you can still your self, but by no means do you have to work to the “Zen monk” level of sitting still.

For the Week Two exercise, yes, you are supposed to quell all of your thoughts. Frankly, it is doubtful that you will reach fifteen minutes. Even five minutes may be pushing it! I think it is optimal to go for as long as you can, be that five seconds or five minutes.

While it would be nice to quell your thoughts for as long as you like in the “Zen monk” fashion, I think the main point of the exercise is to show you that you can notice when errant thoughts are there and that you can quell them at will. For me, the bigger point is when you put it into action in everyday life.

For example, we all run into those situations where we get into a mental log jam because too many thoughts are hitting us at the same time, thus causing our actions to be erratic or clumsy. That is when this exercise comes into play. You should be able to quell those thoughts, clear your head, and choose the best action for the situation–all at the flick of a switch. A mental switch, of course.

So, for the Week Two exercise, it’s not so important that you can quiet your thoughts indefinitely. The important thing to take away from this is that you can quiet those unbidden thoughts at will. That, my friend, is the key point you should take away from this exercise.

I hope this helps. Over time, I will write about the other exercises in The Master Key System. For now, just work with these. As always, feel free to email me your questions. If you really want to get into learning how to apply these exercises in your life, consider joining the Master Key Coaching Program.

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© Anthony R. Michalski/Master Key Coaching | Print This Article | (0) Comments

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April 28, 2009

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Law of Attraction? Coincidence? Or Something Else?

As you may know, I recently began a Master Key Coaching Program with my head coach, James Spooner. Things have been going very well–people are experiencing great results and good things are happening in their lives.

One person in particular, who we will call Mike (not his real name), had a very interesting experience.

Mike is a young fellow in his mid-twenties. He does somewhat OK in life, but he wasn’t hitting any high notes. He’s a fitness trainer, but what he really wants to do is get into TV production.

James had been speaking to him for a couple of weeks when that last part came into the open.

You see, with Master Key Coaching, a big part of it is getting into what you really want. Sure, we all want more money, more stuff, more this and more that; but one of the keys of success is to whittle that list down to what a person really wants to do.

As the old saying goes, do what you love and the money will follow.

I’ve found that to be true many times.

So James is talking with this fellow and since the Master Key Coaching Program is unlimited coaching, they are speaking twice, sometimes three times, per week.

It is during one of these sessions that Mike reveals to James that he really sees himself in TV production. The problem is that he doesn’t know where to start. He has no experience with production, nor does he have any training. He told James that he frankly didn’t even know if he would like it. But he wanted to give it a shot. If for any other reason, he just wanted to see what it was like and if he could make a living from it.

James took this information and it sat with him for a few hours. Then he thought about a friend he has who lives in the same area Mike does.

Can you guess what James’ friend does?

Exactly! He’s a guy who makes TV commercials for businesses in the area. He’s a guy in the TV production business.

James calls his friend and tells him about Mike. He tells it like it is: that Mike has no experience, no training, but that he wants to get a feel for it.

“Send him over. I’ll give him a shot,” replies James’ friend.

Actually, James gave to Mike his friend’s phone number so that he could contact him. They set up a meeting and the guy is on his way.

To somewhere, at least.

I’d like to write that Mike is now the head of a major television studio, but it is far too early for that. It’s enough for now that Mike has his foot in the door. Where he takes the opportunity is up to him.

My question to you is this:

What do you think was at work here?

Would you say it was the Law of Attraction? Coincidence? Or something else?

Let me know what you think. Leave a comment. In a few days I will let you know what I think was at work. For now, though, let’s hear your thoughts!

Remember, it’s by talking and sharing that we learn, grow, and, hopefully, succeed.

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© Anthony R. Michalski/Master Key Coaching | Print This Article | (22) Comments

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April 19, 2009

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10 Secrets of Millionaires’ Money Management

I read a very good article written by Kimberly Palmer on Yahoo! Finance entitled “10 Secrets of Millionaires’ Money Management.” Here is the link to the article, which I strongly encourage you to read -

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/10-Secrets-of-Millionaires-usnews-14921158.html

A couple of the “secrets” that stand out are

  1. Believe that you can do it.
  2. Articulate your vision for success.
  3. Work hard–and you’ll get lucky.
  4. Live below your means.

In the article, the author wrote that Alan Corey, author of A Million Bucks by 30, did something that I often tell people to do: read all the biographies and autobiographies of millionaires that you can. When you do, you’ll see that what they achieved was the result of a (sometimes) good idea, thorough planning, and hard work, as well as a belief that they can do it.

