Welcome to the Summer of Excellence. Context will be presenting HOT TIPS this summer,  to make your summer sizzle!
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Our thought for this week is, my current results tell the truth about where I am investing my current time, money and energy.

One of my favorite tools. It's called scrubbing my space.  So what does that mean?  It means how do I attract more and/or create tangible, measurable results.

I was thinking this week of a quote that Randy Revell, founder of Context International use to say, that really has a lot of meaning for me. What I focus on with great intent is exactly what I create.  

How do I enhance my direct communications in a way that strengthens my relationships with others.

One of the key things Randy Revell said many years ago, is "we all need a lot of help​", and the minute I heard him say "Help" I thought, not me! I'm a rugged individualist.  

One of the favorite tools that I have used is "I do what I say what I'll do, you can count on me, I'm a person who keeps my word".

​To have strong, vibrant, and loving relationships with ourselves and others, we need to invest daily. This means focus every day on adding value to all your relationships. Here are some hot tips:

*  Keep your word
*  Tell others what you appreciate about them
*  Lend support
*  Say thank you
*  Make the hard communications
*  Lead with compassion
*  Be a great active listener

​I think you get the idea.

​The secret is to have 10 times more deposits in your emotional bank accounts than you do withdrawals. That way when you hit a challenge spot, you still have ample emotional capital to keep your relationship on track. Your relationships will be much stronger, more loving, joyful, and easy.​

Kathleen Carie/ Context International CEO  Speaks about "Emotional Bank Accounts".

One of the most powerful positions that I might  hold about myself is "I can, I am able".   It is so powerful, because when I do hold that position, the world opens up to me.  I mean the possibilities for me to be, do and have everything that I want are there when I say "I can, I'm able".  

Imagine though when I say "I can't" , I mean everything starts to shut down. The opportunities, the opportunity for me to fulfill my potential, I'm narrowing it, every time I say I can't, every time I think I can't.

So, pay attention to your thoughts, pay attention to what you are saying, see how strongly you hold that position that I CAN,  I AM ABLE, and see how you might strengthen that position.  And have faith, I CAN, I AM ABLE.

Who are you hanging with, are you hanging with people who are really moving forward, getting great results and doing what they say they are going to do?  And in fact, you want to hang out with people who know a heck of alot more than you do in your support network.

There is a quote that I heard recently, that if you walk into a room and you are the smartest person in the room, your in the wrong room.

So who are you hanging out with?  I hope people, who are smarter than you, getting fabulous results.

Lets talk about fear for a moment. You know, fear might be our most resistant four letter word. The acronym we often hear is "False Evidence Appearing Real" or my favorite when I'm making jokes about it is "Find  the Exit And Run!"  But the one that I find most useful, is to break it down into those four letters, starting with "F" of course, which is "Find and Face the Fear".  What am I really feeling, identify maybe the fear that is under the fear because sometimes there is something more superficial on top and when I dig a bit, I can see something that really has more significance for me.  The next thing  the "E" to "Embrace the Emotion" Get in touch with how I feel with that fear.  Often when I get in touch with the fear, I start to close down, and that really does damage if I can embrace the fear and breath into it, there is amazing power there.  The next one of course  the "A"  which is to "Acknowledge".  Acknowledge the little kid inside that really is at the heart of who's experience the fear.  

 Imagine that little kid saying "Boy, I am scared!"  and then breathe into that as I'm saying that phrase to myself, over and over again.   Now if I can get in a private spot, like driving down the road in my car and I can say it out loud, so much the better.  Most of the time it will be at  a place I have to contain the words internally, as I then breathe deeply into "Boy, am I scared"  and really acknowledge that, let it in.  And then finally, the "R",  is to "Respond"   What is the first step that I am  going to take in addressing the fear,  even a tiny little first step is better than nothing.  And now after that "R"  come back to the "A" and acknowledge that little kid for taking the first step. "Good for you, look what you just did, congratulations!"  Well, there you go.