Ironically much of my experiences have already been posted on the forums.
One of the hardest things to do is try and identify what is different and what I learned that it was that helped to change me.
Have I changed, yes for sure.
Summery of my experiences since finding the first Learning Strategies product that I bought; PhotoReading. When I bought it I refused email updates. I said to myself as I unchecked the box. Nope mate I'll see what I get for my investment first. (I didn't know about the forum or the fact that coaching was available; never came across any other product that offered with this kind of support).
March 2002 joined the forums, I found something useful in PhotoReading and wanted others to have the opportunity to experience it for themselves. I was impressed to discover I had complete comprehension from a book that I dumped before because it was utterly boring. I probably spent 20 minutes traditionally rading the book 5 years before and found it utterly boring. Using PhotoReading I got through that book in 45 minutes. I had given it more time simply because I was doing it along with the Home Study course but I felt done after 30 minutes. Based on the recommendation I gave it another 15.
I've experienced spontaneous activation. (still impresses me when it happens 
) Had a unusual Direct Learning experience. It wasn't set up as direct learning I was searching for something else only to discover Direct Learning had taken place.
Next I did the Natural Brilliance course. The impact of that course I have to say I didn't see it coming. I guess it was like walking a path but I stayed with the forums and I took another risk (moved beyond my personal stop sign) and bought Genius Code. Loved that course. It's fun and funny though I knew about Image streaming already in the early 90's but could never bring myself to talk out loud yet probably thanks to Natural Brilliance I moved beyond that stop sign and had some wonderful rewards.
Around about the time I was working through the Genius Code course I was still experiencing frustrations. I had emailed one of the staff and said I'd chuck a tantrum if I knew how, I felt I needed to find a way to get a job or income. She asked Paul Scheele about it and Paul was kind enough to give me a how to method for Chucking a tantrum. 
This was around about May 2002, In June 2002 someone said to me on the forum. Why don't you become a PhotoReading Instuctor. Natural Brilliance must have kicked in because I know a year prior my answer would have been you've got to be joking! That's impossible for me. Instead I thought is it possible?
Genius Code finally gave me a hint that I will do something major to change my life in October 2002 (I had posted that prediction on the Genius Code forum because to me it was incredible.) I didn't know at the time of the image stream that I would proceed with trying and seeing if it's possible for me to become a PhotoReading Instructor.
On the date predicted that I would do something that would change the direction of my life. The contract for Intructor training arrived. I signed it and wanted to mail it straight away... however my brother had my car and he had errands that prevented me from going to the post office up the road. When I finally did drop the letter into the letter box I asked my brother the time. On the day at the appointed hour I commited myself to Instructor Training by dropping the signed contract into the letter box. I had decided to go for it since I had almost all the Paraliminal tapes as well as the Ideal Mindset, Decisive Action and Consisent Achievement set. I figured I had the resources to help me though one step at a time and this was a good way of testing them.
March 2003 I was in Minneapolis to do the Instructor Training. As can be attested by the other Instructor Trainees at the time I didn't know if I could pull it off. After class each day (and they were intensive) I had to write my notes for myself, recalling everything we covered in class. For me it was exahusting that come Sunday at the PhotoReading live Seminar with Paul Scheele, instead of going to lunch I secluded myself for time out.
Then Pete Bissonette announced the August Retreat. It was a heck of a lot of money to travel again and it had to come out of my savings because I didn't have a job or what one could call an income. Natural Brilliance and Genius Code kicked in I knew I had to go.
Prior to attending the Retreat. I had a course to attend. To get PhotoReading classes up and running a business skills course was required. It's normally a 1 year full time course taught in 6 weeks. Thanks to being able to PhotoRead the course manual I was able to do the required work in half the time. I actually only attended the classes because my physical presence was required. However I spent the time phaffing about on the computer (phaffing is a family expressing it means, productively experimenting with something and productin results however I'm not applying my time as I am supposed to be, you could say productive mucking around). I produced Business Card designs for my classmates. Rescued disappearing data from one of their computers and occasionally typing some of my 50 page business plan. I had a great plan and one of the instructors challenged me to come up with some marketing ideas.
Blank page; not one idea came to mind so next morning I brought in 15 marketing and advertising books, PhotoRead them in 30 minutes, (10am) mind mapped 17 appliable ideas that came to mind after just PhotoReading the books. Wrote one and a half pages of bulleted marketing ideas. Got bored again. Did a logo design for one of the classmates. Lunch time said I'm going home (offically to use resources at home for writing my business plan) but technically it was playing hooky. Could have handed in the completed 10 days prior but was not encouraged to do so, so I handed it 2 days early. I presented my business plan to the committee and was accepted into the program.
