Tag Archives: motivation

My Success Formula- Thoughts (continued)

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What’s In Your Subconscious Program?

(Part 1 of Thoughts) Are you open to new ideas, thoughts, or perspectives?  Or, are you closed-minded? Your answer probably has a lot to do with your programming.   We have thought, accepted, and believed much of our early programming because that’s how the early programming mechanism works.  Children learn how to walk, talk, socialize, etc. in just a few short years.  Adults take years to learn a new language, a toddler learns it and more. It works this way because there is a lot to learn in a short period of time.  And, this would be great, if all the adults in our lives, our society, and the world had it together.  Unfortunately many people are negative.  Bruce Lipton states that 70% of our thoughts are negative.  Think back to the year you were born.  What was society like those first six years?  What influenced your parents and their thoughts back then.  What programming was likely downloaded into your infant brain?  If you want to know what you’ve been thinking consciously and subconsciously, examine your current reality.  What is manifesting?  What do you see around you?  What are you feeling?  What is your reality?

Understanding the Subconscious Mind

The subconscious is the seat of our information.  It stores everything that we  have thought, learned, taught, seen or heard.  It is powerful beyond measure and is neutral.  It outputs only what has been input from the environment.  There is no good or evil with it, there is just information.  I remembered about twenty years ago learning about the power of the subconscious mind.  I learned to do affirmations as a way of re-programming my subconscious mind. I believe that it was that programming that created the positive mindset I have today.  I remember as a child challenging the negative programming that I was receiving about my self-worth.  Race, gender, and my socio-economic condition placed me in a lot of self-limiting boxes.   When I would hear something devaluing, I would tell myself, “That isn’t true; I’m going to be somebody.”  I wish I had said, “I am somebody right now.”  That way I wouldn’t have had to waste years chasing that elusive day when I had worth.  Fortunately a spiritual transformation occurred in my life when I learned that I was “created noble.”  After that I tried to make that thought become a reality.  We have the power to re-program, but it is a conscious effort.  We can’t operate on auto-pilot and expect to change our programming. We are a result of our nurturing, environment, opportunities, and nature and we have the power to change these right now by our choices and our thoughts.  Part 5a of Formula: Expectations

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

My Success Formula (pt 3) Belief continued

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Take That First Step and Last Step in Faith

Part 1 of Belief

So once you’re clear on the outcome, and you’ve sought out the initial knowledge you need,  your belief is more important than ever.  As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just the first step.” Faith inspires you to take that first step and know that the second step will be there when you get there.   Belief determines whether a dream remains a dream or will become reality.

Many people talk about grandiose goals and dreams.   Some even visualize what they want and seek knowledge about what it would take to achieve their goals.  Many stop there when that is precisely the time to rely on their faith to move them to the next level.

You Can If You Think You Can!

Don’t let anyone talk you out of your dreams by convincing you that  it’s too risky. And, be very, very careful about what you believe or who you believe.  Why should someone’s opinion of your possibilities supersede your faith in yourself? Why would you consciously give someone that much power over your destiny?  Your vision is a sneak preview into your reality.  If you can see it is real.  But, only your belief will move you towards that which you see in your visions.   If you believe you will succeed, you will.  Your mind is the most powerful tool in the universe.  It is your faith that coaxes a wish or desire from the realm of thought into the realm of reality. (Continue to Part 4 of Success Formula: THOUGHTS)

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

My Success Formula (pt3)- Belief

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Continued from Part 2: Knowledge

You’ve heard it before. “If you believe you can’t, you can’t; if you believe you can, you can!”  I don’t know which of the elements in my success formula is the most important, but I know belief or faith ranks way up there.  Think about it, someone could accidentally achieve an outcome that fulfills them that they didn’t plan for in the beginning.   Sometimes you have to just get started and have faith that certitude and clarity will come to you in time. When I started my career, I was working in technology.  I didn’t plan in the beginning to be a motivator, writer, speaker or poet. But, here I am.  You may not even have all the knowledge you need, because you learn as you go.

B=Belief Is Essential.

Faith is the fuel that gets us going and keeps us moving towards our goals.  Without faith, we don’t try.  Rarely do you see people giving their all to a pursuit that they do not believe in.  Belief is the glue that holds the whole dream together until it is firmly manifested as reality.  Every part of my success formula is affected by belief.  The thoughts, words, and actions of a person who believes in their dreams is very different from someone who doubts, disbelieves, or who fears.  (Belief (2) continued)

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

How I Got Back on Track?

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(Click to listen to this message instead.)

I realized that I couldn’t do my best if I was not at my best.  No matter how talented you are, you too can’t do your best if you are not at your best!  Things can’t be alright if you are not right. We can’t give or attract what we don’t have.  Fortunately, we are resilient beings.  Through prayer, meditation, reflection, fasting, and journaling, I worked my way back to “my normal.”  My goal is not to be like anyone else, but to be the best me.   I am now more confident than ever that we can have anything we want in this life, if we want the right things, are willing to do what’s right to get them, and have the will to work for whatever we want right now.  We also need to have the right people in our lives.

