The School of Greatness - 320 Transform Your Life: 10 Principles of Abundance and Prosperity with Chris Lee

Episode Date: April 25, 2016

“Abundance is a state of consciousness. Prosperity is a result of that consciousness.” - Chris Lee If you enjoyed this episode, check out show notes and more at http://lewishowes.com/320

In this episode, we cover the 10 principles of abundance and prosperity with author Chris Lee. Welcome to the School of Greatness. My name is Lewis Howes, a former pro athlete turned lifestyle entrepreneur. And each week, we bring you an inspiring person or message to help you discover how to unlock your inner greatness. Thanks for spending some time with me today. Now let the class begin. Welcome everyone to this special edition of the School of Greatness. This is the first time we've ever had a rerun on. Episode number 54, I had Chris Lee, who's the resident life business transformation coach that we've had on here.

I believe over eight times he's been on. People continue to say they love his work, his message the most, and they always ask him to come back on. So every few months, we have him come back on to talk about a new topic. Now, Chris is a coach, a facilitator, and he's been doing emotional intelligence trainings for years. And he's helped hundreds of thousands of people around the world with his trainings and his workshops. And he's inspired me personally. We did this episode, episode number 54, about the 10 principles of abundance and prosperity to enhance your business and your life. And for those recent podcast subscribers, we're getting over 1.2 million downloads a

month right now for those that are new to the podcast. Maybe you haven't gotten to episode number 54 yet. Again, almost 300 episodes ago. And so I wanted to bring this back on because Chris launched his new book today. That's right. his new book today. That's right. His new book is called Transform Your Life, 10 Principles of Abundance and Prosperity. And it's funny because this book was spawned because of this episode we did.

You know, we did this podcast episode together. He actually does abundance and prosperity workshops that are weekend long trainings where people go from scarcity to abundance mindset and really shift their way of being the way of thinking to have an abundant life in all areas of their life, including relationships, finances, health, and career. And I thought we'd do something special and bring this back on and reintroduce you to this principle since his book comes out today. And I encourage you all to go pick up a copy and support Chris. If you love Chris, if you enjoy the message he's given, again, he's been on here a number of times, freely come on and share his wisdom. If you've enjoyed it, if you've gotten any value out of that, then I highly encourage you to go to Amazon and pick up a copy. Or you can go right to lewishouse.com slash abundance, and that'll take you right to where you can get the book on Amazon.

Let me know what you guys think. I hope you enjoy this and all the show notes of this episode and where you can get the book as well. The link for that is at lewishouse.com slash 320. And in this episode, we talk about the key to an abundant life and how to cultivate that mindset. Also how to shift your consciousness, how abundance isn't about what you have, but who you are, how being abundant is about having a state of consciousness and gratefulness, a simple abundant practice that you can start every single day that Chris talks about, and of

course, how to learn and apply the 10 principles of abundance. I hope you enjoy this one with the one, the only, Chris Lee. Chris Lee. Welcome back everyone to the School of Greatness. I'm super pumped about today's episode because we've got a guest who's been on before, a very familiar guest. His name is Mr. Chris Lee. What is up, Chris? What's up? I'm so happy to be back again. Very pumped. You're in LA once every two months. Yeah. Every six weeks. And I got ahold of you to be back again. Very pumped. You're in LA once every two months. Yeah. Every six weeks. And I got ahold of you to finally come back in the studio.

I want to get you back on here every quarter is my goal because you're doing a lot of trainings out here. Absolutely. And Chris, for those of you who are new listeners, make sure to go back and check out episode 36 because it's one of the most powerful episodes uh on the school of greatness so many people come up to me and say it's changed their lives that they've listened to it six seven times it's amazing i've gotten i still get feedback yeah and it's been how long like three months at least three months ago yeah at least three months right no but it's been very positive great feedback people really enjoyed it and got a lot of value out of it yeah and we did something

really cool on there chris put me through a guided meditation on there something we've never done on the podcast before so it's all about uh you know tapping into your heart and discovering what you really want in your life and the steps on how to do that the principles on how to do that and one of the bring back chris on he said you know i should really talk about abundance and prosperity because i think it's something a lot of people are looking to discover in their life is how to be abundant with relationships, with finances, with fitness, health, and everything they want. And I said, let's bring it. Let's do it. Absolutely.

One of the things that I keep hearing in my seminars, because I'm with people every week yeah is how people don't have the money don't have the time don't have the energy there seems to be a scarcity conversation all across the board yeah all over the world yeah everywhere i do this all over the world so i'm latin america and europe asia and you i keep hearing about scarcity people not having money not having time not having the energy to do things. And what people don't realize is that it's a lot easier than we think to create an abundant life. How is it so easy? It's shifting a mindset.

Everything is a mindset. So you shift your mindset and your reality shifts. When your reality shifts, your actions and choices shift. Therefore, your results shift. Right, right. So how, I mean, let's just throw a couple examples out there. For someone who's a mom, a single mom of two or three kids working a job that only makes $30,000, $40,000 a year or maybe less or maybe part-time jobs here and there, trying to get by. How does someone like that who's really driving around, picking up kids, barely making enough

to get by, think abundantly when they've been thinking for years in a certain way and been living a certain way? How do you just shift it all of a sudden and say, okay, I'm going to start making money and have time and energy? Well, the way to shift it, and it's not just for the single mom, it's for anybody, even people that make money sometimes aren't abundant. It's about shifting consciousness, and really we need to define abundance. Okay.

So what is abundance? So shifting the definition of abundance. Most people think abundance is having a lot of money, a lot of time, a lot of cars, a lot of bling bling, a lot of quantity of things. And really, true abundance has nothing to do with what you have. It has everything to do with how you see the world, and it has to do with who you are. It's about shifting consciousness.

You see, abundance is a state of consciousness. Now, prosperity is the result of that consciousness so prosperity is the money and the car and the you know success and all the things that we want and all the things that we deserve and i say that we're meant to have but the way we go about it is the wrong way and so how i define abundance abundance is a state of being it's a state of consciousness and it's a state of consciousness of gratitude i like that so when you come from gratitude and gratefulness and acknowledging all of the immense gifts that we have as human beings it's amazing your life will change forever now where are most people coming from scarcity they're not from gratitude they're seeing like

the old example half glass half empty so they see the glass half empty the glass half empty versus the glass half full and so we see through those lenses what we don't have, what we don't create, what we need. And so our mind is like a magnet and it gravitates to those kind of concepts. And so what happens is the nature of thought is that what you think about expands. So if you think about what you don't have, I don't have money, I don't have money. Or if you think about what you haven't created, I haven't gotten that job yet, or I haven't created that relationship yet, then what your mind does, it gravitates towards that and it snowballs. And so your only reality is what you don't have. And then it's impossible to create from a broken foundation.

