Hey Friend! 

Long time no talk to. You know me, every time I'm gone for an extended period it means I'm up to something. This has already been a busy summer for me and it's just getting started.

If you are my friend on Facebook, you have seen in my nightly status updates one of the things I'm working on. I've never done it before, but this is my time. I can feel it! If you're not a friend of mine already, send me a request and I'll be sure to add you. You won't want to miss out on this drama.

You can see some of the "behind the scenes" action on my blog, located at(http://www.jsprinkles.wordpress.com). Leave a comment. I read all of them. If you ever wanted to see what really goes on and what I really say when I don't have to edit myself, check it out!

Productively,

Jonathan

PS. . .Some words in this 5 Minute Motivator may be intentionally mispelled or have extra sp aces to avoid SP^M filters. Don't miss the message!

PPS. . .As you read this and think of someone who *really* needs to hear this message, don't keep it to yourself! Scroll to the bottom and click "Forward Email."

PPPS. . .If you are planning a transition (i.e. graduating, moving, getting fired), be sure to register a permanent email address at http://www.jsprinkles.com so you don't miss out! 

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FEATURE ARTICLE: 
 "Why You Want It But Don't Have It"
(Pt. 1 of 2)
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"Nope. Not good enough. Start again, but be specific this time. Tell me in vivid detail.
I want you to spend some time thinking about it. Don't just tell me what sounds good."
 
This was the closing dialogue between one of my mentees and me during an impromptu mentoring session on Facebook. He came to me pouring his heart out about how he was equally excited and frightened to death about taking a huge risk by pursuing a passion of his as a profession. It was uncharted territory, so he had reason to be asking lots of questions. The problem is, he (like most of us), was asking the *wrong* questions.
 
He was procrastinating. He kept delaying his first step because he filled his mind with the consequences of making the wrong decision instead of the advantages he will have if he makes the right decisions. Unfortunately, as Wayne Dyer put it, what you focus on expands," and he was 'expanding' his chances of failure because of his faulty premise.
 
I knew this scenario all too well. I instantly stopped and asked him point blank, "What do you want? Don't tell me what you're afraid of. Don't tell me what you want to avoid. Don't tell me what is safe to admit. Tell me the truth."

I'm willing to bet that this is where you get tripped up, too. We are quick to say:

• "I'm sick of this crappy job."
• "I hate being stuck in this relationship."
• "I can't stand being this size."

The better use of our mental capacity and emotional energy is to begin with a more intelligent premise:

• What would I rather be doing?
• What is the ideal relationship for me at this stage of my life?
• What size would really make me proud of myself when I looked in the mirror?

These are all affirmative, future-focused and, most importantly, ACTION-ORIENTED questions. I believe you can have what you want. I also believe you are quick to talk, but slow to back up your talk with action. Hence, you remain frustrated and stagnate. In order to transition from 'wanting' to 'posessing,' you have to to feed yourself the right stuff. Get a picture of what you want and, as scripture teaches, "meditate on these things." Stop complaining about what you DON'T want and start describing the picture of what you DO want!

My mentee made the same mistake. He proceeded to give me some vagary about "knowing he's walking in his purpose," but that wasn't cutting it. That was too generic. Hence, our dialogue above.
 
I'll share with you the same thing I told him. The language of achievement is a very specific one. Numbers, colors, pounds, dates, and dollars have to be inserted into each of your ambitions. You have to state specifically what the end result will look, feel, taste and smell like when you arrive. Think about it, who would you think is more likely to become successful; the person who says, "I want to lose this darn weight by the end of the summer," or the one who says, "I will weigh 145 pounds by August 30th?"
 
You see my point.
 
You and I will do the same exercise my mentee and I did. I want you to write down five things you want to happen in your immediate future. He and I were talking about grad school, but for this conversation, we will condense the timeframe to one month. Let's use the end of June as our end date.
 
Write 5 things you want by June 30, 2009:
1. I WANT ______________________________________________________________
2. I WANT ______________________________________________________________
3. I WANT ______________________________________________________________
4. I WANT ______________________________________________________________
5. I WANT ______________________________________________________________
 
You can either print this page or write it on a separate sheet of paper. But whatever you do, don't just "think about it". . .write it!
 
I'm going to be back next week to give you the "trick" to making these five "wants" actually happen. You're going to flip!
 
© Jonathan Sprinkles. All rights reserved.

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"Never too good to look like an idiot"
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I was in Las Vegas, Nevada, sitting in the back row of a crowded conference. I had just spoken, taken pictures and signed autographs. I was on top of the world.

I went to Starbucks and purchased their "perfect bowl of oatmeal" (which is a glorified packet of instant oatmeal) and was preparing to add a package of granola to it. I tugged at it a little too hard and WOOOSH. . .it all shot up in the air like fireworks. It was one of the most embarrassing moments in recent memory. Oats and nuts were everywhere. I think one fell out of my shirt that evening when I went to bed.

Evidently, I don't do well with any packages. A couple years ago, I nearly broke my straw trying to open a Capr Sun juice drink. I had to ask my four-year-old niece to open it for me.

The moment I think I am a "somebody," I am quickly reminded that I am and always will be "just Jonathan." Ha, ha, ha!

To see where I will be exploding next, check my speaking calendar on my blog at www.jsprinkles.wordpress.com/calendar/ .

If you would like to potentially save money by having me speak to your organization while I'm in your area, please send us an email.

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"I haven't advertised yet and half the seats are gone!
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Because I am so busy, I only have one weekend a year to train new and experienced speakers on how to take their career to a higher level. For the January 2010 bootcamp, I am already in a precarious position. I haven't advertised one bit and already half the seats are taken.

 
If you were planning on attending, you need to do whatever necessary to reserve your seat TODAY before the alumni and future attendees take your space. Go to http://www.PresentationPowerBootcamp.com TODAY!