47 Secrets of Success By Christopher Westra (Version 1.0) - Feel free to share with others (keep intact). Intro: This is my personal list of ideas, habits, and techniques that have worked for me in my life. In the list I give lots of links to other resources. Success is not just wealth, but health and peace and happiness. Please enjoy the list and take those secrets that work for you! 1. Change your schedule once in a while. What’s the difference between a rut and a groove? A groove is shallow and a rut is too deep. Try exercising at a different time. Experiment with getting up earlier, and then having a nap. You may find a new groove, but don’t keep it too long! 2. Accept and really feel your emotions. Let yourself feel your feelings. As you feel them, they will transform into other feelings and you can let them go. See this fun Kokomo Emotions Video Here and pick up your free Positive Emotions and Negative Emotions lists. You can also see a quick video on the eight steps of Emotional Transformation. 3. Set SMART Goals for your life. S.M.A.R.T. goals are goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Oriented. Time Oriented means that you want to achieve the goal by a certain time or date. Set your SMART goals in writing and watch your success soar. 4. Enjoy nature. Go outside and see the world. Smell the pines. Hear the leaves rustle and crunch under your feet. Watch the sunrise and the sunset. Pick fruit from a tree and enjoy it fresh. Go hiking. ByChristopherWestra–http://LightIsReal.com 1 5. Forgive everybody (including yourself). Forgiveness is a great healing and releasing process. Read Gerald Jampolsky’s book on the healing power of forgiveness. He based his book on the Course In Miracles. 6. Get more sleep and rest. Your wonderful body and mind need the rejuvenating power of sleep. Most people hardly ever get enough. Get enough sleep and you’ll have more energy, you’ll think more clearly, and you’ll even be better looking! Here’s one book on sleep that I enjoyed. 7. Honor your ancestors. Learn about your extended family. Where did they come from? What did they do? Discover their stories. Knowing who you are and where you came from can give you a sense of place and purpose. You will be more confident. Start your search here or here. 8. Tease your brain. Use mind puzzles and benders to exercise your mind. I’ve used little puzzles, tricks, and mind questions for years to sharpen my own mind. I also use them in teaching classes and lessons. Here’s one Mind Reader Puzzle I think you will enjoy! Give the puzzles to your kids too. 9. Meditate some every day. We need to exercise our mind, and we also need time to quiet and still our mind. Meditation has helped millions to focus energies, develop spiritual insight, and just calm down. You can just set aside time to be still and think. Here are three free guided meditations you can use. You get a meditation timer also. 10. Accept your trials and hard times. Difficult times come to all of us. Trials are a part of life and are part of why we are here. Accepting this actually makes it easier to handle them. Some of our greatest accomplishments will come from overcoming hard times. I’m writing this at a time when I’ve been very sick from Lyme disease for 4 years. ByChristopherWestra–http://LightIsReal.com  2 11. Take initiative in your life. I’ve got a pin-on button that says, “If It Is To Be, It’s Up To Me!” I used to wear it to classes and groups. I keep it by my desk to remind me. I’ve taught my boys to take action toward their goals. If you want a job, or a relationship, then take action. If you want to be an author, start writing. Take some Forward Steps. 12. Spend time with the young and the old. Yes, mix with even the very young and the very old. Young people and old people need our help. We have been young and we will be old. Associating with young and old people will enrich your life also, and give you depth and perspective. 13. Use your powerful imagination. Practice using your imagination to prepare for events in your life. When you have a test, date, party, competition, or interview coming up, see in your mind’s eye how you want it to go. This will help the event go the way you want. This is called Holographic Creation. See this movie about your imagination. 14. Love and accept your body. This is the body you have. Love it and take care of it. Every body in the world is unique. We all have body strengths and body weaknesses. You can rebel against it or you can accept it. I’ve had quite bad digestive pain and trouble for over 25 years and I’ve had to learn to love my body anyway. 15. Breathe deeply, from your belly. We need oxygen to think, work, and play. Proper deep breathing will give you many of the benefits of exercise. You can’t be your best self with fatigue and mental fog, so breathe your way into clarity and energy. 16. Earn interest and rental fees, rather than paying them out. Interest is just a rental fee for using your money. When you own valuable property (even virtual property) that people pay you for, you earn royalties. You can learn more at Royalties University. ByChristopherWestra–http://LightIsReal.com 3 17. Give others more than they deserve. When you give other people more than they really deserve, you show mercy and grace. I certainly want more than I deserve, and often I get it. In the eternal view I really hope God gives me more than I deserve (or else I’m in trouble). 