And so no matter what we put in that broken foundation, it's cracked and it's never enough. So I know millionaires that are scarce. I have a friend that makes over a million dollars a month. And he's the most negative, depressed. You know, doesn't trust anybody, isn't trust anybody isn't joyful isn't free i mean it's just amazing thing how he won't get that his joy does not come from his money it comes from who he's being and i know people who don't that don't make a lot of money but they're totally abundant yeah so it's really not about what you have it's about who you are so abundance is defined as a state of consciousness of gratefulness and it's gratitude and so when i focus on the fact that i'm breathing

think about all the people that can't breathe without a tube or without a mask the fact that i could see you and i could see this amazing view yeah that is you know that i could see you and I could see this amazing view that is, you know, that I could see this view. This view is priceless and that I could actually listen. And all of you that are listening to us, the fact that you could actually have the moment to listen to us and that you have something to listen through. I mean,

when you think about all the things and that really you're grateful for, the list goes on and on and on. We're all millionaires. We just don't know it. I mean, think about it. What would someone blind pay to have eyesight? What would someone who can't listen or hear pay to have ears that listen or hear? All the money in the world.

Yeah. What would you pay for legs? Think about it. You're an athlete. Yeah. for legs think about it you're an athlete yeah how many how many athletes you know don't don't have you know the ability to participate in their sport because physically they can't yeah what would they pay for new legs or anything you know so anyway so the real point is is the state of consciousness right and gratitude gratitude it's interesting you say that i mentioned this i think

in a podcast recently where i was training with the USA National team for handball a couple months ago. And I was having a bad day. I was just kind of frustrated that the team, the coaches, just like things weren't going my way. And that was snowballing because I was allowing it to manifest in my thoughts. And I was just like talking about it. I was being negative. And what you think about expands. Exactly. And it was expanding like talking about it. I was being negative. And what you think about expands. Exactly.

And it was expanding. It was expanding. And then it shifted the moment that something happened. We were practicing. It was a really tough practice. And I was kind of like, you know, just annoyed, frustrated, talking about it with the teammates. And then something on the other side of the court happened.

There was a team playing a sport sport and this team was a wheelchair basketball team and they were all couldn't use their legs wow and i was going through this really hard workout stressed out and uh i just shifted i was like man these guys guys would do anything to be in pain. They would do anything to feel the pain that I'm feeling right now in my legs. And right then is when everything shifted. I was like, I'm so blessed and grateful I have legs to be in pain with. Right there you practice abundance. So that's a beautiful example right there.

Because what we do is we focus on what we don't have. We focus on what we haven't created. We focus on what we haven't created. We focus on what we haven't accomplished. And then that energy, what it does is that it pushes all those things away. So instead of gravitating it or attracting it, what we do, or gravitating towards it, we push it away. So the state of abundance is that consciousness of every day, wake up, open your eyes, and say thank you. That's the first exercise of this podcast.

I like that. Okay? Every single day when you wake up, open your eyes and just say the words thank you. Because that will start your day in an abundant way. Because you're saying thank you, I arrived at another day. I do that when I wake up every day.

I'm like, wow, I made it. I don't take life for granted because there's people who don't wake up. Just like when I land in an airplane, I live on an airplane. So every time it lands, I'm like, yes, I made it. Thank you. So I really live this. It's not something I just talk about. I truly live it. Yeah, I live this. It's not something I just talk about.

I truly live it. Yeah. That's incredible. Okay. So you've got, now we have foundations really coming from a place of gratitude, which I practice constantly. And I feel like that's what allows me to be free from a lot of stress and anxiety and, you know, achieve some type of success in my business that I do is by being grateful constantly with all my relationships

with what I'm constantly given as opposed to what I'm lacking. So I really believe in that. But you've got 10 principles of abundance and prosperity, right? Absolutely. But before I get to the 10 principles, I want to make a point that the next time you're having a moment that you're not happy or that you're thinking that life is throwing you a curveball or that things aren't turning out, remember that your breakdown for someone

else is actually a blessing. Can you talk about that? Yeah. For example, you're stuck in traffic and you're upset and you're ready to punch through the windshield or you want to, you have you know a moment of road rage against a neighbor you know that's in the car remember there's a day that will be a day when you can't drive there'll be a day when you wish you had somewhere to go my father last year passed away you know he was my hero yeah and when he was on his deathbed he was saying you know what

everything i complained about is actually a luxury. I wish I had those things to complain about. So it's just a state of consciousness. Just remember that everything in life, be grateful for it and really see it as a blessing. Because when you see life as a blessing, that opens up abundance and prosperity for you. Even the curveballs, the hard parts, everything. It's all a blessing. It's all a lesson in disguise.

Even your enemies, they're actually angels in disguise. Because it's up to you to see it in that way. And that opens up the door to abundance and prosperity. Sure, sure. Okay. I like that. So let's go into the 10 principles of abundance and prosperity. The first one is called outflowing.

Outflowing. And basically what that means is everything you put out comes back to you multiplied. Okay. And so when you're conscious that you are a gift and that everything in your life is a blessing and that the fact that you're alive and the fact that you have arrived to a new day and the fact that you have all these abilities, like to see, to walk,

to, you know, to dance, to sing and all the gifts that you have. Once you're aware of that and you're conscious that abundance is really a state of gratitude and being grateful, then the natural tendency is to give it away. Yeah.

And so outflowing is to focus out. Focus on the people around you. Focus on your children. Focus on your partner. Focus at work. Wherever you go, be a giver. There's two kinds of people in life. There's givers and takers.

And I truly firmly believe in the law of attraction. What you put out comes back multiplied, whether it's good or bad. And we truly do attract to our lives who we are, what we think, what we speak, and who we're being. And so what you want in life is a joyful, loving, passionate, successful life. Then you got to start giving it away. Those exact qualities. Yeah. So outflowing requires that you acknowledge all the things that are working about you.

