Bruce Van Horn's Blog, page 2

Life After Sexual Abuse

On August 9, 2016, I released one of the most important episodes of my Life Is A Marathon podcast: “Life After Sexual Abuse with Svava Brooks”

Svava Brooks is a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and the co-founder of a nationwide child sexual abuse prevention and education organization. She is also a certified Crisis Intervention Specialist, a certified Parent Educator, and an Abuse Survivor Coach.

The mother of three children, Svava has dedicated her life to ending the cycle of child sexual abuse through education, awareness, and by helping survivors heal and thrive.

In this episode of my podcast, Svava spoke bravely and openly about her experience of sexual abuse as a child. She also gave us several behaviors to be aware of that are common indicators that someone is being abused, and also of those who might be the perpetrators of abuse.

If you are a victim, or know someone who is a victim of sexual abuse, please listen to this interview: “Life After Sexual Abuse with Svava Brooks”

According to national mental health statistics, nearly 50% of women have experienced sexual abuse, and many have suicidal thoughts as a result. Sharing this podcast interview could save someone’s life!

Additionally, I am going to have honor of working with Svava on September 23-24, 2016, in Portland, Oregon, as we co-lead a “Transform Your Life!” 2-day retreat. Please consider attending this retreat, or consider providing a scholarship for someone who needs to be there but cannot afford to go. To learn more about this retreat, click here.

Life After Sexual Abuse appeared first on Bruce Van Horn.

You Have No Private Thoughts

You have no private thoughts. You think you do, but you don’t!

You think your mind is like Las Vegas. You think “what happens in my mind stays in my mind.” Well, it doesn’t.

All of your thoughts manifest in physical, outward behaviors.

If you’ll step outside of your thoughts for a moment–something you should do you regularly–and just observe them and how you behave when you think them, you’ll see what I mean.

For example: You have certain thoughts about your boss at work. You don’t like him. You think he is self-centered, egotistical, and is only interested in how much money he can make from you and others. You think he doesn’t care about you as a person, doesn’t care about your feelings or personal life. You think you are stuck in this job and just have to put up with him because you have no other options. You also think he has no idea you think these things about him because you have never spoken these thoughts out loud to another soul–not to other coworkers, not even to your best friend!

Guess what? He knows. So does everyone you interact with at work and at home!

Every time he walks into the room, your body stiffens, but you try to hide it by smiling an insincere smile or by asking him how he is today. You can’t wait until one of you can leave the room! When he doesn’t, you breathe a sigh of relief and roll your eyes. The before and after energy your body radiates is noticeable to everyone!

Even outside of work, the mere thought or mention of his name causes the same feeling of resentment within you. You think your friends and family don’t notice, but they do–just like you notice when your friends think or talk about someone they dislike.

A different example: There’s someone else at work about whom you think completely different thoughts. You really like her. She’s funny and always has something positive to say about life another people. You think she cares deeply about you has a person and thinks of you as a very close friend. You have very positive thoughts about her family and personal life. You think you share many of the same interests–books, movies, food, recreation, etc.

While you haven’t specifically told her what you think about her, you are fairly sure she knows. Guess what? She does, and so does everyone around you!

Every time she walks into the room, your face broadens with a big, sincere smile. Your body posture both straightens and relaxes. Your entire body language becomes more animated. You ask how she is doing because you really want to know. When she leaves the room, you feel better just for having been in her presence for those few minutes. The energy your body radiates is noticeable to everyone!

And another curious thing happens: when your boss comes up to you immediately after you’ve been in the presence of the one you like, it actually takes a few minutes for your energy to shift. During those few minutes, you do not stiffen and fake the smile to your boss. You still feel relaxed–if only for a few minutes.

You cannot hide your thoughts because every thought produces energy which radiates out of you and produces physical behaviors.

You can, however, control and modify your thoughts.

The most important thing to remember about your thoughts is that they are just objects, like a pen, a photograph, or a vile of acid. When you detach your “self” from your thoughts and regain the awareness that thoughts are just objects, you are free to choose which ones to pick up, and which ones to leave alone. You always have the power to choose!

It is also important to notice that the negative thoughts you hold for another person usually do not change the other person. The thoughts only have a negative impact on you and your quality of life. This awareness should make it easier for set those objects down and pick up ones that produce more desirable feelings for you.

Isn’t good to know you have the power to choose?

Here’s to your newly discovered super-power!

You Have No Private Thoughts appeared first on Bruce Van Horn.

It’s Time to Jump Start Your Life!

How are you doing? Really?

Is your life where you thought it would be by now? Are your relationships, career, finances, health, and spiritual life at there fullest potential?

