Your Prosperity Future

“Actions are more important than words. But energy is more important than actions.”

Ananda, Age 4

She meant every word of it. She is building her understanding of her world. It was unsolicited advice during a walk on the beach. How wise. And yet, aren’t we born knowing everything and we lose our connection with the truth of life as we learn more information and facts?

This seems to be the pattern. We are connected with our source at birth and as we use language to categorize our world and develop personality from the influence of others around us, we lose our connection with source. We lose the most precious thing we have. It’s where the ability to manifest what we want comes from.

But why do we do this? It appears to be the human condition. We work to simplify our understanding of the world by naming and categorizing everything in it. And yet every time we name something, we limit it. And this process continues throughout our education and socialization process. It’s all part of a bigger push to make us all fit together in a social fabric. And the irony is that the more we attempt to simplify our understanding of the world, the more complex and convoluted it becomes.

Understanding this is at the start of recovering your prosperous nature again. The path requires letting go of the naming and categorization so you can make your mind clear and open again. It’s in the open and clear state that you can receive the creativity, inspiration and knowledge that you need to manifest your full potential.

Listen: Listen to the sun rise and set, listen to the stars at night and listen to the breathe moving in and out of your body. Be still and listen and suddenly your inner messages become easier to hear. Listen for the simple truth that resides within you. That is your strength. The sound of your soul. It can be trusted beyond all other voices.

The first voice you will hear is your mind. It will be trying desperately to stay in control of your life. Listen but do not be fooled. Keep listening until it gets tired and fades away. Get a Polarity session. Take a very long walk. Keep listening all the time. Eventually you will start to hear your true inner voice that comes from your source. It’s very different. It’s not urgent or frenetic. There’s no fear or confusion. It’s calm, clear and the most beautiful sound you will ever hear.

This is the sound of your energy. Align with this sound. You were born to be prosperous. There is unlimited energy available to you when the channels are open. This is the precursor to all action. Action will evolve harmoniously from your connection with energy. Staying connected with the energy while you act is vitally important. One creates the other. The results flow from the harmonious manifestation of source energy into action.

As we approach the final opening of the expansive cycle (June 21st) we are moving into the manifestation (harvest) part of the cycle. Harness this peak energy moment over the next 2 weeks and you can move farther and faster on your path than at any time before. Focus on connecting with source energy now and see how it transforms your life.

This is the essence of your prosperity. Enjoy it. Live it. Make it a full-time part of you. This is the gift.

Sincerely,
Kris

p.s. Your comments are greatly appreciated and a source of future posts. Thank you.

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The greatest irony is that the people who need to read this the most are the ones who are least likely to read this blog. However, if you are creating a better life, please share this with those who you want to help.

These are truly amazing times. During the past month of meeting people at Spa Tech Open Houses and finishing off with the final ARYSE of the year, we are seeing a level of fear, creativity and manifestation, that goes far beyond anything we can remember. The causes, reactions and opportunities are extremely high. What does this mean for you and your prosperity? Everything.

To begin with, start by understanding the sources of the fear. We are overexposed to every bad thing that happens. Access to news (usually bad news because that’s what drives the industry) and the pure saturation and gory details has permeated all aspects of our lives. Most people listen to radio, watch television and get their news online, both by looking for it and having it pushed through ads and emails. The simple fear of being cut off from the news is horrifying to most people. 

What is unprecedented is the range of things to be afraid of. Between the economy, terrorism, and crime, all drivers of political agendas, we are exposed on a global level to things that we would never have known about in the past. But the scope has expanded to other political issues like health, food supply and the environment. And of course, our most basic fears of inadaquacy have seen a new level of commercial exploit with emails, stories and constant advertisements that we need better bodies or body parts, have more hair, drive better cars, and have better sex, just to name a few.