It requires that you acknowledge the things that you're proud of. the things that you're proud of. One of the things that I recommend in my workshops is for people to make a list of 10 accomplishments that they're proud of. In their life or just in... In their life. I started my own business. I graduated college.

Because what that does is that it builds self-worth. And as it builds self-worth, we could build upon that. Since we're always focusing on what we haven't done a lot of people i don't know a lot of people are like i used to be accomplish things and keep moving yeah i was the same and it's like so what now what's next okay made a million dollars who cares now you know versus accomplish something and actually celebrate it and acknowledge it. I think the worst part is actually accomplishing what you wanted and then discounting it. Right.

Not even not acknowledging it, but being like, I'm not good enough still. Or that was lucky. Yeah. Or it was chance. Yeah. So one of the things that, and outflowing is to, for you to be able to outflow, you've got to acknowledge what you have to give. So what are your talents?

What are you good at? Are you a good cook? Are you a good dancer? Are you good at salsa? Are you good at organizing? Are you a great coach? What is it that you're good at? Acknowledge it and give it away.

Be that kind of person that is giving. There are two ways of thinking in life. One is what's in it for me, or the other way of thinking is what can I contribute? And so if you wake up from thank you and what can I contribute today versus what's today going to do for me, it's the consciousness of giving. Give your smile, give a hug, give acknowledgement, go out of your way to make a difference, random acts of kindness, everything that has to do with giving. What it does is that it activates the abundance consciousness and the abundance state around you. And so all of a sudden, things will start flowing your way that you had no idea.

I mean it. Checks will be coming in the mail. People will be offering you jobs. Relationships will start to appear because you're going to show up in a way and create the container for success. And people, especially in business, people that come from contribution in business, service and giving in business, what happens is your business becomes irresistible to other people. And so if you want to have and become an irresistible business,

you've got to be an irresistible person. And by being that person that practices outflowing, you'll start generating abundance everywhere. Yeah. Amazing. So outflow is the first part. That's the first principle. So outflowing would be start generating abundance everywhere yeah amazing so outflow is the first part that's the first principle so outflowing would be the first principle the second principle

is clearing and what clearing means is when you clear you're letting go of the past because a lot of times when we hang on to those mental obstacles or those mental issues, for example, guilt is a killer. Resentment is another killer. You know, just feelings that we, you know, sometimes we carry. I always say in my trainings that we're carrying a building on our backs or there's a monkey on your back. Well, let the monkey go.

You've got to throw the building out. You've got to get rid of, you know, clear off that broken relationship, clear off that business that didn't work, clear off negative thoughts, negative beliefs, you know, things that we carry with us. We just got to let it go. And, you know, letting go sometimes means giving up being right. You know, it doesn't matter if you're right. What would you rather be dead or right? You know, I mean, be dead and right or be alive. You know, you could be dead right or you could be alive.

And dead doesn't necessarily mean six feet under. Dead could just mean that I just go through life miserable. A prisoner to resentment to anger to anger so clearing is very important and and a lot of times you know clearing doesn't need to be with another person could just be with you you know you can make a list of the things that you're pissed off at and have a little bonfire flush it down the toilet you know that that energy of just burning it i have friends that go to the beach. They love the ocean. And they bring a symbol that represents the past,

and they throw it into the ocean. So we hang on to stuff. We hang on to, you know, I have girlfriends, for example, that are still mad at their ex-boyfriend from six years ago. I have friends who, you know, are pissed off at their business partners that ripped them off 10 years ago. And they're probably not successful in business right now. Of course not. Because you hang on to stuff. You just got to get over it. Just got to let it go. So how does someone clear with someone else? Let's just give an example of how you can do that. So

you let it go with someone else if it's not by yourself in the ocean or the bonfire. Well, from a responsible place and say, you know, Lewis, I want you to know how important you are to me, and it's important that our relationship be paid up, be updated, and I want to be on the level with you. There's certain things that are in my way with you, and do I have permission to clear with you? And you've got to create permission.

You've got to create permission. You've got to establish the relationship. You're important to me. If the person wasn't important to you, you wouldn't want to clear with them. So establish how important the person is and communicate what it is that you need to communicate from a responsible place. Clearing does not mean dump on the person. Clearing isn't, Lewis, you're a jerk and you did this and this and this. clearing isn't lewis you're a jerk and you did this and this and this now you know lewis i want you to know that i i found myself getting upset because of this this and this and my request is

that from this point forward whatever the request is so it's communicating the upset and then communicating the request the person could either accept it or not accept it and you could choose to accept that person to be in your life or not. But really clearing is really not about the other person. Clearing is about you. And it's about you clearing your energy. And letting it go. Yeah, because there's people that are mad at dead people.

How do you clear with a dead person? They're not here. There's people who are upset with people that it walked out of their life, that broke their hearts and left. So I really, honestly, I believe firmly that we don't need to be with the other person because if you're willing to take responsibility for your own emotions and your feelings, then it's not about the other person. It's about you. And the way you clear is by just making a mental commitment with yourself to move forward.

It might mean journaling it. You could journal about it. You could listen to a song and think about it. Have a good cry. Crying works. Boys do cry. Crying works and just giving yourself a moment to have a cathartic moment. You know, one of the things that I recommend is that people, you know, play music that is just gentle relaxation music.

Enya is one of my favorites, as you know. And just, you know, putting your hands on that part of your body where you feel pain. Some people feel it in their stomach because they stuff everything. Some people feel it in their stomach because they stuff everything. Some people feel it in their hearts. And right now, if you're going through a painful moment in your life, just take a moment and just take a deep breath in and let it out. And then put your hands over your heart and think about those things in your life that hurt. Sometimes we are hanging on to people who died that we haven't really felt fully their loss and we haven't let it go broken relationships broken dreams and then it's a beautiful process to just clear there's ways of doing it you know like in in the privacy of your own home it could be

while you're meditating it could be in the shower it could be in the shower. It could be in the ocean. But just really give yourself permission to clear. Whether it's with another person, from a responsible standpoint, or with yourself. Sure. Cool. You've done that. Of course. Yeah. What's the value of clearing?