18. Try new experiences. Get a degree or read a new book. Try skydiving, rock climbing, or sailing. Doing new things helps you to grow. You also become a more interesting and well-rounded person. You will increase your career success in any field, and you’ll just have a lot more fun, too. 19. Eat simply. Your energy and vitality will improve when you eat simple fruits, vegetables, tender greens, and grains. Limit animal products for your own health, for the sake of the animals, and so we have enough food to feed the whole world. See the Harmony Earth 30- Day Energy Diet. 20. Put first things first. In this day of too much information and way too many things to do, we must prioritize if we want true success. Some things are fun and interesting, but other things are essential. Do you have 400 things you think you need to do in a day? Me too. I can only do about 40. Make sure you get the important things done first. 21. Listen to your inner voice. You will be led and guided to visit certain people, read particular books, and follow specific courses of action. Follow your heart and its intuition, rather than your head. Keep your life simple enough that you can hear your inner voice. 22. Smile. You can influence your mood and your health with a smile. Check out this SMILE site by my friend Sun Star. Listen to some of his interviews and see some of his world-famous pictures. ByChristopherWestra–http://LightIsReal.com  4 23. Enjoy the funny things in life. Develop your sense of humor. You can watch funny movies, or simply appreciate the many spontaneous funny things that happen every day. Watch children. Children find humor everywhere. Take this fun 10 Second Creativity Test. 24. Work step by step toward your dreams and goals. One saying I developed is, “Incremental actions lead to Monumental results!” Taking one step at a time you can climb a mountain, build a house, earn a black belt, write a book, raise a child, or build a business. 25. Treat women with respect. Treat all women as you would want your Mother or daughter to be treated by others. Open doors for women and offer to carry their bags. If you are a woman, train men and boys in how to show respect. Call me old-fashioned if you like. Our whole society will be more successful when women are more respected. 26. Chew well. Digestion starts in the mouth. We are built from the foods we eat. Chewing well helps you to really enjoy your food also, since you taste it for a longer time! You actually eat less, but enjoy it more. This saves you money, and helps you lose weight if you need to. 27. Stay involved in your community and your world. Serve on the library board. Volunteer at your local hospital. Organize a running race for charity. Find online places to give and help others. One of my favorite places to help is Kiva.org. The money you donate (100%) goes to fund small businesses in third world countries. And, they pay it back! Then you just donate the money to someone else. 28. Pray. Whatever your personal view is of God, you can pray. Most people believe in a Higher Power who cares about them and wants to help them. We can ask for help when we need it (and we certainly do). Here’s a link to the world-famous Serenity Prayer Video. ByChristopherWestra–http://LightIsReal.com 5 29. Read good books. Your life will be much the same five years from now (as it is today), except for the people you meet and the books you read. Great books have absolutely led me to success in life. Two of the most impactful books on my life have been Psycho Cybernetics and The Science of Getting Rich. 30. Go to bed early, and get up early. Yes, I know this isn’t very popular. We are biologically programmed to sleep during the dark hours of the night. Staying up late and then sleeping late works against our pineal gland’s functions and throws our hormones off. One doctor told me that an hour of sleep before midnight is worth two hours after. I know it’s tough, but try to get a couple hours sleep before midnight. 31. Live in the now. Be present and engaged in the work or play in front of you. Most of our favorite activities ARE our favorite because when doing them we are totally absorbed. We don’t wish to be anywhere else. You can learn to be engaged and absorbed in more of your life activities by living in Holographic Time. 32. Exercise your body. Exercise improves your mood and makes your body look better and feel better. With regular exercise you will sleep better, and you’ll have more energy. Not only all that, but it’s fun, too! My favorite exercise is mountain running. Find your favorite exercise and move your body. Check out these Quick Workouts from my friend Roger. 33. Spend time with your family. No matter what your age, choose to spend time with the family you have. Your family is your support group. Resolve and heal old differences, if you have any. Build those deep bonds to last more than a lifetime. ByChristopherWestra–http://LightIsReal.com 6 34. Practice gratitude. Write thank you notes to people. Tell people thanks when they help you. Be grateful for all the little things that make life worthwhile. As you go to sleep, find ten things to be grateful for. 35. Do what YOU love. Don’t climb the ladder of someone else’s success. Maybe you don’t like golf, or traveling, or dressing up. Maybe you like gardening, or sewing, or even mountain running! Find what really fulfills you in a deep way and make sure you do it. 36. Practice fasting. Yes, this isn’t a popular one either. Fasting is going without food for a meal or two. Fasting helps your spirit to be stronger than your body. You develop discipline and moderation and these traits spill over into all areas of your life, leading to success. I kept some notes during one long fast for health reasons. 