Your Prosperity Future

This topic is somewhat different but very important to creating future prosperity.

A key part of prosperity is investing the fruits of what you have worked to manifest. This only can happen to the extent that someone is not robbing you. Unfortunately, your pocket is being picked and it is going to get worse unless something starts to change rapidly.

The following article puts this in perspective.

Wealth is leaving New Jersey, BC study shows – Daily Business Update – The Boston Globe

It’s so simple, taxes cause changes in behavior. People move, they stop giving to charities and they stop creating jobs. Unfortunately, elected officials have jumped the shark and see the world very differently than entrepreneurs. Elected officials have a vested interest in finding ways to make government bigger. That’s how they get paid. The bigger the government is, the more they get paid. So they do this by creating programs that attract people who will vote them into office and support making government bigger.

One way this is going to change is when taxes get so high and government gets so big that it crushes the free enterprise system. This will make jobs go away which will reduce the collection of taxes and will ultimately lead to the collapse of the country and the government.

Of course, the alternative is for everyone who is in business or understands business to become proactive in helping to elect people who will reduce taxes. It’s not going to be easy because the politicians who are entrenched in the system will create every crisis they can to rally those who are benefiting from the welfare state.

Be involved with creating the right environment for prosperity to thrive. If we don’t, we pass on a more difficult world to all those who follow.

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When times are tough, it’s more important than ever to use every tool you have to succeed. This has never been truer than now. Even though an economic meltdown has been averted, the hardest is yet to come.

We are in a global economy and the rest of the world is hungry to eat your lunch. This is the stark reality. The prosperity of the past two decades has been an illusion driven by a credit bubble. That’s over and now the gloobal playing field is more level. Therefore we are all faced with a new set of challenges in manifesting what we desire.  You have to bring your “A” game to be prosperous in this environment.

The challenges are many:

• With the exception of student federal aid, new government rules are making it harder to borrow money
• New jobs will not be created until businesses can borrow money
• Through taxes we will have to pay back the money the government borrowed: This will take a long time and reduce your personal income
• An increasing population will continue to increase demand for everything, making everything more expensive
• An expanding population increases the risk of disease and shortages in health-care
• The health-care system will become increasingly strained and therefore more expensive
• Every one’s stress will continue to rise making us more vulnerable to disease
• There is no easy way out

As an optimist, I hate to bring this news. However, that’s the reality we’re facing. But here’s another reality. There are people who are going to be thriving. They are the ones with the clarity to see the opportunities that are created by the chaos. But why will they thrive while most people will flounder?

Clarity, focus and health will be their advantage. These are all things that you have a high degree of control over if you choose them.

This is so simple it seems silly to repeat it, but I know without a doubt that only a few people are smart enough to do what I’m about to recommend. You see, the solution is simple but people have too many internal barriers to giving themselves what they really want. So instead they continue to justify their suffering by blaming external conditions instead of admitting that they aren’t really committed to success.

So here is all you have to do: Find a good Polarity Therapist and get at least 2 sessions a month for the next year. That’s all. Can’t afford it? I find that is rarely true. People will spend $50 to $100 a week getting coffee, going out to dinner, getting drinks and many other things that may be fun and relaxing, but moves them no closer to prosperity. They will spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a trip that gives them temporary relief and long term bills but they won’t invest in their health and prosperity. So again, it comes down to your choice.

Let me explain why Polarity Therapy will make you successful  and maybe that will give you sufficient resolve to get regular sessions.

First, clarity: Polarity sessions clear the energetic obstalces to listening to your intuition and information from your body. This is cumulative so the more sessions you get, the clearer the signals and messages become. This is a huge advantage over people who are walking in a haze and not noticing what is going on around them.

Second, focus: As your fears and other blockages are removed, your concentration is greatly improved and you are less distracted by the noise of your emotions and body. Your improved focus allows you to act on the information you receive from your improved clarity.

Third, health: You must have good health to have the energy to maintain your focus and accomplish your dreams. Some people are strong enough to overcome health issues and still succeed. But they do this by doing the most with what they have. Everyone needs to do the same. In this coming year with H1N1 and other diseases, it’s more important to do everything you can to stay healthy. Polarity Therapy is the best I know for doing this. Again, it starts with having the clarity to hear the signals from your body about what you need to stay healthy. A clear individual is more likely to eat right, get proper rest and exercise more.