Again, freedom for me. Yeah. It was like I did that in past relationships with an ex-girl, who now it's like we're closer than ever now. When I was afraid of a lot of things, it's like now we can be friends because we both cleared. I came from a responsible place, cleared, and then she cleared with me. And it's like we can connect without feeling this way. But coming from a responsible place. So clearing is not, hey, you jerk, you made me feel this.

This is what you did to me. Because then you'll need to clear that one too. Exactly. Because then they're going to get upset. I think, yeah. And when I cleared, it was really coming from a place of gratitude, like you said. It was like, I'm so grateful for you and our experience and our relationship. But here are the things that really weren't working for me and I wanted to.

Express it. Yeah, express it yeah express it but not coming from this like defensive guarded place but just like open and loving and i think that energy is what really makes a difference absolutely the the third principle is integrity you know there's no shortcuts there's no cutting corners there's no quick rick you know quick rich schemes you know i think that integrity is about doing your homework. It's about being somebody that keeps their word, honors their agreements, and someone who operates from an ethical, principled place. When you come from principles and values and you come from an ethical place, a principled place, then that creates wholeness and it creates credibility.

When you break, when you trust, absolutely. Credibility is really trust and relationship. So when you honor your agreements, when you keep your word, when you have ethics, you're an ethical person, when you operate from a spiritual high ground place, then that also creates the platform for prosperity, and that creates abundance. There's nothing that will affect your self-worth more than breaking your word, breaking agreements, lying, cheating, stealing, ripping people off, looking for the loophole in the system and taking advantage of it yeah you know just everything you do in life you pay pay now

pay later yeah and if you want true abundance in your life you got to come from a place of integrity that means cleaning up broken agreements So those of you that have a trail of broken agreements, clean them up. Yeah. You know, words like I am sorry. I blew it. My bad. I acknowledge I broke the agreement. My commitment is because that's the other thing we do is that we break agreements and then we hide.

We just say I'm sorry, but we never say what we're going to do moving forward well sometimes people even say i'm sorry have you ever had someone owe you money and disappear yeah never respond to your tax yeah and then like you're and then the issue is yours right and then you feel bad that you're actually bothering them yeah to get your money back right i'm sure people can relate to this right you know so uh you so, you know, it's integrity. It's really about being a man and a woman of principles. Yeah. That, you know, that's, you know, whatever your principles are. One of the things that I also recommend, another little assignment we could give people is make a list of your principles.

What are your top ten principles? You know, think about it. What are your top ten principles? If you were going to pick 10 principles that define Lewis, what would they be? Like my, uh, like integrity and honesty and honor.

Yeah. I would say integrity. I would say, uh, passion. Is that, is that a person? Yeah,

absolutely. Passion. I would say you're committed to a passionate life. Yeah. I would say love being loving. Yeah. Being loving. I would say, uh, family. Yeah, being loving. I would say family.

Absolutely. Service. Okay, service, which is outflowing, giving. Is gratitude, is that? Yeah, living in gratitude. That's a principle. Yeah, so those would be a few that I'd start with. Yeah, a few of them.

Yeah. Yeah, I could align with that. So it's important that we be aware of them. Sometimes, you know, we forget. I think it'd be valuable to write them down. Yeah. I should probably do that myself. Yeah.

You know, write it down. Create, you know, have fun with it. You know, like my principles are. Yeah. Frame it. You know, have it be something that leads you. Because a lot of times when we put as the focal point of our lives money then you know money comes and goes relationships come and go you know there's all those things come and go but when

you put your principles at the center of your life and spirit could be in there god could be in there buddha whatever it is that you believe in you know but i think that when you have integrity and you have principles, then you're whole and complete, and then you attract that. That's an abundant state. Sure. I like that. Yeah. That's good. The next principle would be, which is number four, number five?

One, two, three, four. Yeah, number four is visualization. I love this. Yeah, number four is visualization. So. I love this. Yeah, visualization is actually seeing the result complete. Before it happens. Yeah, seeing it. Yeah.

So when I visualize my business already making over a million dollars a year in profit, spreading all over Latin America, having people experiencing abundance because of this business and because we're a business that operates from outflowing, from clearing, from integrity, then we become unstoppable. And then you actually see the result. And what's great about visualization is that you have something to gravitate towards. And the clearer you visualize things, the more likely it is to happen.

It comes from the word vision. So having a clear vision. There's no possibility for abundance without having a vision. Yeah. I think this is a very important part. And it's something I learned as an athlete about visualization was seeing the play happen before it happens. And I got to practice as an athlete and transition it into business world. And it's definitely one of the most powerful

things you can do with anything, seeing the relationship that you want to have, seeing the business, the body, and visualizing the way the vision will look in the future. body and visualizing the way the vision will look in the future. And the reason why a lot of us fall into the same traps and we keep falling into the same breakdowns is because what we're doing actually is we're visualizing all the breakdowns we don't want. And so we're visualizing how it's going to fail and we're visualizing how it's not going to turn out. And we're visualizing that we don't have the money, that we don't have the time, that we can't, and then your vision becomes a reality.

And so I always say that be careful what you visualize because it may come true. You've got to be very conscious that visualization is something that we use all the time, and in an abundance and prosperity, it's a question of channeling in the right direction so that always have your visualization include what you want not what you don't want so a vision would not be you know my vision for my life is a life without scarcity

and without pain and without suffering because what you're doing is you're bringing all those experiences alive versus my vision for my life is a life of abundant, a life of health, a life of joy. And so you're actually putting and planting into the universe and your consciousness all the things that you want. Yeah. I think it was Mother Teresa that would talk about being for peace as opposed to against war. She never talked about being against something because that would then bring it forth, right? Yeah, one thing is a position. Another thing is a stand.

When you stand for something and you stand for something, you're standing for something that's positive. When you position yourself, you're against something. And so when you create a vision, it's important that your vision be a stand. What is your vision for the life that you want, for your health, for your finances, for your family, for your children, for your business? You just opened up a business. What's your vision?

And the clearer you have that vision, the more likely it will become a reality. And one of the tools that I use to create a vision is called a vision map. And a vision map is a very powerful tool, which basically it's you creating a mental image right in front of you on something real of the life that you want. So how do you do that? You could get cardboard. You could get paper

you could get construction paper and you know like a big billboard and on that billboard you put all the things that you want you know you look through magazines if you want to have this a certain body then you cut out a picture of that body put it right where you are in the middle if you have this beautiful house of your dreams and you see it in a magazine cut it out and paste it right on the board if you got this hot beautiful gorgeous woman you know that you dream about that dances salsa and she's latina and she's hot spicy passionate and you see her and you see that picture put it right on the board yeah and so basically what you're doing is you're creating what's called a vision board.

