Welcome to the 16th edition of the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival!

This carnival is dedicated to the concept of stepping outside of the box and living our lives in ways beyond the "norm"!

Whether you want to learn unique ways to think or act differently, or if you want to share your own unique ideas, this carnival is for you!

There will be a new edition of the carnival posted every month, on or around the 15th . You can click here to learn more, or click here to submit a post for the next edition, which will be posted on March 15, 2008.

If you like this carnival or if you are one of the authors featured in this edition, be sure to add this post to Stumbleupon, Digg, or your favorite social bookmarking site!

Personal Growth

SlowDownFast - If You Don’t Assume Responsibility, Who Will?

Frederic Patenaude Talks - The Power of Rituals: How to Build Positive, Energizing Daily Rituals 

Stephen Martile - How to Change Your Beliefs with Praxis, Part 1 

Gratitude Magic - Why Our New Year’s Resolutions Fail 

Personal Growth with Corinne Edwards - Hillary and Your Soft Underbelly 

I will change your Life - What Are You Doing That’s Different?

Self Help Blog - Procrastination Case Study 

Enhance Life - If You Want To Be Understood… 

Personal Hack - 9 Smart Perseverance Tips

Bootstrapper - 17 Ways to Stop Being a Perfectionist and Get More Done

Law of Attraction for Beginners - Waking Up Without An Alarm Clock

Never the Same River Twice - Weekend SmallChange: Listen to Deliriously Happy Music

We The Change - Top 31 Motivation Hacks 

Money/Success

Cyberca$hology - Costanza Success Principles

Copywriting Tips for Your Business - Saying Thanks… 

Money Blue Book -  How To Earn Free Airline Miles With Credit Cards

Miss Copy's Blog - How To Kick Writers’ Block

Stephen Dean's Blog - Deciphering Cosmopolitan Magazines

Personal Development by INTJ - Why You Should Be Careful When Your Business Is Going Well 

Wisdom From Wenchypoo's Mental Wastebasket - Working for Perks and Benefits—Revised for 2008 

FYI About.com - Sell Your House And Rent It Back: Avoid Foreclosure

The Michel Fortin Blog - Give Your Joint-Venture Offer An Extra Punch

Relationships

The Next 45 Years - How to Love Consciously

dotGirlfriend - 10 Best Chick Flicks for a Sexy Movie Night

Schaefer's Blog - Say What You Need

Postcards from Nowhere - Love lets Go 

Intelligence

Sharp Brains - Mindfulness and Meditation in Schools for Stress Management

James D. Brausch - Your Natural Genius 

Learn a foreign language blog - The ultimate guide to successful language learning – Part one 

Health

Tupelo Kenyon - Finally the Truth About Diet – The China Study Review 

Total Wellbeing - Kangaroo Meat – Good For You AND the Environment

The Environment

BeThisWay - Gross and Not-So-Gross Ways to Save Water, and Money 

Energies of Creation - Why I Don’t Burn Cars Anymore

That wraps up the 16th edition of the Doing it Differently Blog Carnival! Many thanks to all of our authors, and don't forget to add this post to your favorite social bookmarking website!

The next edition will be posted on March 15, 2008, and the closing of this edition is also the official call for submissions for the next one! Get the inside scoop on what this carnival is all about and access the submission form as well by clicking right here.

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Yes, I know it's hard to believe, but 1 out of 12 pieces of the annual pie has already screamed past us in 2008. How are you doing on those New Year's Resolutions?

If you're like most people, the fire for success that you had on January 1st has now faded to a dull ember, and you need to start blowing on those embers, lest your passionate desires for happiness, health, and wealth will spend yet another year being nothing but pipe dreams.

Here's a tip:

Don't be like other people!

When you do what other people do, you'll get what other people have gotten. Now, if you are going to do the things that happy and successful people do, then you're good. Otherwise, you might want to rethink who your role models are.

On that note, here is a quick list of places to go, people to see, and things to do that can help you to reignite that passionate New Year's flame, and allow you to remember that 2008 was going to be the year that was different than all rest.

If you don't know exactly what it is that you want, but you just know that you want to be happy, then check out Alex Shalman's Happiness Project. It's a month-long study of how several successful and happy people have gotten to BE successful and happy. I'm one of those people (YAY for me!), and I could not give higher praise to Alex for what is an absolutely WONDERFUL project, complete with loads of fun, great prizes, and a chance to learn how it's all done:

If you know what you want, but you're just not sure how to get it, then stop procrastinating and join Personal Development Partners. Partners - you know; friends, business associates, mentors, people who want what you want and are willing to help you get it:

If you know that you want to lose weight, but you haven't quite figured out how that whole "eat less, move more" thing works, then swing by Fitness Destinations for more exercise and nutrition info that you can shake a stick at, or, if you're really brave, go to Craig Harper's place:

If you know that you want more money, but you can't seem to figure out how to get it, I highly recommend James Arthur Ray as a guru worth listening to. I am going through his Million Dollar Mindset program right now, and it rocks. Here are some of James' other success-related resources:

If you know that you want a better relationship, but you just can't seem to get over the hump of constantly attracting the wrong guy or girl into your life, Dan and Jennifer are experts worth spending some time with. Their blog posts and YouTube videos are awesome, fun, and highly educational:

There ya have it, folks! A whole pile of resources that run the gamut from basic happiness all the way up through millionaire status. Reignite those New Year's Resolutions! Be different by actually getting the job done this year!