By getting regular sessions your intuition and creativity will start working at a higher level and you will have the focus and health to put this information into action. You will also be better at avoiding problems and your success will multiply. It’s at the core of all success.

So it’s up to you. If you say you want to succeed it’s time to make the commitment. Don’t put it off. Contact Spa Tech Institute to help you find a great therapist.

There are no excuses. Only missed opportunities.

Wishing you a healthy and prosperous life,
Kris

p.s. If you would like to know more about how energy actually improves your ability to manifest on other levels, please submit your comments and I will be happy to share what I know.

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Hi. My Name is Kris and I used to work for large corporations.

But I’m in recovery.

This all came back the other day after interviewing a prospective student. Her story reconnected me with the deep feelings of insecurity and dependence that I associate with the large corporate environment.

Her story was compelling. She is an intelligent person with a lot to offer, but the management of the company was making her feel inferior and undermining her self-respect and self-esteem. She had been reduced to an obedient, and dis-empowered, employee who was more focused on keeping her job than in doing what she knew would help the company. The situation was draining her life force and creativity as she kept her head down, afraid to speak up or make suggestions that could lead to improvements in the company. The fear of negative reactions had stolen her strength.

As I was driving home it all came back. I remembered the managers who would take credit for other people’s contributions, blame the people who reported to them whenever something failed and played politics to make other people look bad. This behavior was more in some companies than others, but it highlights the basic dysfunction of the large corporate environment.

At the core is the shift to seeing the competition for promotion as other people in the company rather than following a mission to improve the world. Departments competed against other departments and employees and managers were always fighting to get to the top or prevent others from getting ahead of them. The large company setting created insulation between the work to be done and the results. Therefore most employees focused on “playing the game” instead of fulfilling the mission.

I didn’t function well in that environment. I pointed out ways we could improve and managers would take my ideas as their own and would prevent me from talking to people who could have made a difference. I was treated as a threat and my enthusiasm and self-esteem were ridiculed. It was painful and took me years to forget.

But I will always remember the day I left and felt like I could finally breathe again. It was like climbing out of a swamp. I was a mess from the experience but with every step I grew stronger. Eventually I was able to reconnect with my creativity. It took years of Polarity sessions to recover my confidence and self-esteem but over time it returned. And eventually the feelings of dread and fear were replaced by the daily feeling of waking up with great opportunities to grow every day.

However, I also still remember the feeling of leaving the illusion of the safety net of the large corporation. At first it was scary to not have the routine or the structure. But as I watched my friends get laid off I realized that the safety net was only an illusion. It became clear that the promises that were made and the benefits that were promoted were based on fear. The term “golden handcuffs” was very appropriate. Insecurity was fed and expanded to maintain the addiction.

The realization of the personal price paid for being addicted to the large company benefits and indoctrination is a hard to describe until you experience something different. But for those who are able to break free and experience themselves as the source of their creativity and security, freedom has a new meaning. It’s a soul freedom that is hard to imagine. But it is one of the most important freedoms we have.

And this freedom is at the core of true prosperity. Prosperity and being a slave do not go together. Prosperity thrives in a culture of freedom.

So what do you need to make the change?

• Support from the people around you. Your friends and family are the most important part of your prosperity. Cherish the people who support you and eliminate the ones who do not.
• Courage to change. Change can be scary. The imagination can create many negative scenarios that never come true. The maxim that most of what we worry about never happens is very true.
• Willingness to act. The only way to change is to act. You just have to do it. Just take it a step at a time.
• Personal responsibility is key to change. Being willing to say, “Yes, I did that,” is the first step.
• Support from agents of change accelerates the process. Polarity Therapy is the best support I know of but exercise and other therapies and support groups are also extremely valuable.

So that’s all there is to it. The question you have to ask is this: If I do nothing to change, how is my life going to change 5 years from now. If I do nothing, what will change. The answer is almost always, nothing changes. Your life is just more of the same. The only difference is that you are more tired, frustrated, beat down and discouraged with every year that passes.

I wish you great experiences and prosperity as you take control and change your life.

Sincerely,

Kris Stecker, President
Spa Tech Institute

p.s. I look forward to your questions and comments.