In business, you could also do that. You could create a vision board for your business of the type of results that you want, the places that you want it to be in. And so there's a, you know, like let's say you want to expand your vision to Latin America and then you get pictures of Latin America on there and you want lots of money,

then you get pictures of money. With the culture of the people you want to have in the company, the way you want the company to look, physically. and you could you create a board with it though it's like a physical board yeah it's like a high school you know science project but your project is called your vision yeah and there's actually a a a site online i believe it's called dream it alive.com very cool that allows you to do a digital vision board so you can take things from the internet. Oh, my gosh.

And have it on your screensaver. That's great. And share it with your friends. Oh, that's great. I'll make sure to link it up in the show notes, but I believe it's dreamitalive.com. How cool. Very sweet. Very sweet.

So visualization is a very important principle because that allows us to create not just in our minds, but right in front of us in a concrete way. Next principle is affirmation. So once we have the vision, we got our vision clear, we've got it on paper, we got it in a board, and we have it in our minds. Affirmation is affirming that something is so so when i affirm i'm creating a mental consciousness of what it is that i want but i'm putting it into words in a positive way language anchors us into reality yeah and so powerful and so when i speak things you know we're always making affirmations for example when you say you know this traffic is

killing me you're affirming that it's killing me you know i'm i you know i never have the chance to make things happen you every time you speak you're making affirmation. And so what this principle does is that it teaches you to create powerful words that open up possibility for you. Can you give me an example of a positive affirmation? A positive affirmation is I am an effective and passionate public speaker. So let's say you really feel like you're not. But when you create an affirmation that puts you into the consciousness of it, what it does is that it empowers you.

Let's say you're really horrible managing your money. You create an affirmation that says something like, I manage my money easily and effortlessly. So affirmations are creating a statement of the things that you want to be able to be effective at. It's kind of like creating little mini contracts with yourself. Yeah, it's like creating a promise with yourself. Yeah. And remember, what you think and what you speak creates reality and so what you're doing is you're

creating like kryptonite to the negativity yeah so you're saying positive affirmations like let's say that you've had a hard time being a responsible person because you kind of break your word all the time and you're a victim and you have a hard time showing a responsible person because you kind of break your word all the time and you're a victim and you have a hard time showing love and you have a hard time uh being powerful so you create you know words like responsible powerful loving you know and and create different affirmations that respond to the things that you need right you know there's all kinds of affirmations you create for yourself there's affirm. There's all kinds of affirmations you can create for yourself. There's affirmations on public speaking.

There's affirmations on money management. There's relationships. Relationships. Affirmation basically is having a positive attitude and turn that positive attitude into something that you create for yourself. Now, do you use affirmation daily, whenever you're in a breakdown, or just when you wake up? What Now, do you use this affirmation daily, whenever you're in a breakdown, or just when you wake up? What should people be doing with this?

One of the things that I recommend that people do with affirmations is to create their own affirmations. So basically, what you're speaking to is the things that you want to create, and not necessarily, you don't want to be in reaction to something. So for example, if let's say you have a horrible backache, and it's been something that you've been struggling with, you're not going to say my backache no longer hurts. Yeah. But what you could say is I am now enjoying a painless experience with my back or my back is healthy and clear.

So basically what you're speaking to is what you want, not what you don't want. And so one of the things I recommend is that we think about the areas that you need to work on. Think of the areas that are challenging for you. Maybe it's challenging for you to be expressive. Maybe it's challenging for you to be detail-oriented. Maybe it's challenging for you to be detail oriented maybe it's challenging for you to trust the presence maybe it's challenging you for you to be focused because you have a permanent add right whatever it is that it's challenging

when you create affirmations that are positive what they do is that it gives you, like the treasure map, a reminder of what you want. And it supports you. It's like what we create when we talk about contracts. It's promises to yourself. And so those are very important because what it does is it empowers us to keep our mind focused. Okay. So that's affirmation. That was point number five, correct?

Yes, it is. Point number six is once I have my consciousness of abundance, I'm giving, and I've cleared my past, and I operate from integrity, and I visualize my future, and I've created my vision board, and I have my affirmations, which is positive messages that I've written down for myself, then what's important is for me to establish what's called a declaration. And a declaration is declaring from a place of that the universe has the resources for me to accomplish what I want, when I want, with who I want. So it's not, there's no limitations. So if I come from a place of I have the power to create what I want, when I want, where I want, with who I want, I can have it all.

Then I'm ready to make a declaration. And a declaration is basically establishing goals because what goals do is that it makes life and it turns it into an enjoyable game so basically i'm going to be able to create like a roadmap and you know i want to look at my vision board and see what it is that i want from my vision but it's important to create concrete goals yeah otherwise you're just kind of wandering right you're just kind of going about floating you're floating through life no direction and it's important to create goals but not be attached to the goals and i'll talk a little bit more about that in another principle.

So why make a goal if you don't achieve it? Well, no, it's not about not achieving it. It's not about resignation. It's about trusting it. It's about trusting that I'm going to do my best effort to get to that goal, but I don't need to be consumed by it. Yeah. Because sometimes people get so consumed by their goals

that they actually push their goals away. Because if I have to have that relationship and I show up in a date that way, what's going to happen? Push them away. Yeah, they're going to be like, I don't want to be with someone who's needy. Yeah, right.

Or I have to have that job, and you go to that job interview, and you're sweating bullets, and you're nervous, and your voice is cracking, and you can't communicate clearly. The guy that's interviewing you is going to go, you know what, you're not the candidate for us. So it's about creating and declaring from a joyful, abundant place and trusting that the universe will manifest what needs to manifest.

abundant place in trusting that the universe will manifest what needs to manifest you know so it doesn't mean to be apathetic or resigned or whatever happens happens no make it happen go for it yeah but it's important to not be attached to it because the part of your journey it may take you into something else that could be actually what you really want or a better opportunity or bring you a relationship that really changes your life forever. So you never know where it may lead you, right? Exactly. So when you declare goals and you write them down, writing them down is very important.

