You Too Can Succeed

NINE STEPS TO SELF IMPROVEMENT

2009-07-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

If you are wanting success in your life then you have to have the right formula to get you there.
Here are 9 steps to getting success in your life.

Step 1 - Believe in yourself this is the most important step of them all. Learning to truly believe in yourself and your abilities. It can be as easy as saying to yourself I am loveable, I am valuable, I am important, I believe I can do this.
Step 2 - Learning to follow good character values in your life. It is imperative to have and follow good character values. Being responsible, respectful, being honest, accountable, trustworthy etc... Because if you are not following good character values it will only be a matter of time before it brings you down.
Step 3 - Overcoming your fears it is hard to do but you must break through your fears. Fears are the no.1 stumbling blocks that holds people back and keeps them from taking action and without action you can not reach your goals.
Step 4 - Time Management is extremely important to control what you do with your time so that you can set time aside to work on your goals.
Step 5 - Turning your dreams to goals, you need to know exactly what you want out of life and make specific goals to achieve.
Step 6 - Team work is vital to your success you need to find others who are supportive of your dreams and have them help you along the way.
Step 7 - Making a plan to achieve your dreams. This is laying out the steps to do to get to where you want to be.
Step 8 - Taking action makes things start to come to life. You can start by taking the first step of your plan and start working on it.
Step 9 - Overcoming adversity these are the road blocks that stop us along the way. The key is to keep working away this may mean taking a different approach to accomplish your goal.
If you really want to be successful in your life then the key is to
learn each step properly and how to apply it in your life.

SUCCESS IS NOT JUST ABOUT WINNING

2009-07-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Many people equate success to winning, but success is not only about winning, it is often about achievement and let me explain the difference if you do not see it readily. If you run a marathon and it is your first marathon you should not expect to win it, or even to be in the top three in your age group. Rather, you should work very hard to post an extremely good time, and commit to do your very best.
Then during the next marathon you should concentrate on the time that you completed the marathon in previously. Personal Coaches often talk about people overcoming their PB, or personal best. This means whatever time you have previously posted, it is up to you to better that time.
If the marathon has lots of hills you should not be ashamed if you are not able to complete the same time that you did in a previous Marathon without hills. However, if you run another marathon with that type of terrain and it is comparable then you should be comparing times, and consider your achievement, best efforts, and your personal best.
Eventually, you will note that you are able to compete against other people in your same age group in the running race, and perhaps even get a trophy, medal, certificate, or a ribbon for your competitive value. But you must remember that success is in the mind, and it's more than just about winning. I hope you will please consider this.

DEFINING YOUR GOALS AND ACHIEVEING THEM

2009-07-21T12:58:00.000-07:00

"The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, or ever seriously consider them as believable or achievable. Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them." - Denis Watley
One thing is certain, the mindset required to reach a big goal is very different from whatever is needed to reach a smaller one. No one can ever hope to make it to the top of Mount Everest with the same level on thinking that is required to climb the mountain three miles down the road from home.
The scope of the mindset has to be proportional to the size of the goal. Newton's third law of motion that say, "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction" is also applicable to goal achieving. If a goal is pushed hard enough it will materialize. If not, it will simply fall by the wayside.

A big goal requires a proportional amount of motivation, enthusiasm, focus, work and dedication. Those elements can only spring from the desire spawned by the reason to accomplish that specific goal.
In other word, if there is a big enough reason to accomplish something, the energy, the passion and the dedication needed will automatically spring forth and become available. A person sustained by a big enough reason to do anything will find the wherewithal necessary to climb any mountain or slay any dragon.
So, even before the final decision is taken to start on a huge project, some deep thinking and soul-searching should be done on the reason and motivation behind that objective. The reason/motivation behind the project is the motor that will propel it to completion. It is very important to ascertain that this "motor" is powerful enough to sustain the endeavor to completion. If not, a booster must be found or the project abandoned.

The final element needed to accomplish almost any goal is the ability to work incrementally. That is, to cut any task into chewable bite size. It is said that it is possible to eat a whole elephant so long as it is done one bite at the time.
The same olds true for any major project. Viewed as a whole, it may seem unattainable. Cut down into smaller chunks, it could be said to be a piece of cake.
Confucius said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." So does a gigantic goal. Almost anything is possible so long as,
1) there is a good enough reason to do it,
2) a solid plan is established,
3) previously trodden paths are followed and,
4) the project is cut down to workable single units.

Great people are not born. They are made. They became great by standing on their achievements. Today's technology has given the tools and opportunities to surpass anything that has ever been done before. It's just there waiting for us to claim our birthrights.

Anthony Robins' Beliefs

2009-07-21T02:03:00.000-07:00

Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Colonel Sanders and Mr. Honda made decisions that changed their fortune and changed the world in which they lived. Each one took years to accomplish what they set out to do before they felt success. Yet, they never wavered in their intention, or their decision.
Right now, make two decisions you're passionate about. Passion makes it a promise to yourself. Passion fuels commitment.
The first will be something you can act on, or are acting on right now. Taking action is proof to yourself and others that you can make even bigger decisions. This strengthens your, as Anthony Robbins says, "decision making muscles."

The second is one that inspires you even though it will take even more commitment. This should be one that, as Wayne Dyer would say, causes you to be in spirit. Make sure, when you write your decisions, that they are doable by you.

Beliefs
Anthony Robbins explains that there is a force that controls your decisions. These are our beliefs. We hear about these all the time in Law of Attraction coaching, but, as usual, Anthony Robbins has a unique view.
Before we believe in something, he explains, we can't see it. If someone asks us to hand them a book which we believe has been lost, we might ask ourselves, "where is it? How can he be asking me for this book that we haven't been able to find for a long time?" We might walk into the room where he said it was, and we might look in the place where he said it was, but we don't see it. Finally, with return to explain that we couldn't find it. There might be some feelings attached to that, but nevertheless, we answer that it was not to be found.
Now, if this person did indeed know where the book was, he might walk back into the room where he said it was, and go right to the place where he said it was, and pick up the book from the desk or table or bookshelf, just as he had asked us to do.....
We didn't see it because we didn't believe that it was there. We had no faith in his statement of where it could be found. Yet, it was there all the time.

This, he explains, is the way with abundance.

Anthony Robbins' useful beliefs are
There's always a way to turn things around if I'm committed.
There are not failures in life. As long as I learn anything from something, then I've succeeded.
God's delays are not God's denials.
The past does not equal the future.
In any moment, I can change my entire life by making a new decision.Without these beliefs, or similar ones, we will not be able to see the opportunities or the abundance around us and we will not be able to accept the wealth the Universe has prepared for us.

Visible Goals Equals Great Achievement

2009-07-21T01:56:00.000-07:00

You cannot drive a car without traffic signs, a map, or at the very least, knowing where you want to go. A sense of direction allows man to make decisions, assess costs, and trade off alternatives. Most people are aware of the importance of setting goals in life, but in order to avoid losing motivation, it is crucial to keep your objectives visible to yourself. There are four reasons for that:

First, long-term thinking requires sustained effort: Without reflection and concentration, human life tends to decay into a succession of events without order nor enjoyment. Using your days wisely and making the best of your life is impossible without long-term thinking. Keeping your major objectives in front of your eyes enables you to steer out of time-wasters.
Second, the most scarce resource is invisible: Time continues to flow whether we have a great life or not. In the end, our days will be gone anyway. The question is how to live them in the best possible way. Happiness is never automatic. It requires thinking, goals, action, and progress. Keeping your dreams visible makes you aware of the passage of time and prompts you to move in your chosen direction.

Third, self-confidence wins over random noise: Daily events are meaningless without perspective. In addition, the random noise of nihilism and nonsense tends to discourage clear thinking. Maintaining a list of your goals in a visible place helps you ignore the noise of the world. Knowing where you are going is a fundamental element of self-confidence. It allows you to discard what cannot work and persist in what will. Only by ignoring noise can we put our energies to good use.
Fourth, steady progress is a major achievement: The term success is frequently attributed only to spectacular victories. On the other hand, one should never forget that, behind every major achievement, there are years of preparation and relentless action. Place your long-term goals where you can see them everyday. That is the best manner to remind yourself that something needs to be done right now in order to keep advancing towards your objectives.
You cannot reach your destination without a plan, a list of actions, and the will to correct mistakes as they happen. Long-term goals allow man to evaluate alternatives, discard wasteful undertakings, and learn from experience. Setting goals in life is essential, but without constant action, little will be achieved. Keeping objectives present in our mind is what enables us to align present reality with future achievement.

Punblic Speaking Pt 2

2009-07-07T07:44:00.000-07:00

HERE ARE MORE GUIDES TO PUBLIC SPEAKING................

Practice:
· In front of a mirror - more or less self-explanatory; a mirror allows you to see yourself as your audience will see you. This method is a great way to develop awareness of your body language and gestures, and gives you the opportunity to replace detrimental body language with more powerful alternatives.
· Record your practice - just as with the mirror exercise, this method is a great way to observe yourself from an audience perspective, and correct any ineffective gestures, words, or other components of your presentation.
· Use a friendly audience - ideally, you should aim to practice your speech in front of a person or mock audience (be it your family or friends). You will boost your confidence and gain valuable feedback which you can incorporate to perfect your presentation as much as possible, before you encounter your real audience.

3. Structure:· Outline the speech - outline your opening, the main body of your talk, and your close. You may want to rehearse your opening and close, but be a little more flexible with the core part of your talk. That's fine, but remember that outlining will help to keep you on track with time, and prevent you from digressing from the point.· Organise materials - take some time out to have all your materials well arranged and in order. This will avoid you making any embarrassing blunders during a live delivery.

4. Audience:· Reduce the importance or significance - there are many strategies for doing this. The main thing is to lessen the importance of the those you are delivering to, to ensure you do not suffer stage fright.· Connect with individuals - if you take some time to make connections with a handful of people prior to your talk, you will naturally feel more relaxed when you have to present to the full audience. It also gives you an opportunity to make eye contact with friendly faces that you have already partially become acquainted with.

5. Relax:· Do breathing exercises - your breathing controls your heart rate. If you slow your breathing down, you will naturally feel more relaxed and comfortable. This puts you in a better state of mind to perform at your best.· Lighten your mood - have fun, and enjoy your time speaking. If you're having fun, your audience will too. Author of Speak For Your SUCCESS!, Anneesh Elizabeth has trained many novices in the speaking field, turning them into, confident, impressive and influential speakers. As an entrepreneur, radio presenter, and sought after personal success trainer, Anneesh has personally taken her public speaking skills from good to great, with her proven strategies and techniques.Anneesh's motto is, "The more you speak the more you get paid. The better you speak the higher the

Public Speaking - Pt 1

2009-07-07T07:19:00.000-07:00

The fear of speaking ranks higher than the fear of dying.
A great many people shudder at the thought of addressing an audience. The primary reason for this reaction is that people are generally afraid of looking foolish under the spotlight.
It is this concern about doing or saying something that will appear stupid that causes fear to take root before a speaking presentation is delivered.
The key to overcoming your fear is to reduce the significance of the event. Become somewhat neutral to the idea of making a mistake. In order to do that, you will have to be confident of your ability to handle any situation which arises.

Such confidence is achieved through:

1. Preparation:
· Leave nothing to chance - plan for every aspect of your presentation. From your opening, to your closing, to the jokes, quotes and stories you will use for your main content, everything needs to be pre-planned. Even potentially awkward moments, where technological failures leave gaps of silence should be considered beforehand.
· Your materials - familiarise yourself with all presentation props and any case studies or other content that you will be going over.
· Know your audience - don't wait until you are standing in front of your audience before you assess them and attempt to tailor your delivery.
· Conditions - ensure you have a good idea of the venue, stage, and facilities available to you. This knowledge can prove instrumental, and can prevent any unwanted last minute surprises.

Part 2 is on the way!

Ethics and Integrity

2009-07-06T05:58:00.000-07:00

Why do we hold out leaders, politicians, and those in charge to a higher standard than everyone else. Well, we do, it's a fact, and it might not matter why, as much as it matters that you take notice if you are in a leadership position. How so you ask?
Because if you are a leader or ever hope to become one you need to do a little research and study on ethics. And you need to practice what you've learned in the real world. And while in that leadership position you need to make sure others in your organization take this seriously also, from the top to the bottom, everyone need to be on the same page.
You see, Integrity matters not only with you as a leader and with you leading by example with honesty, but also in your subordinates, and all the middle managers in your organization. And it doesn't matter if you are the President of a large company, running a non-profit group or leading a division of a government agency.
When a board of directors has a member that has a lapse in integrity, the organizational capital of that groups suffers, and it is indeed like a cancer, that if not stopped can sweep through the company or agency. Luckily, you can do something about this. You are the leader, people look up to you and they trust you. Maintain this trust, and maintain an "iron clad honor" to integrity and honesty, and watch your company follow. It works every time! Please consider all this.

Advertsity and Opportunity

2009-07-06T04:58:00.000-07:00

There's an old adage, that suggests; that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger. I'm not entirely convinced that all trouble and strife is heaven sent to strengthen our resolve and turn us into unconquerable uber-warriors. There is a corollary to this view however. The absense of challenge or difficulty often breeds weakness. Observe the the life outcomes of second and third generation offspring born into wealth and privilege. Often a recipe for mal-content and disfunction.

Adversity and Opportunity, are they two sides of the same coin? Adversity has two subtly different definitions. One is; misfortune, affliction, difficulty, trouble, hardship, distress and so forth. This definition refers to a negative reference point or actual manifestation of strife the sufferer of the adversity endures. It suggests a pervasive and passive state of existence. There is a hint of victimization apparent with this state of being.

The other definition of is; contrary, against, opposed. As in an adverse decision or finding.
If an adversity is viewed through our perception lens as less of an actual state but rather a set back, not to be endured but rather as an uncomfortable but temporary situation, then the attitude starts to change. This can then become a wake up call or feedback barometer that motivates us to look for the lessons that need to be learned in order to progress.
The language used to identify our adversities can define them. Simple words such as desperation, distress, hardship and crisis can become self fulfilling. If however in the face of apparent hopelessness we choose to revert to more empowering descriptions such as setbacks, blips, challenges or temporary hurdles, then the internal strength and resources to move forward become more easily engaged.
Opportunity is the enemy of adversity. The word itself is enervating. It conjures up visions of hope and self control. In the midst of even the greatest personal devastation we have a choice in how we respond. The problem may not evaporate but with an attitude of hope and orientation towards finding some opportunity from the depths of the despair some progress may eventuate.
Adversity is either a fixed state of hopelessness or an opportunity to re-analyze new options. There is nearly always an alternative way to respond to any situation and our ability to redefine the experience is the first step.
A life bereft of opportunity would indeed be cursed. Transient periods of adversity may however be a blessing, the fuel that propels our motivation.
Today's crisis may one day be viewed as the catalyst for greater triumphs to come.

Building Leadership Intergrity

2009-06-27T10:42:00.000-07:00

Want to be a better leader? If so, forget trying to be so charismatic. Instead, make sure you follow through on your promises and practice what you preach. In a word, become the kind of straight shooter employees love to work for. Then step back and watch your profits soar! That's the conclusion of a recent leadership study of 6,500 hotel employees, recently reported in the September Harvard Business Review: "The High Cost of Lost Trust," by Tony Simmons.
It really is quite obvious. If employees have confidence in the honesty of their leaders, they are more committed to their work, more open to new ideas, and more willing to follow their boss' lead. They are eager to go the extra mile. This results in greater customer satisfaction, which in turn leads to increased profits. This ripple effect from behavior to profits is striking: Businesses where employees strongly believed their managers demonstrated the values they preached were substantially more profitable than those whose managers scored average or below!
Here are three quick ways to increase this all-important integrity factor.

•Always be honest. If your people don't trust you, what aspect of leadership is left to you? It only takes one lie for a manager to be branded a "liar." By contrast, it takes a lot of truth-telling before your people will ever believe you again. So when you feel the need to fudge, stifle the urge and simply go for the truth.

•Commit to change thoughtfully. Beware of the latest management fads. Remember "quality circles"? Between 2000 and 2002, 90 percent of Fortune 500 companies adopted this new approach. Five years later, a full 80 percent had abandoned them. Resist the temptation to constantly experiment. Select a few good organizational goals and ask your people to move in that direction, slowly. Too much, too fast, only alienates the troops.

•Clear up blind spots. Most managers are not aware of inconsistencies between their words and their actions. Instead, they too often justify their actions, even if they clearly conflict with previous statements. To offset this, pick out a respected colleague who can regularly give you constructive feedback about how you're doing integrity-wise. Consult often, listen carefully, and make adjustments when necessary.
Is all this really that important to your bottom line? According to the study, the link between managers' integrity and a firm's profits pencils out like this: A one-eighth-point improvement in a businesses integrity score translates to an increase in the business's profitability by 2.5 percent of revenues. Not bad for a little more honesty from managers.

