I just saw the movie, The Green Lantern, and was amazed by its visual effects and our heroes transformational powers.  It spoke to me a lot about overcoming fear, visualizing and creating success.

For those of you who don’t know the story…the immortals have harnessed the power of will with a green lantern.  There is a green ring that is powered by the ENERGY OF WILL.

In order to be chosen to be in the core of the Green Lantern one must be without fear.  The green lantern represents the good powers of the universe.

There is of course its antithesis called Paralax, a monstrosity composed entirely of evil which feeds and grows off the ENERGY OF FEAR.

How similar to life this is in that our actions either feed our fears or WILL TO OVERCOME them.  We OVERCOME FEAR WITH ACTION.  Fear limits or constrains, binds and paralyzes us. It traps our very soul.

In this movie you see Ryan Reynolds, our superhero, fighting against the forces of evil, The Paralax. His strength is His will and the power to create.  He forms weapons of defense out of visualizations in his mind.

IF HE CAN SEE IT FIRST IN HIS MIND HE CAN CREATE IT!!

This spoke to me of overcoming limitations in my own life.  In today’s economy fear is easy to focus on.  But, we either create limitations or solutions.

THE BATTLE FOR OUR BUSINESS, OUR JOB SEARCH, OUR VERY DEFINITION OF FAILURE ALL BEGINS IN THE MIND AND THE WILL TO SUCCEED!!

Studies have shown that people who visualize their success are more likely to achieve it.  Spend 15 minutes a day creating solutions, brainstorming, creating an action plan and SEE yourself moving forward powerfully.

Our superhero still grapples with fear even when he puts on his invincible GREEN LANTERN SUIT. His gorgeous girlfriend tells him, “IF FOR ONCE YOU DIDN’T QUIT AT SOMETHING YOU CARE ABOUT WHAT IS THE WORST THING THAT CAN HAPPEN?”

Don’t give into fear, FIGHT IT!  At the climax of our movie you see our superhero making a choice. He turns from his fears and tells the core members that he WILL FIGHT PARALAX and save the planet he loves.

They tell him he won’t make it.  He declares a statement of powerful intention, “Then I will die trying.”

In these times when people are fighting to save their homes, their business and for their very survival realize  you are as strong as your will and your intentions.

At the very end of the movie you see Paralax about to swallow our superhero for lunch and our hero repeats his mantra.

“Bright as day, black as night, no evil shall befall my sight….” He becomes more powerful with his affirmation of who he really is.

The same is true in our greatest moments of fear… what do we tell ourselves.  Begin to affirm who you really are and you will rise in power.

My favorite line from the movie was when our hero states, “ANYTHING I CAN SEE IN MY MIND, I CAN CREATE. I JUST HAVE TO FOCUS.”

So don’t focus on the fear, visualize the end zone in sight and CREATE WHAT IS MISSING.

He has a severe problem stuttering and has been to see everyone and is practically incurable. He needs to give public speeches and is feeling very stuck with his limitations at performing his role in life.  He goes to see someone different to create a breakthrough.

You see him breakdown when he is given the title of King.  He feels completely inadequate to the task and says,  “I can’t be King.”  Ever feel like there is something your called to in life that you just don’t think your capable of it?

His therapist takes him back to remember what happened that caused this.  He realizes his father and his brother treated him poorly as he grew up stuttering.  As a result he has created for himself a way of being that is limiting him in life.

He tells himself He can’t do it because he was made fun of early on in life by those closest to him.  We may live in the shadow of our family and roles we acquired when we were young.  As an adult it is important to come into our own and recognize who we are in spite of these roles.  We don’t have to take them on for the rest of our lives.

The past is in the past when we put it there.  He has the most powerful breakthrough when his therapist speaks the truth over him.  Berty, you don’t have to be afraid of the things you were afraid of when you were five.  YOUR VERY MUCH YOUR OWN MAN. He had outgrown his role and was VERY POWERFUL, BUT HE STILL THOUGHT LIKE WHEN HE WAS SMALL.  This made him stuck.

Another powerful transformation takes place in the movie when he keeps going back and forth between breakthroughs and the fear of not being able to speak in public.  His therapist pushes his buttons when he shuts down and provokes him to declare, “I don’t want to be king and I don’t have a voice.”

The therapist makes him angry and gets him to shout out by asking him, who are you really?  He SCREAMS OUT IN DECLARATION, “I am YOUR KING AND I HAVE A RIGHT TO BE HEARD.  I HAVE A VOICE.”