Doing the Right Things

What do you want out of this life?  Are your goals lofty or lowly, prideful or purposeful, serving others or self-serving, mediocre or meaningful?  Working harder won’t get you closer to your bliss, if you are not on the right path. The goal is not necessarily the gold, but to have golden relationships, golden memories, and a life full of golden and meaningful service and accomplishments.  I truly want to make a difference, but I also have financial needs, my challenge was to find the right balance.  I can’t tell you how many times people contact me wanting me to speak for free, even though this is how I earn a living.  No one would ask a doctor, lawyer, restaurant owner, or even a public servant to work for free.  I learned that although my heart was willing to give it away, I had to set boundaries.    I also had to really plan my time well.  I had to ask myself, am I doing the right things that will move me closer to reaching my goals.  Am I being truly productive or merely confusing activity with accomplishment?  Once I set the right balance and the right boundaries, it gave me time to focus on the right things.

Doing What’s Right

Fortunately, my moral compass has been set on the right course for quite some time.  I attribute this to a regular spiritual routine of prayer, reflection, and meditation and a genuine desire to “do what is right.”  This was probably the most perplexing to me during my dark moments because I truly felt I was doing the right things, so why were things not turning out right for me.  I realized that just because they weren’t turning out the way I’d planned, didn’t mean that they hadn’t turned out right way or the way there were supposed to in the grand scheme of things.  If I were praying for guidance and being guided, perhaps the challenges were a way teaching me a lesson I needed to learn, making me stronger, or just simply redirecting my course.  I had to have faith and just let go.  So, if you are facing challenges, ask yourself first, “Am I doing what is right?”   And if you can honestly say that you are living a life of integrity, making moral choices, and honest in your interactions with others, just stay the course.  If, however, you have gotten off your moral track, then simply, get back on.

Doing What We Must Right Now

The third challenge is to make sure that we are doing something now and not procrastinating.  Remember, “a body in motion stays in motion.” Sometimes we know what we should be doing, but allow things of a lesser value to take precedence.  If we want to live on purpose, we must get our priorities straight.  To do this, we must set value-based goals, have a plan, and then work that plan.  This requires saying ‘no’ to people, things, and opportunities so that we can stay on track.  We can’t be everything to everybody and still do the work that we were uniquely put on this earth to do.   End the end, we will be responsible for getting our work done, no excuses will be allowed.  Sometimes the window of opportunity is open for just a short time.  And, if we don’t act, we lose that opportunity and have to wait for it to open again if ever.  I have a strong belief that we make our own opportunities.  I personally don’t wait for them to happen; I meditate, come up with a plan, collaborate with others, and create my own opportunities.  As co-creators in creation, we have the power through our thoughts, deeds, and actions to manifest the kind of life we choose for ourselves.   Every thought has the potential to manifest as reality, but only if we do the right thing, the right way, and do it RIGHT NOW!

The Right People

“No man or woman is an island.”  We don’t stand alone; we are all connected.  That being said, we still must choose carefully the people in our lives.  Some people are there for a reason, others, a season, and a few are lifers.  We must accept this fact.  We sometimes outgrow our relationships.  Sometimes we need new fresh relationships to stimulate new growth, perspectives, and possibilities.  Sometimes the people in our lives that we care the most about cause us the most anxiety and grief.   I had to let go of a long time relationship with a friend who hurt me very badly during a time that I was most vulnerable.  It hurt me a lot because I was not prepared for it and it caught me off guard.  They say we are to make new friends, but keep the old because one is silver and the other is gold.  Well, I’ve learned that silver can tarnish and gold can rust.  Relationships have to be two-way, giving and taking.  I’ll leave it at that.

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.

Knowlege (pt 2) Three Questions

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(Part 1 of Knowledge)

Three Fundamental Self Reflection Questions

You should be asking yourself some important question every single day, how else will you get to know yourself.  All day long we are receiving input from the world about how we should be, who we should be, and why we are not okay as we are.  I believe the most profound answers come from within.  The answers are there, IF, you ask the right questions.

Clarify Your Values

What you know or don’t know can affect what you get or don’t get out of life.  Every year and sometimes several times throughout the year, I do a Values Clarification exercise.  It is a time-consuming exercise but is critical to effective life management.  I complete one for ten life areas, (family, self/body, and career,) are three of them.    In my TalleyUP- Life Management System workbook, I suggest ten life areas for optimal balanced living.

The Power of Questions

I think it is critically important to clarify your values before deciding on your personal goals strategy.  You don’t want to climb the ladder of success and find that it is resting against the wrong building do you? You must ask the right questions if you want to get the right answers.  In my values clarification, I ask ten questions.  The answers uncover and highlight my values and make it easier for me to get clarity and certitude before embarking on any journey.  Three simple yet important questions I answer for each life area (career, personal, family, etc.) are:

1.       Am I happy in this life area?

2.       What’s working?

3.       What’s not working?

You’re going to want to do more of what’s working and less of what is not working.  It is that simple.  If you’re not sure how to do it, ask someone who knows.  But remember, if you do nothing you’re assured of getting the same results again and again!  Continue to Part 3 : Success Formula (Belief).

I’m Barbara Talley, the poet who speaks and inspires.  To find out more about me check out: What Does Barbara Do? or visit  my website.