Leadership and Development

2009-06-27T10:28:00.000-07:00

Developing leaders in your business is how you make it strong and keeping it growing. It This sounds extremely difficult (and at times it is) but it usually doesn't take much effort to help develop the qualities that someone needs to be a great leader.
I believe that most people already have some of these qualities so it usually takes some nurturing to develop them. Like it was mentioned earlier, it is important to work with someone that exhibits some of these qualities and want to lead a group. Don't try and develop a leader in someone who doesn't want to lead as you'll only be frustrated and they will lose respect in you. They can always change their mind later on. Just reassure them that they will get your help if they do change their mind.
So how do we develop these qualities in others? The first and most important way is to lead by example. You need to exhibit these qualities. You need to set the bar that they need to live up to. Show up on time. Know the business. Act with integrity and be consistent. Set the example and others will follow.
Second, spend time with them so they can see that you are setting the example. This may be difficult to do if you have downline in other countries. That can be dealt with though consistent conversations and following through on items that you said you'd follow up on. Let you're group see that you are setting the example on how to act and the qualities that you exhibit, others will start to emulate you.
Third, work with your chosen leaders. Critique them on their actions, don't criticize. Show them how you would deal with an issue and allow them room to act and make mistakes. This is how they will learn and you'll be more prominent as their leader. Provide them or point them towards other learning opportunities and mentors. Mentoring usually isn't a one-on-one event. One protege can have many mentors, I know I do. Share the workload with others that can add value to their life. Help them get exposed to other leaders as it will enrich their training.
This is a life long commitment that both of you have to make. It takes a very long time to learn how to be an effective leader. They need to know that they can count on you for a long time to help guide them and to provide advice. They, in turn, will have to make the same commitment to you and to the people that they are going to develop as well.

Learn How to Attract Money and Wealth

2009-06-19T13:21:00.001-07:00

The movie "The Secret" introduced the Law of Attraction to the masses. Unfortunately, many people still struggle to use this law to manifest money and wealth into their lives. Even in tough economic times money is still in abundance but as Abraham Hicks said:
"The world is awash with money and you are showing up with your teaspoon."
So here are 7 easy steps as recommended by Dr Joe Vitale, one of the stars of "The Secret", to help you attract more money and wealth in your life using the Law of Attraction:
1. Give Money Away If you felt resistance when you read the first step then this is one indication of where you are blocked regarding receiving money into your life. You may be saying "I haven't got enough money for myself let alone give it away". But the fact is that if you desire more of something then you must be prepared to give it away.
If your circumstances are such that making an actual financial contribution is beyond your means at this time then consider making an alternative donation such as a donation of your time. As your finances improve aim to give away at least 10% of your income. And, when you give money away, give it away joyously. A donation given grudgingly will not enable you to attract more wealth in your life.
2. Get Clear This simply means remove any inner resistance you may have towards receiving wealth. The trouble is that you may not be immediately aware of the many ways in which you may be resisting money. You need to take an in-depth look at how you feel and react towards all the instances where money is involved in your life.
For instance, how you feel towards wealthy people? How do you feel when you pay a bill? Do you feel resentment at having to spend the money or thankful for the product or service you received. Remember that money is expansive and so if you feel resentment when you pay a bill you take your being into a state of contraction where money is concerned - the opposite to the state you should be in if you want to attract wealth.
3. Take Action Opportunities to earn more money are all around you. You simply have to become more observant and when you notice an opportunity take action. Now admittedly, not all the opportunities that come your way will be directly linked to making money but the thing is you don't know how things will pan out. You have to go around the corner to see what lies beyond it.
And as Dave Lakhani likes to say:
"Implementation is everything and money follows action."
4. Support a Cause You can gain immense satisfaction and psychic energy from supporting a cause. In addition, you'll be supporting individuals less fortunate than yourself. There are many "problems" in the world which can be eliminated with money and certainly with more money you can have a greater positive impact on the lives of others.
What's more, the good you'll be able to achieve will go beyond your mere physical presence. Experiencing this first-hand can help to remove your barriers to attracting more money into your life.
5. Get Support There's a limit to how much you can accomplish on your own. Even with just one accountability partner it's amazing how much more you can achieve. Personal Development Experts know this and this is why many of them allow you to have an accountability partner at no extra cost when you register for one of their programs.
Forming a Mastermind group can help you to boost your effectiveness even further as can participating in Social Networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Individuals within these communities can be very supportive of each other.
6. Express Gratitude Expressing your gratitude aligns you with the things you desire. The more frequently and readily you express your gratitude the more you'll attract what you want. So no matter how tough things may be for you, find something to be grateful about.
After all, you're creating your life and if things aren't quite the way you want them to be then maybe it's because there are lessons for you to learn from your current situation that can only be learnt by you experiencing your current situation.
7. Do What You Love It is said that in our purest form we exist simply as love and so what could be better and more joyous than doing what you love. Also take a look at any happy and wealthy individual and you'll see that they are doing what they love. When you have the courage to follow your passion you will attract more wealth to you.

Success Is All About Relationships

2009-06-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

A part of achieving success is to consider the value and importance of sound relationships. In every area of your life you will encounter relationships.
Why relationships?
Because we are human beings and we are designed to interact with other human beings. This involves relationships. Without the appropriate skills and knowledge to manage your relationships the success you are hoping to achieve will escape you.
In the first instance the relationship you must consider is the one you have with yourself. If you don't appreciate yourself, chances are that you will project that dislike to others. The more you appreciate yourself, the better your relationships will be with others. How you feel inwardly will be reflected on the outside through non verbal communication like body language. The higher your integrity is, the more you will feel better about yourself.
The family relationship is the next one to consider as they are extremely important as you tread your path to success. Failure here will not see you succeed elsewhere. You require a supportive partner as a sounding board and someone who encourages you in your endeavors.
Your business relationships follow closely behind family relationships. How you deal with customers and suppliers has a major influence over the security and productivity of your company as well as the success and growth. Poor relationships with these stakeholders will lead to poor performance. In a world of many business competitors, I strongly believe good relationships with your customers is the catalyst to your business success.
It is vital that you learn to manage your frustration as you deal with relationships. We all encounter problem areas and awkward situations that will annoy and irritate us. If you can manage your frustration and in turn reverse a sticky situation with an individual into something positive, you will be well ahead on your road to success.
Treat all people you meet as important and treat them with respect. There is a saying, "be nice to all people on the way up the ladder as you never know you may be meeting them again on the way down!" Be sincere in your dealings with people you meet. You just never know that the person you help might be able to help you or unbeknown to you may even report back to your boss what a great job you are doing! Or not doing, as the case may be!
Finally, you should be able to see how healthy family relationships, a willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty at work, and an ability to consider the next person as important can be instrumental in helping you along your path to success. Success is not achieved alone. The fact remains that we must deal appropriately with people and nurture our relationships if we hope to achieve success.

The Inevitable Successful Life

2009-06-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Live your life knowing that success is inevitable. I just finished Eben Pagan's course Wake Up Productive and let me tell you it was good.
One of the concepts that I enjoyed most about the course was the idea of an inevitable life. That you can set your life up so that whatever it is in life you will get it inevitably. That means everyday you are setting and cultivating habits and working on your most important high-value activities everyday. It means that you have a system that's design for maximum productivity and creativity.
What are your strengths? You should be working your strengths in relation to the high-value activities that you have to everyday. If your strengths align with what you do everyday, and that in turns aligns with a high-dollar level of activity then you will achieve maximum productivity.
To live an inevitable life, you have to design your day with the end goal in mind. Try this exercise, think of your perfect day you want to have 90 days from now. Write about your perfect day after the fact. Meaning start with the line "I had such a great day today..." and explain why that day was so good. That day could be the day you go buy your car you've been eying because you've made so much money the previous three months.
That day you could be getting ready to go on a weekend trip with your spouse. Whatever your perfect day, 90 days from now is, write it down.
Now think about what it is you have to do everyday in order to achieve your 90 day vision. Do you have to make 10 prospect calls a day? Do you have to go the gym everyday? Try to make these activities into a habit and as inevitable as you can.
For example if you want to go the gym everyday, go with a buddy and alternate driving responsibilities. Meaning he'll come pick you up everyday other day, and then you'll pick him up. This way you'll be more likely to go everyday.

Tips For Short Men to Look More Confident

2009-06-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

Many short men are too insecure or not confident around women, especially taller women. If you are a short man, here are a few tips for you to have success with women:
1) Learn to look confident. Feeling confident and look confident are two different things. Some people always look confident, where as others, should work on how people perceive them. If you think you are confident and look confident, ask your friend or others if they think as you do. You could be surprised by the answer you could get. Our perception of ourselves isn't always as accurate as we want it to be.
I always thought I'm confident but people didn't always perceive me as confident and it was a big surprise. So, feeling confident isn't enough, you need to convince others that you are confident. Once they will believe in your confidence this will be a plus in your dating, in your career and other areas of your life.
2) Have faith that you will succeed. Many short men give up on dating life because they think height is their disadvantage. You need to offer to woman what she needs and then you will be desirable by her no matter what her height is. For some women it is very important to have a tall man, but for other women it's more important how good person you are, what kind of morals do you have, if you are rich or famous. Each woman has different set of values and all you need to do is to find out what your woman really wants.
3) Dress well. If you dress well, you will feel better, you will look more attractive and women will like you more or find you more interesting.
4) Be optimist. Expect the best out of any situation, believe people perceive you attractive and desirable. Be the leader, be the first to try a challenging task, be brave and women will notice it. Women love men who posses leadership qualities.
5) Lower you voice. Women love men with a deep voice. Taller men usually have lower voice, so by talking in a lower voice you will be perceived more attractive to women.
6) Listen and ask questions. Don't try to talk too much and impress a woman. Women want to talk more than listen to you. Be assertive what you say and let your woman talk more. Learn to ask right questions and women will love you.
There is much more about what women like in men than just height. Don't focus on your height too much but practice to be perceived powerful and interesting person who has a lot to offer.

Habits, Self-Esteem and Self-Image

2009-06-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

The late Dr. Maxwell Maltz, the plastic surgeon who achieved a great deal of fame through his book, "Psycho Cybernetics", taught that there were four important steps that a person could take on a regular basis to form new habits that can build a healthy new self-image.
Forgive others with no strings attached. Clean the slate absolutely by forgiving every person against whom you might hold some kind of grudge. If you don't take this first step, you can forget the rest-you haven't grown up yet.

Forgive yourself. Try to forget completely all the idiotic things you've done. The pain you've experienced, the embarrassments you have suffered and the mistakes you have made in the past. Again, wipe the slate clean. Look in the mirror and forgive yourself. It's difficult to forgive ourselves. We can be our own worst critic. But the fact is blame is a destructive emotion.
See yourself at your best. You can start your day in frustration or confidence-take your pick. We all have bad days, but it's better to begin the day in a confident mood than in a mood of frustration.
Keep up with yourself, don't worry about what others are dong or what they have. Keep your own pace. It's different from the pace of others. Forget the Joneses and don't feel guilty about moving ahead of some of your contemporaries. Live the life you want to live, earn what you want to earn and do what you want to do. And don't be too concerned about how others are living theirs.
You may ask why a plastic surgeon, a man who helped people recover after disfiguring accidents and gun battles, was such an expert of self esteem. It was because he found in his practice that he could remove ugly scars, birth marks and other deformities from his patients, but they often kept the same crippled opinions of themselves after the surgery had healed.

Dr. Maltz found that, unless he could change the inner person to match the new outer person, the individual remained emotionally crippled.
The same is true of ourselves as we grow into new persons when achieving ever higher goals. We must become on the inside, the person we are becoming on the outside. Perseverance is required.

The Foundation of Self-Esteem

2009-06-05T10:11:00.000-07:00

In my ongoing study of human behavior I have a lot of discussions with people about self-esteem and how it plays such a significant role in our lives. Everyone knows that it's better to have good self-esteem vs. bad, yet what is amazing to me is how few people understand what exactly self-esteem is. More importantly, it's very rare to run across someone that understands where the true building blocks of good self-esteem come from. In this article I'll explore just what makes up the foundation of good self-esteem.
What Self-Esteem Is Not
If you ask the average person what makes them have good self-esteem you'll get an infinite number of answers, most of which are wrong. You might hear someone say they have good self-esteem when they feel pretty. Another might say it's when they make a bunch of money or when they sit in their new car. Most people associate self-esteem with surface level things such as appearance, what we own, or how much money we have. But is that really what creates good self-esteem? Apparently not. After all, the world is full of wealthy, beautiful people that are insecure and miserable inside.
Self Discipline and Self Competency
What really creates good self-esteem is self discipline and self competency. Every time you make a promise to yourself...and keep it; whether to go to the gym, do a task at work, eat or not eat a certain food...you raise your self-esteem. The contrary is true as well. If you eat that piece of cake you know you shouldn't, or you procrastinate a project until it's too late to do your best...each of these lowers your self-esteem because you are breaking an implied promise to yourself of what you know you should do. This is why self discipline is a root creator of self-esteem. While looking pretty, being in shape, making a lot of money or driving a nice car are all fun things that you enjoy, the real pleasure comes in knowing that you exercised the self-discipline to EARN those things. That's the pride of self-discipline which leads to self competency which in turn leads to self-esteem.
Think for a second of the spoiled child of a wealthy person that has been given everything but never had to earn it from his own self discipline. He is not self competent. Inside, as much as he might try and put on a front of self worth in fact he is insecure because he knows what he has he has not earned. This lack of self competency and the low self-esteem that accompanies it is rampant among those that did not earn what they have and they frequently put up facades of arrogance, snobbishness or anger. Personality flaws such as these are sure signs of low self-esteem as the self competent person has no need for building walls of denial to hide behind.
One of the best ways to build self-esteem is to have a regular workout routine. The simple act of keeping a promise to yourself each and every day will build a foundation of self discipline that you can then use to conquer other objectives in your life. Remember, your brain is just like a muscle in that the more you do something, it actually grows more neurons and customizes and strengthens chemical and nerve pathways to reinforce your new habits, making it easier to stick to. This ability of the brain to change and adapt even in adulthood is called neuro-plasticity and is a great subject to know about for those seeking to pursue greater self-esteem and self-awareness

Self Respect

2009-06-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Things you should be asking yourself when looking for a woman is, 'If I were a woman, would I find me attractive?' OK I know it sounds a little strange but it does make perfect sense. No I'm not talking about your physical looks but more who you are as a person. Think of an example like this; a guy sits in his room all day lazing about getting fat and lonely. Let's say this person decides to go out and meet some HOT CHICKS! Put yourself in this guys shoes. Hopefully it shouldn't be too easy!
I want you to ask yourself exactly how you feel right now being in this guys' smelly shoes. Exactly how successful do you think he is going to be tonight? Sure he's earned a little respect from me for going out and taking a risk for once but just think for a minute about how his life right now is influencing all those signals he's giving out. He's become so self-conscious about how terrible his life is, that you can literally see it written on his face.
Now imagine a guy who works out every day. He eats healthily, he's got a job, hobbies, friends, aspirations. On Saturdays he does charity work for the homeless. He takes a dance class and also does a little kick boxing too. He's had trouble getting laid in his life but he's working on himself completely. He's chatty and tries to make conversation with all kinds of people. He has a positive attitude and isn't afraid to assert himself as an alpha male. He speaks clearly and from the heart. He knows what he believes and doesn't compromise his opinions for anyone. His friends and family respect him for being the same on the inside as he is on the outside. He is not afraid of taking risks and he is not afraid of exploring his sexuality.
Right, well it may take a slightly bigger leap of the imagination to insert yourself into the shoes of superman here but I want you to give it a try. Imagine for a moment being this man. I hope you can understand the point I'm trying to illustrate here. To give yourself a good chance with women you need to respect yourself. You need to enjoy being in your own company and you need to be shaping your life into something that you have admired in other people.
I'm sure you've said plenty of times, 'Oh I wish I was that guy. Wouldn't it be great to have his life.' Well, what's stopping you from making your life something awesome? That's right, the only thing that is stopping you is YOU. Remember, if you do things as you've always done them then you're going to get what you've always got!

5 Symptoms of Low Self Esteem

2009-06-05T09:36:00.000-07:00

Symptoms of low self esteem are like symptoms of any other malady; they are indicative of an underlying problem that, unless treated, is likely to get worse before getting better. And as I stated earlier, health self image is your permission to succeed and without it, personal fulfillment and happiness are unlikely to become reality in your life. Following are my top five symptoms of low self esteem along with some illustrations from "Conversations with Katherine". If you recognize yourself in any of them it might be worthwhile to investigate my section on "improving low self esteem".
1) Blaming Others
Casting blame is a defense mechanism that prevents us from accepting personal responsibility and the consequences of our actions. If you don't like the results you're getting in some aspect of your life you may find it too painful to tell yourself ,"You were wrong"; that inability to admit and accept your shortcomings is another symptom of low self esteem.