Perhaps this was the DEFINING MOMENT for him because as a child he felt he didn’t have the RIGHT to be heard.  He goes on to give the most powerful speech in history.

He had to shift himself first to believe it was possible for him to do it.  He gives the wartime speech, “In this grave hour, perhaps the most fateful in our history we are at war…” A DEFINING MOMENT as his speech was able to INSPIRE OTHERS IN THEIR MOMENTS OF FEAR during the dark days of war with Germany.

He had to first PUSH PAST HIS OWN FEARS TO BE ABLE TO INSPIRE OTHERS.  I think we can all relate.  This movie gave me food for thought about my own life.  When I tell myself I CAN’T DO IT.  I remember this was something I learned as a child and it is not REALLY WHO I AM AS AN ADULT.

Lets go on and create for ourselves and those around us OUR OWN DEFINING MOMENTS. Let us step up to the BATTLE AND inspire those in our lives by who we choose to be.

 We think life should be easy, so when our goals don’t happen, we wonder why and let them slide.  Perhaps we have never had to face such hard times as they had.  Imagine the difference if we expect it to be a struggle and we fight even harder John Wayne style.

 If you saw the movie True Grit, you see a young girl in the face of overwhelming obstacles outshine all the cowboys with her amazing determination.  Nothing is going to stand in her way.  She won’t let anyone else  stop her.

 She knows what she wants and how to get it.  My favorite part is when she falls into a pit of snakes.  Times were tough on the rugged frontier. But imagine if the pioneers who braved it all gave up in the face of adversity.  They wouldn’t have met their outcome and the West would not have been conquered.

 In the face of overwhelming adversity, when folks are struggling to keep a roof on their heads, keep their business or find a job the race is on.  The battle belongs to those who exercise True Grit.

 You know you can’t clean dirty windows without some elbow grease.  So if we become tougher in our outlook towards accomplishing our goals WE CAN ACHIEVE THEM. What is stopping you?  ONLY YOU.

 When we say, the economy is so bad, I can’t find a job then we are focusing on a limitation in front of us.  When we say business has slowed down I can’t get ahead, we determine that outcome. Instead we need to focus on what we are doing to make the outcomes come our way.

 We still determine the outcomes in our lives. There are folks finding jobs in todays economy, thriving in their business, getting out of debt.  The difference perhaps  is they don’t expect it to be easy.  They don’t give up, they PUSH and PUSH and PUSH.

 As in the days of the West you have to mount the horse, face the dangers and plow ahead.  Don’t we all admire a brave cowboy fighting dangers on the rugged terrain?  If you see True Grit, you will admire a young cowgirl and how she never says never.

 The key is that someone who is brave determines that they have to face whatever is in front of them.  It is a mindset.  We are all afraid of losing our job or the business and not meeting our goals.  But let us PUSH forward with fierce determination.

 When you feel like life has thrown you into a pit full of snakes, there is a way out.  Lets make it happen!  I can’t end without saying that when we fall, like the line in the movie, the undying grace of God is there to catch us because, it is the only thing in this life that is free we don’t have to earn.

When you face the loss of everything and you are lying in the ashes of what is left of your life, I want to tell you that you have a powerful choice at this moment in time.  The choice is to rise from the ashes.  To rebuild your life one piece at a time. The first step is to believe there is hope and go on.  Look up and let go of the ashes, lift your face from lying in what is no longer there.

Everything you knew has been stripped away, but you can rebuild it again.  In the moive Eat, Pray, Live Julia Roberts goes to visit an ancient ruin.  She marvels at the structure of the walls.  She says, ” Ruin is a gift, it is the road to transformation.”

These words struck me when I watched the movie.  Imagine loss being a gift, in fact, ruin a chance to change your life and make it more powerful.  Whatever worked before, you will have to create new things that work better.  Imagine this time you build your life back in such a way it matters more.

I don’t know a lot about geologic formations, but I can only imagine it takes a long time to rebuild rock formations after ruin.  So lets adjust our expectations and realize if we have lost everything, it will take a long time to rebuild that same amount back.  However, it can be rebuilt.  So lets face in the right direction, that of hope, courage, strength, determination, powerful persevearance and overcoming faith.

The ancient ruins were magnificent.  They are truly beautiful formations of loss in nature.  Your life will be magnificent again.  Like the Phonenix you will rise from the ashes.  So get up and get going today in one direction that you believe moves you forward.