With H1N1 we are afraid of going out in the world, being close to other people or of letting our children or ourselves do anything. We are taught to fear the sun, going out at night, traveling, buying food that can kill us, being laid off from our jobs and losing everything, taking out loans to make our lives better and having our identities stolen. In fact, is there any aspect of our life that is not dominated by fear? FDR said, “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”  But it seems like fear is the predominant theme that most people live by.  It’s a powerful motivator and everyone from the politicians to the marketing departments know that fear is the best tool they have to control people.

Okay, so we are in a high fear environment. What does it do to us and how can we get beyond it so we are living our lives instead of the lives that others want us to live?

Fear causes multiple reactions. The ones that most people focus on are fight or flight. People become irritable, confrontational or they run away from what they are afraid of. Either reaction can be self limiting by missing opportunities, burning bridges or blowing up what’s already working. But the bigger problem is that it’s very different to fight for or run towards what you want instead of only fighting against or running away from something you are afraid of. One is based on love and creativity and the other is based on fear and avoidance. Only one leads you to connecting with your source where you manifest what you desire and need.

But the biggest reaction, which is often overlooked, is to freeze. Just like a deer in the headlights, we freeze and are afraid to take action. We can’t make decisions which leads to inaction. Our vision or perception is shut down and we can’t see opportunities. Rather than perceiving opportunities to grow, change or move forward, we only see the thing we are afraid of. And next thing we know, our hopes and dreams are road kill on the highway of life.

The other reaction that is also overlooked is fear overload or denial. This is when we lose the ability to process any more fear and go into denial that there are dangers. This leads to high risk behavior that is also self defeating. Unprotected sex, drug abuse and binge anything are all related to this pattern. People stop paying attention and shift to a high stimuli experience that blocks out most information, including important guidance and opportunities.

Again, all four of these reactions lead to limiting opportunity and potential disaster. Crisis is the normal outcome and the danger that we have been afraid of has been validated as real. This is a useful learning mechanism in our educational process which keeps us alive, but often we don’t learn the correct thing. It reinforces doing the behavior that we are most comfortable rather than seeing how that behavior created the result. Fascinating.

The reason the Open Houses and ARYSE were so interesting now is that most of the people who are attending are the people who are not hooked into limiting patterns by fear. They are the ones who see opportunity to grow, change and move towards their dreams. It is an exceptional group of people who continue to focus on where they want to be instead of what the situation is forcing them to do. Whether it’s people who have been laid off and see it as a wonderful chance to do something that is meaningful and life affirming, or people who are already in the industry and helping people navigate this time of their lives, the ones who are actively growing are changing the world. They are the example of the successful person who manifests what they want. They are focused on a more perfect life full of the people and experiences they love.

But the other really exciting thing is to see how the extreme concentration of bad news is increasing the number of people who are waking up to new concepts and opportunities. It started with a lot of people voting for Hope and Change, much of which has been disappointing. But this has also forced them to become the change that they want to see.  They are realizing that the only change that they can truly believe in is the one that happens inside themselves. And they are discovering that the only thing that is real is their connection to source and energy, not the promises that are made by advertisements and politicians. We are at the dawn of a new awakening. And as energy workers, we are in the position to do more to help more people than ever before.

So how is it that some people are able to focus on their dreams while others cannot? 

First, and foremost, these people categorically have stronger and more aligned energy systems. Many of them have been focused on their energy practices for many years, whether through meditation, the work they do or how they take care of themselves with regular sessions. With ARYSE it was very clear how the people that are getting regular sessions are in the best shape energetically. Those getting Polarity sessions are stronger. But by far, the strongest group of all has been the people who are giving Polarity sessions. The focus on their mission and the energy flowing through them is amazing. Because they are radiating energy there is very limited opportunity for fear to get in. The more they are doing energy work, the stronger they are.