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Or: Why you should consider taking Career Success in the Digital Age.

ROI. Return On Investment.  In terms of prosperity, that is the bottom line of every cent and every second  that you spend. What does it return? How much value do you get from the investment. How much does it contribute to your prosperity.

When do you think about it? How do you develop this awareness? At what point do you make decisions based on how it affects your prosperity?

As children we have  very little awareness of this. We have an emotional response to wanting things. In time we start to understand that there is no going back. What you choose is what you live with. This is a life long process. There is a dynamic tension between the impulse to acquire something for emotional reasons versus the control to wait to achieve a higher ROI later. This applies to money, personal energy, time and other aspects of our lives.

The first step is to understand ROI. It means that for every unit of energy you expend (time, energy/effort, currency) there is a potential return. Whether it buys you more time, energy, or currency depends on what you choose to invest in and how you go about making the investment. 

But at the core is the understanding of your goals. (I’m sorry to be repetitious but it keeps coming down to knowing what you really want.) Once you know your goals, the rest is a case of learning to make your long term goals become more important than your short term emotional needs or desires.

Since this blog is primarily for the students and graduates of Spa Tech Institute who are learning to succeed, that is my predominant focus. But the resistance to acquiring the skills to succeed is universal so this applies to everyone.

What will make you succeed? Where is your highest ROI? It’s learning to do the things that will attract, acquire and retain clients who also give you additional referrals. The math on this is overwhelming. If you spend $100 of advertising for a new client and they spend $100 but never come back, then you have gotten a 1 to 1 ROI. However, if that client comes back 10 times a year you have gotten $1000 for the year, an ROI of 10 to 1. If they come to you for 10 years you get $10,000 or an ROI of 100 to 1. Now if that same client refers just one additional client a year to you, you are making $2000 in year two, $3000 in year three, etc., and that first client is now worth significantly more over 10 years.  And if each referred client refers another client, well, you get the point.

So if your highest ROI is to keep your cost per client acquisition low, and to keep your retention and referrals high, shouldn’t you be focusing on learning everything you can about how to do this? Which investment is more important, spending $200 to learn how to do a new technique or spending $200 to learn how to attract, acquire and retain more clients? Which will have a higher ROI? Which will grow your career and business faster?

I watch people make this choice every day. The majority of people will spend money on learning a new skill or technique for their trade rather than spend money on improving their marketing, retention and business building skills. Why? Lack of self-confidence.

Taking another skill development class in your trade is more emotionally satisfying and helps to make you feel more secure that you know what you are doing. This is not a bad thing. It’s critically important that you continue to build your skills so your work evolves. But the other dynamic is that most people are more comfortable learning the things that they are already skilled at rather than learning something that is outside of their comfort range.

For many people, learning about marketing is very scary. Business skills class is the single most traumatic class for the majority of students. There is nothing worse than learning to say good things about yourself. It brings up all of your stuff. Additionally, almost all marketing today hinges on learning new technologies. Even though you know attracting, acquiring and retaining clients is at the core of what you need to succeed, the fear of taking a class that is so uncomfortable is often insurmountable.

Are you suffering through a marginal level of success rather than taking the leap into doing what will give you the highest return? I’ve watched hundreds of very good stylists and therapists try for several years and not succeed because they never addressed the skills that were holding them back. They would study everything else, but never the critical communications tools and techniques that could help them thrive. The ones who acquired the skills are very successful. The others get discouraged and disappear.

So the question is, are you ready to take the risk to learn what you really need to succeed or are you going to stay in your “safe” zone  and continue to struggle? You are the only one who can make the change.

As always, I wish you the best and am doing everything I can to help you succeed.

Sincerely,
Kris

p.s. The “Career Success in the Digital Age” class was develop with you in mind. It is designed for everyone in the spa, salon, holistic health and wellness industry. It does not assume prior computer skills or knowledge. The emphasis is on helping you get the biggest impact with the least amount of effort. It also helps you to avoid costly mistakes. Whether you work for someone or have your own business, this will probably be the most important class you will ever take.

(The class is open to business owners as well as individuals who want to master the skills to succeed in the new economy.)

As always, I look forward to your comments and questions. They are the source of new programs, articles and support for everyone who wants to create a more amazing future. Thank you for the opportunity to support you.