2) Inability to Love or Be Loved
It is my contention that our ability to love others is directly proportionate to our ability to love ourselves. The person with tarnished self image is, by definition, not very fond of himself and this lack of self love manifests itself in his relationships with others; why?

3) Reclusion
"It was 8 a.m. and Ruby was in the restaurant she owned doing prep work for the day ahead. She enjoyed the early shift as it gave her time to think without being disturbed."
"She went back to her salad preparation, alone now except for thoughts of her past."
"She worked the cash register through lunch then informed her manager that she'd be gone for the rest of the day.
Throughout "Conversations" we see Rudy interacting with very few people, and only twice someone who was not part of his family. He was an unsocial and introspective person. He preferred to spend his time alone with his thoughts, often self-analyzing and trying to answer the question that defined his self image: "What's wrong with me?"
4) Inflated Pseudo-Ego
One common strategy for dealing with low self esteem is denying it is real and acting as if you are actually quite satisfied with yourself. Bragging and bullying are manifestations of this tactic but more common would be the obsession with the accumulation of evidence of your overall well-being. (This is not to suggest that everyone with a nice house and fancy car is a closet depressive, by the way.) In an interesting dynamic we often see people achieve great success only to lose it to self-destructive behavior. As in #4 above, the dissonance between the reality of success and the perception of unworthiness must be resolved. And often that resolution comes in the form of self sabotage.
5) Addictive Behaviors
Behind every action we take, every result we strive for, everything we want in life there lies one motivation: we want to feel good. Low self esteem feels bad and the person who suffers from it wants it to go away. Drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gambling and sex are just a few of the myriad of possible cures for what ails you. And in an interesting corollary, the destructive nature of many of these types of remedies tends not to deter the abuser. Often they believe at some level that they deserve whatever consequences may ensue from their addiction.
T
hese 5 symptoms of low self esteem are only a few of the ways that this far-too-common affliction shows its face. Body image problems, resentment, perfectionism, guilt, distrust and, at the extreme, suicidal tendencies are a few more outward signs of low self esteem.

Just watch out for these signs!

Step to Attraction

2009-05-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

Many people are interested in learning how to use the law of attraction to achieve success in their lives. Whether the desire is for more money, better relationships, or just to create an overall sense of well-being and happiness, these are the desired outcomes. Yet, most people are failing to really get a grasp on what they can do to achieve that success at manifesting the things that they want.
Worse yet, many law of attraction gurus who stood firmly behind the Secret movie a few years ago are now saying that it was not enough( we already knew that) and now they are coming out with more and more products that contain even more "secrets" that will help you to unlock the law of attraction.
The fact is that most people when they are starting out want to create very radical changes in their life and this takes time. There is no real way to get around that. You can learn how to speed up the process but the claims that it is just as easy to attract HUGE changes for most people is a bit unrealistic.
There are many different ways and methods that you can use that will help you to speed up the attraction process by letting go of your inner blocks or the beliefs that no longer serve you well. There are also many ways that simply are too far fetched and really have no merits at all.

Attract What You Respect

2009-05-30T12:10:00.000-07:00

Do you feel stuck stagnant and unable to see results? Have you tried using the law of attraction without seeing results? There is something you can do to dramatically change your reality. In order to change your present reality you must become aware of your focus.
Every day in every way you are focusing upon things in your environment. You have given your focus to the same things over and over and over again. When you feed so much of your focus to the same routine, the same people, the same environment, you continue to attract the very same conditions over and over again. Now do you see how easy it is to becomes the trap?
In order to get the law of attraction to alter your life you must detach from the same conditions that you do not like. If you continue to feed your mind the same focus then those conditions hold you and lock you in. This is the reason many people fail to see results with the law of attraction. While they may be visualizing what they want for a minute they are giving most of their focus to things in their present environment.
The only way to change your present reality is to incorporate a new technique which includes visualization. But what is the one thing that often keeps you from visualizing your goals? All too often people complain about not being able to actually visualize.
Many people complain that they cannot see the images in their mind. When they sit down to visualize nothing happens and off a few minutes they give up. Sadly, people who have this complaint often miss out on the true key to activating in the law of attraction in their favor.
After good visualization technique you can begin to shift your reality dramatically. However in order for visualization to work you must begin to activate all of your sense. By opening up your senses you engage all parts of your brain. As your brain becomes activated to what you're trying to attract you will find that the law of attraction begins to move you in the direction of your desired outcome rapidly.

Power Of The Spoken Word

2009-05-24T06:15:00.000-07:00

The power of our words is phenomenal. But the power of the words within our minds is staggering! The continual dialogue that is going on inside your head is charting the course of your life. It's determining the level of success you are achieving. Stop and listen to your conversation that you are having right now? Do you like the direction in which it is taking you?
Let's look at how we can take more control of the self-talk and improve this day and also the direction you are heading in your life.
5 Steps to Controlling Your Self-talk:
1. Be aware! The more often you stop yourself and take note of the conversation going on in your head the more aware you will be of what direction you are taking. As you become aware you will take back the power of controlling the types of self-talk that are taking place.
2. Choose a better path. When you realize the enormous power you hold in your brain with the words you say to yourself you will find a new motivation to control the direction you take. Decide to choose a better path so you can experience the benefits of positive self-talk. Making this choice will be your greatest step in the direction of following your dreams.
3. Fill your mind with good things. Choose to find good things to think about and discuss with yourself. Focus on positive, encouraging words to say to yourself. You don't have to tell yourself lies - that won't have a positive effect on you. Instead find ways to say things like: "I don't have to finish all the food on my plate." "This project will stretch my mind and make me stronger." "Exercise will bring health to my body." As you practice finding positive things to say to yourself the process becomes easier.
4. Discipline yourself. There are many things we do in life that we don't always have the desire to do. Doing them despite our feelings is how we develop discipline. The same goes for changing the direction of your self-talk. Though you may not feel like it or you might not see immediate results the discipline you exercise over your internal words will reward you. Choose to discipline your dialogue and become the person who is in control of your thoughts and as a result your life.
5. Be deliberate. Be persistent. Taking back the control of your inner dialogue will take a concentrated effort. Find ways to remind yourself to stop and think about what you are thinking about. Then redirect the train and set it on a track of positive, encouraging thoughts. Be persistent in achieving discipline over your thoughts. Find yourself reaching your goals and experience the power of self-talk.

2009-05-21T07:23:00.000-07:00

Thought it would be a good idea to write an article about some major failures, so you can see what happens to a man or woman that keeps on failing in what they try to achieve in life.
First case of major failure
One man experienced a lot of failures in the beginning of his career during a period of almost 30 years. Here's the short version of the list of his failures:

1. Nervous breakdown
2. Was defeated when running for Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
3. Lost re-nomination to congress.
4. Was rejected Land officer.
5. Defeated when running for Senate.
. Lost nomination for vice-president.
7. Lost senate again.
Then 1860 he was elected president and is today considered one of America's Greatest Presidents. His name is Abraham Lincoln. What a failure?
Lincoln experienced many failures, but he was never a failure because he never gave up.
You can't fail unless you give up - to ensure success you just never give up. "Winners never quit, and quitters never win!"
A few other examples of "failures" include Walt Disney who went broke numerous times and had a nervous breakdown. Enrico Caruso failed so many times in singing class that the teacher continuously tried to make him give up his dream of becoming the worlds best tenor. He didn't give up.
Henry Ford went broke, then became the richest man in the world. Albert Einstein failed courses in math, so did Werner Von Braun.
Thomas Edison failed over 6000 times before he invented the light bulb. Jesse Livermore, the worlds greatest stock trader of all time, went broke time after time and made back the millions after each failure.
No matter how many times you fail, you are never a failure as long as you dont give up! You just need to get up just one more time than you fall down in order to be successful.
Failure is an event, not a person.

Dream Big!

2009-05-21T07:12:00.000-07:00

Philosophies, attitudes, actions. How you think about life and how you look at things affect your attitudes and how you deal with situations in your life. Philosophies are the key foundation on how you will travel down the path of your life. Your actions will be the vehicle that send you down that road, good or bad.

The beauty of living in a free society is that WE all have the responsibility for our own path in life. There are many examples of people who have taken a bad situation and turned it around for the better. They took responsibility for themselves instead of blaming others for their situation. If you can learn to create a foundation of GOOD philosophies, then you will affect your attitudes on how you deal with situations and your actions will reflect your foundation. You will have created a successful style of living that will transport you down the road to a life filled with rich experiences, personal growth and the ability to pass the baton to others and inspire them down the same path.
One of the philosophies I talk about is dreaming. My personal belief or philosophy is to DREAM BIG and EXPECT BIG? Why not? As far as we know, this is the only life we have to live, this is not a practice run. I have never met someone who aspired to be a drug addicted thief but I have met many people who dreamed of being a Doctor, Entrepreneur, Professional Athlete, Politician, Scientist etc. These great people used their BIG DREAMS to fuel their SIMPLE choices in life that led them down the path to achievement.
Remember the formula from Math class? Rate X Time = Distance
Here is another formula for life:
Focus/Passion/Action X Commitment/Time/Patience=Success/Accomplishment
This formula has worked for mankind throughout the generations. When I discovered the pieces of this formula I was able to take myself from a very bad situation to a level of achievement that many people will never have the chance to attempt.

Why was I able to change my life so drastically? I DREAMED BIG and EXPECTED BIG? I fueled my simple choices with those dreams, changed my path and used that life formula to head on a different journey.

More Tips on How to Make a Great First Impression

2009-05-04T11:55:00.000-07:00

1. Compliments
A genuine compliment can always make someone warm up to you. And with very little effort it is possible to find something to compliment in every one (unless you are too cynical of course, in which case you would have to put in more effort and combat your natural instincts ;) ).
2. Punctuality
Be on time. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. Everyone is bound to feel antipathic towards people who keep them waiting, so be a few minutes early. Being late on your first meeting is an irreparable damage.
3. Small talk
Making small talk can be really helpful in bonding. You may even end up finding something in common! So remember to stay current on the latest news and events. Casual conversations before or after you talk business can help smoothen the relationship.
4. Posture
Standing and sitting straight is an important non-verbal cue you send out to others. It helps project an image of confidence and capability.
5. Being yourself
Do not try too hard. Try to relax and be yourself, and don't think too much. Tell yourself that the people you meet are all human beings after all, and that you will be just fine.
6. Forgiveness
Remember that the person who is meeting you for the first time is also susceptible to faux pas. Give them the benefit of the doubt and cut them some slack even if they aren't perfect. Who knows, that person may even turn out to be your best friend in the future!
7. Manners
Politeness and courtesy are very important. Make sure you are well-mannered and do not make rude comments or racist/sexist jokes.
8. Listening
Keep your ears open for what others have to say. Most people love to hear their own voice, so a good listener immediately gets an entry to their good books. Resist the temptation to boast or tell long stories about yourself, and let the other person talk. This does not mean being silent though. Ask questions, be interested in the other person. And do join in on the conversation.

Tips to Make a Great First Impression

2009-05-04T11:51:00.001-07:00

The first few seconds are all it takes for a person to form a first impression of you. And people stereotype you in those fatal few seconds, and it is an uphill task to try and change it later on. So in stead, try the following 16 tips to make a great first impression, whether it be a date or a business meeting.
1. Attire
Attire can really make or break a first impression. Always make sure you wear an appropriate dress for the event. When in doubt, err on the side of being too formal. A nice dress does go a longer way in making a great impression that one would think.
2. Grooming
Personal grooming is also equally important. Having well-groomed hair, nails and a tidy appearance will create a positive image of you.
3. Smile
A smile from the heart can do wonders. Smile openly and happily, let it shine through that you are truly glad to meet this person. A winning smile is an unavoidable weapon when you want to charm someone.
4. Eye contact
Eye contact is very important when you first meet someone. It says that you are open and honest, and gives a nice impression of you. Make sure you maintain eye contact.
5. Mirroring
Mirroring the other person's body language, tone, posture etc is a very important factor when it comes to making a favorable impression. But make sure you do it in a subtle manner, and make the other person sense it subconsciously rather than consciously.
6. Body Language
Keep your body language open. Do not cross your legs or arms, keep your hands so that your palms are visible to the other person.
7. Confidence
Being calm and confident will surely make others take a liking to you. On the other hand, if you appear diffident and nervous, it will make people feel unsure about you and make them ill at ease too. So try to be cool and collected throughout the first meeting.
8. Positivity
It is very important to keep in mind that you should talk only positively the first time you meet someone. Keep away from gossip or negative comments, even if it is just about the weather. People will tend to classify you as a full time whiner even if you are just having a bad day. So remember to talk positive during a first meeting.

Tips For Building Self Confidence

2009-05-04T11:45:00.002-07:00

Almost everyone wants to build more self confidence. Self confidence is like a bank account, you need to make regular deposits into it to keep it growing. Here are 5 great tips that you can start using immediately; I know they work because they have worked for me over the years.
1. Focus on your strengths. Self confidence means freedom from self-doubt. People who have a lot of self confidence focus on what their strengths are, not on what they can't do. Everyone has weaknesses, but the difference is the not everyone dwells on them. Make a list of your strengths today and focus on things you do well.
2. Set goals. Having achievable goals is a quick way to become more self confident. Having goals gives you a sense of purpose and by achieving those goals over time you will gain self confidence. If you don't have written goals, start today. There are many great programs on goal setting available in bookstores or available online.
3. Smile. It is a fact that you can't feel depressed when you are smiling. In fact in one study done a group of people who were depressed were told to smile in a mirror for only a few minutes a day. The results were amazing. Most of the people improved how they felt.
4. Change your posture. Picture in your mind someone who looks depressed. That pictures likely shows someone who has hunched over shoulders and a sad expression on their face. Now picture someone who has a high level of self confidence. That picture probably shows someone sitting straight up and a bright smile on their face. Just by changing your posture you can improve your emotional state.
5. Be Grateful. Being in a state of gratefulness is another way to build self-confidence. Everyone, no matter how bad their situation can find something to be grateful for in their lives. By being grateful and focusing on the good things in your life you can improve your outlook. Spend some time every morning when you wake up being grateful for what you have, and your whole day will go better.
As you can see building self confidence comes down to your mind and how you think. Having all the self confidence you want is within you right now, if you just change the way you think. Start today and use at least one of these tips and you will see and feel a difference in your life.

The Mindset of a Millionaire

2009-05-04T11:35:00.008-07:00

If you were to take a journey through the jungles of Africa, you would not hesitate to find a guide who had been there and really knew the territory. You would want a guide who knew every pitfall that might spontaneously pop up and every path that could end up being a dead end.
The same holds true when you want to journey into the land of being a millionaire. The millionaire journey is a life-long journey, not a quick vacation, and it takes know-how to both obtain and to hold onto money. You need a mentor to guide you every step of the way and keep you from back-tracking. There are no exceptions to this if you want to experience peace, joy and laughter in the process.

What Makes Up Your Mindset?
What does it mean to have the 'mindset' of a millionaire? Just what is a mindset? If you take those thousands of little thoughts that go through your mind each hour, add in a few dozen fantasies of how you could have done or said something different a few hours ago or last week or five years ago, mix in some nagging 'shoulds' about what really must be done yet today, and shake these together with emotions ranging from tickled with delight to depression and defeat, you have an overview of what a mindset is. It's the the summary of your total belief system of a subject.
The Mindset of the Not-So-Rich
The mindset of the non-millionaire resembles an hourglass with all the grains of thoughts and emotions stuck together on the bottom. Nothing flows. Creative abundance never bubbles up over them. The same thoughts, same feelings are tightly woven together day after day. "I can't ... if only ... I'll never get the bills paid!" The mind remains set on not letting abundance in.
When you add up all your mental and emotional activity during a day's time and find it was saturated with thoughts of how to get a raise and what that person over there thinks of you, and you're begrudging the lifestyle you have created, then you have the mindset of the non-millionaire. All thoughts of money in the not-so-rich mindset bring pain! The 21st Century Academy teaches how to convert this pain into financial delight and contentment.

The Delight of the Millionaire's Mindset
If you experience joy, delight and deep satisfaction whenever you think of money or your various financial situations, then you have the mindset of a millionaire. The spontaneous thoughts that pop up as you drive down the street are full of creativity and give you a sense of happy anticipation. It's as if positive money thoughts almost leap-frog over each other to be recognized.

Persuasion Techniques

2009-05-04T11:25:00.001-07:00

Some people go about life, blissfully unaware of the subtle influences that other people may be trying to show them. But the art of persuasion is being used everywhere. While some people may be using persuasion techniques in order to sell you a product, others may be trying to get a date or trying to get you to join their religion.

Common persuasion techniques include creating needs in others, which can be basic or social needs. Others can include the use of certain powerfully persuasive words.
Perhaps one of the most important persuasion techniques is creating a social need. An example of a social need is the need to be popular and have everyone like you. Many would say that this is not an important factor in life; however, it drives many people to do certain behaviors.