Well, here we are again. Yet another New Year is dawning, and most of us are taking a look back at the previous year, and a look ahead at what the next 12 months will bring.

Taking inventory of what you've done in the past is always a good idea, and proper goal setting for the future is the most effective tool that you have at your disposal for future success. 

Here's the thing though:

Most of you will not accomplish what you set out to accomplish.

Doesn't seem right does it? Here you are, reading a blog about self improvement and personal development, yet you are being told that you're going to drop the ball on the attainment of your dreams and desires.

Photo Credit: Arjmage Why? Well, not to put too fine a point on it, but most of you are simply too comfortable in your cages to do what it takes to break out. 

1) You're overweight, and you know how to lose weight, but you keep coming up with really great reasons not to actually do it.

2) You're broke, and you know that attaining wealth is possible, yet you still keep finding ways to barely pay your bills every month.

3) You're in an issue-laden relationship, and despite your unhappiness, you have still managed to end another year without fixing those issues, or moving on with your life.

Do any of those scenarios ring true for you?

No, wait - let me guess:

• Yes, you're overweight, but you've had so much going on with your family and/or your job that you just haven't had time to exercise.
• Yes, you're broke, but you have a job that leaves you no possibility for advancement, or you don't have the skills or the time to learn a new trade, or to start your own business.
• Yes, you're relationship is on the rocks, but hey, it's better than nothing, right? After all, he/she isn't THAT bad, and it sure could be a lot worse.

Should I go on, or are you getting the picture?

If you're life is not what you want it to be, it is no one's fault but your own!

Stop blaming other people or sets of circumstances for the fact that you aren't willing to do what it takes to make permanent and positive changes in your life.

Stop putting off your health or happiness because you've got things that you feel are a higher priority.

Stop allowing your less than successful past to automatically paint your future.

Stop living in a cage!

Personally, I choose an existence that is full of challenges, but also allows me to reap the rewards of overcoming every challenge that is put before me. For me, excitement about the future is an almost physical entity that surrounds me, and it powers everything that I do.

Can you say the same, or are you still living on the wrong side of the cage?

If you want to share my level of enthusiasm, here is the list of books and programs that are presently powering my success and my energy levels -

Audio Programs:

• The Million Dollar Mindset
• Infinite Possibilities

Video Programs:

• Manifestation Mastery
• 5K Per Day Subliminal Videos

Books: 

• A Touch of Greatness
• Who Moved My Cheese?
• Helping Me Help Myself
• Don't Ask Stupid Questions : There Are No Stupid Questions

You can check out those books and programs, or a list of your own making. The actual tools that you use are not as important as the commitment that you make to yourself to truly attain your goals.

You can talk about goal attainment all day long, but talk is cheap. Don't tell people what you are going to do…

…show them by doing it.

Related Content:

• 3 Ways to Accomplish Anything by Writing it Down
• The Fast and Easy way to Build an Empire
• Telling the World to Take a Hike

 Discuss this post at Personal Development Partners

People have been saying for years that writing down a goal is one of the best ways to ensure success in attaining it. However, as with so many success systems, it sounds so simple that people don't really believe that it works.

Well, it DOES work, and by understanding the process, you will gain confidence in this simple, yet very effective method of attaining your goals.

Photo Credit: WoodsyThere are 3 ways that writing down a goal will help you to accomplish it, and the beauty of this system is that you benefit from all 3 of these each and every time that you write it down. By making a daily practice of writing down a goal, you will automatically get 3 benefits from one simple effort.

Conscious Statement

Whenever we first decide that we want to accomplish something, we tend to be very excited about it, and very motivated to do "whatever it takes" to get the job done. However, over the course of time, we tend to lose that enthusiasm because we are not frequently reminded of whatever it is that we wanted to accomplish.

By making the daily effort to write down our dreams and desires, we remind our conscious selves of the commitment that we made. By writing down a goal every single day, it becomes quite impossible for us to lose sight of it.

Rather than allowing our hectic lives to get in the way of our success, the constant written reminder of what we want causes us to create our daily lives around the attainment of those desires.

Subconscious Programming

Even more powerful than the conscious reminder about what we want, writing down a goal very effectively programs our subconscious mind to work "behind the scenes" on the attainment of our desires.

The subconscious mind has constant access to all knowledge, memories, and experience, and it is able to manipulate that information in such a way that - quite frankly - our conscious minds could never even hope to compete with. Our subconscious minds control 90%-95% of our lives, so programming that massive super-computer is a guaranteed method of getting what we want out of life.

I recently started writing down my primary goal at the top of a piece of paper that holds my to-do list each day. In less than 5 days I had no less than half a dozen really good ideas about how to attain that goal.

Here is the kicker, though: Each idea came to me completely out of the blue while I was doing something totally unrelated to what I want to accomplish. My subconscious was simply chewing on my written down desires each day and sending me inspiration as new ideas or methods were discovered.