Faith in you and your ability to overcome is the gift I am granting you.  You will find your way through this recession.  Money, houses, jobs they can be found again.  Let us be determined and steadfast.  Realize what really matters in your life, your family, your ability to persevere.  Strong character brings about unbelievable long term gain.  If you got your job back tomorrow, you would miss out on something greater.

The human spirit is truly indomitable.  The strength to rise begins within you.  Our thoughts, our will, our spirits make us strong.  Our faith in a brighter day tomorrow that we create for ourselves and our children begins today.  So, have faith like the Phoenix bird who survived the fire and was reborn.  Create your own transformation!!

You are the most powerful person in your own prison cell. One individual could be in the same set of circumstances and come out shining.  What makes the difference?  Perspective!! If you want a new perspective start practicing an attitude of gratitude. Hate your job, hate your boss, hate your circumstances?

By practicing gratefulness you can shift a bad situation into a workable one.  First of all, if you have a job even with stress or hated co-workers, you are fortunate today.  There are thousands out of work. Life is all a matter of perspective. You may have lost a lot of revenue in your business or income from a job loss.

So tell me do we really need all the STUFF we have in life.  Can we downsize, cut back and still be content?  Folks are doing with a lot less these days.  Can you walk, car pool, take the train, eat out less, sell some STUFF and still be thankful.

For myself, I had my heart set on a very powerful job opportunity I thought I was sure to get.  When the day arrived for the deadline and I didn’t get that phone call I was shocked.  But, I decided to let it go.  I visualized it floating right out of my life.  That opportunity I thought would rock my world, gone.  Like the proverbial butterfly we can’t hold onto anyway.  I CHOSE to be grateful I didn’t get the job instead of the usual disappointment I would have chosen before. By practicing gratefulness I shifted myself away from needing that opportunity to letting it go completely.

Now I am ready to take on my next challenge and adventure without the baggage of ruminating over why I didn’t get it. Our attitudes will make us or break us in life.  Not practicing gratitude, actually leads to depression, resentment and even bitterness.  Have to work really long hours lately, have to pinch your pennies at the store?  Consider the alternative of being out of work for 2 years like some.

Gratefulness can shift us away from stress.  Are you out of work? Every day get up and think of at least 3 things to be grateful for. Are you healthy?  Did you eat your last meal? Did you have gas to put in your car today?  Do you have a roof over your head?

Are there people in your life who are good to you? Be grateful, not everyone has that.  Marvel at the little things.  People show us kindness every day and we let it pass us by.  Marvel at what you have to be grateful for in the present moment and your whole life will shift toward more powerful results.

Gratitude is a state of being.  Be grateful you are who you are; you are where you are in your life right now.  It doesn’t mean you can’t change it.  It will actually help you to arrive at the next stage by accepting where you are today.  Tell someone else you’re grateful for them and ROCK their world!

I heard of a story where a man’s son was buried alive and he dug for 36 hours to get him out.  Others had given up on the situation but he was determined and believed he could find his son.  He exhausted his resources and himself by continually digging.  He did manage to save his son’s life even after authorities told him it was hopeless.

Often there is one thing to do in a crisis to resolve it, but we get stuck in our crisis and don’t generate ourselves toward that powerful end.  While everyone else stood around crying, screaming and hysterical he did the only thing he knew to do which was dig and keep digging.

You have to put aside all other things in a crisis and shift yourself toward producing a powerful result.  I have seen people react to a crisis and crumble.  A crisis calls for powerful action and not reaction.  A nuclear reactor generates a chain reaction of cataclysmic results.  So don’t react in your crisis.  Consider the nuclear fallout you will create.

The crisis is outside of you so you must bring something powerful to the crisis.  Don’t shut down; instead generate yourself toward resolving the crisis.  What do policemen and firemen do every day?  They step into an immediately threatening situation and risk loss to remediate the situation.

A crisis calls for someone to step up.  Like in the case of Todd Beamer and the plane that was headed for the White House with Flight 93.  The plane was hijacked and he took action quickly and engaged those around him with the powerful words,”Are you guys ready, let’s roll!” With those powerful words and timely actions they thwarted the hijacker’s attempts at landing the plane near the White House.

There is usually one thing to do in a crisis and we have to step up to the plate and roll out the plan quickly and give it all we got.  You also have to shift yourself away from the alternative; fear, caving in, despair, giving up etc.  You must be resolved and determined you will make an impact on your current crisis.