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After my last blog on Start by Asking For What You Want many people are asking, “What is treasure mapping?” I’m so glad you asked.

Treasure mapping is a really simple process that allows you to get more clarity on what you want and creates a visual affirmation that allows you to continually reinforce receiving what you want. There are whole workshops on treasure mapping by people that are in the business of helping people fulfill their desires.

There is no right or wrong way to do a treasure map. A treasure map can be done on a large poster board or in a book format. I prefer the large poster board so you can hang it on the wall opposite your bed so it’s the first and last thing that you see every day. However, if you travel a lot, the book is a better format.

You can do this by yourself, with family or a friend or with a group of friends. A treasure mapping party can be really fun and multiply the focus on the creation for your future. Doing it with your family can be really great if everyone is very supportive of each other. The only thing you do not want to do is have people, who are critical of you or your dreams, be part of the process.

Once you decide on the format (book or poster board) you will need scissors, glue or tape and a bunch of magazines and brochures that reflect your interests. For instance, if you like to ski, get ski magazines. If you like cars get car magazines. If there are people who represent qualities of yourself that you want to develop, get magazines that have those types of people (performers, yogis, artists, healers, etc.). If you are treasure mapping your wedding get a lot of magazines on weddings and honeymoons or vacations.

Now you are ready to start. It’s best to allow at least 3 hours but all day is even better. Or you can do several segments of time. Begin by clearing and relaxing your mind and stating your intention to let your subconscious assist you. You can either be random or you can do a treasure map for a specific area of your life.  You may be focusing on relationship, housing, travel, work or anything that is important to you.

Now start looking at the magazines that attract you and start clipping pictures, headlines and anything that you like. Suspend judgement and just go for it. If it’s a big boat or house, don’t let your thoughts interfere. Don’t think about cost or practicality. Just let your subconscious pick things that you like. As you do this watch your thoughts. Be mindful of the inner voices as they expose your deepest fears or reflexive patterns that prevent you from having what you want. There is often extremely valuable information in these thoughts. You can learn a lot about yourself very quickly.

After you have a pretty good pile of clippings it’s time to move on to the next phase. Start to sort them and decide which ones you like and arrange them on the page. Don’t glue them yet. You will want to be able to move them around. As you do this you may find that there are some things that you want to add so you go back to the magazines and look for specific things to fill in the gaps. Again, watch your thoughts.

At a certain point you will feel satisfied that there is enough on the page or board and you like where things are positioned. Now it’s time to glue it down, look at it and share it with others. (Of course I expect there will be a lot of sharing throughout the process if you are with family and/or friends.) Talk about why you chose the different things and why it’s important to you. Sometimes you know and sometimes it’s just a feeling. It’s all good.

You have completed the first step of your treasure map. Like life, it’s never completely done.

It’s good to find a place for your treasure map where you will see it frequently and have time to meditate on it. As you contemplate it, remember that nothing is as it seems. It may be that the big house next to the ocean is not really what you are looking for but it does represent having a feeling of enough space and peace and calm. Maybe the space is a case of creating more space in your existing house by removing things that you don’t need or isolating things that are noisy like televisions or other noises (like kids?). Or maybe you need to get outside near the ocean more and the house represents this.

The important part is that you have created a temporary record of what feels good to you. You can see it and it increases your awareness of what you want to manifest. The more you see it, the stronger the knowledge of wanting it becomes. This clarity helps you to manifest it more quickly.

So there you go. You have done your first treasure map. You can do this as often as you like. Yearly or at least everyo couple of years it’s good to do it again. And keep the old ones so you can see how much you have manifested. Just seeing that you have manifested it lubricates your manifestation abilities.

Please send me your stories and epiphanies from doing your treasure maps. Your comments will assist all of your fellow travelers on the road to prosperity.

Sincerely,
Kris

p.s. As always, I look forward to answering your questions and sharing anything I can that may be helpful.

Kris Stecker, President and Owner
Spa Tech Institute
http://spatech.edu

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It seems like it was just last week that it was the beginning of a new year and I was encouraging everyone to write down their goals. 6 months have passed and here we are almost to the beginning of June and the official start of the summer season. So much has happened. The sky did not fall, we have 91% employment and things are about to pop.

