Johanna's Master Key Journey

Go for Gratitude!

Every week we have assignments in the Master Key course. Each assignment is to focus on a subject that moves us forward. We have focused on persistence,  kindness, self discipline, enthusiasm, courage, gratitude, and many others. Our focus for several weeks has been to write 3 gratitude cards a day on 3 X 5 index cards.

What are gratitude cards?

How has writing these gratitude cards made a difference for me. Every day I find things big and small that I am grateful for. I wrote my DMP  (Definite Major Purpose)  and my daily actions are being done with more focus and determination.  Some of the gratitude cards were for things I did in my past or what other people did for me in the past.  Many times I realize I take things for granted. I am now more aware of how these things are creating a better quality of life for me.

The feeling of being happy and that all is right in your world, happens when we are in a state of gratitude. Many of us are in search of happiness.  Little did I know that being in a constant state of gratitude is really the key to happiness. This was an aha moment for me. When we are grateful, the world feels and looks different to us.

Shawn Achor Harvard Graduate did his Thesis  on being Happy and the Happiness Advantage

Shawn Achor spent his life in research about the state of gratitude.  He gave a Ted talk that explored happiness. If you haven’t already seen it, check out Shawn’s popular TED Talk here: The happy secret to better work is,  yes, happiness pays off!

Video Shawn Achor

In the following article I found the same exercise of writing down the 3 gratitudes for each day that I have been doing. This can be a life changer.

From Shawn Achor : Those who are happy experience 31% higher productivity, 37% higher sales, 3x greater creativity and 23% fewer fatigue symptoms. Happy people are also up to 10x more engaged, 40% more likely to receive a promotion, and 39% more likely to live to age 94.  

I find the gratitude cards are making a difference for me.  Everything that happens to me both positive and negative, I am grateful because I know everything will be for my highest good. My state of mind is definitely changing. What is wired together fires together and the focus on kindness and gratitude are key in this process of change.

I challenge you to do something for yourself

I challenge you to write 3 gratitude cards a day and to notice kindness in yourself and the people around you.  It takes 21 days to change a habit. Even the things you don’t think are good at the time, you will find were a turning point, a lesson that you needed or something you needed to overcome. Gratitude teaches us to appreciate the rainbow and the storm.

Do this for 21 days and you will notice that you have changed and that the people around have also changed.  It may only be the way you look at them has changed. They may even tell you that you have changed. Watch how you start to feel.

Namaste,

Johanna Baker

To be kind is something I learned early on in childhood. This week in the Master Key we were given the assignment to notice at least 2 acts of kindness. every day for a week. These could  be acts of kindness that we did, or kindnesses others did. The Power of Kindness has an immediate positive affect. Doing these acts on a continued basis has far reaching affects as you will discover in this blog.

Make America Kind Again

Kindness makes the world a better place.  I recently read a sign, “Make America Kind Again.”.  It touched my heart. This made me keenly aware that living in the present time, it often doesn’t feel that way.

Being kind and thinking about the needs of others creates an entirely different feeling for everyone involved.  I have had  many people be kind to me this week.  I have an immense sense of gratitude for the many people who are in my life.

My family is particularly kind to me and I love them so very much and am so very grateful for every family member.

Worldians Peace Through Kindness

The following Video is a great  one on Kindness.  This video is sponsored by Worldians. This video shows us  how we  make the world a better place. These actions can bring about more peace in the world.

Organization that promotes Peace begins with Kindness Click Here to support Peace through Kindness.

Huffington Post on Kindness

Making a more conscious effort to be more kind and to be more aware this week made seeing the results especially rewarding. I wanted to find out what others have done on the subject of kindness. Sean Achor in an article in the Huffington Post was interviewed for his expertise as a Happiness researcher.  He found that performing random acts of kindness for just 2 minutes a day for 21 days actually retrains your brain.  This retraining of the brain caused a person to be more positive, more creative, intelligent and productive.  Wow!

Achor found that this was actually a ‘quality of life’ attribute that caused greater job success, wealth, healthy relationships and better health. He found that Happiness breeds success.  In the US we value hard work and competitiveness, thinking that success leads to happiness. Being Happy as a priority for success  is not widely understood by by most.