And one of the things that I recommend is that we start with the future from the present. So what do you mean by that? What I mean by that is, let's say today is the 27th of February, which is when we're recording this. I don't know when it's going to come out, but it's the 27th of February, 2014. So for me to imagine, it's the 27th of February, 2024.

So in 10 years. First of all, how old are you going to So in 10 years. First of all, how old are you going to be in 10 years? From this date, I'll be 40. You'll be 40? Is that it? I hate you. I'll be 31 in March 16th, so I'll be 40. Yeah, this date, 10 years.

Wow. That's getting up there. Yeah, really up there, 40. And I'll be 59. Wow. In 10 years. Wow. That's getting up there. Yeah, really up there, 40. And I'll be 59 in 10 years. But that's up there too. But for those who haven't seen Chris in person, he looks really young. I'm 49, but I look 20. You look like you're in your 30s.

I act 20. The energy of a 20-year-old. Yeah, for sure. So in 10 years, I'll be 59 years old. I say it, and my mind does not grasp it because I don't see myself in any kind of age. But it's a good exercise to think about, okay, in 10 years, how old will I be? And then not only that, what are the 10 goals I want to have accomplished by then? And so one of the things I recommend is that people actually imagine that it's 10 years later and to write down on a sheet of paper, today is, in our case, because today is the 27th of February 2014, so I would write down on a sheet of paper, today is February 27th, 2024.

I am, in my case case 59 years young and here are the top 10 goals i accomplished and then i would write them down as if it already happened yeah and then and then bring that from 10 years to five years to one year to one month to one week yeah And then you're seeing how the next week you're actually creating the next 10 years. Yeah. Because think about it, 10 years goes by flying. It does. And I like this a lot.

What are we calling this one? What's this point called? Declaration. I like this because I've been doing this for probably about seven or eight years now, even longer actually, even in high school, but where I set one or two big goals for the year and I declare it, I put it on a certificate of achievement and I put it

up on my wall. I can actually show you the one in the other room, but I have it up on my wall of what I achieved with the date and then a signature. So it's like it's awarded to me by me. And by doing that, it's always allowed me to kind of reach that goal faster and visualize it by declaring it like you said. So I think this is a huge point. And I'm glad you brought it up. Yeah, it's a very important point because it puts us already in the consciousness of the future now.

And when we look at time time time really is an illusion you know because in our reality is going to be more about 10 years than now because right now will be a memory yeah and so if you look at the last 10 years i don't know about you guys but for me the last 10 years have gone by flying flying you know i remember when the year 2000 was far away yeah and when we got to the year 2000 i was like wow that came fast and it's been 14 years since yeah and it's just amazing just time flies and life is that way life flies yeah and before you know it you know we're looking at what's next yeah and so what we're doing here is we're taking responsibility for our lives and creating

goals and declaring it from that place of the future. Then everything you do today, you're working towards it. Another example of somebody that did what you did, which is great, is Jim Carrey. Jim Carrey wrote himself a check. I think it was for $2 million. And he was at that time living in an apartment, renting, barely paying the bills. And he wrote this check for $1 million or $2 million, whatever it was. And he says, I'm not stopping until I can cash that.

So he visualized that future. He affirmed it. And he declared it. Because I think he wrote the date on the check within like five years or something. And he made it happen. And he made it happen. It's incredible. And so everything we've created in our life came from a vision.

Sure. Now what would you say for people who may be listening and be thinking, well, I don't want to think 10 years ahead because I want to live in the present. And why go into the future that much? Why not just live right now? Live for the now. What would you say to someone who had that? There's nothing wrong with living in the present. But having a 10-year goal plan, game plan, or goals in the next 10 years is that it makes the present more enjoyable.

Because what you're doing now creates the future. And so a lot of times we don't realize that our actions today is what's going to create tomorrow yeah and so yeah i'm the same way i live the moment but i also have my game plan very clear a vision because it's about being effective and if we want abundance and prosperity then these are the tools that are going to bring you to that you know walt disney said it best if you can dream it you can do it it's right in front of me in your office. Yep. Number seven, principle number seven is persistence.

You know, what's persistence? Persistence is the continuing or the continuation of choosing a goal. As I continue to choose the goal over and over and over, that allows me to be persistent. A lot of times we forget that. We got to keep recommitting to the goal. For example, the last time I was on the podcast with you, I was probably 18 pounds heavier. Yeah, you look great now. And it's not that I was 18 pounds heavier, but I'm 6'2", and I carry a well.

But still, I was aware that I was getting overweight, and I made the goal, and I visualized it to weigh a certain amount. And along the way, I had to keep choosing it. So it took persistence. And persisting is when I remind myself this is my goal and I keep choosing it. Yeah. Because sometimes we think it's just about choosing it once. But persistence is about. Every moment. Not doing whatever it takes.

Yeah. Doesn't matter how you feel. Doesn't matter if you're in the mood. Doesn't matter if you like. Doesn't matter if you're in the mood. Doesn't matter if you like or don't like what you're doing. The important thing is you got to keep your eye on your vision and be committed to that vision beyond how you feel. And most of us back out of goals because we just don't feel like keeping them anymore. So all those people that are overweight, I hate to say it, you're overweight because you don't feel like losing weight.

Those of you that are broke and don't have the money and don't have abundance, you don't have money, not because of the economy, not because of the opportunities, but because you haven't been persistent about it. You don't want it bad enough. Yeah, you don't want it bad enough. Because my premise is that every human being has the power to create the life that they want. And if they're not creating it, there's something about them that is not working. And so the persistence is very important. Just being very persistent and keep choosing the goal. Principle, and this is funny because principle number eight is actually surrendering and not

being attached so how do i be persistent and not be attached okay the way to do that is i keep choosing the goal with the timeline that i've set for myself and you know it's kind of like they say it's not over till the fat lady sings but once i hit that platform or that timeline it comes to a point where i need to either make a new goal shift the goal negotiate the goal but i need to be surrendered and being surrendered is not being attached yeah so if i choose the goal i'm not choosing the goal to be somebody for example a lot of people want to lose weight for the wrong reasons they want to lose weight because they want to look good and then they get attached to it and when they don't hit the goal they beat themselves up they

feel bad especially all of those of you that are listening to perfectionist you know it's like if i don't hit that goal, you know, then, and, and, and that's really a negative place to come from because then you can't correct it. You know,