The art of using powerful words is also one of the top persuasion techniques. You will find these examples on television as well or maybe on labels and in print advertisements. Advertisers will use words such as new, natural and free. These three words have been known to get the consumer's attention and that is exactly what the advertisers want! Persuasive words can also be used by pretty much anyone who is trying to elicit a certain behavior out of another individual or group. Some more of the most influential words include: discover, proven, guaranteed, save, good and easy.
Gaining an awareness of the many persuasion techniques going on around you can prove to be one of your biggest assets. It can help you when dealing with strangers, your personal life and your work life. Learning the art of persuasion can be the difference between meeting your life goals and falling short. It can also help you to gain an understanding of when other people and companies are using persuasion on you. You will then be able to keep a clear head and only allow yourself to be persuaded in situations where you would like to be.

KEY TO SELF IMPROVEMENT

2009-05-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

The great way to improve you is to learn the art of true forgiveness. Many people say they forgive someone for an act, yet in reality, they are still harboring ill feelings about the event. That is not true forgiveness. It is setting the issue aside for future times to do something about it or to talk about it all over again.
The steps to true forgiveness of an act performed against you is to first recognize you feel you were treated incorrectly or wrong. Deal with the emotions including the hurt, betrayal, and any other negative emotions you might be dealing with.
The second step is to put the true value of the wrong into perspective. That means, does it really affect your life or are you allowing it to affect your life by not letting it go. If it really does not affect your life, do not let it continue to have a place in your life.
The third step is to forgive the person. This includes not holding the act against the person any more. Do not think about it any longer. You do not have to place yourself back to the original state of the relationship if the person has misused trust by the act. Yet you can resume a life without letting the incident effect you and your life in a negative manner.
The fourth step is to not want any kind of repercussion of the wrong you experienced. This means that you are not to wait for the person to "get what they deserve." Keeping that mind set will only keep you thinking and reliving the entire incident and you will not be able to move on with your life. Consider the bad incident completely behind you.
The fifth step is to no longer dwell on the issue. It is now no longer any conscience or subconscious thought in your head. Remove all aspects of the situation from your life and mind.

Releasing the bad situation from your life allows you to lead a happier and healthier life. It will no longer control your actions or thoughts. Do not allow anyone to have control of any part of your life, especially if the control is a negative controlling action.
No one wants to have someone else control their life. When you let a negative act control you, you allowing that person inadvertently have control over you. Since you need to have control of your life, stop allowing the incident to affect you immediately. Take back the control you have given to another person.
There are people in the world that have created a happier life for them by using this technique. It works well and is essential to maintaining a better quality of life. It takes practice to live this way. With time, patience, and practice anyone can apply a method to their life.

Tips to Success

2009-04-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Most folks tell you that they are not happy with their life. But then they never do any thing to change the out come of their life.
They just live life day by day without any true direction letting what happens by chance decide their fate.
Here are 3 Key Tips to Achieve Success In Your Life.
* You need to know what it is that you want in your life. You need to take the time to ask yourself that question and really listen to what you answer back with. It is best to do this some where that is quite so that you can concentrate and get in touch with yourself. You will need to write down your answers be specific and in great detail.
* When you are done doing this and have your list of what you want to accomplish and have in life then you must make goals for each item. You need to make it specific in great detail and make it obtainable and give it a dead line of when you would like to accomplish this by.
* The next thing you want to do is take one of your goals and form a plan of action and then get started working towards accomplishing your goal. You will have some obstacles in your way but do not allow yourself to give up. You will need to keep working away till you accomplish your goal.
The key to your own success is making your life what it is that you truly want it to be so search your heart and your soul and make it happen.

Time Waster #5

2009-04-01T21:08:00.000-07:00

Time Waster #5 Looking for Things

An easy way to create space in your day is to stop wasting time looking for objects. How much time do you waste looking for the same items, every day, over and over? Keys, cell phone, Blackberry, etc.
How much time do you spend looking for what you need every time you start a project or task? What a waste of time! You go to do some cleaning, and you left your supplies in another room. You are ready to start a job fixing something, and you cannot find the tools you need to start, let alone finish. You go into your office and nothing is where you thought you left it.
Stop. It's time to get organized. Break the organizing into small steps and do it once and for all.
Decide on a place for items like keys, phone, etc. and always keep them there. Sounds simple, but so many of us do not follow this rule, and we spend way too much time looking for lost items and getting frantic on our way out the door.
Children and students need to find one spot for their backpacks and school supplies. Every night, backpacks, lunches, and projects can be put in the same place, preferably near the door, so there is no last minute freaking out before the day even begins.
Think of the trouble spots. Where do you get slowed down the most? Start with the one that bothers you the most, and go to that area. Buy containers and boxes to hold supplies. Keep them in the same place, all the time, with warnings like DO NOT TOUCH if you anticipate problems. If you are overwhelmed, there are professional organizers who do this work. They are able to help you "zero in" on the trouble spots and give you good, solid suggestions on how to become more organized.
Once you have your tools and supplies in place for all projects, and your phone and keys in a regular "home," you will save huge amounts of time.

Good Luck

Time Waster #4

2009-04-01T21:02:00.000-07:00

Time Waster #4: Computers
Computers are wonderful and have changed our lives in so many fantastic ways. But we waste a lot of time on the computer. We spend hours on the computer and don't even realize it. Sometimes we need to be using the computer for work, but what about the non-working computer time?
Try timing yourself the next time you go to your home computer. You may be very surprised by the reality of how much time you are spending there. Once you know how much time you're spending in front of the computer do this:
Make a list of activities that take the same amount of time.
For example, if you spend 2 hours in front of a computer every day, what activity could you do in that same amount of time?
Could you exercise instead? Could you read that book you have been meaning to finish? Could you spend more time with people you care about?
Stop checking e-mail all day long, and start checking it three times a day instead.
Do not read every e-mail. You really do not have to. Certain e-mails are probably necessary (depending on what you do for a living). Others waste your valuable time. Eliminate these from your inbox and create tons of time in your day. Delete the spam. Delete the ones that raise your blood pressure as soon as you see who they're from.
Finally, delete the ones that have FW: in front of them.
If you send e-mail make sure they ADD VALUE to people. If they don't, then people will delete them without reading them...as well they should!)
Cutting down on computer time can create huge amounts of time in your day.

Time Water No #3

2009-04-01T20:53:00.000-07:00

Time Waster # 3 Television Viewing

Television is a huge time waster. We need to take back the time TV viewing is stealing from our lives. Examine what you are really doing when you sit down to watch TV. Is this television viewing really a good way to spend your time? Is it really necessary to have it on every night? Are those programs really that good that you want to sit there staring in a state of hypnosis?
I have learned various tricks to shorten the time television takes from my daily life.
Enjoy the wonderful benefits of TV and recording. You don't really have to watch a show when it is broadcast. Taping it and watching it later can give you back 15 to 20 minutes when you zap the commercials.
Pick some shows at the beginning of the week that will really be fun to see and only watch those. Become more discriminating about what you watch and plan ahead. Teach your children to do the same.
Stop watching all the news broadcasts. Remember, the news business is a business. Most of the time that business seems to be to scare us with fear-promoting TV news. You can get your information in print or watch the news for one telling of the story. You do not have to listen all day.
Limit your television viewing for one week. See if you can have a couple of nights with no television at all. You may be very surprised with the results. Notice how much time you suddenly seem to have. You are creating space and time in your life!

Time Waster #2 :Getting Dressed in the Morning

2009-04-01T20:50:00.000-07:00

Time Waster #2 :Getting Dressed in the Morning

Why are we so confused in the morning about clothes? Every day, we have to get dressed. Every day we have to decide what to wear, based on where we will be and what we will be doing. Still, we wait until morning, staring in a stupor at the clothes hanging in our closet, wondering what we should put on.
The typical morning for many people goes like this:
Where is my (fill in the blank)?
Is my (fill in the blank) clean/ironed/still in existence?
Do I have the sock that matches this one?
Where did I leave my (fill in the blank)?
Sometimes we are asking ourselves this question, sometimes other people, much to their annoyance. All of this stress and time wasting could be avoided by planning ahead.
If you do not have time on the weekend to do much more than get laundry caught up or pick up the dry cleaning, you could at least prepare each night for the next day.
Even if all you wear are jeans, tee shirts, or work-out clothes, it can make your whole morning routine go much more smoothly.
Having everything laid out, clean, ironed and organized, can be so calming in the morning. Children benefit from doing this just as much as adults. (Warning: Teen-age boys will laugh at you if you suggest this.)
Starting the day this way can create a huge difference in your morning. You will feel the benefit of creating this space when you realize that you have time for breakfast or a cup of coffee sitting down!

TIME WASTER #1

2009-04-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

Wouldn't you love to have more time? Here are some ideas how to make time in your day without adding more work!

Time Waster #1
Trying to decide what to eat when you are in a hurry, already hungry and you have other people to feed.
Planning ahead can make the whole food hassle easier. Many times, we have no time to fix dinner because we are running around like nuts to the next activity, meeting, or practice. A lot of wasted time can be avoided with some simple preparation.
Planning ahead for the shopping and the food prep creates hours of time a week. Once a week, make your list and at the same time, plan dinners and lunches so that you make sure the needed items are on the list. This will give you huge amounts of time later in the week.
Keep a grocery list on the refrigerator where everyone in the family can write down items as they notice supplies running low. A good idea is to have a standard list of necessities you buy every week. Run off copies, leaving spaces to fill in other items.

An extra person helping with just a few tasks in the kitchen can make the preparation time so much shorter! Even a young child can help with setting the table and as they get older they can be your "assistant," and get out pots and pans. Older children can take one turn a week to make dinner. Don't be too picky about what they fix. Simply foods can be a great meal if someone else prepares it and it gives you time to sit together as a family. As children grow into this responsibility, they will start planning ahead and helping with the grocery list. If meals are ready to be made, you will find you are not stopping to grab fast food which is so unhealthy and a money waster to boot.
Keep fresh food in the house already washed and ready to go. Make lunches the night before, for you and your children.
Keep food in your car, so you always have something handy in times of delays and long appointments. You can keep meal replacement bars, a can of nuts, water, and other healthy snacks handy in your car if you plan ahead. You won't get hungry and feel the urge to stop by your local fast food joint. Think about the time and money saved!
Try to find recipes to double and freeze. If you are going to put in the work and the time, double what you do. Freeze half and you have created extra time in your life. (How nice would it be to open your freezer in the morning, transfer the evening meal to your refrigerator, and let it defrost while you are working?)
When you make a salad, make enough to have for the next day's lunch. Instant healthy lunch-no prep time in the morning!

Good Luck!!!!!!!!!

Being An Optimistic Leader

2009-03-27T21:41:00.000-07:00

"Are you kidding me - how can I be optimistic? There is nothing to be optimistic about in this economy."
We start to believe that there is little that we can do to improve our circumstances; we withdraw, play it safe, feel concern, and fear about our future. We become especially vigilant for further signs that we are at risk.
Optimistic leadership is not about seeing the world through rose colored glasses. The economic down turn is real and we need to make business decisions based on that reality. But once you have your plan of attack, optimism will inspire a sense of hopefulness and the confidence that is required to take full advantage of the opportunities that do exist.
Optimism or pessimism is not about the reality of the situation, it is conscious choice that has a huge impact on your ability to succeed.
Additionally research has confirmed that those who are able to find an optimistic outlook will not only be more successful, they will also live longer, be healthier and happier.
Below are ten ways to become more optimistic and to energize your organization.

1. Seek positive perspectives and evidence. Unfortunately most of what is being reported today has a pessimistic tone, so to build a more balanced view, you need to look for the positive signs. In an economic downturn, pessimists may be more right but optimists will see more opportunity and actually accomplish more.
2. Practice possibility thinking. We have an amazing ability to construct our inner world and outlook, to use self talk to either build ourselves up, or tear ourselves down. Give yourself permission to reframe your thoughts, to focus on the opportunities not the negative consequences - the 90% that we still have rather than the 10% we have lost. See bad events as setbacks, transitory not permanent and focus on what you can do to energize and build growth.
3. Build a compelling vision that inspires. Take the time to develop a deep sense of mission and purpose, to get really clear about what you want for your organization and the unique value you can provide. In the words of Peter Drucker - "the best way to predict the future is to create it".
4. Surround yourself with positive people. Optimism is a learned habit, and it is contagious. Seek out people who have a positive outlook - you are only as good as the company you keep. Expand your support network and consider hiring a business coach to support you as you work through this process.
5. Be aware of the "shadow" you cast in your organization. As a leader everything you do impacts those around you. Your mood and your behaviors are watched and interpreted by everyone around you. Be a good role model, maintaining your composure and a positive attitude - that's authentic.
6. Encourage open dialog. Being positive and open will draw people towards you. Staying focused on understanding and listening is especially important with others who don't feel so optimistic. Optimism or pessimism is not about the reality of the situation. You need to remain open to fully understand alternative perspectives and be able to lead people to a more positive future.
7. Build resilience through wellness. Optimists are more resilient to stress and enjoy better health. Resilience builds a mental toughness and an ability to bounce back from setbacks. To build your resilience, you need to make purposeful choices to take care of your body, mind, and spirit.
8. Build personal mastery. This begins with an honest assessment of your capabilities and a lifelong commitment to professional development.
Mastery will bring confidence and the capacity to succeed, creating more reason for optimism.
9. Believe in the capabilities of your team and organization. One of the most powerful gifts you can give someone is to believe in their potential. Suddenly they are capable of accomplishing so much more, which in turn gives you more to feel optimistic about.
10. Stay focused and track accomplishments. When there is a lot of information and distractions it is very important that you keep your eyes focused on the road ahead, on the things that you can do and control. Celebrating your victories along the way and knowing that although it may be a long road you will get to your destination in the end.

Barriers To Succesful Leadership

2009-03-27T21:14:00.000-07:00

You might be someone who is highly creative, generates lots of ideas and identifies areas for continuous improvement. At the same time you know that the ultimate indicator of your success as a leader is the results that you achieve. So what barriers might be getting in the way of you achieving success as a leader?
Barrier 1: Not knowing the outcome
If asked, could you clearly articulate what performance results or outcomes you are aiming to deliver for your organisation, function, team or even project? Without absolute clarity on what you are trying to achieve, it will always be a struggle to achieve results. Make time to clearly define the performance results or outcomes that you want to achieve.
Barrier 2: Lacking confidence
Having confidence encourages you to take action and taking action leads to results. Sometimes as a leader you need to have the confidence to follow your gut instinct and take action when everyone else is urging caution. In fact, many of the most successful leaders are those that have been willing to take action when the odds were against them.
Barrier 3: Lack of focus
I sometimes refer to having focus as knowing the 20% of the things that you spend your time and energy on that delivers 80% of your results. When you start to use your time and energies much more effectively, you can start to make a step change in performance and the results you deliver.
Barrier 4: Lack of belief
We all have nagging doubts and fears that a particular course of action might or might not be appropriate. The question to ask yourself is whether you believe that you have the necessary skills and attributes to respond to the stumbling blocks that will without doubt arise.
Barrier 5: Lack of determination
Any long term success in leadership is a marathon not a sprint. Quick results are rarely sustained so you need the drive and determination to keep going long term.
Bottom Line- Successful leadership is as much about mindset and attitude as it is what you do. The question is what positive mindset shifts do you need to make to become a successful leader?

Easy Steps to Feeling Confident

2009-03-24T13:49:00.000-07:00

May I start this article by quoting Mark Victor Hansen:
"Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful."
When you are feeling self confident, you can take steps towards your ambitions and aspirations. The confidence that you have within can stand up against life's demands and challenges.
You will be able to tackle any obstacle and setback that comes your way. Each challenge that you overcome will make you stronger, more certain and more confident.
Self confidence gives you courage, assurance and boldness to achieve all that you seek and desire.
As you focus to gain confidence, you can develop the strength to climb out of the depths of your present circumstances, and take advantage of the opportunities and successes that lay ahead of you.
Below are 2 tips that you can implement today to have the self confidence that you seek:

1. Sit, stand and walk as if you are filled with self confidence. Ignore the little chatter in your mind that says, "Hey, what're you doing? You can't do that."
All you have to do is sit straight, stand tall and walk with your head up high and shoulders back. Do that for a few days and you will see a remarkable difference.

2. People in our lives tend to tell us what to do and how to act and behave. Well, enough of that. Stick up for yourself by following your heart.
If the people that tell you what to do are confident and successful, then by all means listen to what they have to say, perhaps even follow their lead. If they are not, disregard their comments (politely) and go after what you want.

As Mark Victor Hansen said, each step that you take will make you grow stronger, more skilled, more self confident and, ultimately more successful.
So true. Read that quote every morning and every night. Take action on those 2 tips and become the self confident person that you see yourself becoming.