It doesn't get any easier than standing around doing nothing while your subconscious does all of the heavy lifting! 

External Factors

How many people in your life know what your goals are? One, maybe two people? Not even that many?

The simple truth of the matter is that people often have trouble defining exactly what it is that they want, and even fewer actually share their deepest desires with others.

How are other people supposed to help you if they don't even know what it is that you want?

At home, are your goals written down in the kitchen, the bathroom, or other public areas? Even if your kids and your spouse consider you a certifiable lunatic for thinking that you can write a novel about The 50 Best Ways to Eat Peanut Butter and Crackers, is that goal so much in their face that they might possibly tell others about it?

• Your child may go to school with another child whose parent is a publisher of weird and unusual books.
• Your spouse might work with someone that is married to a caterer who is looking to start joint ventures with people who have unique ideas for food preparation.
• Your visiting neighbor might have experience with the cheapest and fastest ways to self-publish a book, or they may have connections in the publishing industry.

At work, is your goal of someday owning the company written down in plain view where all of your co-workers, managers, and customers can see it?

• Negative, energy-sapping co-workers tend to stay away from driven, goal-oriented people.
• Managers tend to give opportunities to people with a demonstrated and obvious drive to succeed.
• Customers tend to trust businesses whose employees openly see long-term success with the company that they work for.

In each of these examples, not only do you benefit from your own efforts, but you can potentially benefit from the knowledge, experience, or connections of people who know what you are trying to accomplish. Let other people do some of the work for you!

The bottom line is that writing down a goal is the simplest and most effective method that you will ever find to accomplish or attain anything that you desire in life.

It's simple, it's fast, and it's free. Why wouldn't you do that??

Related Content:

• Achieve-It! Goal Setting Software Review
• An Impartial Review of the Dare to Be Rich System

Discuss this post at Personal Development Partners

Anita Pathik Law, CEO of Dare Dreamers, LLC is hosting a free teleconference this coming Tuesday, December 12, 2007. The teleconference will be at 7:00pm Eastern Standard Time (4:00pm Pacific), and their is no charge whatsoever to dial in.

The subject of the teleconference is going to be Raising Consciousness and Taking Responsibility for Your Own Shift, and will be the precursor to a very cool new program that is going to be launching on January 1, 2008 called The Power of Our Way.

I am one of the Thought Leaders for the group, so I will obviously be attending the call myself, and it promises to be time well spent. Click the link above for the details of the call and to get signed up for free. Be sure to list Today is that Day as your referrer on the sign up page so I can keep track of how many blog readers got to participate.

As far as the upcoming Power of Our Way program that kicks off on January 1st, I highly recommend that you give it some serious thought. The details of the program itself aside, the very concept of focusing on the very same thing over the course of any reasonable amount of time has proven to be a recipe for success over and over again.

If any of us were able to gain one dollar, lose one pound, or secure one beautiful relationship memory for every time we thought about gaining wealth, losing weight, or finding Mr. or Mrs. Right, we'd all be rich, buff, and emotionally ecstatic.

In the real world, however, we simply don't do that.

We think and take action for a few days or a few weeks about some type of self improvement or personal growth, but then our lives - the same lives we are trying to improve - get in the way and block our efforts. It's a nasty circle of cause and effect that is harder to snuff out than those magically relighting birthday candles!

The Power of our Way program that kicks off in January is meant to retard that entire process by both individual as well as group efforts towards whatever goals are set by the group participants.

The well-timed program begins on January 1st as people by the millions decide that the New Year is the perfect time for them to finally get their lives to the level of happiness and success that they have been dreaming of for so long.

You can get the full details on the program by clicking on through to the Power of Our Way page, and here is a partial list of the program benefits:

• A signed copy of the groundbreaking book, The Power of Our Way; A Path to a Collective Consciousness and the Power of Our Way Companion CD
• Private telephone numbers and pin codes for six weekly tele-groups open only to group members
• MP3 recordings of each group that will be posted on a private page within 48 hours of every call
• Over 15 additional bonuses, including several original songs, hypnotic meditations, audio recordings, and other downloads from Anita and Brent Law
• A downloadable copy of The Power of Our Way Medicine Wheel™, a tool for individual and global transformation
• A link to retrieve several hundred dollars worth of free bonus gifts from Thought Leaders, teachers, and authors who are joining you in support for a powerful 2008

For my part, I have agreed to donate a complimentary version of my most ambitious and well-received product, Energy Harmonics. I have been asked in the past to offer Energy Harmonics as part of a group effort such as this, but have not felt that the project was worthwhile enough until this point.

I obviously want my own work to be part of a successful endeavor, and Anita's Power of Our Way program promises to be a life-changing event for many, many people. I am certain that the success stories from the group will warrant me donating the book that I put all of my heart and soul into right about this same time last year as I was finishing it up.

Anyway, that's the scoop on the upcoming teleconference as well as the Power of Our Way program itself. I'm excited to be a part of such an ambitious endeavor, and I welcome anyone who takes part to contact me directly with their questions, comments, and thoughts!