Looking for the Pretty

SIYID was born the day I realized that I didn't have to wait for some magical, mystical future day to start living my dreams--that I could start living them (many of them, anyway) right now.

One of those dreams was to ride my bike at sunrise near a body of water every day, and that was the dream that I starting living right away.

I quickly discovered, however, that, as a natural night owl, it was more challenging than I thought it would be to get up every morning at the crack of dawn.

To help me remember how beautiful the sunrises were, and how worth it the effort it is, I started taking a picture every morning. And, since I had no place else to put them, I started posting them on Facebook.

Very quickly, my friends and acquaintances began to look forward to them, which provided even more motivation for me to get out of bed each morning.

More than that, though--I began to notice an interesting phenomenon: I naturally started "looking for the picture." My bike ride became an opportunity for me to focus my mind only on what was lovely, pretty, interesting, noteworthy. Everything else--trash, dirt, graffiti--simply disappeared from my consciousness.

This morning's picture was a perfect example. Along a portion of the trail grew a vine, winding gently up a wrought iron fence. I took this picture and captured the beauty despite the dirty trail, the garbage from the back a hotel, and the gray, cloud-filled sky:

What interested me was a comment from one of my friends. She wrote, "Very pretty. Makes me miss living up there."

Fascinating. What she doesn't realize is that she could be "looking for the pretty" in whatever part of the country she is in.

This, of course, is exactly what we teach in Step 4 of SIYID: noticing and rejoicing in the here and now.

Because that's how all good things come to us.

Friend me on Facebook and see my sunrise pictures every day: http://www.facebook.com/margie.remmers

The Flagrant Abuse of Positive Thinking

Earlier today, I received an email from internet marketing guru, Perry Marshall. The following quote is from the beginning of that email:

You might have some memory of Admiral James Stockdale. He was the guy who was Ross Perot's Vice Presidential candidate in 'the US 1992 presidential election.

He didn't fare so well as a VP candidate, but he was quite an impressive military man. He was former president of the Naval War College and was the highest ranking officer in the dreaded "Hanoi Hilton" in Viet Nam.

He spent eight years in Hanoi and was tortured numerous times by his captors.

Mr. Thomas Barnett relates:

"Stockdale tells the story of the optimists who never survived their time in Hanoi, simply because they clung far too much to their dreams of release and in doing so couldn't handle the brutal realities of what it took to survive the day to day.

"So instead of dealing with the here and now realistically, they tended to cling to the hope that they'd be home by whatever the next holiday was, and when that day came and went, their spirit would be diminished by that measure.

"Over time, they died because their spirit was extinguished by reality."

Stockdale's explains his "paradox" this way:

"You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end (which you can never afford to lose) with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality, whatever they might be."

Stockdale was really describing the flagrant abuse of 'positive thinking.'

I looked up Admiral Stockdale on Wikipedia and found another important quote. Author James Collins asked Admiral Stockdale who were the ones who didn't make it out of prison, and he answered:

"Oh, that’s easy, the optimists. Oh, they were the ones who said, 'We're going to be out by Christmas.' And Christmas would come, and Christmas would go. Then they'd say, 'We're going to be out by Easter.' And Easter would come, and Easter would go. And then Thanksgiving, and then it would be Christmas again. And they died of a broken heart."

There are many "motivational" programs out there that encourage people to just dream about and visualize their goals, believing that some magical power will then take over and make these things materialize right in front of them with no additional effort on their part.

SIYID is not one of these programs.

Yes, SIYID teaches you how to design exactly the future you really want to experience and how to look forward to it with excitement and hopefulness. But unlike most other programs, it doesn't stop there.

SIYID then goes on to teach you how to look squarely at your current reality. Because only then can you design a roadmap that will take you from here to there.

And once you have your roadmap, you can start walking.

Margie Remmers
Founder and President, Solution-U Life Coaching
Creator of the SIYID Method of Life Achievement

I've Come So Far!

I have to share my story because I know that when I read people's success stories, I get inspired. Not too long ago, I was seriously depressed. I don't want to dwell on the negativity of the past but for comparison purposes, I'll tell you about it. :) I was having serious problems with my boyfriend, I felt overwhelmed, I didn't have a job and I was broke. Then I discovered a process called SIYID developed by Margie Remmers and it transformed my life. I just have to say that I am not a SIYID coach, I don't make any money for referrals, I'm sharing this because it WORKS. Since starting the SIYID process, my relationship with my boyfriend has vastly improved, I found a job ONE WEEK before my unemployment runs out, I am finding financial security, I have more energy and found the motivation and process to lose weight and I am in the process of starting my own online boutique. On top of that, I have manifested material things I wanted - a pink Adirondack chair (two actually... and a matching table!), a new vacuum and two mini vacations! It's actually kind of miraculous. Sure, there are rough moments but as they say, you can't have the hills without the valleys! Honestly, the best part is that I FEEL happier and have a much more positive attitude. I am confident now that I am in complete control of my thoughts and my life. It IS possible to change your life! I was so depressed and used to cry myself to sleep every night. Now I feel like life is fantastic! I know this sounds like an advertisement but I am doing it to give those in doubt some hope. I'm a regular person just like you and I did it! :)

Mindy in Michigan