Occupy Wall Street. Occupy Our Minds.

What are people thinking? Here's another take on the 99 to 1 proposition. The vast majority spend their time thinking about the wrong stuff. Whereas, the elite minority think and do things differently. As many put forth a belief in redistributing wealth, how about a redistribution of knowledge. Earl Nightingale wrote it, said it, repeated it a gazillion times, "We become what we think about." Today's world presents an alarming wakeup call and quite frankly a massive opportunity. The internet provides us with measurable insight never before available. A kind of 'Mind Barometer' every time we hit the enter button, we get measured. Let's begin with taking a look at what the search engines tell us about the things that occupy our minds. Here, first, are Yahoo's top searches of 2011:

1. iPhone
2. Casey Anthony
3. Kim Kardashian
4. Katy Perry
5. Jennifer Lopez

The car wreck mentality for the rubberneckers seem to rule the day, but wait, there's more. What kind of questions are people thinking when they search. What answers can they seek to make their lives feel more fulfilled? Here's a sample from Ask.com's list of top celebrity search terms and questions:

1. Kim Kardashian: Was Kim Kardashian's wedding fake?
2. Justin Bieber: Is Justin Bieber going to be a dad?
3. Lady Gaga: Are Lady Gaga's face implants real?
4. Beyonce: Did Beyonce fake a baby bump?
5. Kate Middleton: Who made Kate Middleton's wedding dress?
6. Ashton Kutcher: Did Ashton cheat?
7. Michael Jackson: Was Michael Jackson murdered?
8. Selena Gomez: Is Selena Gomez pregnant?
9. Lindsay Lohan: Is Lindsay Lohan going to jail?
10. Charlie Sheen: What happened to Charlie Sheen's teeth?

While we ponder Charlie Sheen's teeth, who cheated on who, and did Casey Anthony get away with murder as she lived out the most monumental white trash story ever concocted, what better things could we do with that mental power gone wasted. Our own life story is much more important than any of the above gossip mongering the press loves to throw at us daily. Our own story. The story we are in charge of can be magnificent. Years ago James Allen summed up the opportunity we are about to reveal when he wrote, " Into your hands will be placed the exact results of your own thoughts; you will receive that which you earn; no more, no less. Whatever your present environment may be, you will fall, remain, or rise with your thoughts, your vision, your ideal. You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration.”
That last sentence is the one thought that is the foundation for your best chance at success, "You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration.”
If the controlling desire of the masses is to waste time, how much more can you stand out way ahead of the pack of losers, if you search for truth in personal development . The good news is the knowledge is just as available, and for free, as any gossip online.
Here's another astounding fact about internet searches. One of the top websites ranked number 35 worldwide, ahead of millions of sites, with nearly 28 Million monthly visitors is a porn site. That's just one site churning up gigabytes and burning through brain cells like an Arizona dust storm burying Phoenix. And, there are thousands upon thousands more porn sites to hang up your hard drive. This is not an anti-porn crusade. This is to make a relevant point about the statement, "We become what we think about."
As a comparison let's take a look at the world leader in personal development . Nightingale Conant has been around for more than fifty years, produced millions of hours of cutting edge knowledge as the world's first spoken word publisher. Where does Nightingale.com rank in the world for internet traffic? According to Compete.com, the same source for the porno site rankings, the Nightingale.com worldwide rank is not as high. So far, MyPowerPodcast.com, an arm of Nightingale Conant that publishes a free weekly half hour podcast and newsletter, doesn't come close after a year and a half online with personal development topics changing with fresh new ideas every week.
This brings us to your great opportunity promised earlier. If it is true that we really do become what we think about, why not take some of that valuable time to learn a new skill, broaden your knowledge about living healthy, becoming wealthy, and claiming for yourself your own success story that you were born to achieve. Stand out amongst the long line of those who choose to chase the Kardashians, wonder about are those implants or real, and dream about becoming a tabloid page filling, reality show overnight superstar. This is your chance to really make it big. By investing time, not money, time in thinking about solutions to your life - not solutions to the sick and twisted that fill headlines. There is very little news you can use in the daily clutter. However, there are limitless master degrees in success available right now, this minute, in front of you, on that same keyboard that can take you to the University of Success, or the Universal Waste Heap of useless information. Again, the two great lines worth one more repeat are:
"We become what we think about," Earl Nightingale.
"You will become as small as your controlling desire; as great as your dominant aspiration,” James Allen
This philosophy is your competitive edge to earn your place in the 1% elite group.