Ask the Expert: A Positive 2012 on Your To-Do List

As we head into 2012, many of you have been asking for insights into how to make this a better, more positive year. Here are some of your questions, and answers from life specialist Joyce Philbin-Collier. Happy New Year!

The Question: I’ve been through a lot this past year and I’m looking for advice on how I can take control of my life to get rid of the negatives that come my way. Any suggestions?

The Answer from Joyce Philbin-Collier: The first step is to recognize what the negatives are in your life. Sometimes we don’t even know what is keeping us from achieving our greatest potential. Habits that become second nature may be silent negatives in your life. If you are unsure how to identify that which is holding you back, talk to a therapist. Seeking help through a good counselor no longer holds a stigma to it. It can be the greatest gift you can give yourself.

Once you have identified the negatives, take small steps to eliminating them. For instance, if you decide that a person in your life is a negative force, take a break from having contact with them. It doesn’t have to be abrupt or filled with anger. Simply try to do other things that don’t include them for awhile.

Try not to focus on the hardships you have been through, as doing so will keep attracting more hardships. Focus on what it is you need to learn from these difficult times and think more about what you want in your life. By keeping your focus on the positive things you want to draw into your life, you will find that you are more in charge of the direction your life is taking than you ever thought possible.

The Question: I have some ideas for some projects that I would like to develop. How would you suggest I get from one step to the next successfully? I see so many people making things work for them and I have no idea how to do that. I would love some suggestions!

The Answer from Joyce Philbin-Collier: Write a list. This can act as your map to what you want to accomplish. Stop looking at others because their goals then become your focus instead of the focus being YOUR goals. You cannot let others define who you are, what you want for your life or what the meaning of abundance is in your life. For some abundance is monetary and for others it is spiritual. Only you know what direction is best for you.

In writing your list, start with the end goal. Then list subcategories of what you need to achieve your goal. Within those subcategories list the small things you need to do to reach those sub-goals. Once you have a list which maps out what you want and how you need to achieve them, you have created your intention and this is what your focus should be.

Always remember, as Robert Collier teaches us in The Secret of the Ages, “Your chances of success in any undertaking can always be measured by your belief in yourself”.

The Question: A lot of what Robert Collier suggests in the book about the mind being able to cure all diseases makes sense to me, yet he himself passed away from cancer. Did he have any thoughts before he died as to why he was not able to conquer his disease?

This is a question we keep receiving which is probably the most difficult question to answer. When we first received it, it went out to the family all over the country. We received answers from Robert Collier’s children who would have been the most likely to know the answer.

To quote from his original text in The Secret of the Ages, Collier states, “the purpose of existence is GROWTH….The one unpardonable sin of nature is to stand still, to stagnate.”

In the early years, Collier, cured himself of a seemingly undiagnosable illness. He went on to write the over 40 books which have helped the world to tap into the power within, or as he coined it, the “genie of the mind”.

Robert Collier had six children, and a loving wife. He was a prolific writer and taught millions of people from all walks of life, to take charge of their own lives and believe in the infinite possibilities of the universe for all to apply in their lives.  He distinguished himself as being one of the greatest marketing minds in history with his book, The Robert Collier Letter Book.  He was an early proponent of vitamin E and its benefits holding the copyright on the word Elixir.  He imparted his wisdom for the world in areas of Body Mind and Soul. Through his expertise in direct mail, he was able to reach millions.

After such a full life, perhaps there was no more for him to do on this earth and he simply accepted that since none of us escape death, that it was merely his time to go. That through his death there would be a rebirth of new ideas. Perhaps as he writes, he “ceased to serve a useful purpose”.

The point is that each of us needs to keep moving, focusing on where we want to be, making the most of this precious thing called life.

Joyce Philbin-Collier is a life specialist and owner of Robert Collier Publications. Through her experiences and study of self-help authors and metaphysics, she has been able to help people with every day questions and concerns. You can contact her at robertcollierpub@aol.com and visit her online atwww.robertcollierpublications.com. If your question is selected to be answered here at Ask the Expert, you will receive a free audio book!