More from Sean Achor on Kindness

He continued on to say that  the kindness we afford each other create  better work places and that empathy and kindness actually make people more productive and happier.  The world is currently in a state of political chaos and strife that is high. Just being more kind can put us and the world in a better place. Surprisingly, being kind will have an effect on ending world hunger,  suffering at the hands of war, human rights violations and injustice.  These acts of kindness make our families more harmonious.  This also gives us a sense of well being that radiates to our families, strangers, friends and acquaintances. He pointed out that Kindness also creates better schools,  neighborhoods and communities.

I am so glad to have Kindness  become a more conscious effort on my part and  have it be a part of my life forever. I challenge you to become a part of the Kindness movement to make our surroundings and the world a better place.

Namaste,

Johanna Baker                                                                                                                                                               

This week I have focused on love  Love is a product of our emotions. We know that what we focus on expands.  It is the law of give more get more. What’s guided me daily is to be aware of that I needed to follow my heart.   Everywhere I go I say silently to the people I meet, I love you.  It feels good being in the place of  gratitude  and love for all that I have and all who I meet.  A smile goes a long way to change the mood and express kindness.  What I discovered is that the Law of Love is really the Law of Attraction.

Picturing in my mind that all will work out and the good of all will be for the highest good. Keeping my thoughts for all people for their highest good is one of the things that is very important to  me.   Social Justice is something that is very important to me.  All people should be treated fairly.  I hold the people I know and the people I don’t know in the light for their best outcome.

The Law of Attraction- The Law of Love

During this week I’ve experienced a change in the people I know and see often, in the way they relate to me.  Something is changing within me and also with the people in my life.  I am living in a state of gratitude and writing 3 gratitude cards daily.  One of our assignments was to go back through our life to write down all the things we have done in our life.  Do this for yourself. Take 3 X 5 cards and write down all the positive things you’ve done in your life.  It will change your day.  I was surprised and pleased to remember  all the positive things I’ve done.  It’s all about experiencing some love about who you are and how you have made contributions. I believe this is an example of The Law of Attraction.

The Law of Love  is also the Law of Attraction which brings what is necessary for growth and maturity.  Love also brings about vitality.  Our thoughts of love and abundance are so important to bring that about in our life. It all begins with our thoughts and our words, they are the invincible power that will give it form in the future.  I am excited about the changes I am making through conscious thought and intention.

Namaste,

Johanna Baker

This week we were given the assignment to watch a movie from a list of movies.  I chose “Cool Runnings” to watch. The focus for the week was Persistence, the Jamaican team in Cool Runnings  demonstrate the value of Persistence.  Cool Runnings is the story  about a Jamaican team that tried out for the winter Olympics in the sport of Bobsledding.  As we all know there is no snow in Jamaica. This is the story of incredible determination and persistence against all the odds of having success.  The movie is a version of the true  story of what actually happened when Jamaicans tried out and entered the Olympics in the winter of 1988. 

Derice Bannock is Determined

Derice Bannock  a top 100m runner from Jamaica tried out for the 1988 summer Olympics. Because of an accident where one of the team members,  Junior tripped and fell, he and another team member Yul fell into each other near the finish line and they all became  ineligible to qualify for the Olympics that year.

Derice was headstrong and wanted to compete in the Olympics that year. He had an idea that he would put a bobsledding team together to compete in the Winter Olympics of 1988. This seems impossible, because how will they train  with no bobsled or any snow?  Derice recruited his friend Sanka Coffie,  who was a champion push cart racer to build a mock up bobsled to practice with on the dry ground and hills of Jamaica.  He also  went to his father’s friend Irv Blitzer (played by John Candy)  for his help.  Irv was friends with Derice’s father Ben who had recruited  sprinters for the bobsled team for the Olympics in 1968.

The Coach was in Trouble

Irv Blitzer  was a two time Gold Medalist at the 1968 Winter Olympics.  In the 1972 Winter Olympics Irv was disqualified for cheating and he moved to Jamaica in disgrace. He lives an impoverished life as a bookie. They eventually recruit two of his friends Junior and Yul from the track team; even though Yul is still upset over Junior’s mistake of tripping and falling in the 100m  try out. It disqualified the three runners.