Confidence

2009-03-24T12:54:00.001-07:00

Confidence, or rather the lack of it, is one of the biggest problems a human being can face. Whether it is asking someone out on a date, or asking your boss for a raise, if you aren't confident, you will not get what you want.
Some people seem confident all the time. They walk into a room and control a conversation, a situation. They seem at ease with being in charge, or speaking in public.
Others, meanwhile, hang back, don't put themselves forward. They don't get the big jobs. They never ask that person out. They are 'not confident'.

A lot of this is down to social conditioning. Your environment definitely informs you as a person. And if anyone ever told you that you weren't confident as you were growing up, chances are you aren't presenting as being so.
The good news is that confidence can be regained. Anyone can become confident, and it can even take just a few seconds. There is no need to buy a self health book or undergo therapy. Just a few minutes to get to know the basic techniques will pay dividends.
Positive Visualisation.
Confidence is gained quite easily if you practise positive visualisation. All this involves is literally visualising yourself doing the thing that you lack confidence in. For example, if you hate public speaking, imagine yourself, in your mind and as vividly as possible, giving a speech.
Have fun with it; imagine the sounds, the sights, the smells. Bring the visualization to life as much as you possibly can, and as often as you can, depending on the severity of the problem.
Athletes use visualisation a lot when preparing for a trial or event. You can use it for the little things in our lives that threaten to destabilise our general confidence.
Positive Physicality
This is all about moving. Your body reflects and influences your inner workings. If you are all pumped up and full of energy, this generally means this is the way you feel.
However, if you walk into a situation that requires confidence and you show up with sloping shoulders and a shuffling gait, chances are this is how you are going to feel during that situation.
So if you need to get confident quick, jump up, punch the air and start feeling confident. The movement of blood around your body and the energy you create will do wonders for your confidence levels.

So, to sum up, get visualising and get moving. These two techniques will pump up your confidence to new levels, and will make those nerve-wracking situations seem easy and totally non-threatening.

BEBEFITS OF HAVING A VISION

2009-03-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Hi guys, I woke up this morning feeling like there is something I should have told you earlier in the beginning of the year. I talked about aspects of it but not this part. VISION!!!! A lot of people don’t have vision of what they want to achieve this year. A lot more people do have vision yet they do not know the benefits of having a vision…………..

Vision gives direction – if you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there. Having a vision helps in directing the course of your life.

Vision helps you make decisions – your decisions today determine your destination. You are where you are today because of the decisions you took yesterday. You can’t make right decisions about your future if you don’t have a glimpse of it.

Vision helps you become an effective leader. The discovery of your vision helps you in putting your acts right from the very start. It helps your ability to serve men. It gives you influence. Remember that a man without a vision dies a follower.

Vision gives you discipline. Because you know where you are going, there are things that will butch the dream that you won’t do. For example if you have a vision of becoming the Governor of your state, you won’t be a thief now, because stealing and getting caught and landing yourself life imprisonment will cut short that dream.

Catch A Vision!!!

SELF IMAGE – PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION

2009-03-20T13:02:00.000-07:00

I see a lot of people who believe that they are nothing but an embodiment of problems. Who believe that people just don’t like them and nothing good can happen to them. These types of people have Low Self Esteem or a weak self image. Let’s take a look at the characteristics of a low self esteem.......

Xtics of a weak self image
Pessimistic – everything they see is negative
Lack of Confidence – they find it hard to relate to other people.
They have extreme sensitivity of people’s opinion of themselves
They are self conscious – comparing themselves with others especially in material things
There love depend on other people – clingy relationships
Inability to accept compliments
They depend on material things for security
They shift their responsibilities and blame others for their mistakes

How to build a good self image
Believe what God says about you
Your self esteem is like a stool on three legs (a) You need to know that God loves you (b) Your Pastor loves you (c) and that you are accepted.
Get the correct image God has about you
Meditate on that image
Keep company with positive people
Watch what you listen – you are a product of what
Watch what you say about yourself – whatever you say travels first inside before it comes out

Try it, It works!!!

SUCCESS HABIT

2009-03-18T13:47:00.000-07:00

Success is as a result of habit, so is failure. These are the results of the things you do daily. Success is a calculated attempt, it does not just happen. Whatever you want to become or achieve in future, there should be calculated things that you are doing about it now.What you have not started becoming, you may never become. You can tell your future by your daily present habits. Like I said, success is not based on chance or luck but a calculated and definite attempt. This means that success has a price. Infact everything has a right price.

Let's take a look at the definition of three words: Success, Habit and Success Habit

Success - is an accomplishment of an assignment or the achievement of a desired goal.
It can also means
Discovering your God given goal for your life and achieving them OR
the progressive achievement of your God given goals.

Habit – is defined as an acquired way of behavior that has become almost involuntary because of frequent repetition OR Habit is defined as a repeated behavior.

This mean that.....Success Habit is an acquired pattern of behavior that leads to the accomplishment of personal and, or corporate goals. This is to say that it is a consistent set of actions that produce results.

Success starts with a vision, that is why the Good Book said... "Where there is no vision, the people perish".That means that where you have vision of success in what you are doing, then you will never get there.

It is important to cultivate success, so let's take a look at the importance:

It causes your goals and dreams to be realized

Enables you to predict your future. No need of prophesy

A key to increased result and productivity

Key to breaking negative habit that leads to failure

Makes you a leading example

It programs you for success

It singles you out and causes your promotion cos success habits are scarce in the work place

May I nicely tell you that....'the first sign of insanity is to be doing the same things and expecting a different result".

Have a vision!!

THE LEADER IN YOU

2009-03-06T13:01:00.000-08:00

It's been said time and again that leaders are made, not born. True, although you just can't deny that there are some individuals who are destined to be a leader right from the start. But there are some persons whose skills could be further developed and enhanced in order to be a true leader. In other words, there are already some individuals who possess the "makings" or potential of becoming a real leader-like having the abilities, the charisma and even the demeanor of a leader. Nevertheless, these promising persons occasionally aren't able to showcase their truest potential to the max.
Therefore, they need to be prepared in leadership development to enhance their innate leadership qualities. Oftentimes, a grooming in leadership development can be the only thing that's lacking in nurturing and promoting one's underlying leadership traits to boost it to higher levels. Being a leader moves around in one's abilities and proficiency that requires sufficient commitment and enthusiasm. These capabilities would be devoid of significance or meaning if there are not enough enhancements or training carried out into its advancement. So that's why undergoing leadership development is essential in such a way that it motivates and builds person's skills onwards a bigger goal and higher perspective.
For those persons who already got the potentials of a leader, joining certain seminars and workshops on leadership development can even provide a tremendous advantage. All in all, these trainings give important awareness to their members so that they could direct their team members neutrally and objectively. In fact, these team members must be headed by someone with reasonable judgment and admirable standards. One benefit of engaging in these programs is learning how to increase a watchful and conscientious team. More significantly, they even emphasize a healthier sense of self esteem or building up a person's confidence which is very vital when it comes to being a leader.
Generally, even if someone is gifted with enviable leadership attributes but is unable to make his message come across because of lack of confidence, then he won't be an effective leader. This can be a great drawback as communication skills is one of the basic factors of successful leadership is effective communication. At times, it can just be lack of practice (and self-assurance) rather than lack of abilities since I believe that we all have the skills, yet these skills for some reasons, remain hidden or untapped. So it's just up to us if we want to discover those skills and polish them to serve its purpose and to make us better communicators and be more confident as well.
Preparation in leadership development is made to help a person overcome some hindrances like this, to give the best of his leadership skills. For a leader to be effective in dealing with his members or subordinates he must first have the firm belief and confidence in himself to carry out the duties expected of him. Leadership development in general, wants their participants to be dedicated and motivated to give their very best and maximize their truest potentials to the highest level possible.

Your Blue Print

2009-03-06T11:59:00.000-08:00

Are you achieving all the success you want in your life; if not, do not expect success to fit into your current habits. You are going to have to adopt and develop new habits.
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt
When you come to the realization that your current behavior has not brought you all the financial success, the loving relationships, the perfect health or the spiritual knowledge you desire it can be a pretty scary place to be. Life goes along, we believe we are doing all that we can and then we realize those dreams and goals we had when we were younger are still a dream - What Happened?
We are not taught how to encourage ourselves to become the giant success we dream of when we are kids. We are taught to go to school, get a good job and work for the next 40 years. However, many of us have come to the realization that is not the path to financial freedom or living the life of our dreams. 98% of people are retiring dead broke relying on others in order to survive in their retirement.
What can you do in order to live the life of your dreams? My solution to you today is to change your habits. Do not expect success to fit into your current habits, because if you had the habits you needed you would already be there!
You need to develop a blueprint for your life. A blueprint gives you hope that what you dream can come true. Can you imagine a construction company attempting to build a skyscraper without a blueprint? You're right! It would be a disaster! Most people attempt to build their life without a blueprint and we need one, badly.
Once you have your blueprint you can then use your imagination to put yourself into the picture. You can go on-line, find or create pictures that represent your blueprint to you and then post them around your environment so that you see them on a daily basis. My coach John Di Lemme calls that the "construction zone" because you are constructing your life. Once you see that picture, it is actual evidence that it can come true. Then you can start to build the faith in yourself that you really can make it happen.
You own the title deed to your life, it's yours, quit giving it away. You can stop giving it away by creating a blueprint and constructing that dream on a daily basis.
Just because you cannot see something does not mean that it does not exist. Evidence and confirmation surround you - it exists somewhere, you just aren't seeing it. When you make a reservation for a flight for an exotic vacation, with just a confirmation number alone you have faith that you are going to be able to get on a plane and fly off. You cannot see gravity, only the result of gravity and we all have faith that gravity exists, as a society we no longer question it. You need to learn to develop that kind of faith in yourself; that yes, you can achieve the life of your dreams.
Develop your blueprint, construct the pictures that support the blueprint, and create the habits that will generate faith in yourself. Take that first step, start the journey. It is well worth it.

Success Qualities

2009-03-06T11:13:00.000-08:00

Many people want to be successful, but most of them fail to do so. Success does not come overnight. In fact, achieving success is not as complicated as you think. It is easy; however, it will take you energy and effort to do so. Below are the top success qualities that you must adopt if you are serious to achieve your dreams and your goals in your life...

1. Put in 100% commitment and do whatever it takes to achieve it. This is what most people don't have. Every successful people treat their dream and their goal seriously. They do whatever it takes to achieve them. They talk about their goals everyday, they think about their dreams every night. If you are as committed as them, you will soon achieve what you really want in your life.
2. You must have a vision of what you want. One of the most common reasons people fail to achieve what they want is that they don't know what they want. Many people live their life without reasons. They just follow through what other people are doing, live their life without knowing what they really want to achieve. So do you know what you want in your life?

3. Be willing to learn and apply what you have learned into your life. Invest in yourself by reading self-improvement or success-related books to keep on improving yourself. And don't forget to apply what you have learned into your life. If you are just simply acquiring the knowledge without using the knowledge, you are not leveraging on your knowledge and you will never be successful.
4. Finally, believe and have the faith that you can do it. Many people lack the courage and faith; they tell themselves that it is impossible for them to achieve what they want in their life. You must first believe that you can do it before you can achieve it. Your belief system is the most powerful tool lies within you. Successful people believe in their dreams so much that they are willing to sacrifice to make their dreams come true. Will you do the same?

These are the top success qualities you must adopt if you want to be successful. Remember, success is about getting things done, it is a process, not a destiny. Therefore, take the necessary step right now and move toward your dreams and goals each day.

Gaining Respect

2009-02-22T20:37:00.000-08:00

If you are to fully deliver what you are capable as a leader, you need to gain the respect of those that you lead. While it might appear easy in theory, gaining respect from a sufficiently large pool of people in any organisation is extremely challenging. So what mistakes do leaders make that lead to them not being respected and what should they do about it?

Mistake 1: Self preservation
Leadership roles are often fragile positions, especially at a very senior level. You probably notice that in some sectors, there seems to be a never ending turnover of senior people. In view of this it is sometimes tempting for leaders to do what they think is necessary, no matter the impact on others to preserve their status. By adopting this strategy, leaders ultimately put their status and position at risk and have little respect when they are in post.
To avoid this mistake, keep a focus on getting results through the contribution of people rather than on preserving your position.

Mistake 2: Making promises you cannot deliver
We have all probably encountered leaders who aim to trade. It might be if you follow through on making a certain change I will give you something in return. While these offers might be well intended, they are often not thought through and could not be delivered in the short to medium term.
If you want to avoid this mistake commit to only making promises that you have a high degree of confidence that you can deliver.

Mistake 3: Telling rather than involving
We all know that the final decision has to be made by the person in charge. At the same time we are probably feel less reluctant to get behind a decision if it feels like we have had no opportunity to contribute our views. If you want to avoid this mistake and gain more respect, make sure that you listen effectively to the range of views and ideas and make it clear to others how and why a decision was reached.

Mistake 4: Being inauthentic
People respond to leaders that they like and trust. They want to see the real person, not someone who is playing the part expected of them because of their status or level. Make a commitment to being authentic and your natural self if you want to avoid this mistake.

Mistake 5: Being overpowering
There will be times when it is absolutely essential to give strong and perhaps uncomfortable messages. This however should be the exception rather than the rule. No one likes a bully or someone who uses their position power to drive things through. To avoid this mistake, make a point using your position power scarcely so that others know that it is the exception rather than the norm.

Bottom Line- No leader has an automatic right to respect. So what do you need to avoid to gain more respect as a leader?

Qualitis Of A Leaader (Part 2)

2009-02-22T20:19:00.000-08:00

5. A good tongue to be able to communicate the vision to the people and motivate them to follow.
I would actually call that an "intelligent" tongue. How many people do you know that engage their mouth before thinking with their head? I know a LOT! When you have a methodical way of communicating, people will listen. You can not be fierce and degrading to people. If you continually beat people down, how long are they going to last? How long are they going to want to be around you? You have to have a vision and be able to allow people to join in your vision. You have to find a way of communicating this vision to people so that they WANT to follow you. Motivation is a necessity in getting people to follow you. When I am around someone who motivates me, I take it all in and pass along that motivation and enthusiasm to others around me. Motivation is an infectious disease.

6. A good hand to be able to do the things that need to be done. Knowing the right way is not the same as doing it.
I respect those that are willing to get in there, roll up their sleeves and work right along side everyone in an organization. What I can't stand are those who sit in their cushy, corner office with all the windows and bark orders out the door. What does it do for morale when the top of the organization shows up and mingles, interacts and works with everyone from the bottom of the organization to the top? It gives people a sense of pride. It tells people that the person who will work along side of me respects and understands me. I believe the best manager's are those that have worked their way from the bottom of an organization to the top. They understand fullly the plight of those at the bottom because they were there at one time themselves. Saying and doing are two completely different concepts.

7. A good foot to set the example for people. A minor flaw can outshine a major mission in the eyes of small minds.
This is a good place to insert: "Walk a mile in my shoes." Have you walked in the shoes of those you manage? Do you really understand them? How can you possibly know if you have not been there yourself? That would be like someone being married for 50 years asking someone who has only been married for less than 5 years advice! What good could possibly become of this? I believe the more experienced will have the better advice. Do by example....avoid the flaws (although it is not entirely possible). Mistakes are going to be made but try to minimize them.

People tend to remember the flaws faster and longer than the good examples. And, a bad flaw can spread like wildfire. People tend to remember the bad things more than the good. Use good, common sense when dealing with people. Be the best example you can and people will emulate you and you will also have a loyal following.

Qualities Of A Good Leader (Part 1)

2009-02-22T20:04:00.000-08:00

There are principles that are very relevant to your business. Without principles in your business, you will not be in business for long. Look at today's headlines and you can see many of the biggest corporations crumbling all around us. I believe in this society, everyone has established the "it is all about me" mindset.

1. A good head to be able to evaluate the quality of ideas and suggestions presented to you.
Are you a micro-manager or do you allow ideas to flow freely throughout your organization? Do your employees feel comfortable sharing with you? Are you a take-all-and-leave-no-prisoners type of manager? There are those that take in all the ideas and suggestions and claim them as their own. Shame on them. One thing you need to be in your manager role is fair. You cannot allow your personal thoughts and feelings to override an excellent idea or suggestion. Becoming a manager means having the good sense to be able to look at all aspects of ideas/suggestions...not just your own.

2. A good heart to be able to be compassionate and fair with people.
Do you have an open heart? Do you have the capacity to be compassionate with people? People come from all walks of life. People come with problems and baggage. Do you have the fortitude to look past a person's personal flaws and see the business side of that person? Are you fair with people? There is nothing worse than an unfair manager or owner. People with stone-cold hearts should not be managers/owners. I have worked around these types of people and it is a no-win situation. Someone with a cold heart will not be compassionate with people. This is not to say that you have to be a marshmallow and continually pander to those who do not want to actually work. You can spot those types in fairly little time. But if you have honest, hardworking people, you have to be able to have the foresight to treat each person as an individual and not lump everyone into the same category. There are going to be brilliant stars and there are going to be fading lights....just know the difference and be able to handle everyone individually.