Or, to paraphrase Haanel in The Master Key System,

First, they had knowledge of their power; second, they had the courage to dare; and third, they had the faith to do.

When you read biographies and autobiographies, you will see beyond the trite anecdotes that you often hear. You’ll see them in all their naked, sometimes unflattering, glory–warts and all.

Hopefully, you’ll see a little of yourself in them and you’ll be convinced on a very deep level that you can achieve the success you want.

Another point on which the author of the article touched was an idea with which you are probably familiar. That idea is that vague and general goals are of not great value; rather, you should be somewhat specific about your goals. From the article,

Jen Smith, author of the Millionaire Mommy Next Door blog, says that the saying, “I want to be rich,” is too vague. Instead, she recommends imagining what your ideal life as a millionaire will look like. Smith offers this example: “I want to have $2,000,000 invested so that I can live off of the interest. Then I will quit my job so that I can volunteer, travel, learn to play tennis and watercolor, and enjoy picnics at the beach with my family.”

One of the best books that you can read to hone your vision of success is The Master Key Workbook. Get it, read it, do the exercises, and you will have a very clear picture of what you want–and a plan to achieve it.

There are two words that have earned me the ire of some devotees of The Master Key System. Those words are “hard work.”

I have always encouraged people to embrace hard work, as that is the true “secret” of any success, regardless of what some infomercials and “gurus” will tell you. As my proof, I cite every successful person with whom I’ve spoken or whose biography I’ve read.

I also cite Mr. Haanel. From Week Seven of The Master Key System -

4. This is another psychological fact which is well known, but unfortunately reading about it will not bring about any result which you may have in mind; it will not even help you to form the mental image, much less bring it into manifestation. Work is necessary—labor, hard mental labor, the kind of effort which so few are willing to put forth.

28. Thought force is the most powerful means of obtaining knowledge, and if concentrated on any subject will solve the problem. Nothing is beyond the power of human comprehension, but in order to harness thought force and make it do your bidding, work is required.

Now, I can cite this article, which quotes Donald Trump -

Donald Trump attributes his success to his hard work, which to outsiders often appears to be luck. But Trump says luck only comes from working hard. “If your work pays off, which it most likely will, people might say you’re just lucky. Maybe so, because you’re lucky enough to have the brains to work hard!” he says.

One last point from the article that I want to address is that many successful people (millionaires) live below there means. Frankly, many that I have met are down-right cheap! Two highly successful people that I know have a friendly competition about who got the better deal on their purchases. (For example, one will point to his shoes and say, “Target. Fifteen bucks.” The other will smirk and reply, “I used a coupon and got these for twelve.” Yes, they are that cheap.)

This is not to say that you should be misery with your money, but to quote Haanel from Week Four of The Master Key System -

8. Those who recognize this principle have a great advantage in the affairs of life. They do not wear themselves out. They can eliminate vagrant thoughts with facility. They can readily concentrate to the highest possible degree on any subject. They do not waste time or money upon objects which can be of no possible benefit to them.

Far too many “gurus” are out there today selling a lifestyle for my taste. They brag about their car collections or their huge mansions. They also say silly (if not outright stupid) things such as if you want to make money, then give away money.

As an insider in the self-help industry, I know that many of these “gurus” are playing smoke and mirror games. They brag about cars they don’t actually own (or if they do own them, they go into massive debt for them) or they film themselves in homes they rented for a video shoot. Read this article about the MTV show “Cribs” to see what often happens in the name of promoting an image -

http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.2683

Don’t base your lifestyle on what you see these “gurus” promoting on their blogs and videos. Instead, live life on your terms–and below your means. You will find yourself happier–and wealthier–in the long run.

Take these ideas to heart.

More importantly, put them into daily practice.

Attaining a million dollars is very doable as long as you go about it intelligently. Of course, you can purchase lottery tickets and wish and pray for your one-in-a-billion chance to win the money.

Or you can plan your work and work your plan and practically guarantee your success.

One path is more difficult than the other. One path is also more rewarding. Not just on a materialistic level, but on also on any scale you can think of–mental, spiritual, and moral.

Listen to what real millionaires and successes say about becoming a millionaire. Put their words of wisdom into practice. It may be difficult in the beginning, but you’ll be glad that you did.

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© Anthony R. Michalski/Master Key Coaching | Print This Article | (13) Comments

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