like in the last podcast, we talked about the step to handling breakdown. Yeah. So it's like, if you don't hit, if you don't hit it, you gotta be, you gotta be willing to go,

you know what? I acknowledge myself because I went for it. I was persistent. I did whatever it took. I didn't accomplish it. Yes. Okay. Now what's the lesson? What can I learn from it? Because I'm still a great person regardless of whether I hit a goal or not. And what can I do moving forward? What worked, what didn't work, what needs to be different. So it's really important not to be

attached in life. And I think that the minute we get attached to things, we become victims. You know, I get attached to having a relationship or attached to having a business or attached to having a specific result. Then I become a victim of it versus I have the vision of being in a relationship, the vision of having success in my business. And I'm connected to my vision. And out of my vision, I'm committed to it. And if for some reason it doesn't turn out, it's okay, too. It's not the end of the world if you don't accomplish something. It is the end of the world if you quit. Because if you quit, that means you're surrendering you know you're you're you're resigning sorry not surrendering you're resigning and so surrender is not resign surrender is flow be in the flow be in the magic sure that's flow is the topic of the last episode that was on the school of

greatness so really those that didn't listen to that one, it's amazing. And it's all about getting into flow state. Yeah. Yeah. Being in that state of consciousness of just flowing and, and, and seeing life as an ocean, you know, and just being,

and tapping into that energy, you know, it's the zone. Yep. The pocket. Yeah. So that, that will also create the abundance and the prosperity that will have you

attract all kinds of things. Sure. Sure. And so that principle is very important. The ninth principle is called sourcing. And then sourcing is really about the consciousness that everything's up to you. If something is going to happen, it's up to you.

And you see, you're always the source. For everything in your life. For everything. The question is what are you sourcing? What type of relationships? If you're sourcing joy, love, happiness, health, success, abundance, it's you. If you're sourcing conflict, breakdown, stress, scarcity, it's you. And so sourcing is really probably one of the biggest principles

of abundance prosperity because when we take responsibility for everything, then life shows up much differently. Even things that have happened to you, not under your control, let's say, or? Everything. Wow. I mean, it's a tough pill to swallow i get it yeah it's because what happens is what you just asked is a very powerful question what happens is a lot of times we confuse responsibility with blame

so is it my fault that my husband cheated on me or that my partner ripped me off or that my stockbroker put my money in a fund that was an illegal fund? No, it's not my fault, but it's my responsibility. And I get to look responsibly for how I create that or how I generated that or what questions did I not ask, what did I allow, what's the lesson for me? Even if you look back and you're like, I couldn't have done anything different, it doesn't matter, there's still a responsible viewpoint of it. Maybe you're not responsible for it happening,

but you're responsible for what you do with what happened so i can't change the fact that that happened but what i do with that being empowered by it being inspired by it that's all on me yeah because a lot of times let a lot of times people let events define them for example divorce a relationship that didn't work, an injury, you know, it could be the end or the beginning. You know that.

Yeah. Happened to me. Yeah. You've, you turned something from a breakdown to a breakthrough. Yeah. You had an injury that ended one career and opened, opened you up to something amazing.

Yeah. Super grateful for the injury. Yeah. It's a blessing. But you didn't, if you didn't take responsibility for it, career and opened opened you up to something amazing yeah super grateful for the injury yeah it's a blessing but you didn't if you didn't take responsibility for it you'd be one of those thousands of athletes that have a story yeah about why about why they don't have what they want it's interesting because you know as an arena football player we play in a small arena with walls so it's like a hockey rink ice hockey rink with astroturf and padded walls but the pads aren't really that padded and my receivers coach who i didn't really respect that much at the time

who i didn't feel like he was a great coach he was kind of putting us in harm's way i felt like he always said you know make sure you dive for the ball every time like make sure you go all out and it's like if you don't follow their instructions you're not going to play right right it's like okay i'm going to do whatever i can to play you have to do what they say yeah you have to and so he's like you got to dive dive dive and so the quarterback throws the ball towards the wall so i dived to like make the effort even though i knew i wasn't going to get it and that's when i broke my wrist wow and i could have easily i knew i broke it right away i hit the wall and it snapped And I could have easily, I knew I broke it right away. I hit the wall, and it snapped. And I could have easily been like,

I guess I was frustrated at the time with the coach. I was like, why did I listen to him? I was scared if I wouldn't play, if I didn't do this. But you could have chosen not to. Exactly. I could have chosen to let the ball go and just not worry about it and not break my wrist and have surgery and have been a cast for six months.

Right. But I took responsibility afterwards. I was frustrated at first, but then I was like, know what what can i make from this right and i'm so grateful that i did play professional football and i did achieve a dream even if it wasn't the nfl it's like i still it doesn't matter yeah i i got to do what i loved and what's next and you turned it into a huge opportunity i'm so blessed and grateful for yeah and look at you now and look at all the people that you get to impact through the work that you do. Yeah.

And I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have that. Exactly. So when we see life from that standpoint, it's called sourcing, that I am the source and I'm responsible for everything like war in the Middle East? Well, it's not your fault, but what you contribute on a daily basis, whether it's negative or positive, can create war or can create peace. things, all the people, all the right situations that we say that we want because we are always the source. And it's a question of what are you sourcing? And if you want to source success and if you want to source positive things, then you have to start shifting your viewpoint. And so that's a very important principle because being responsible isn't just if something's

going to happen, it's up to me. It's also I'm responsible for how I see the world. And so my interpretation of the events also affect me. Right. So we don't have control over how people treat us, but we always have control to how we respond. I can't control the economy. I can't control if my boss is having a bad day. I can't control if a client that I've been working with for three months decides to blow me off and then go with someone else. I can't control partners. I can't control anybody outside of me.

with someone else. I can't control partners. I can't control anybody outside of me. But true abundance is about self-control. And it's about being clear that I am the one who creates the filters in my life and I could see life through those filters. And I could see life as a victim, which is blaming everybody, which gets us nowhere, or I could see life as a blessing and see life as the source. And so when we come from source, then we actually attract the things that we want. And I want to say something to people that, you know, wow, you know, so far we talked about nine principles. It's a lot.