August Retreat 2003. Wow what an experience. The Abundance for Life course is based upon that Retreat. I can only say I've seen the windows of reality thanks to that Retreat and it was probably influential in the next stage of my life.
I had deferred my starting date with the mentoring program till October. However Pete announce the PhotoReading Retreat. Again, the decision to go came easy but funds were now low. It was going to impact my Certification Class. Well an Image Stream at the August Retreat already hinted at that. I didn't know there would be another reason for me to return to Minneapolis but I did for the PhotoReading Retreat.
After the February 2004 Retreat, I was preparing for my Certification Class to be held in Minniapolis instead of Australia. This was optimum timing for both me and the Master PhotoReading Instructor Trainer. While preparing for the class I got an email from Pete, an idea; he said. "Consider the idea, it's not an offer". He went to England and left it with staff and myself to consider the idea.
I am now the forum moderator and I look after and respond to emails for Learning Strategies. I also do email coaching, some people don't know about the forums.
I'm in the process of getting my own PhotoReading classes rolling. Yes, Learning Strategies courses have changed my life. I've also changed my view about them. I used to consider them resources. Now I know they are only tools, the resources have always been within me. The courses have been and still are tools that I can reach for when I feel lost, overwhelmed or frustrated.
Building a business on ones own is a fair amount of work. Flying solo in a communication era is definately a great challenge for me. I've mentioned that challenge in other posts.
Do things go wrong and overwhelm me? Sure do. Did on Thursday. No internet connection, and the telephone company promised not to fix it over the weekend. Brilliant, I think how the heck can I sort out the emails. Took a deep breath and decided it will survive without me Thursday night... quiet time anyway. Made arrangements with my brother to hook up at his place on Friday (Solution Focus). Brother is not around to sort out his telecommunication set up for me. I don't want to get tangled in it but needed an alternative. Called Mum (mothers are great!) hooked up with my laptop to her telephone line. Was connected 5 hours, when they came home said you still working? Yep. Worked out good for me because she fed me dinner (I usually have to cook and clean it for myself) and had a nightcap and snack before I left.
Decided I didn't like the idea of not knowing when the Phone was going to get connected again. I'd really like to manifest having it repaired this weekend. My brother was having a house warming on Saturday and I had the thought about the telephone so walked into the other room and see a repair contractor outside, I would have missed him if I hadn't had the urge to go into the other room to see about the phone.. I was due to leave in 30 minutes... but hey I can be late they can handle it. Well an hour later a company repair man shows up not much later. 10 minutes later my phone was fixed. I went to the do an hour late.
How exactly have the procucts changed my life? They helped me to see that I have a life and that I have many resources within me that I can use I only need to be patient enough with myself to apply them and see what happens. I've learnt a long time ago that magic happens slowly and like with the Natural Brilliance course... I couldn't see the life changing effect as a result of listening to the Paraliminals that morning, day or week. It's like watching a seedling grow to bloom the magic is a slow progress it's only when you look back that you realise something has changed.
In essence I am the same person I always was. I am discovering how much more I am really capable of like everyone else in the world. Paul Scheele has put together courses that include the works of many individuals on a similar path to self discovery. And there are still many out there. I have chosen to stay with a few long enough to see them work. I know it requires patience I don't think I ever actually "saw" the results of Natural Brilliance so much as experienced it in action. The action was so Natural it seemed like I didn't improve any and yet... I still remember watching the grass grow before I found PhotoReading, frustrated and broken because I really didn't know what I could do. I felt that I had exhausted every possibility.
I know, like everyone else I've often wished that my situation would improve overnight, the reason it didn't ... I wasn't ready to handle it because I didn't recognise the resouces within me and I needed time to learn to use them and place them within my comfort zone. We all live the saying "better the devil you know' simply because we fear experiencing even worse. So any tool that can open us up gently doesn't appear to work and yet works in the most profound way. And when we find ourselves doing battle saying it's not working... our comfort zone is being challenged, this gives us the opportunity to drop the course without risking our comfort zone. We don't want overnight changes, it strikes panic into our system, we start looking for what we might lose. When we can just walk the talk without noticing the change without seeing results from an exercise to let ourselves non consciously apply it in our life and make a painfree change to our experience, then we learned something.
I know and I'm sorry, this is a very long post. I'm sure that some of the folks that have been visiting the forum in the time that I started and since, have wondered how the Learning Strategies products have changed me. It remains hard to say how. I know for me personally Learning Strategies has changed me and added to personal growth as an individual. All that I can really share is my timeline of exepriences since doing the courses.
Alex
BTW, The mentoring program? The dropped me. In the course we were taught to apply risk management. They agree in principle with my risk management decision but not in action. I am actually relieved. The program was taking up too much of my time in additional reporting requirements.
[This message has been edited by Alex K. Viefhaus (edited July 19, 2004).]