3. A good spirit to be able to hear the voice of God. Some paths God will lead you down do not make head and heart sense at the time.
This is definitely a tough one. I have had personal experiences that I just do not understand why God took me down that certain path. The fact that some things will not made head and heart sense at the time are something that everyone has experienced. You ask yourself "Why me?" "Why now?" Some mysteries such as this are never explained fully. Sometimes trying to grasp this concept and wrap you head and heart around whatever it is that is happening takes a lot of fortitude. You have to have a good spirit and be able to let that carry you forward. People draw strengths from different places...sometimes people have not the strength to endure this path. That is when you need your spirit to help those who cannot help themselves.

4. A good eye to be able to see things other people cannot.
I personally happen to have a good eye for this. A problem with this strength is that when you point out what you see, the other party is not willing to listen. You cannot make them listen. You cannot make them see. Sometimes it is so blatant or apparent to you but the other person or people are blind to it. No matter what you do, you cannot make a person see or hear something they do not want. Trying to persuade them only pushes them further from you. Sometimes you have to take a step back, let the item run its course and be there to pick up the pieces when everything starts falling apart.

Influencing Skills

2009-02-22T19:53:00.000-08:00

If you want to be successful, you've got to be great at influencing others. Some believe that being good at your job is enough to deserve recognition and success. Sure, that helps but if you want to be really successful, you've got to be good at influencing too.

Critical Elements of Influencing Skill are...
1. Self Awareness: The better you know yourself, the more likely you are to be able to influence other people. This self awareness helps you to understand what you are capable of, what your limitations are and what you need to do to leverage the greatest influence.

2. Understanding Others: The ability to know what drives people; how they think; how they react, is critical. This establishes a firm foundation upon which you can determine the most appropriate approach to influence.

3. Understanding Groups: The workplace is a social organization and comprises of many different groups, both formal and informal. Understanding them, how they work, how they get results can provide you with many opportunities to gain influence more quickly and thoroughly.

4. Influencing Individuals: This is the most talked about area of influence and cannot be avoided. You need to be able to influence people on a one-to-one basis first and foremost. From this base you can then develop more sophisticated approaches to influence.

5. Networking: Networking is often seen as the differentiator between the good and the great influencers. To be able to work the room and build a wide array of good personal contacts develops an extremely useful resource which you can call on when you need to, for support, information and advice.
6. Influencing Groups: Influencing groups of people is far more efficient that focusing just on individuals. With your understanding of how the different groups around you function, you can develop strategies to maximize your influence and speed up the results you get.

7. Building Trust: Research has demonstrated that in the absence of trust, successful influence is unlikely. Therefore the person skilled in influencing others will be able to act in a manner which builds trust with the people they are working with.

Beneath each of these elements lies a multitude of different skills to master, all of which can help you to become more influential - forty two to be precise. Working out where to focus your personal development to become more effective requires that you know how good you are at each of these. It also helps if you can get valuable feedback from those who work around you - those who see you in action on a regular basis at work. By focusing on the individual skills which lie at the heart of successful influence you can greatly increase your upward potential because you'll be developing the skills which will make the difference for you.

What Not to Do -Becoming a True Leader

2009-02-22T19:39:00.000-08:00

Becoming a leader, whether or not it is in your community or your workplace or even your home life means that you will ultimately be taking on a life of responsibility. Leaders are not born, they are made. While some people may seem to be naturally blessed with leadership skills, many develop these necessary skills over time.
The role of being a leader is not something that should be done on a whim or because you feel you will profit from it. It is something you should want to aspire to become because you will be able to project a good and beneficial influence on the world and the people around you.
Here are a few tips of what you should not do, NEVER........

1. Give up. If you want the people around you to be effective and to be a contributing member of your team or community, they should never give up. And neither should you as they will be looking at you to provide the example of how they should act.
2. Ignore the advice or feelings of others. Just becasue you are in a leadership role does not mean you should feel as though you have the final say on everything. It is impossible to know everything and taking the thoughts, feelings, and advice from those around you will help you to get through even the toughest of situations.
3. Forget that a leader is not born, they are made. You will have to learn along the way. Do not ignore the lessons that come up to teach you how to be more effective in your role. Again, you will not know everything right off the bat. It takes time and experience.
Use these three tips and you should be well on your way to becoming the person that you want to be. Someone that others look to for support and guidance.

Good Luck

Effective Time Management

2009-02-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

There are many courses and lots of information about time management. I don't want to compete with them here. I have read several books on this topic including the classic Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. But what happened to me last week is that I learned something new about managing our time. Infact it is a piece of Jim Rohn's knowledge. It touched me so much in a positive manner that I want to share this with you.
So how to become effective manager of your time?

First we need to realize, how much precious time is. Your life doesn't last forever. Our days and moments store is not never-ending. The main point in life is to utilize them the best way possible. Don't let them just slip away. Utilize them to the max. There is just limited amount of them.

When is the best time to start the day?
Another good tip is this. Do not start the day until you have finished the day. Plan your day the best way you can. You will have enough time left for surprises and innovations, or anything. Plan your day well, make a good schedule, because every day is a piece of mosaic of your life. And do it the night before. Start the day after you have finished the day.

One simple method
There are few concepts of planning time, for example Stephen Covey teaches weekly planning. The simplest way is to use a diary where you write by hand, not electronic diary. The method is as follows. You'll write the tasks which you have to do in the days when you'll do them. You'll write the tasks for Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and so on, depending on which days you'll decide to work. When filling the day you see it's getting full, stop and start writing in the next day.
Now the important piece of this. When you are writing down tasks, you know that they are promises you give yourself. Don't write the task, if it is not totally clear that it's a promise you are giving yourself.
To be able to start taking action, you must have it written. Because once you write it down, the power of written word will allow you to focus on what is expected from you to do, and so you'll do it. When you write down that you do something the certain day, then you can do it that day. It's a promise you are giving yourself.

TAKE CHARGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Power Of Ur Thought.

2009-02-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

We all are born with an amazing and immeasurable power. It is called the mind power. It has the ability to turn your thoughts into reality.
Everything that was made on earth originated from a thought. Everything that happened, happening and going to happen, starts with it. These thoughts become a reality if it is followed by actions. Each thought you have in your head usually materializes when you act. But the amazing thing is that, even if you don't act on them, your thoughts can also materialize.

Generally, the positive thinking people always have positive people and circumstances in their life. On the other hand, the negative people always find themselves around negative people and negative circumstances. People who are constantly fearful and worried about getting robbed, sacked etc, are the ones who are unfortunate enough to experience such things.
And just as thought influence reality, reality can also influence thought, which can in turn influence reality again. For positive people, this cycle reinforces the good things in their lives. When their good thoughts come true, they feel happy and are encouraged to keep thinking positively, and thus, manifesting more good things in their lives. And, for those with truly powerful minds, even when their thoughts do not materialize immediately, they do not allow themselves to get discouraged. They just press on until things turn out the way they want them to.
On the other hand, this cycle can be vicious for people who think negatively. When their negative thoughts come true, they believe them and continue thinking negatively. Thus, manifesting more bad or negative things in their lives. The process repeats itself unless the person chooses to break the pattern.
Look back at your life. When you are in a good mood or are generally happy, how are things around you? How are the people around you? The events in your life? And, on the opposite side of the coin, when you are feeling low, what happens to the people around you and the circumstances you are in? Think about the instances where you expected an outcome or doubted a possible outcome. Either way, didn't things happen the way you perceived them?
The relationship between thought and reality is in the energy you put into them. Whatever that occupies your thoughts most, will become real. When you concentrate hard enough, what you think about will materialize. Especially when you believe it will happen.

Your thoughts have power. They are the ones that led you to your present reality. They are the ones that will lead you to your future. So, make good use of them to improve all areas of your life. It can be used to improve your health, relationships, financial status and many other things in life.

Smile!

2009-02-03T05:16:00.000-08:00

Have you ever deliberately smiled, in order to create happiness? Maybe things weren't going well, but you took a second to ask yourself, "What can I be happy about right now? What can I be grateful for?"
We smile because we're happy. However, it is also possible to become happy by smiling.
Research shows that curling the corners of our mouth in a "mock smile" creates a positive biological response in the body. Yes, we can actually change the way we feel by smiling.

Anthony Robbins, the well-known motivational author and speaker, often talks about changing the way we feel by changing the way we move. If we're feeling depressed, we can change our mood by smiling, holding our head up and shoulders back, and walking as if we're confident and taking charge of the situation.

Smiling is also a good brain excercise. It rushes oxygen to your brain. Plus, you're using facial muscles and stimulating feel-good endorphins. Perhaps you're using muscles that you haven't used in a while. We tend to write with one predominant hand, and use that side of the brain predominantly. As a result, the other side of the brain isn't used as much. That's why smiling and cross-lateral movements are so good for us. It activates both sides of the brain.

Whatever you're doing right now, take a moment to smile. When you smile, your facial expression changes. Something inside changes too. You slowly let go of anger, hostility, tension, and stress. As a result, you feel more relaxed.

Of course, it takes a little practice.... but why not try it? Come on, you can do it! Smile, even if things aren't going well. Allow that relaxed, easy-going state-of-mind to permeate your being.

Developing Positive Attitude

2009-01-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

Perhaps you have heard somebody said this before... "Attitude is everything." It's quite true indeed. Positive attitude is everything. It gives you many benefits in life. It makes you feel more happy, have more positive energy and attract more positive people in your life.
Positive attitude also allows you to put thing in a better perspective. For example, when you're faced with problem, you will tend to look for a solution instead of trying to find faults and blame others. It can also give you a better health as positive energy will lower your stress level.

Here are 5 tips on how to develop a positive attitude...
1. Mind over Matter. There can be many definitions for this term. In this article, I would like to use it to describe "awareness" or "consciousness". I mean being fully aware of your mind patterns. Our mind patterns were developed since childhood. And most of the time, we are controlled by our minds. Therefore, our attitudes are also controlled by our minds.
If you want to develop a positive attitude, start by becoming more aware of your mind patterns. Be an observer of your mind. When you become an observer, you're in control and you'll be able to notice what your mind says (both positive and negative). Therefore, when you notice your mind saying something negative, you can intercept it and replace it with positive thought.

2. Live Life NOW! Learn to live fully in your present moment. Don't cling on your past or wish you could have this or that. Appreciate what you already have NOW. Express gratitude for everything you have now. HERE and NOW are your life! Once you have accepted that, you can become more positive and appreciative of life. You will do and live your best in your present moment. Only then, you can move forward in life with positive attitude.

3. Associate more with positive people. I'm sure you have heard this saying: "Birds of the same feather flock together." If you flock together with negative people, you will become negative. On the other hand, if you associate yourself with more positive people, they can also influence your characters and attitude. You will become more positive as well.

4. Learn to give compliment to others. You don't need to do this excessively. Just do it in a natural way by focusing on the positive side of other people. A few kind words spoken to another person can really make his or her day. Doing so will make you more likable as well.

5. SMILE and say THANK YOU more. Wherever you are and whatever you do, look for opportunity to offer sincere appreciation to your friends, family members, peers, team members, bosses or any other people you interact with everyday. Smiling and saying thank you more often not only can make you feel good but also cause those around you to become more positive.
Develop your positive attitude daily and make it become second nature to you. This will give you more happiness in life. GOOD LUCK

9 Steps to Start Thinking Positively

2009-01-30T16:53:00.000-08:00

1 - Focus on where you want to go, not where you've been. We've all made mistakes. Now it's time to think about what we want to do to take the next step forward. Set small, positive goals, think about them, and accomplish them.
2 - Learn to forgive yourself and others. Most of us are wherever we are in life because we put ourselves there. We all make bad choices from time to time, and now it's time to let that go. It's called forgiveness and we really can forgive ourselves for bad choices. The next step is to move forward and consistently work to make better choices.
3 - If the glass is half full, then fill it. Optimists are right at least as often as pessimists and have a lot more fun. There's nothing wrong with taking that half-full glass and filling it the rest of the way.
4 - Look for positive role models. We all need to find someone who inspires us. Maybe that person is someone who overcame a major handicap or maybe it's just someone who put one foot in front of the other, year after year, and came out very nicely in the end. Or maybe it's someone who just worked his or her pants off and won the big prize. Let that person be an inspiration.
5 - Change your atmosphere. Instead of listening to the news all the time put on a CD with a good motivational speaker or uplifting music. Most of the news is repeated many times a day and it's not intended to make us feel good.
6 - Read something positive everyday, preferably when you get up and right before you go to bed. Then think about it, in a positive way. Grab that book you picked up in step 6 and read it for 15 minutes morning and evening for 30 days.
7 - Visualize good things happening. It's too easy to visualize bad things happening. Bills, what the other person will say, "what if this happens..." and so on. Visualize the good thing happening. Visualize the project going well (whether it's homework or that next presentation) and people telling you that it was "good stuff!"
8- Mistakes are something to learn from, not a bat to whack ourselves with. We all make mistakes, it's how we use them to move on that makes us better. So what if we "blew it" on the last effort, there is always a next time and we can always learn from what happened and do things differently the next time. That's how we improve.
9 - Dreamboarding is the practice of placing images of "what you want out of life" on a piece of posterboard and placing it where you can see it. Clip quotes and photos that resonate with you and where you want to be and place them on your board. Only use the images that you want, not what anyone else wants. As a reminder of where you want to take yourself and what you want to have. Some people have found dreamboarding to be very powerful.

Thinking in a positive manner is as much a habit as is thinking in a negative manner. The reason negative thinking is so easy is because we've had so much practice with it. Practice the positive thinking tips to overcome the bad habits and replace them with new ones.

Dwelling on Worthwhile Things

2009-01-30T16:40:00.000-08:00

Often we allow ourselves to be upset by small things we should despise and forget. We lose many irreplaceable hours brooding over grievances that, in a year's time, will be forgotten by us and by everybody. No, let us devote our life to worthwhile actions and feelings, to great thoughts, real affections, and enduring undertakings.

In the course of everyday life we interact with different kinds of people; some do things that get on our nerves, and others say and do thoughtless and cruel things that hurt our feelings.
More times than I would like to remember, I have gotten upset over something and brooded over it much too long. It has sometimes affected my everyday life because I couldn't think about anything else. I always seemed to end up pacing the floor, talking about how unjustly I had been treated.
You have probably done the same thing. We all have wasted many hours brooding over something that in a month was completely forgotten. Looking back, we know it would have been much better if we had made ourselves put an end to the "pity party" and dwell on better things.
You always have a choice as to how you will respond to something said or done to you. Ask yourself if it will be important a year or even a month from now. If the answer is no, force yourself to change your thoughts as soon as possible and don't let the flesh win when you know it's not that important.
Every day is a valuable gift from God; it is called the present and you should treat it as such because you can never get it back. You can't do anything worthwhile today if you are full of anger or resentment over something that happened yesterday or in the past.
God is pleased with living in the present, because when you live each moment to the fullest you are more open for Him to speak to you about His plans. He works in the small things as well as the big ones. He wants you to give your best to everything you do. When you start to develop this kind of attitude, you will find that everyday life is much more enjoyable because you know that God is working in everything you do.
Give God control of your feelings, actions, thoughts, and undertakings each day. You truly will live a much more peaceful and rewarding life!!!!!!!!!!

A Positive Attitude =Your Success

2009-01-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

Whenever you are faced with something that seems negative, try adopting a more positive attitude...it will help you achieve your desired results.

Throughout the ages, virtually everyone has agreed that in order to succeed, we need a positive attitude.

There are however 2 things about attitudes that few people discuss.

Your Attitude Is Variable
Positive and negative attitudes are not mutually exclusive....just because you have one, it does not mean that you do not or cannot have the other.
Your attitude is like the bass and treble elements on a sound system.
You can adjust the overall sound by increasing the bass and decreasing the treble...or vice versa.
Similarly, you can adjust your overall attitude by making it more positive...or making it more negative.
Furthermore, few people...even the most optimistic...are always positive. And even the most pessimistic of people are not negative all the time. . And sometimes even the most positive among us feels more negative than normal.
The bottom line on attitudes...they are variable...sometimes more positive...sometimes less positive and more negative.

You Can Change Whatever Is Variable
While it is definitely possible to shift from a totally negative attitude to a totally positive one, a better approach is to make the change one step at a time. You change your attitude by gradually adding more positiveness. As you continue to do this, you will gradually have an increasingly positive attitude.
Regardless of the nature of your business your market shifts and changes. Don't allow these changes to drag you down and drain your time and energy. By adopting a more positive attitude, you can survive whatever changes are occurring...and continue to thrive.
To help develop a more positive attitude, focus on completing work that you know can successfully finish.
Taking positive, proactive action helps develop a more positive attitude.
On the other hand not doing anything strengthens a negative attitude and makes things seem worse than they really are.
Achieving the results you seek is challenging enough without making it harder for yourself.