So did you write down your goals? If so, take them out and look at them. How many of them did you accomplish. How many do you want to change. And what do you want to add to the list? This is a great time to review and refocus to take your prosperity to a higher level.

Summer is full of energy which is great for moving your life forward but can also be difficult because there can be sooo many distractions. This is why this is probably the most important time of year to refocus on what you want to create. With additional focus and the energy that comes with summer, you can get much more done in a shorter time than in the winter.

Now that we are out of the election cycle and the politicians are focusing on trying to get people back to work instead of trying to get elected, there is more optimism for accomplishing things. At the same time the economy is starting to accelerate again and the time to get in position for the next expansion is now. During the next 6 months things will start to ramp up and in a year they will be going full speed again.

It’s easier to get on the train when it’s in the station than when it’s already up to speed. That’s why this is the time to focus on getting everything ready. Write down what you want to manifest in your life (job, career, better health, home, etc.) and do what you need to do to get ready. Increase your skills, clean up old messes that might hold you back and get your strategy in place and ready to go.

The window of time is closing quickly so don’t delay. Don’t put things off until the fall. Do it now to get the most out of your future. Ride the energy. Like in surfing, you have to catch the wave to get a good ride. Don’t let it slip past. Open your eyes and make it a priority. Pay attention. Be ready to go.  Catch the wave and ride it as far as it will take you. It’s a blast.

Sincerely,
Kris Stecker, President
Spa Tech Institute

p.s. If you have questions, please submit them as comments. I will respond in future posts.

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A recent Facebook comment about being laid off stimulated this post. My first reaction is to say: Congratulations. You have graduated from what you were doing and now you have the opportunity to go to your next level. Of course, I seldom say it out loud because most people are not ready to hear it in that way. They are dealing with their anxiety about not knowing what’s next.

It’s important to know how to go from loss to prosperity. Whether you do this for yourself or your clients, it’s an important skill to master.  This creates the foundation of what we do at Spa Tech Institute.

As an agent of positive energy (which describes anyone who is working on prosperity) the more you help others to reach their highest potential, the more prosperous you become as well.

For people who are laid off or part of a company that fails, the experience is ultimately a loss or death and follows a predicable emotional pattern. This also applies to all losses: Death, divorce, financial loss and other similar events. Because  it applies to financial loss as well, we are surrounded by a lot of people who are going through this experience now. Even if you did not lose your job, if you had a 401K, property or other investments, you have lost a lot in the last couple of years.

The question is: How can you stay positive and focused on the next level of manifestation after this happens?

FIrst, think of this as a graduation. It’s a completion, not a loss. Many spiritual traditions require new members to give up worldly possession, relationships and other things. When a person goes into the military, they shave their heads and erase their identity so they can become part of a new culture. This process shakes people up and gives them a chance to change.

Second, whenever there is a loss, most people go through the 5 stages of grieving: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. Whether you quit a job or are laid off, graduate from school or move out of a house, be aware that this is a normal process. The more aware of the stage you are in, the faster you can move through it.

But how does this fit in with manifesting what you want? It’s simple. The 5 stages are all part of your transformation and evolution. At first you will be walking around in a daze. Then you will move on to being mad, etc. Ultimately, it’s our resistance to change at the heart of the struggle. Once we accept change we can move on to creating what we want in the world.

If we are able to treat all change as a graduation from one state and an opportunity to start something new, we can look at the situation as a positive event. It may take a while to get to that view but the faster we can move into it, the less likely we are to get stuck in one of the 5 stages of grieving.

One of the other great benefits of loss and the 5 stages of grieving is that it gives you a chance to identify what really matters. Most people eventually discover (after they have moved on to their next opportunities) that they really needed the change and were tired or bored of what they were doing. I think that people are far more powerful than they realize in creating the changes they need in their lives. For instance, ask yourself, were you getting up every morning looking forward to going to work or were you dreading it. Did you look forward to the weekend and vacations more than Monday mornings? What does that tell you?

So as you look at your situation, pay attention to what your inner voice is saying. Many people I know, even the ones who say they love their work, really mean that it is the best job that they can allow themselves to have. In other words, they love their job more than other jobs, but they don’t really love what they do. Again, the proof is in looking at what days you look forward to the most: Days off or days at work.