Second, they often have gone through a time of crisis and broken the pattern of letting fear run their lives. During whatever crisis they experienced, they had a divine moment when they decided to change what they had been doing in the past and move forward into trying a new response to adversity. In the process they discovered how to recognize their default reaction to fear and to take a more conscious path. It started with one great leap of faith that changed their lives forever. From there they were able to establish new patterns when faced with fear. They have been able to recognize the events that occur but they interpret them differently than the majority of the people. From their foundation of staying focused on their mission, they are able to follow the energy and it leads them opportunity.

The third is that they have put what they learned into practice. Whether it’s getting regular sessions or immersing themselves into doing the work, they have made it happen. They have moved fully into making it an integral part of their life. They don’t just talk about it, they actually are doing it.They have made and continue to make the commitment every day. And that makes all the difference.

So what have we learned? Basically this. The news and events are useful information. However, the fear generated by the reporting and propaganda are usually detrimental to your success. As others have shown, it is within your power to change this. By understanding how you react to fear, making the choice to succeed, defining what that means, and taking the leap of faith to move toward what you want instead of away from what you fear, you can change you life and fulfill your dreams. But to succeed you can’t just say you are going to do it. You have to commit to it every day. Only the act of focusing on your mission and actually doing what makes you clearer and more aligned can you achieve the shift to a better life.

Keep up the good work. It’s so exciting to see the great things that are happening.

Sincerely,
Kris Stecker

p.s. What’s your story that can help others?

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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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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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Over 25 years ago I was taking a personal development training and was presented with a difficult question: What do you want? I panicked. My heart started racing, I broke out in a sweat and my hands started shaking. I had just been asked a question I was unprepared to answer.  And then it hit me: All my life I had been taught that I did not deserve to ask for things.

This probably affects more people whose parents grew up in the depression than people who grew up during the past 30+ years of prosperous times. However, I ask the question of our students of all ages and have found a common thread: The ones who know what they want and aren’t afraid to ask for it are moving forward with their lives much faster than those who don’t know what they want.

But why do some people know and others don’t? In my case I found that many well meaning parents, relatives, teachers or friends mistakenly believed that by lowering my expectations, I would be less disappointed when I didn’t get what I wanted. As with most children, I thought I could have it all so it took a lot of counter programming to get me to the point where I couldn’t even think of what I wanted.

As a child you ultimately want to please your parents (even though at times it may appear that your mission in life is to make them crazy).  Of course, if you look at a healthy 3 year old who still knows that they are the center of the universe, wants everything and has no desire to share anything, it’s a good reminder of where we all were at certain points in our development and why we are “socialized” while growing up. Three year olds don’t have a lot of friends. They tend to have doting relatives but the friendship thing is still in development until they learn to share and give as well as receive. However, they can’t really learn to give until they have learned to receive in a healthy way. But alas, I digress.

The process that starts out with good intentions transmutes into a toxic message that you do not deserve what you want. Low self-esteem ensues and over time, the question of what you want becomes traumatic. You lose the ability to ask for what you want and once you stop even thinking about what you want, the ability to manifest becomes a mystery. It’s replaced with the programming that the only way to receive something is by working for it.

So we find ourselves in a strange place in history. Simultaneously we have most people believing that they don’t deserve to have what they want at the same time the news is focused on huge amounts of money being given away to businesses and people who have lost the ability to manifest what they want or need. It’s important to remember that the news makes it seem like everyone is getting bailed out but the reality is that it’s really a small percentage. If there is 10% unemployment that means that 90% of the people are still working. The number of companies that are getting government loans is small compared to the number that are not. But the impression is that most people are out of work and most companies are getting help from the government.

The reality is that the news and the perception of the crisis is actually driven by the basic belief that we don’t deserve to have what we want.  The message is that you don’t deserve to keep the money you earn and amazingly, the majority of us are willing to go along with it, paying our taxes, allowing the government to take our money and give it to others. We are manifesting our inner belief that we don’t deserve to have what we want.

So how do you change this? It starts by knowing what you want, in great detail and with a positive feeling for wanting it. There are many ways of developing this process with Treasure Mapping, list making and journaling. If you would like more information on this topic, please let me know and I will expand on this in a future posting.