If you’re like most people, and I’m guessing you are, you have this “inner-knowing” that you are not living up to your full potential in any of these areas of life. You know you can be and do so much more, but you either tried to improve them and failed, or you’ve just convinced yourself it will never happen and have settled for “it is what it is,” or both.

Stop settling for whatever happens in life and start happening to your life!

It’s time to jump start your batter and get back on the highway to what you know is out there waiting for you to claim it!

You are, hereby, invited to attend “Jump Start Your Life!,” an exciting event that I am hosting with Seanlai (pronounced “Shawn Lee”) Cochrane in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on July 22-23, 2016.

By participating in this Masterclass, you will:

Spend 2 days disrupting the blocks that have kept you from living the life you want!
Learn skills that will empower you to jump start your life everyday.
Grasp how to use “The Mysterious Power” you already have!
Learn how to Stop Worrying and Start Living!
Figure out how to “Re-story” your passion, purpose, and vision back into your life!
Develop a real actionable plan to create the life of your dreams!
Identify your limiting beliefs and how to break through them!
Eliminate negative self-talk, stop criticizing and start coaching yourself.
Learn how to connect the best with the people that matter most.
Gain clarity! Figure out what you and how to get it.
Get feedback and share your expertise with others in a “mastermind” environment.
Have quiet/reflective time to think, dream, meditate, pray, and write.
Receive:

Insight, ideas, inspiration, and practical tools to jump start your life!
A comprehensive workbook for you to keep and refer to later.
Audio recordings of all of the Masterclass sessions


Laugh, cry, dream, have fun, relax, make new friends!
Leave with a compelling vision and excitement about your future!

Click here to learn more about the event and to register today!

It’s time to become the fullest expression of who you where created to be. It’s time to Jump Start Your Life!

It’s Time to Jump Start Your Life! appeared first on Bruce Van Horn.

You Have Ideas that Can Change the World!

How many times per day do you think of something that would make your life, or the lives of others, easier?

You might be at work, or in the kitchen, when the idea to invent something to make some task easier pops into your head.

You might be driving or out for a walk, when you think of the perfect thing to say to someone that could completely change their life or your relationship.

You might be in the shower humming a tune that makes you feel good, yet you are sure you’ve never heard it before…

Every day, you have creative ideas that could change your life and the lives of millions of people, yet you do not act on them to bring them into reality.

There are many reasons we don’t act on these ideas, but most of them boil down to our limiting beliefs about our ability to do it, or the fact that we are do busy and/or complacent with the mundane to spend any time doing something amazing.

Think about this truth: everything you see around you, everything you use, everything you wear… everything started as an idea that popped into somebody’s mind. The only difference between that person’s idea and your ideas is the action that person took to make it a reality.

It doesn’t mean the other people didn’t have the same fears or limiting beliefs as you. It simply means they stepped forward, through the doubts, and took action to create it.

At the time Steve Jobs told his engineers about his idea for the iPhone, they told him many of the technologies needed to create his imaginary device did not exist. He told them to make them exist. He told them, “if I can imagine it, it can be created!”

I believe every idea we have–whether it is to create a product, compose a song, or have a conversation with someone–comes into our consciousness because it is calling to us from our innate ability to bring it into present reality.

Please do yourself, me, and the entire world a favor. Act on as many of your creative ideas as you can. Now!

You have creative ideas that could change your life and the lives of millions of people!

————–

You can listen to me talk more about this on my Life Is A Marathon podcast.

You Have Ideas that Can Change the World! appeared first on Bruce Van Horn.

Your Dreams are Calling. Will You Answer?

Today, your dreams called and said “follow me!”

They called yesterday and the day before that.

They might not call again tomorrow…

Have you ever had people in your life who consistently reached out to you to see if you wanted to do something with them? Dinner, a movie, go for a jog?

You were too busy, or had something else to do, or you were nervous about fitting in, so you made an excuse and declined the invitations.

They kept calling, kept inviting, kept trying to include you in their lives, but you kept making excuses and kept declining their invitations.

Gradually, those people stopped calling and silently slipped out of your life. It’s not that they got angry with you; they just stopped spending energy to draw you into their worlds. They moved on.

Our dreams are the same as these friends.

Our dreams show up in our imaginations, during the quiet moments, or during conversations with people. They say “come on, let’s do this, it will be fun!”

But you’re too busy, afraid you won’t fit in or it won’t be as fun as it sounds, or you are just too comfortable with the status-quo.

Your dreams will keep calling, keep inviting you to come out and play… for a while.

If you keep saying “no, thank you, not right now” to your dreams, they will gradually stop calling and simply move on to let you stay where you are.