At this point you may be wondering what I’m smoking. Of course, nothing but energy. When you really love what you do you have a deep passion for it that fills your imagination and inspires you to contribute. Finding what you really love is the surest path to bliss and excellent health. It also gives you the prosperity that you deserve.  I know from personal experience. I have had good jobs that I did not look forward to going to. And I have also found what I love to do. It is very different. I’m also surrounded by a lot of people who either already are doing what they love or are learning to do what they love.

There is nothing that makes live exciting as doing what you are meant to do. Every day is an adventure. 

Be well and prosper,
Kris

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We have been hearing that people are doing well and this article in the NY Times confirms some interesting findings from spa industry leaders that supports what we have been hearing from our graduates.

The bottom line is that the current levels of stress are sending people to spas and clinics for stress reduction and well being instead of just pampering. Whereas the benefits of the pampering were appreciated during good times, the realization that coping with stress was essential, is changing the way the industry markets to clients. It also holds powerful ramifications for the future.

With the view that massage and spa treatments are a necessity instead of a luxury, the long term prospects for the industry take on new proportions. What has happened is a change in behavior on a fundamental level. Once behavior is changed, it is an enduring change. It also creates an even more loyal clientele who will be likely to refer others in the future.

Because of the length and depth of the recession and the amount of money that has been pumped into the system, when the economy starts to increase again, it could be dramatic. I expect the pace will pick up even more and the stress levels will continue to increase dramatically. As people try to make up for lost time the pressure to succeed will be even greater and people will need even better support systems. And that is going to increase the demand for massage, polarity and spa professionals.

Remembering that it is still a relatively low percentage of the population that realizes the value of this work is very exciting. It means there is still tremendous upside to the growth of the industry. And to see how well the industry has held up during economic stress is really exciting. It had never really been tested as severely as during this economy. But the word we still are hearing from many of our graduates (particularly those who have their own businesses) is that they are busier than ever.

Again, this does not mean that there are not practitioners or companies that are not having problems. Recessions always expose the weak and reward the strong. When some companies are thriving in a down economy it highlights that it is not the industry that has a problem, it’s the company or person who is struggling who needs to go to the next level.

This is why the school offers this blog as well as many CEU classes, the Merit Scholarship, RYSE and a 20% tuition credit for all of our graduates so they can continue to improve their skills in all areas. We know that continuing to learn and grow is essential to retaining and attracting new clients. Self-care is also incredibly important since being healthy, positive and uplifting is essential to giving your clients the best possible experience.

For people who have been thinking about becoming a massage or polarity therapist, aesthetician or cosmetologist, the future remains bright. The people who have been successfully doing this for 3 or more years are going to see their business expand dramatically in the coming years. They are going to need help. And the government has increased Federal Financial Aid because it knows that people need education to get better jobs. The really great thing about these industries is that they can never be replaced by the Internet or outsourcing.

So keep up the great work, continue to increase your skills and you will continue to prosper and help others to do the same.

Sincerely,
Kris

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Optimism is a powerful choice that is at the root of your prosperity. The reason is simple: optimistic people are healthier so they can act on opportunities. This was supported in a recent study that found optimistic people were significantly healthier and happier than those who were not optimistic.  

But the most important part to remember is that it is a choice.  I know from personal experience that this is true. When I was younger it was very fashionable to be pessimistic to the point of being cynical. The reasons for this are complex and important to understand. The facts are that until I learned to change my view to optimism, I was more frequently sick and unable to see or act on opportunities that could have changed my life.  

Understanding why people choose to stay stuck in pessimistic attitudes is a good starting place. As with all behavior there must be a perceived benefit or people would not choose it. Probably the most fundamental benefit is that it allows people to avoid responsibility for their reality or their failure. Or at least that’s the underlying belief. After all, if the world is fundamentally against you, then it’s not your fault that your life is difficult. It can be blamed on a wide range of external forces that you have no control over. 

This strategy works provided the people around you don’t understand the mechanics of manifestation. For those who have moved towards self-actualization it is clear that you create your reality by the choices you make. When people around you don’t give you a waiver for the difficulties in your life, you can’t get handouts and welfare. When the people in your life push you to be responsible for your life, you are forced to take action to change your life and succeed. 