How do I apply all of them? You don't need to apply all of them. Just apply one. Yeah. You apply one of them, your life will already start to see a shift. Sure. You know, and so it's important to do that. And the final principle, which to me is, you know, awesome,, surround myself with a team, you know, we, we, you know,

ego things that I don't need anybody, but that's not true. We all need coaches. We all need partners. We all need buddies. We all need, uh, resources. You know, networking is one of the most powerful tools that we can use in business that that we can use in relationships. Let's say you want to have a business and you know your dreams to create a business, find someone who's already created it and learn from them. Have them be your mentor. You want to have a successful relationship,

find people that actually created successful relationships. Whatever it is that you're looking for, surround yourself with people that are going to line up with your vision. that you're looking for, surround yourself with people that are going to line up with your vision. Therefore, it is important to remove toxic people from your life.

I'm going to say it again. It's important to remove toxic people from your life. How do you do that without feeling bad? If you've been friends with someone or if you have a history with them or you're family or you've done friends with someone or if you've you know have a history with them or your family or you know you've done a lot of business how do you remove someone without being abandoning them let's say or them feeling abandoned or them feeling a certain way by being by being clear

that you're not removing them your vision is so my vision is a life of joy and peace and success. And I want to surround myself with joyful, peaceful, successful people. And I have somebody who's a roadblock in that and who's actually taking. I need to have the talk. And the talk is, I love you, Louis. You're a great person. And you've been important in my life. And I want you to know that in my life, there's no room for anything negative.

And when you're ready to be positive and you're ready to have a different attitude, welcome back. But until then, I don't want you in my life. And I know it sounds cold, but they don't have a problem being negative in your life. They don't have a problem taking from you. And I think that it's actually a blessing for them as well because we end up enabling people like that. By you allowing somebody toxic in your life, you enable them to be toxic. Continue being that way. Yeah.

And then what happens is that nothing changes. It's when people realize that they can't get away with happens is that nothing changes it's when people realize that they can't get away with things anymore that sometimes breakthroughs happen and i've gotten you know i don't i hate to say the word get rid of but i've i have you know shifted away from a lot of people in my life that were toxic yeah and some of them had the biggest breakthroughs because I was no longer available for them. And by that, they started taking inventory in their lives, and they shifted, and now they're back in my life,

and they had a breakthrough. So it's really important to surround yourself with a team of people that speak the same language, that have the same vision, and that line up with what you say matters to you because then you become truly unstoppable in having the results that you want in your life. And if somebody in your life is taking energy away from you,

then you owe it to you and to your family and to the people that you love to do something about it. And to your vision because you're not able to fulfill your vision with the most power and precision if you're allowing yourself to be held back by one person. Well, we need all the energy. Exactly. We need, you know, it's a question of energy. You want all your energy towards your vision, towards your business, towards success.

Your lifestyle, towards the way you want to feel. Yeah. Your freedom. Absolutely. I love it. These are the 10 principles. Yes, they are. I love it. These are the 10 principles. Yes, they are. They're amazing.

Use them, practice them. I love it. And we're going to have everything linked up in the show notes. And you are at Chris Motivador. I'm at Chris Motivador, or you can follow me on Facebook. You're on Facebook now.

Yeah, Chris Lee Motivational Trainer. I like that. Yeah. That's a good one i have an english and spanish bilingual and and chris has been doing this for 25 years now right 27 27 years you've been training and teaching seminars all around the world all over the world all over the world i do them in in different languages i speak english and spanish but i have translators yeah so i've done this all over the world like in in Russia. I've done it in China, Australia, Latin America.

And I do experiential workshops on emotional intelligence. Yeah, and they are incredible. So if you ever get the chance, a lot of my friends have worked with you. Yes, they have. A lot of people. Family members. Everyone. Everyone on my team has experienced the training of Chris Lee and the experiences that you put people through.

They're incredible. They're healing. They're freeing. They're loving. It's great because people actually go through an experience. I mean one thing is to listen to this podcast. Another thing is to read the podcast. The other thing is to experience it.

Yeah. Feeling your body. Yeah. Having it in your body. And of course there's more time. I mean these are three-day workshops, four-day five-day workshops yeah they're incredible and i can't recommend them uh highly enough i also can go to your business yeah and go do workshops there and i do i do a one-day business training as well i like it i like you know and lewis and i also do

things together exactly so if if uh if anyone anyone's interested in seeing a transformation in any area of their life or you just want to get – you don't have what you want yet, I highly recommend checking out where Chris is going to be next. Tweet him. Hit him up on Facebook or connect with me on Twitter at Lewis Howes and I can let you know when he's training next. Again, he's all over the world training, but he comes to LA a lot, Vegas. Probably once a month. Yeah, once a month in LA. So again, check out the show notes at lewishowes.com

to connect with this episode. Please share it with your friends. And since we, the last time you were on, since you answered the question of what does greatness mean to you, I have to think of a different question right now. So let's do – Throw it at me. Let's do where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years, I see the shows that I'm working on. Right now I'm working with Univision, a show called Despierta America, which is Wake Up America. I like that. And I'm collaborating on that show. I'm also collaborating on several TV shows. I actually seen five years my own show. And what I want to do is

I want to impact Latin America. It's one of my passions. So it's kind of like a cross between Oprah and Dr. Phil where we educate, orient, and motivate people. In Latin America, Latin television's huge right now. And Univision's competing with NBC, ABC, CBS,

and actually beating them in different time slots. And so I envision myself in five years with a show that educates, orients, and motivates people. Wow. Yeah, you've got way more passion than Dr. Phil and more hair. And I'm skinnier. I'm thinner. I'm already skinnier.

Exactly. Chris, I acknowledge you for the huge heart you have for all the work that you do, for your dedication to so many people's lives. You are a gift and an inspiration to me and so many people. So I acknowledge you for your continuous work, passion and love for everyone and humanity. And I thank you so much for coming on this episode and pumped to have you back on in a few months.

Thank you so much. And thank you to all of you that are listening. And my invitation to you is really remember that you already are abundant. Love it. Thank you. Thank you. I hope you enjoyed this one, guys. Make sure, again, to leave a comment on the blog and let Chris know how much you appreciate him by picking up a copy of his book and tweeting him as well to let him know what you thought of this episode.

If this is your first time here on the podcast, we'll get back to regular scheduled episodes in a couple of days. So make sure to stay tuned and check out the next episode as we've got some incredible guests coming up. I love you guys. I appreciate you. And you know what time it is. It's time to go out there and do something great. Outro Music