May you be healthy, wealthy and generous.

Sincerely,
Kris

p.s. Please feel free to ask questions by using the comments. The more you ask for what you want, the more you will receive.

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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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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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Don’t let the losers crush your dreams! I can guarantee they will try. It’s up to you to prevent it from happening. This is actually one of the first and most important obstacles that any person needs to overcome when improving their life.

The Dream Crushers are people who are having difficulty being successful so in turn they want to make sure that no one else is successful. For them, the first impulse is to tear down anyone who is improving their life or is optimistic and forward moving.  

When there is any bad news, the Dream Crushers feel vindicated and increase their activity.  Invariably the Dream Crushers pop up to challenge any good news or optimistic statements, saying that the information is wrong and that they know that things are actually bad and getting worse. They site all the bad economic news as their proof. The only problem is, they are wrong.

First, yes there are problems in the economy. Some places in the country have been hit very hard. So far, New England is not one of them. There has been a correction but for the most part things are not as bad as the news makes it sound.

Second, there are people who are out of work but it’s still a small percentage in this part of the country. It’s just that we have been spoiled by unemployment below 4%. Compare this to unemployment rates of 8% in France, 9.1% in Germany and 7% in Russia. Our national rates have increased and Massachusetts is now at 5.9% and Maine is at 6.3% as of November.  That’s not a huge increase over the norm and it simply does not support the notion that everyone is in financial trouble.

Third, it is having a minimal or even positive effect on the spa industry in this part of the country. In fact, many of our graduates and teachers are reporting that their business has actually increased. Why? Probably because people are not spending on lavish vacations, instead choosing to stay closer to home and get more spa services instead.

The following information from the ISPA is interesting data on the current state of the spa industry in this country.

• As of June 2008, the number of US spas was 18,089 with Day Spas making up 80% of that number.
• The Industry revenue increased from $9.4 billion in 2006 to $10.9 billion in 2007. The revenue per establishment decreased from $624,000 in 2006 to $607,000 in 2007.
• Spa visits increased by 25% from 2007 to 2008.
• The industry square footage increased from 56 million in July 2007 to 60 million in June 2008. The square footage per spa decreased from 3,843 to 3,310 in the same time period.
• Spa industry employment increased for the industry and establishments from July 2007 to June 2008. It’s interesting to note there was a steep drop in employment per establishment between 2002 and 2003 (by about 1/3) that has remained fairly constant.

• The number of spa locations in the US has grown an average of 20% in the last eight years.
• Location growth continues to outpace revenue growth.
• Visits per spa have leveled out.
• Total industry revenues have been growing an average of 13% since 1999.
• The increase in spas and consumer demand has led to an increase in overall spa employment of 31%.

Credit ( http://www.discoverspas.com/news/newsstudies23.shtml )

The point is, the industry has been growing rapidly. Whenever this happens there are a lot of people who jump in who are under qualified and have more dollars than sense. However, the people who have excellent training, run an energetically high quality and efficient organization and do a good job retaining clients have very solid and sustainable businesses, even during difficult economic times.

What happens when an economy contracts is that the weak companies disappear and the strong ones get stronger. The people who have the best training and have the skills to succeed will actually be busier than ever when the economy picks up again because there will be less competition. I have seen this in many industries over the years (the advantage of being old). That’s why this is a great time for people to get the training they need to take advantage of the coming recovery in the economy. All contractions are followed by a surge of demand.

So don’t let the Dream Crushers step on your dreams for the future. Make a plan for your future and get the highest quality training you can get to make you successful. It may take hard work, dedication and resilience to fulfill your dreams, but in the end, there is no better life than one that is based on doing what you love.

We look forward to helping you succeed.

Sincerely,
Kris Stecker, President
Spa Tech Institute

 © Copyright 2009, Kris Stecker – All Rights Reserved.

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