For many young people a pessimistic attitude has served them well, getting teachers and parents to give them what they want. The reinforcement of this pattern results in pessimism being a default setting in people’s lives. This is seen in cultures that have relied on welfare for multiple generations.

So how do you break out of the pattern? 

1. You have to want to break out of it. This usually only happens when a pessimistic attitude stops providing the benefits that someone once got from this behavior. It often happens when people lose their safety net and have to create their future.
2. Some people come to it by studying successful people who are masters of manifestation. (“Think and Grow Rich” is a great book for stimulating this awareness.)
3. Others are brought up by parents and educators who teach this information from an early age. These are the lucky few.

After you have the realization that you are the creator of your reality, the next step is to maintain a positive outlook. Here are some pointers to help you stay optimistic.

1. Surround yourself with optimistic people. It’s very difficult to be optimistic around pessimistic people. They will actively attempt to make you pessimistic. Why: Because they know that you are going to change and improve and it will demonstrate their lack of ability to succeed.
2. Surround yourself with optimistic media. So much of the media is biased towards generating fear. I lived without a TV, radio or other mass media like magazines for about 10 years. During that time my optimism increased and I was successful at changing my perspective. I also became keenly aware of the use of fear in all media, particularly advertising. Just look at a series of ads and ask the question, how are they using fear? The message almost always shows that you will fail (to be attractive, smart, wealthy or healthy) unless you use the product.
3. Surround yourself with positive images and sounds. Pay attention to the pictures or view that you see and the music that you listen to. Is it uplifting, healthy and focused on success or is it about loss, harship and pain?
4. Actively write about your vision for a perfect future and break it down into next steps that will move you closer to what you want to achieve. Next steps are the most powerful way of staying positive because it keeps you focused on what you can control.
5. Know that just because you are optimistic does not mean that there will not be challenges or obstacles. While hiking in the mountains I realized that the people who get to the summit in the best shape are the ones who enjoy the challenge of exertion, not the ones who only have the goal of getting to the top.  They actually thrive on the challenge or stress of fighting gravity to make it up the mountain. Every step is a victory. Because each step is a victory they are propelled to the summit by thousands of victories.

By understanding and following these concepts, you can have more of what you want in your life. You will be healthier which will give you the energy to act on the opportunities that others don’t see. As with all things that are powerful, it’s really simple.

I look forward to seeing you succeed on many levels. 

Kris Stecker, President
Spa Tech Institute

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Although only 5% of the population has their own business, at Spa Tech Institute we tend to have upwards of 30% of our students who are planning on having their own business. Add to this that 90% of our students are female and what you have is an amazing group of students who are going to be leaders in the industry over the next 5 to 30 years.

The primary reasons that people choose to be self employed are:

• To have control of their time and energy
• Want control of the product that is being created
• Need an outlet for their creativity
• Keep more of the money they make

There are many more reasons as well but these are pretty common themes. These reasons resonate particularly with women who may be raising children, found the “cubicle” environment stifling and wanted to be more creative or felt that they were not reaching their earning potential in their current occupation. There are also a lot of people who go the entrepreneur route because most work environments lack the spiritual or personal awareness that many people crave.

Since we have so many entrepreneurs at the school, we are constantly looking for ways to help them develop and grow their business, both while they are students as well as after they graduate. In fact, many of the new jobs for graduates are at successful spas and clinics that have been started by former students. This blog is part of our commitment to help them and you grow your business. 

With the current and future rise of the internet, your on-line presence is vitally important. It must be multi-faceted and personal. Social networking sites, email, blogs and websites all need to be employed to reach and stay connected with your client base.  It is somewhat time consuming but it is personal and the multiplier effect is powerful.

Recently I came across a great blog called Self Employed or Bust that focuses on helping people who want to have their own business.  The blog focuses mostly on ways to make money on line but also has extensive resources that will help you in many ways. Dave’s blogs are an excellent example of how to write for a blog as well as having links to other important blogs about getting found on the internet.  And it’s another source of support for people who are taking the pioneering journey into being self employed.

As always, it’s important to remember that you are not alone. We are all in this together.  I look forward to participating in your journey.

Sincerely,
Kris

p.s. Please include your comments about additional resources that you have found helpful.  Thank you.

© Copyright 2009, Kris Stecker – All Rights Reserved.

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