The next time your dreams call, take a deep breath and say “Yes! I’m on my way!”

——————————–

P.S.: If you could use a little help saying “Yes!” to your dreams, or in helping you clarify what you really want from life, I’m inviting you to participate in a course I’m teaching called “How to Create Your Dream Life.”

Your Dreams are Calling. Will You Answer? appeared first on Bruce Van Horn.

New Course: How to Create Your Dream Life

Are you living the life of your dreams? Do you have a crystal clear vision for your life–what you want for yourself and for the influence you want to have and the legacy you want to leave for others? If not, you want to take my new 8-week course “How to Create Your Dream Life” This course will give you clarity and help you live every day on purpose.

“How to Create Your Dream Life” is an 8-week online course in which I will guide you through the process of dreaming about, planning for, and taking the steps necessary for creating the life of your dreams.

Course Starts May 1, 2016

How does this course work?

I will teach this course over an 8-week period. Each Sunday (starting May 1, 2016) evening, I will upload that week’s video and downloadable worksheets. You may watch the video and work on the lesson at your convenience throughout the week. Each Thursday, at 12-noon Eastern Time, we will have a live video call to discuss that week’s lesson. If you don’t have the ability to join via video, you can also access the live call via telephone. If you are unable to attend the live call, it will be recorded and uploaded to the site for you to watch when you want to. Each lesson will also have its own discussion forum for you to make comments or ask questions of me or other members in the course. This will be a very interactive experience!

Course outline:

Lesson 1: Introduction to Creating Your Dream Life
Lesson 2: Limiting Beliefs: What are they? How to turn them around.
Lesson 3: The Genie: What would you ask for if you knew the answer was “Yes!”?
Lesson 4: The Letter and The Vision Board
Lesson 5: The Eulogy: How did you influence the lives of others?
Lesson 6: Life Balance: Dream about Your Whole Life, Not Just Parts of It!
Lesson 7: Gratitude is the Secret Sauce
Lesson 8: Conclusion: Start Living Your Dream Life

Registration Fee:

$99.94

The 1st week is FREE,

then 2 monthly payments of just $49.97!

I’m so sure that you will enjoy and benefit greatly from this course that I’m going to give you the first week FREE and then allow you pay the remainder in 2 monthly installments! If you are not completely satisfied with the value you’ll receive from this course, I’ll refund your money, so you have nothing to loose!

This course is for everyone! Business owners and those in leadership positions can take this course and use it create or enhance your vision for the future.

This course will be hosted inside my “Life Is A Marathon” Coaching Community, which means you will have full access to all of the other resources (recorded webinars, group coaching calls, etc.) while taking the course. After this 8-week course is over, you may continue your membership in the community and take any and all upcoming courses as part of your membership, or you may cancel at any time.

Are you ready to create your dream life? 

Register Now by clicking here!  

New Course: How to Create Your Dream Life appeared first on Bruce Van Horn.

Always Believe Something Wonderful Is Happening!

I believe we are hope shaped creatures–meaning our hope in the future determines how we behave in the present. If we believe our future is going filled with happiness and abundance, we will behave, today, in ways that reflect that belief.

I’m also a fan of the quote “Always believe that something wonderful is about to happen!” In fact, I regularly post a graphic of that quote to my social media accounts.

However, I think the quote has the potential to foster the “I’ll be happy when…” syndrome.

You see, your life will not be wonderful until you decide that your life is wonderful.

If you have set a goal with the idea that you will be happy, fulfilled, loved, successful, etc., once you achieve the goal, that is a potentially toxic goal. It is toxic because you have linked feeling those feelings to the achievement of the goal. In reality, they are linked to you making the decision to feel those feelings.

If you achieve the goal and don’t magically feel successful, you will say to yourself “I guess that wasn’t what I needed” and you’ll set a different goal and continue on the toxic treadmill of goal setting.

If, however, you achieve the goal and you do feel fulfilled (or one of those other feelings), it is because you made a decision to feel that feeling.

Another thing to consider is that you can make the decision to feel fulfilled, loved, or successful, right now, without having achieved the goal. If you do that, you will find it much easier to achieve your goals because you’ll already have that positive energy working in your favor. Goal setting, then, just becomes part of your natural growth process, not a requirement for your happiness.

Each day of your life contributes to who and what you are. The actions you took yesterday contribute to the actions you will take or not take today. Same with your thoughts.

If something wonderful happens today, it is not an isolated event. It is because of something that happened yesterday, and the day before that, and each day since you were born!

Consider a woman about to give birth to a child. Someone might say “you are about to experience the miracle of childbirth.” This is a true statement and in keeping with the “always believe something wonderful is about to happen” concept.