Change - Small Consistent Action = Results

2009-01-30T16:04:00.000-08:00

Change is often seen as a big, momentous task. For example, you might want to lose weight or make more money. What if change could be much simple, consisting of small consistent actions taken one moment at a time? Moreover, what if you could focus on only one small activity to help you change, would it make change easier? What would it be?

Gratitude and appreciations highlight two aspects of change. The first, gratitude, is a shift in mindset. This shift in mindset alone, is a significant aspect of change. Be patient with yourself when you are in this phase of change, because you might not find yourself taking immediate action. While this change is primarily mental, it is a necessary foundation.
When facing a challenge, gratitude helps you to take a broader perspective. It shows you how you can use the situation for good. Gratitude facilitates a shift in mindset from lack and constriction to one expansion, support, and empowerment. It helps you to see the support of others and to have faith in a positive long-term outcome.

The second aspect of change is in the affirmation of actions taken. Statements of acknowledgment affirm your actions to yourself and others. Acknowledging small specific actions helps you to see what you have already accomplished. When you let others know what you have accomplished, they feel strengthened and you feel strengthened too. This gives you more confidence for taking further action. All promote a more positive attitude towards change.

The Law of Attraction

2009-01-21T06:10:00.000-08:00

The Law of Attraction is a simple concept that is nevertheless challenging to implement for many people. In short, it is the idea that that the things we focus our thought life upon are the things that will manifest in our lives, good or bad. Thus, the goal is to maximize positive thinking in order to achieve goals and obtain wants and desires. At the same time, it is important to clear your mind of negative thinking and allow the space for positive thoughts.

Here are 4 powerful ways to promote positive thinking and experience the results that come from the Law of Attraction:
1. Take care of yourself physically. Eat right, focusing on fresh vegetables and fruits, lean proteins, and whole grains. Avoid processed foods and sugars. Take supplements if needed, starting with a food based multivitamin and calcium supplement, especially if you are not eating a lot of calcium rich foods. Fish oil has a great number of physical benefits, including improvement in brain function.

2. Clear your mind of negative thinking. If you are holding feelings of anger or resentment toward anyone, go through the process of identifying and releasing that anger. First, allow yourself the full experience of the emotion. Fell the physical responses, the emotional reactions. Then, make a conscious decision to release the anger because it no longer serves you. Allow for the possibility that the person you are angry with did the best he or she could with what they had to work with - which may not be much. Try to embrace the concept that you are now exactly where you are meant to be at this moment, and so is the wrongdoer. Practice visually releasing the other person to the universe, to whatever God has for them. Consider the benefits that could come from your experience. If these negative thoughts return, repeat the process. For any pervasive negative thought, you can literally visualize a big red "X" through the thought and say "Cancel" to stop the cycle.

3. If you are holding anger toward yourself, repeat the steps above in order to release yourself.

4. Begin visualizing what you want in your mind. Is it a new car, house, material thing? A happy relationship? Think about your goal in sensory detail. Imagine how it will taste, smell, sound, look, and feel to have or achieve that goal. As you practice this daydreaming exercise, you will find that your motivation to work toward your goals increases, and results begin to manifest.

21 Ways to Improve Your Time Management Skills

2009-01-21T05:52:00.000-08:00

1. Be decisive
2. Set clear goals & objectives
3. Set a daily work plan, the night before
4. Prioritize tasks using A - B - C - D then re-prioritise A tasks using 1 - 2 - 3 to identify the most urgent
5. Separate the urgent from the important
6. Use the law of enforced efficiency, what is the highest value use of your time?
7. Use the 80/20 rule to improve your time management skills by identifying the tasks that will have the greatest benefit & do those first
8. Develop stamina & high energy through regular exercise & diet
9. Develop single-handling skills to concentrate on one task at a time
10. Eat the ugly toad first, do the hardest thing first up
11. Organise your workspace by using the acronym TRAF: Toss - Refer - Action - File
12. Use travel time to listen to educational CD's & prepare work schedules
13. Develop expertise in key tasks through practice & repetition
14. Work in real time, at a fast tempo & develop an ongoing sense of urgency
15. Time management skills generally improve automatically when you learn to make decisions quickly, with no ifs or buts
16. Re-engineer work processes, map them out & identify what needs to be done and work towards reducing the number of steps by 30%
17. Reinvent yourself once a year. Identify what you need to do to become more productive because the only constant in life is change
18. Ask yourself the following on a regular basis - knowing what I know right now, would I do things the same way
19. Set priorities, identify what tasks you can procrastinate on, that is, the lower priorities can wait. The 80% of tasks that have less value and only contribute 20% of the productivity
20. Decide to work to live, not live to work. This means working towards a balanced life. It's the quantity of time on downtime and the quality of time at work to aim for
21. Be intensely action orientated. It's acting & executing that generates results

There you have it, 21 ways to improve YOUR time management skills. Implement just a few and you'll be way ahead of the pack.

PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT - MOTIVATION

2009-01-21T05:49:00.000-08:00

If you find yourself wanting to achieve some goal but you cannot be motivated long enough to achieve it, then this is for you. It does not matter if you want to start a new habit, develop a skill or change your character. All of this requires strong personal development motivation.
The biggest mistake you can make is to search for short cuts to achieve goals. By doing this, you waste your time and energy and stop your progress. In the long run, this will definitely de-motivate you from achieving success.

Strategy for keeping motivation high

If you find it hard to achieve goals, focus on one goal at a time. That way your mind will concentrate on only one thing, and not distracted by anything else.
When you progress and achieve couple of goals this way, you will be able to set more goals at the same time. This way you will continually raise your personal development motivation because you will see positive results.

Always try to write down the deadline of the goal in your daily planner. You should keep referring to the deadline to keep your mind focused on accomplishing the goal on time.
Try to develop a habit of taking action every day towards your goal. This will increase your personal development motivation because you will be proud of yourself by being so pro-active. This, of course, will also gradually lead to the accomplishment of the goal.

Remove all distractions
You should stop doing activities that fail to get you closer to the goal (like watching TV or surfing internet). If you really cannot abandon activities as such, try to eliminate them from your life as often as you can.

Set priorities
If you know that there is some hard work that you must do to achieve your goal, don't put it off. You should say to yourself that by accomplishing it you will tremendously shorten the time of your goal achievement. This will motivate you to complete whatever hard work there is.

Block negative influences
When you feel that you are getting upset or negative about accomplishing goals, you should stop for a while and reflect. Do you really want to achieve that particular goal? What would your life look like in 1, 5, 10 years from now if you quit? That should get your motivation back unless you realize that the goal is not as beneficial as you initially thought. Always be surrounded by people that raise your motivation, not the opposite. If all your friends and relatives are negative, stay away from all of them. Stay alone for a while; surround yourself with good books and other positive information. You will attract positive people as soon as your thinking becomes positive.
No one will raise your personal development motivation but you.

You hold 100% responsibility for everything in your life. Understanding this is the only way to achieve all your goals and excel in personal development motivation.

ENGAGING YOUR BRAIN TO HELP YOU STAY MOTIVATED

2009-01-21T05:44:00.000-08:00

Motivation is a key factor in any successful goal-setting plan. Achieving personal goals, self-improvement plans and life goals depend on our ability to maintain a sustained and consistent effort.
Research suggests that a powerful ally in the brain known as the neurotransmitter, dopamine can help. When we understand a bit of brain chemistry and consistently use some simple goal-setting techniques, we can put this knowledge to work for us.

· Choose something you truly desire and feel motivated to accomplish. In order for this to work, the goal must be important to you.
· You must be willing to invest yourself in the process and have a reasonable expectation of achieving your desired outcome.
· Give yourself a few weeks to adjust to changes. It's believed that it takes 21 days to establish a new habit.
· Break your big goal into small, achievable goals that require you to do some work. You may choose to set weekly or monthly objectives. This gives your brain several items to own instead of just one, increasing its investment in the process. I
· Have a daily to-do list. Do something every day to support your intentions. Include the little items. Cross them off as you complete them. Each item represents something for the brain to own and pursue. It then becomes a reward when crossed off. You can give yourself other rewards as well, so long as they don't sabotage your desired outcome. Determine the reward in advance so your brain can look forward to it. Also include a few spontaneous rewards.
· Write your to-do list the night before to engage your brain before you even wake up in the morning. This is the part of the pursuit.
· Evaluate your progress and make changes in your plan as needed. If you are asking too much of yourself, you will not view this as achievable and may experience anxiety or feel as though you failed. Likewise, be sure to stretch yourself a little so your brain experiences the thrill of the pursuit.
As you can see, these are powerful tips, that when used correctly, can help you achieve your goals.

SUCCESS - YOU NEED IT

2009-01-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Every one of us naturally wants to take steps toward positive thinking because it would take us toward more encouraging and optimistic experiences. Since thinking positively does not come naturally or easily to most of us, it takes focus to acquire them. However, the steps of affirmative thoughts are many, and not all steps to optimistic mindset are as effective and useful as others.

So why do you have to take more steps of feeling positively than you need to?
A more fitting description would be the leaps of positive thinking. In fact, you could follow complex system to reprogram your mind for sensing positively or you could keep it simple, so your efforts would have a much greater and powerful impact on your life.

1. Before each action you take, spend a couple of seconds seeing yourself getting the desired results that you want from that action. Always keep your mental focus on what is it you really want. If for instance, you are heading to a nearby store and you think about how short the lines would be.
Do not think about how there will be no long lines at all. Instead, think about how quickly and easily you can do and accomplish your shopping. A most common mistake in positive thinking is in seeing or imagining things like this:
a.) The physician will not find anything wrong with me.
b). My boyfriend/girlfriend will not break up with me.
c). I will not be caught in traffic again. These sorts of mindset are not positive thinking at all.

They are negative thoughts just wearing disguises in positive thinking. The true positive thoughts are:
a). My doctor will say that I am in the pink of health.
b) My boyfriend/girlfriend loves me so he/she wants to be with me.
c). I will get where I am going--on time because traffic will flow smoothly. So can you spot the difference now?

2. Whatever you are thinking keep your thoughts not on what you cannot have or can't do but instead what you can have and can do. Thoughts of can or could are the greatest and most empowering leaps you can take toward the life that you want. Most people make the mistake of thinking that positive mindset is looking at the bright side of life. They can say they can't have the job that they like but its okay because it's possibly for the best.

"For the best" is a failure or refusal to commit oneself. When you say something is for the best, you are saying you couldn't have it but that is fine. So why not think you can have it just perhaps not this day? Consequently, if you try to practice these two things-keep your concentration on whatever you like and keep on visualizing about what you could do and achieve, and you'll be building positive experiences each day.

FIVE SIMPLE STEPS TO SUCCESS

2009-01-20T07:38:00.000-08:00

There are five simple steps that if you follow them will make it easier to achieve success. Of course, before we even get into the five steps, you have to define what success means to you. But, once you have defined success for yourself, here are the five "must do" steps to achieving success:
1. Set Goals. This is only common sense but it is shocking to me how many people do not set goals. Only about 2% of the world's population set goals but, those 2% control approximately 95% of the wealth in the world. You want to make sure that you are part of that 2%. It is really rather simple, if you don't have a target then how can you hit it. Without a target, you are going to miss every time. If you have a gun and go out to the shooting range and just start firing off rounds, the bullets are going to go somewhere and if you are real lucky, you won't shoot yourself in the foot. However, If you have a specific target that you are aiming at, you are going to come a lot closer to your target and closer to your goal. With a little study, training and practice, you can get to the point that you will hit the bulls-eye every time.

2. Use positive thinking. I am sure that you have heart the cliche: "If you think you can or you think you can't, your right." You have to believe in yourself. There can be no doubts. Know in your heart that you can be successful and you will find success beyond your wildest dreams. A note of caution with this one-you must know your field of expertise. You must gain all of the knowledge necessary to be a success but, once you have gained the proper background and knowledge, use positive thinking to help you achieve your goals.

3. Visualize yourself successful. Go into the bathroom and look into the mirror but, instead of just seeing your reflected image, see the image of what you will look like when you have achieved your dream. What kind of clothes are you wearing. Now take a whiff-what kind of cologne are you wearing. What does your house look like. Is that a 65 inch big screen TV that I see on the wall. Go out to the garage and look at your car. Do you see your old junker or are you now looking at that new Mercedes AMG. Go for a drive in your new car. Can you smell that new car smell. Do you hear that throaty sound of that massive V-12 engine. Feel the incredible acceleration and remember to keep an eye out for the police. They are jealous of you and your new car so watch your speed. Are you getting the picture? See the new you as if it has already happened. Walk like, talk like and act like the success that you are.

4. Don't quit. No matter how far away success may feel, remember that you can and will achieve it. The only people who fail are the quitters and the worst part of it is that they quit just before they were about to make the big breakthrough. Always remember and live by the creed that failure is not an option. Success is the only option for you.

5. Be abnormal. Please don't ever call me normal-that is the biggest insult that I could receive. Normal people settle for a life of mediocrity and mediocrity is my greatest fear. I am gladly taking the abnormal route-the route to limitless wealth and success and I am thankful for this because with all of my wealth and success I can do great good for mankind.
Five simple little steps but it will make the difference between a life of misery or a life filled with great wealth and accomplishment.

SUCCESS

2009-01-14T05:48:00.000-08:00

How often have you heard someone you know grumble about doing something they don't want to do? How often has that someone been you? Don't worry, I'm not here to judge anyone, but rather to lend some perspective to the benefits of success - even if you're lazy or happy with the status quo.
There is a huge success culture and it is one that can irritate some people. The people who have no desire to get ahead, but are quick to begrudge those who do get ahead. We all know people like that, but it's a good idea to limit the amount of time you spend with them, if possible. The begrudgers of the world are not happy with the things they have, and think that successful people are dishonest, make too many sacrifices, or work to the point of burning.
For everyone who is irritated by high achievers and those who have done well in life, here's the truth: People that lie, sacrifice their family or health or burn out are not successes at all. That's the good news. Now, for the not so good news. It may not be your fault that you are where you are right now, but it's your decision to stay there - you are the one who is responsible.

What's so great about success? Let me respond with a question. What if you could work harder than you ever have before for one year(not to the point of burning out, but working hard), and then never have to work again? What if it five years, ten, twenty? At what point would it not be worth it? The answer hints at the value of success. To put it another way, if you are willing to do more, you will achieve more. At some point the reward becomes exponentially greater than the effort. It's like a balancing scale where effort is on one side and reward is on the other. The catch is that you can't always tell where the tipping point is.

Success means having the things you deserve, but failure means the same thing. Notice that entitlement has nothing to do with it. The world doesn't owe you any favors. The choice is yours. Maybe you feel comfortable where you are, but realize that just about anything you possess (things, attitude, friends, etc.) could be better. You can have success, wild success. What would an ideal life, specifically, mean to you, and what would you do to get it? Taking even a simple action right now can build momentum and create the inertia needed to propel you to success. Do what needs to be done, take action, and continually take in the "good stuff".

MOTIVATION (2)

2009-01-13T08:47:00.000-08:00

The basic definition of motivation is "inspiration, stimulus or incentive." Motivation has also been called an internal need or desire that induces a person to take action. Interestingly, motivation can be either positive or negative, as well as a very subtle or of a more tangible quality.
Understanding motivation, your own and that of others, is important. Once you learn what drives you, how and why, you will have more power over yourself. Some of the most basic motivations of human beings are quite obvious. People feel hungry and so they eat. People feel bored so they seek stimulation. People feel lonely, so they seek out companionship, perhaps even a romantic partner. There are also other perceivable motivations, such as the pursuit of wealth, an interest in hobbies and art, and the quest for spiritual fulfillment. Some of the more subtle motivations of people may include altruism, morality or a sense of familial responsibility.

Where Motivation Begins
Plunging deeper into the theory of motivation, we find there are several schools of thought as to how motivation begins. Some believe that aside from fulfilling base urges, motivation is based on a system of reward and reinforcement. When a parent rewards a child with something tangible or intangible (a gift or a happy tone of voice) then the child has learned that this specific action reaps benefits, they become trained. They associate positive meaning with the behavior. This is the same system used to train animals. When a child is young and has little logical comprehension, then this strategy may be effective. However, as he or she grows up, more progression is needed beyond positive or negative reinforcement.

Some believe this reward-based system eventually evolves into a system of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards. Some extrinsic rewards are still largely the same, such as praise from others or wealth; however, now more emphasis is given to intrinsic rewards or internal benefits. For example, the feeling of satisfaction that comes from helping others or the sense of accomplishment you get from completing a task or achieving a goal. Extrinsic and intrinsic motivations become more complicated when you consider that there are motivations based on enjoyment as well as obligation.