They created a  makeshift bobsled out of wood and took to the hills to practice, many mishaps but they were determined and persitent.  They were going to do this. Hurdles did not deter them. Adversity and disappointments did not deter them. They just kept practicing.

No one believes they will get to the Olympics

No one takes them seriously that they will really compete in the Olympics and they have a very hard time raising money. They tried many fundraising ideas, singing in the street, arm wrestling, kissing booths, nothing worked. Things change when Junior sells his car to give them a great start on what they need.  Junior also had a lesson for his teammates that he learned from his father.  Junior let them know that his father struggled for many years.They were not always in good financial shape.  He became rich because he never gave up and was persitent.  Junior’s father had a goal and he kept working toward it.  It needed to be the same for the team. They needed to keep going and not give up and give it their all.

They arrive in Calgary for the Olympics

The Jamaican bobsled got to Calgary, Canada where they got their first real used bobsled.This is where the Winter Olympic Games were held in 1988.  The team was doing their best but they were copying the the arrogant East German team who told them to go home.  They continued to practice and continued to get better at their technique.  The Jamaicans  finally qualify for the finals but the Olympic Committee  disqualifies them on a technicality.  This was retribution for their coach Irving’s prior cheating scandal.  Irving confronts his former coach from the 1972 Olympic Winter Games and apologies to the committee for the scandal he created in 1972 which embarrassed his country, the USA.  He asks the committee to punish him for his transgression but not the Jamaican team.  The Olympic committee reverses their decision  and allows the Jamaican team to again compete. They are thrilled for the opportunity to continue moving forward toward their dream.

In the Olympic race it looked like the Jamaican team would medal until tragedy struck. Because the bobsled was old and it couldn’t handle the high speed, one of the blades come off, and it flipped on its side leaving them meters short of the finish line.  They were determined to finish the race and they put the sled over their shoulders and walked over the finish line, to a rousing applause from the spectators and Junior’s father. They held their heads high.

The team came home to Jamaica to a hero’s welcome and vowed to return to the Winter Olympics 4 years later. Their persistence paid off.

Trailer to Cool Runnings.

The 4 tiny attributes of Persistence

Cool Running is an example of the 4  tiny attributes of persistence that are taught in the Master Key:

1.  Having a Definite Major Purpose
2. Having a Positive Mental Attitude
3.  Having a Plan of Action
4.  Having a Master Mind Alliance

The Master Mind Alliance was their coach and the 4 team members.

To be successful in your endeavors, this film includes all the elements necessary for success.  It is an example for us all to apply the principles and do the things that it  takes to succeed.  Must have a  definite major purpose, a positive mental attitude where you won’t let any of the obstacles get in your way and move forward with your plan with persistence.  You will probably need to revamp when necessary and figure out what needs to be refined to make the path clearer and more successful.   Have a definite plan of action and work with others in a Master Mind Alliance to make it happen. There is more power with the Alliance than trying to do it all by yourself.

Johanna Baker

Sometimes it takes hearing the same thing again and again, but sometimes said in a slightly different way to really get it.  I am reading OG and also reading my DMP     (Definite Major Purpose) and my 3 X 5 cards religiously. I am hearing again and again that we can have our dream come true.  Tonight I listened to Earl Nightingale talk about “The Strangest Secret”.  It was the same material I hear from MarkJ’s training and read in Haanel’s writing of The Master Key. I finally understand  the meaning “why dreams come true” and what it takes to make it happen..

Why did I hear the answer to “Why Dreams Come True” tonight?

How did I hear it tonight?  The belief in what I want has to be with such conviction and intensity that I will not be denied. Remember as it was said by the Great Carpenter, “Ask and it will be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who ASKS, SEEKS AND KNOCKS, will be given what they ask, seek and knock for.  Sometimes the timing may be off, but if done in the correct way, it will happen. ” That is why Dreams Come True.  We must ask, seek and knock with intensity, purpose,and  continuously with intensity.

Our desire must be with intensity and Single Focus and many times a day. Use the cards, to remind yourself of your single focus. Do the Work with your whole being for 30 days and see the difference. It takes repetition. It takes passion and intensity of  belief.  Do it again for another 30 days.  You will see the difference.

Do the Work!

Johanna Baker