Having a strong sense of self and complete ownership of the crisis helps you to resolve it quickly.  You may have lost your job and are starting to feel hopeless.  There are things you can do.  Reduce your expenses, cut your cable, cell phone, and put things in storage, live with family or friends.  This is one of the longest and hardest hit recessions on record so you are going to have to move forward to avert the impact of the financial crisis.

Perhaps the crisis calls for you to ask for help powerfully.  Lots of people who are employed don’t know how to help those who are not.  Break it down. When we sound desperate people react to the desperation.  Believe you have a manageable plan, go back to school, look for part-time work, temporary work, and relocate.  Ask for help in calm, positive ways.

Expanding our social network can be powerful.  You may only know certain people in your life and the results you’re getting are limited.  You have to reach out beyond your circle in a crisis to ask for help beyond your sphere of influence.  Join networking groups, job clubs, even chess clubs, gyms, meet-up groups on the internet.  The broader the circle the sooner you will find a job through networking efforts.

Make a choice in your crisis.  You will generate yourself toward the best and optimum thing to do in the crisis.  If you need help remember to ASK for it.  Coaching can help you to generate yourself with an action plan.

Today people are in a lot of crisises with the economy, finances, job loss etc.  If you stay connected in the midst of a crisis you are more likely to deal with it better.  How do you create that connection when those around you don’t get it.

You must communicate powerfully.  You have to ask for what you need.  You have to tell people what is going on.  I need space right now I am hurting.  I need financial help.  I am feeling defeated.

Find others in your similar job situations.  The best way to not feel so alone as an unemployed person is to talk to others.  You will find some dealing with it better than you and some worse.  But you will find what you need is creating that connection.  Put things in perspective.  Get a grip on your emotions and what you are doing to resolve your crisis.

Create some solutions for others worse off than you.  Nothing feels more powerful than helping someone else worse off.  As Americans we pride ourselves on our independence.  Why not try on being interdependent.  We need each other now more than ever before.  I read it is estimated that it will take 5 years to reabsorb all the unemployed back into the job market because so many jobs have been permanently eliminated.

You can create the energy to cope with your crisis through powerful relationships in your life.  Social media is the new way to find jobs, ask about opportunities or advertise business.  Facebook, Twitter, Linked In.  It could be you find your next job there and not online.  Times have changed.  Are you changing with them?

Don’t make the crisis mean you are worthless or you are not good enough.  I recently heard of someone who applied for a job and they had 1,500 applicants.  You can take it to heart when it is just an impossible situation.  They can only hire one person and they can ‘t even read all those applications.

Those who overcome difficult times are open-minded, ask for help over and over and are present to the people in their lives around them.  Don’t shut down on your family or friends.  Stay present to them and they will meet you back by being present to you.  We have a loss of power when we shut others out.  Invite them into your crisis and you will discover something empowering in the midst of your most difficult time!

Well, ever feel stuck between the rock and the hard place.  That means you are coming out of something but have not arrived there yet.  You are caught in between.  You might say you are stuck.  It seems you don’t have everything you need to emerge forward.

Perhaps your out of work and have to choose between very low paying or less than ideal jobs. Maybe you want to start a business but don’t have the money.  It could manifest itself in many different ways.  Maybe your trying to get out of debt and it feels like three steps forward and two steps back.  The secret to emerge is found in powerful perseverance.

We will always stay stuck if we aren’t moving forward. My favorite refrigerator magnet says, Never, never, never, never give up.  Is what you want in life not happening yet?  Keep, keeping on!  Set your mind in the direction you need to go.

Let us imagine you did have everything you needed.  I believe our attitude can make the difference.  You can take the low paying job, or the second job, or the loan, and truly the future is still defined by you.  You can PUSH yourself to do things you have not had to in the past.

Don’t give up.  Keep up your stamina, optimism, hopefulness. The key is don’t stay stuck in between the rock and the hard place.  You will have to choose.  But choose to emerge out of that place more confidently, powerfully, resolutely and determined than before!!

• Create more time! Get up earlier.  Looking for a job takes time and the only thing you need more of is time.

• Stay up later to do your job search if your not an early bird.

• Create the right work space free of distractions, move around, if your at home all the time try the library or coffee shops for variety.

• Stay motivated!! Reward yourself.  Push yourself!  Set higher goals!  I will apply for so many jobs every day, every week.