What is equally true is she is currently experiencing the miracle of a baby forming in her womb. She also experienced the wonderful miracle of conception. She also perfectly traveled through time and space in her life experience to meet someone with whom she conceived the child.

I do believe it is a very healthy mindset to believe in a wonderful future. However, I think it is much more powerful to believe in a wonderful present and past.

Also, if you believe that what you are experiencing now is simply the path you need to travel to get to your wonderful future, you will move through your present situation with a more positive outlook and energy.

So, I propose a slight modification to the quote “always believe something wonderful is about to happen.” I propose we adopt the mindset of “always believe that something wonderful IS happening, and will always continue to happen!”

——————–

I talk about this in more detail on my Life Is A Marathon podcast

 

Always Believe Something Wonderful Is Happening! appeared first on Bruce Van Horn.

2 Years Ago Today, I Lived!

Today is the 2-year anniversary of the surgery to remove stage 4 cancer from my body (notice I didn’t say “my cancer surgery”).

The surgery did not go as planned, there were many complications, and they nearly lost me on the operating table.

However, it actually went perfectly!

My very painful, long recovery period was part of the perfect plan for my life to make me who I am and to give me more messages of love and hope to share with the world.

So often we focus on what went wrong, what we lost, what will never be the same again. I knew this focus would not serve me well, and this focus does not serve you well.

I chose to focus on gratitude, love, and living. I chose to focus on purpose and I got very clear about what I want. I focused on the future and what I want to achieve. This focus not only helped me survive, but it helped me thrive and overcome odds many did not think I could overcome.

So, yes, 2 years ago today, I nearly died. That is a story I could tell.

But the real truth, the real story is 2 years ago today, I lived and I continue to live each movement in gratitude and love.

Oh, and they told me I may never run again. Almost 1 year ago, I ran the Boston Marathon!

You are only limited by the story you tell yourself about what is possible!

2 Years Ago Today, I Lived! appeared first on Bruce Van Horn.

Reduce the Size of Your BUT!

I just couldn’t help myself. I had to use the wordplay!

The primary reason we don’t get what we really want in life is simply because of the excuses we create for why it’s not possible–so we don’t even attempt it.

It works like this: The creative, dreaming, longing part of us says “Oh, it would be so wonderful to have/do …” Then the thinking, rational, practical part of us says “Yes, it would, but…”

It’s the classic story of the two wolves. You have a part of you that loves to dream and wants to live an amazing, abundant, limitless life. You have another part of you that reminds you of your limitations, the roadblocks, the practical “reality” of why that life is not possible.

Which side is stronger? The one you feed!

In my own life, I have dreamed of achieving many things. I never even attempted many of them because of the “buts” I believed. I attempted some and failed, and the “buts” were there to remind me and to say “I told you so!”

However, in just the past 2 years I have accomplished more, in many respects, than I had accomplished in my previous 50 years of life. I have overcome cancer and complications from the surgery to remove it; I have run the Boston Marathon; I have written an International Bestselling book; my “Life Is A Marathon” podcast has had over 1 million downloads from 194 countries around the world; I have been invited to speak in many venues; and have held my own retreats, in which the lives of others have truly been transformed.

The reason for my personal growth and these achievements is not because I have, necessarily, acquired new skills or talents. No, the main reason is that I have put part of me on a serious diet! I have stopped feeding the wolf that says “but” and have been nourishing the wolf that says “yes!”

What I have learned, and pray that you, too, will learn is this:

The only thing blocking you from what you really want is the size of your BUT!

Reduce the Size of Your BUT! appeared first on Bruce Van Horn.

Pretend it was Supposed to Happen that Way!

Remember when we were kids and we did something embarrassing? Before anyone could tease us about it, we’d say something like: “I meant to do that. I was just being silly!”

Basically, we were pretending that what just happened was supposed to happen that way.

I was thinking about this the other day and it occurred to me that this is a really healthy behavior. It allows us to continue to engage with a positive attitude, rather than getting down on ourselves, or others, because something didn’t turn out like we wanted it to.

No matter how something turns out, pretend like it was supposed to turn out that way!

The more you open yourself up to the possibility that everything in your life has, and always will, happen for your good, the more peace and positive energy you will feel about moving forward into the abundance of life that is already yours.

There is no rejection, there is only protection. There is no failure, there are only teachable moments.

No matter what you have gone through, or are going through now, tell yourself: Life is good! (hint: because it is!)

I talk about this in more detail on my Life Is A Marathon podcast.

Pretend it was Supposed to Happen that Way! appeared first on Bruce Van Horn.