Obligation is motivation based on what a person thinks he or she ought to be doing. This is deeper motivation, one initially taught by a system of rewards, but one that also progresses into a logical process as the child grows older.
As the child grows into an adult they will find their place in a chosen community. This may be a work office, a church group, or a large family. As their knowledge and experience increases, they may find more altruistic motivations in themselves. Thought they might join a group with the hope of belonging, in time they adopt the mission of the group; and most organizations, professional or otherwise, have altruistic objectives.

Another system of motivation to consider is that of coercion, or the act of compelling one to act by force of authority. Most families do use some sort of system based on coercion, and society also sees coercion at the hands of larger authority figures, such as the government, school systems, and jail systems. Coercion is so impacting that it can often times override other systems of motivation. Interestingly, some individuals have found that using a type of coercion-based learning system on themselves has produced some favorable results. It's the basic principle of getting "tough on yourself", limiting your "reward" time based upon performance, and setting a rigid schedule that cannot be broken.

What Motivation Means To You

Ultimately, a person's motivation, wherever it comes from, will drive him or her to great success or greater failure. If you sense that your inner motivation causes negative effects, or inhibits you from trying to reach out for more, then perhaps it's time to reevaluate your system of learning. The most successful people in life are motivated. Motivation directly leads to a person taking action.
Usually, a person reacts to overwhelming motivation by setting goals. At first the goals are small but always heading in the same path. Next, the motivated person learns more about the subject of interest, while setting greater goals. Finally, the successful person finishes all projects as planned. This may be what separates the dreamers from the professionals. It's the motivation to see a plan through. Learn how to modify your motivating factors and how to capitalize on all opportunities. Enjoy the feeling you have when you apply your motivation and be even more successful in life.

SELF MOTIVATION AT THE WORK PLACE

2009-01-13T08:38:00.000-08:00

If you are seeking ways to gain self motivation at the workplace, search no more. Here are a couple of ways that will assist development of your energy and motivation, and successfully step-up your productiveness. Regardless whether you're just starting your career or you are a seasoned pro, self motivation at the work is all important to every person's success. Without aspiration, effort, and determination everybody will come short in their work related obligations and responsibilities. By comprehending the grandness of staying energetic and concentrated on the task close at hand, employees can see that they're executing their responsibilities to the fullest of their capabilities. As employers see diligence, faithfulness, and jobs executed in a first-class manner, they'll take note and employees will get hold of success.

One of the better ways to beef up self motivation at the workplace is to acquire a thorough view at what your primary obligations are. It may appear obvious initially, but a lot of times, employees take a lot of hours executing tasks that might be delegated to a different worker or even managed by a simple machine.

Commence by taking time to think over the true nature of your line of work, your skills, training, and your current obligations and assess if you're addressing things in the best way. If you find arenas where other people can help, then assign some projects. Sometimes, folks tend to hang on to the reigns of command so tightly that they overload themselves. Over time, they'll before long resent their jobs and fall behind and lose their motivation.

By affording other certified people jobs that they can perform, you'll free up useful time for yourself. This allows for you to accomplish your important tasks, and therefore have a lot of spare time for relaxation. As you commence to work in that pattern, your tension level will diminish and your motivation at work will grow.

Delegation and arrangement work hand in hand to acquire self-motivation at the work place. You had better also be sure that your workstation is comfortably organized. You perhaps will be surprised to recognize it, but attempting to work in a messy and littered environment can rob your motivation, effort, and energy. A lot of times, employees blow countless hours looking for files, ruffling through documents, or even fumbling with different instruments. Regardless what your chosen profession is, by keeping a well-organized work environment, you will be able to increase your motivation and this interprets into bigger productivity.

SETTING GOALS

2009-01-13T07:58:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I continually tell people to set goals. I have personally seen the power of goal-setting in my own life and the lives of others. However, for many people this is not the case.
There are individuals out there that are hindered by their goals and, in fact, are pushing success further away from themselves because of them. Why?

Let me explain.

Although goal-setting has been proven to help launch you towards the success you desire many people fail to reach their goals and therefore they become a block to their future success. This is because we tend to set up beliefs based on prior experience. Reaching goals sets up a mental belief that you can reach goals. If you have reached some goals previously then you will have strong, positive beliefs about your ability to do it again. If, on the other hand, you have tried and failed numerous times to reach goals you probably have a very negative view about goal-setting. This view, or belief, will seriously damage any future attempt to reach your desires.

For this reason I believe most of your major goals should be of a personal development nature. By striving to better yourself and your understanding of how your mind works you will eliminate many of the causes for goal-failure!
The most common reason for failing to reach your goals lies in over-confidence. Setting objectives that are too high or too far from where you are now, without having a proper, reasonable and realistic plan to reach them is like trying to fish in the Sahara.
Goals need to be reasonable. There is nothing you cannot accomplish but in order to get to a place, within yourself, where you are capable of achieving big goals you must set some foundations!

You set the necessary solid foundations for achieving your goals by becoming a person capable of achieving them! This means developing the skills and knowledge you need to attain your desire. An example of this would be setting a goal to be CEO of a company in 2 years when you don't even work for them! Setting a goal to become a millionaire in 2 years when you currently have no job is equally as unrealistic!

You should start with stepping-stone goals. They should be easy enough to achieve but should require some work on your part. At the same time you should set personal development goals that help you improve as a person. For example, you should set a personal development goal to find and eliminate all the negative beliefs you hold about achieving your objectives.
Harbouring negative beliefs, thoughts and emotions that impinge upon your goals is always a major reason for failing to achieve your objectives. Goal-setting and personal development should always go hand-in-hand!

By developing a strong character and belief in yourself, your abilities and your deservedness to reach your goals is a strong defense against doubt, fear, the desire to give-up and failure!
A great personal development way to reach your goals is visualization. Most people fail to understand the awesome power and effectiveness of this very easy to use technique. However, YOU should not overlook its effectiveness. In your mind's eye imagine what it will be like when you have already achieved your goal. Muster up all the positive feelings that you will experience when this mental movie is reality. Step into that image in your head and feel it as though it were reality now. Through simple visualization tactics you can ensure you stay motivated in your goal-achieving activities. You will have seen, felt and experienced the very thing you are working towards and you will also increase you belief in the possibility of attaining it!

Use goals in this way and you will be assured of success while at the same time bettering yourself in every area through personal development.

SETTING GOALS

2009-01-13T07:49:00.001-08:00

At the beginning of the year, you may find yourself stuck between celebrating the success of last year, planning for the New Year and perhaps overwhelmed by everything you have on your full plate. You're not alone. Most conscious entrepreneurs go through this type of celebration, anticipation and yes, sometimes even overwhelm. That being said, the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to take some time to get laser-focused on what you want to experience and manifest this year.

You've probably heard that the most powerful thing you can do to manifest your goals is to write them down! There is something about putting your goals in writing that begins to align the Universe to help you realize them.

The following four step process is one of my personal New Year strategies. I hope you'll print this out and get started with your intentions today!

Step 1: Complete
The first step to setting clear intentions for the New Year is to feel complete with the events and experiences of the last year. To do this, simply reflect on the past year... beginning back in January. In your mind, run through the year noting the accomplishments, challenges, successes, growth, opportunities and gifts that you experienced. Once you've taken time to reflect on the past year, allow yourself to release anything that you may be hanging on to. Take several deep relaxing breaths as you envision completing the year and become fully present to this moment and all the potential that lies ahead for this year.

Step 2: Celebrate
Next, take out a pen and paper and write a list of everything you have to celebrate from the past year. Focus on all areas of your life, including spiritual (connection to God, meditation, spiritual practice, spiritual community, trust in Divine plan, etc.), personal (health, relationships, fulfillment, family, friends, community, love, etc.), financial (overall financial health, income, debt reduction, investments, money management, etc.), business (new strategies, marketing programs, joint ventures, products and services, client successes, gross income, profitability, support, etc.). Take time to complete your list thoroughly and review it to fully embrace your success and evolution this past year.

Step 3: Focus
Once you finish completing and celebrating, now become focused on all that you want to manifest this year. Simply create the picture of this coming year in your mind's eye, getting a clear vision of what you intend to manifest and experience (don't write anything down, yet... just envision it in your mind and feel it in your heart). Again, as you did in Step 2 "Celebrate", be sure to include the areas of spiritual, personal, financial and business.

Step 4: Commit
The last step is to commit your intentions for the year by putting them in writing. This is the most powerful step of the journey; it's the beginning of taking the vision in your mind and bringing it into reality. There are two different methods I recommend for writing down your intentions for the year, choose the one that feels like the right fit for you: 1) write a description of your year from the standpoint of January 1, 2009 including all the details of what has transpired during this year... be grateful in advance! 2) Write a bullet point-list of your intentions for the year in each of these 4 areas (spiritual, personal, financial and business). You can write your list on index cards putting one area of your life on a different card.

Once you complete this four step process, there is one last BONUS step to include with all of your writings. And, that is to write "this or something better" at the bottom of the paper. Because, as expansive as your intentions and vision for this year are, God/The Universe sees so much more for you. There are gifts waiting for you that you cannot begin to imagine. So, enjoy being clear and energized about this incredible year knowing that you also leave space for miracles to occur.

SETTING GOALS

2009-01-13T07:49:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the year, you may find yourself stuck between celebrating the success of last year, planning for the New Year and perhaps overwhelmed by everything you have on your full plate. You're not alone. Most conscious entrepreneurs go through this type of celebration, anticipation and yes, sometimes even overwhelm. That being said, the beginning of a new year is the perfect time to take some time to get laser-focused on what you want to experience and manifest this year.

You've probably heard that the most powerful thing you can do to manifest your goals is to write them down! There is something about putting your goals in writing that begins to align the Universe to help you realize them.

The following four step process is one of my personal New Year strategies. I hope you'll print this out and get started with your intentions today!

Step 1: Complete
The first step to setting clear intentions for the New Year is to feel complete with the events and experiences of the last year. To do this, simply reflect on the past year... beginning back in January. In your mind, run through the year noting the accomplishments, challenges, successes, growth, opportunities and gifts that you experienced. Once you've taken time to reflect on the past year, allow yourself to release anything that you may be hanging on to. Take several deep relaxing breaths as you envision completing the year and become fully present to this moment and all the potential that lies ahead for this year.

Step 2: Celebrate
Next, take out a pen and paper and write a list of everything you have to celebrate from the past year. Focus on all areas of your life, including spiritual (connection to God, meditation, spiritual practice, spiritual community, trust in Divine plan, etc.), personal (health, relationships, fulfillment, family, friends, community, love, etc.), financial (overall financial health, income, debt reduction, investments, money management, etc.), business (new strategies, marketing programs, joint ventures, products and services, client successes, gross income, profitability, support, etc.). Take time to complete your list thoroughly and review it to fully embrace your success and evolution this past year.

Step 3: Focus
Once you finish completing and celebrating, now become focused on all that you want to manifest this year. Simply create the picture of this coming year in your mind's eye, getting a clear vision of what you intend to manifest and experience (don't write anything down, yet... just envision it in your mind and feel it in your heart). Again, as you did in Step 2 "Celebrate", be sure to include the areas of spiritual, personal, financial and business.

Step 4: Commit
The last step is to commit your intentions for the year by putting them in writing. This is the most powerful step of the journey; it's the beginning of taking the vision in your mind and bringing it into reality. There are two different methods I recommend for writing down your intentions for the year, choose the one that feels like the right fit for you: 1) write a description of your year from the standpoint of January 1, 2009 including all the details of what has transpired during this year... be grateful in advance! 2) Write a bullet point-list of your intentions for the year in each of these 4 areas (spiritual, personal, financial and business). You can write your list on index cards putting one area of your life on a different card.
Once you complete this four step process, there is one last BONUS step to include with all of your writings. And, that is to write "this or something better" at the bottom of the paper. Because, as expansive as your intentions and vision for this year are, God/The Universe sees so much more for you. There are gifts waiting for you that you cannot begin to imagine. So, enjoy being clear and energized about this incredible year knowing that you also leave space for miracles to occur.

SELF MOTIVATION

2009-01-07T13:11:00.000-08:00

If you want to change the path of your future, get rid of a bad habit or improve the way you work; you definitely can gain a lot by practicing self motivation exercises. Getting motivated is really what drives you to conquer all your goals and all your dreams. Sometimes though, stresses of day to day life can overcome and completely drain us. These day to day pressures can take away our energy and sometimes cause us to lose site of what we were originally after. If you practice some motivational exercises it will help bring you back to your focus and reshape your life.
Creative visualization is something you can do anywhere at anytime. This is a technique that allows you to see yourself already having what it is that you are after or trying to accomplish. You visualize it to be as simple or as complicated as you want. It's a great thing to do when you are falling asleep or if you take the time to dim the lights and play some calming music. Create an image in your mind that represents you achieving your goal. Hold on to it and practice it every day.

Positive speaking is a way to complement visualizations. Speak encouraging words with your visualization and it will help promote your vision. If you find yourself feeling self-doubt speak the opposite of what you believe. By changing your negative thoughts to positive ones you will be empowering yourself and setting up life to your vision.

Practicing these exercises can have great benefits to changing your life. Combat the negative thinking and beliefs and change them into positive ones. Practice daily affirmations and you will eventually walk out what you believe in. If you have the faith and belief that you can achieve, you will achieve. If you believe you won't conquer what it is that you are after then you won't. It's the law of attraction! Start practicing them now and watch the course of your life change before your eyes.

A Smile's Worth

2009-01-07T12:08:00.000-08:00

"It costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive, without impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it sometimes lasts forever." Dale Carnegie, in his book "How to win friends and influence people".
Have you ever heard it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile? Like any muscle the more you smile, the stronger it gets and the more smiling benefits you receive.
There are many health benefits to smiling, including increasing your sense of wellbeing and pleasure with each day. Smiling also improves your health by boosting your immune system and lowering your blood pressure. It's a great stress reliever and increases your attractiveness to others.

Smiling has been found to release powerful neurotransmitters like endorphins and serotonin - our body's natural 'feel good' drugs. Endorphins are also released when laughing, exercising, eating chocolate, sunbathing, during massages and meditation, when dancing, singing and listening to music - just about anything that leaves a smile on your face. Serotonin is a vital part of regulating our moods, sleep, sexuality and appetite. The serotonin/smile relationship goes both ways - good mood, getting good sleep and good food will ensure the smiles and serotonin keep coming.

The term "keep your chin up", has real physiological benefits. Notice what happens when you stretch your neck backward and look up - a natural smile forms in the facial muscles. There are many simple movements in the practice of yoga that produce this effect, which is probably why participants have a giant grin on their face after a yoga session. While happiness comes at all ages, smiling into your golden years can actually promote longevity. In a study on optimism published in General Psychiatry, of those over the age of 65, optimists were 71 per cent less likely to die from certain causes than that of pessimists. A life full of smiles also exercises muscles in the face, which helps prevent drooping and saggy skin.

Here are some reasons smiling is good for us:
1. Smiling makes us attractive We are drawn to people who smile. We want to know a smiling person and figure out what is making them smile. Frowns, scowls and grimaces all push people away, but a smile draws them in.

2. Smiling changes our mood Next time you are feeling down, try tricking your body by putting on a smile. There's a good chance you mood will change for the better.

3. Smiling is contagious When someone is smiling they light up the room, change the mood of others and make things happier. A smiling person brings happiness with them. Smile lots and you will draw people to you.

4. Smiling relieves stress Stress can really show up in our faces. Smiling helps to prevent us from looking tired, worn down and overwhelmed. When you are stressed, take time to put on a smile. The stress should be reduced and you will be better able to take action.

5. Smiling boosts your immune system When you smile; your immunity function improves, possibly because you are more relaxed. Prevent the flu and colds by smiling.

6. Smiling lowers your blood pressure When you smile; there is a measurable reduction in your blood pressure. Sit for a few minutes and take your blood pressure. Then smile for a minute and take another reading while still smiling. Do you notice a difference?

7. Smiling releases natural feel good drugs Studies have shown smiling releases endorphins, natural painkillers, and serotonin. Together these three make us feel good.

8. Smiling makes you look younger The muscles we use to smile lift the face, making a person appear younger. Don't go for a facelift, just try smiling your way through the day - you'll look younger and feel better.

9. Smiling makes you seem successful Smiling people appear more confident, are more likely to be promoted and to be approached. Put on a smile at meetings and appointments and people will react to you differently.

10. Smiling helps you stay positive Try this test: smile. Now try to think of something negative without losing the smile. It's hard. When we smile our body is sending the message, "Life is good". Stay away from depression, stress and worry by smiling.

My favourite affirmation is, "I'm so happy I can't stop smiling". It always helps put a smile on my face. If I don't feel like smiling, I try to "fake it until I make it". I pretend I am happy by smiling anyway and usually I find I am feeling better in no time.
Outrageously Healthy Tip: Practice smiling. When you are exercising, taking a walk or looking at yourself in the mirror tell yourself, "I'm so happy I can't stop smiling".

SMILE!!!!!!!!!