• Be accountable!  We all falter left to our own devices!

• Encourage someone else who is out of work when you find jobs that fit them.

• Establish a sense of teamwork or network so others know what your looking for and can email it to you when they are on the web.  Two eyes are better than one!

• Don’t just use the same methods.  Use as many different methods as possible.

• NETWORK, NETWORK AND WHEN YOU ARE TIRED NETWORK!!

• JOB FAIRS!!  Spring is coming and you may need to go to another city but having your FACE in front of them is better than just a piece of paper.

• Admit when your struggling and seek some support through your social network.  Folks out of work for over 6 months face discouragement.

• Apply for jobs you may not consider to be your first choice.  Times are tough so be realistic!

• Be willing to relocate, commute further or take a cut in pay to find work.

• Use FACEBOOK to network with every last soul on earth!!!  Find your grammar school seatmate.

• It is far easier to steer a moving vehicle than one that is parked so remember to ACT everyday in some powerful way to get what you want down the road.

• Consider taking classes to learn a new skill.  Community colleges, Adult education, the library or local school may have some inexpensive ones.

• Consider working on your own business. You have the time so figure out what you have always wanted to do.

• Take on a new hobby to unwind.  You need it right now more than ever!

• Seek out at least 10 search engines.  I know people who only use the newspaper for their search.  DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE OUT OF WORK RIGHT NOW???

• Volunteer, Join clubs,  build new skills,

• Talk to everyone you know and those you don’t.

• If you live in a big city consider going to a popular or trendy restaurant, hot spot or bar and you know who knows everyone in town?  The bar tender does so talk to him about jobs.  He already knows all the big guys in town.

• You can also hit your local church and talk to the pastor.

• Don’t fool yourself, if you feel you have been unproductive, you are right, you can fool everyone but not yourself.  Work at it harder!!

GO PLACES YOU HAVE NEVER GONE BEFORE TO GET DIFFERENT RESULTS!!!

ROME WASN’T BUILT IN A DAY, BUT I AM SURE THEY HAD A ROCKING PLAN TO GET THERE!!!!

It could be a business deal, a relationship, our diet goals or personal goals.  Up for a promotion but keep showing up late to work all the time?  Go to a job interview and screw it up, maybe you did it on purpose.

We sell ourselves short or just even defeat ourselves over and over and over again.  See, if I screw it up then you didn’t really reject me.  Basically, I rejected myself, so you can’t.

Are you your own worst enemy?  Do you keep falling short of the mark you set for yourself and then beat yourself up afterwards.  Could be your setting the mark ridiculously high for  yourself.  Were your parents hard on you?  You learned this behavior somewhere in life.  But, it is not really working for you anymore.

It is important to achieve high goals, but not to beat yourself up when you fall short.  Also, if the mark is so extremely high you will always feel you can’t reach it and it becomes self-defeating.

Could also be you don’t believe at some level that you deserve it so you sabotage yourself.  Sound crazy.  Well when was the last time you told yourself your getting out of debt and then racked up your credit card bill.  Know anyone who tries to diet and then eats more of everything bad in sight.  Almost like a compulsive kind of behavior.

Are you trying to punish yourself for something?  Could be unresolved issues from childhood.  Counseling could help.  Life coaching looks more at behavior and changing it right away.

The key to stopping self-sabotage is recognizing it.  If we don’t call a spade a spade it won’t be seen as one.  So the first step in any recovery process is the desire to STOP IT!!  Once you desire change you are on the road to recovery.

Self- sabotage is tricky because it is a dysfunctional behavior pattern and it is based on a limited way of thinking about ourselves.  Somehow we don’t believe we are worth more.  Deep down inside we have given up on ourselves.

We have dug our own rut and are stuck in it!

You have to challenge your beliefs. You might need a journal and some time to reflect.  Write out what is happening, what you are doing over and over.  What are you telling yourself.  You need to reprogram your self-talk.

You also need to focus on pushing yourself toward what you really deserve in life.  You are worth the promotion, the better relationship, succeeding at your goals.  You have to change what you believe first to stop the behavior.

Sometimes it requires a step back.  Where did you learn this unhealthy behavior?  It is time to unlearn it!  Refocus your attention toward things that will help you grow and heal.  This may require some life coaching.

Whatever you do be sure and TAKE A STEP FORWARD in the right direction toward what you deserve in life.  Become your own best friend and not your worst enemy.  Don’t throw yourself under that bus ever again!!