37. Face what you fear. When you face what you fear, you find out that it’s rarely as bad as what you imagined. When you fear, you are using your imagination in a powerful way, but a negative way. Take small steps in facing fears, when necessary, but do face them. Overcoming fears will expand your mind and your success opportunities. Check out this hike I went on to Angel’s Landing, with cliffs on either side. 38. Allow mysteries. Give up on having to know everything. Learn to enjoy the unknowns and be OK with it. One day we will know more, but we are here “under the veil” for a purpose in this life. Relax and enjoy your life and your service. 39. Simplify your life in many ways. Simplify your clothing or your hairstyle. Simplify your recreational activities. Simplify your diet. Simplify your chores and your work. People may tell us to do more, more, more, but we may be happier by simplifying. ByChristopherWestra–http://LightIsReal.com 7 40. Focus on what you CAN take with you. Yes, you can’t take money or material items with you when you pass to the next sphere of life. But you can take your relationships with others, and your personal learning and growth. Therefore, focus on building great relationships, and on developing strengths of the soul. 41. Learn new technology. I now work in a business that didn’t exist when I graduated from High School (an Internet Business). No matter what your age, learn the new technology that is a part of life now. If you want to use the Internet to make money, join Royalties University. 42. Visualize what you want (not what you don’t want). So many of us “see” in our mind what we don’t want to happen. Change this! Really decide what you want, and focus on those images instead. One powerful way to focus on these images is with Mind Movies. See the link below to get Six Free Mind Movies. The Six Mind Movies cover six different categories from health to wealth to spiritual fulfillment. 43. Harness money energy. Do you have a good relationship with money? Money is very useful. Earn it, attract it, and use it. Just don’t focus on it as your prime goal in life. Get some free tools below on Transforming Your Money Energy. 44. Receive inspiration daily. We need positive affirmations, quotes, images, and other messages every day. Motivation is just like brushing your teeth. You need it every day! One of the best sources of daily inspiration is Time For Your Life: 365 Stepping Stones. 45. Take time to play. Find some active play that relaxes you and refreshes you. It may be golf, skiing, racquetball, hiking, or ultimate Frisbee. My play is running in the mountains. I look forward to it all day. If you can, have several favorite play activities. That way, if you can’t do one, you can still do another. ByChristopherWestra–http://LightIsReal.com  8 46. Show others that you care. Remember birthdays and holidays. Buy flowers and small gifts. Ask questions about their life. Send cards and notes. Send someone one of these Make Your Day Light Cards today. 47. Remember that you chose to come here to this earth. In difficult times of your life, remembering your choice will help you gain a new perspective. Your existence didn’t start when you were born. You are here for a purpose. Make the most of your choice! About Christopher Westra I live in Gunnison, Utah with my wife Casandra and our five boys. Writing, reading, connecting with others, and mountain running are some of my favorite activities. Since leaving my counseling job at the prison in 2005 I’ve written 11 books and created three online education programs. I also love to create websites, and I’m up to several dozen websites now. I hope you’ve enjoyed these 47 Secrets of Success. You may not agree with all of them, and that’s fine. I know if you put into practice those habits and tips that resonate with you, you will be more successful in your life. Sincerely, Christopher P.S. You are free to share this list with others. Please do! You can just attach it to an email and send it. Better yet, you can send them directly to Get My Secrets of Success to get the current version. If you do find links that don’t work in this PDF, please let me know at my Support Desk. ByChristopherWestra–http://LightIsReal.com 9 . enjoyed these 47 Secrets of Success. You may not agree with all of them, and that’s fine. I know if you put into practice those habits and tips that resonate with you, you will be more successful. 47 Secrets of Success By Christopher Westra (Version 1.0) - Feel free to share with others (keep intact). Intro: This is my personal list of ideas, habits, and techniques. times. Difficult times come to all of us. Trials are a part of life and are part of why we are here. Accepting this actually makes it easier to handle them. Some of our greatest accomplishments