The Realgoalgetter Blog: October 2005

Is Self Improvement The Way?

Is Self Improvement Your Way to Success?
By Jean-Philippe Schoeffel

Everything that happens to us happens in purpose. And sometimes, one thing leads to another. Instead of locking yourself up in your cage of fears and crying over past heartaches, embarrassment and failures, treat them as your teachers and they will become your tools in both self improvement and success.

I remember watching Patch Adams – its my favorite movie, actually. Its one great film that will help you improve yourself. Hunter “patch” Adams is a medical student who failed to make it through the board exams. After months of suffering in melancholy, depression and suicidal attempts – he decided to seek for medical attention and voluntarily admitted himself in a psychiatric ward.

His months of stay in the hospital led him to meeting different kinds of people. Sick people in that matter. He met a catatonic, a mentally retarded, a schizophrenic and so on. Patch found ways of treating his own ailment and finally realized he has to get back on track. He woke up one morning realizing that after all the failure and pains he has gone through, he still want to become the a doctor.

He carries with himself a positive attitude that brought him self improvement and success. He didn’t only improved himself, but also the life of the people around him and the quality of life. Did he succeed? Needless to say, he became the best darn doctor his country has ever known.

So, when does self improvement become synonymous with success? Where do we start? Take these tips, friends...

*Stop thinking and feeling as if you’re a failure, because you’re not. How can others accept you if YOU can’t accept YOU?

*When you see hunks and models on TV, think more on self improvement, not self pitying. Self acceptance is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. Concentrate on inner beauty.

*When people feel so down and low about themselves, help them move up. Don’t go down with them. They’ll pull you down further and both of you will end up feeling inferior.

*The world is a large room for lessons, not mistakes. Don’t feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed on a science quiz. There’s always a next time. Make rooms for self improvement.

*Take things one at a time. You don’t expect black sheep’s to be goody-two-shoes in just a snap of a finger. Self improvement is a one day at a time process.

*Self improvement results to inner stability, personality development and dig this …. SUCCESS. It comes from self confidence, self appreciation and self esteem.

*Set meaningful and achievable goals. Self improvement doesn’t turn you to be the exact replica of Cameron Diaz or Ralph Fiennes. It hopes and aims to result to an improved and better YOU.

*Little things mean BIG to other people. Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things that we do like a pat on the back, saying “hi” or “hello”, greeting someone “good day” or telling Mr. Smith something like “hey, I love your tie!” are simple things that mean so much to other people. When we’re being appreciative about beautiful things around us and other people, we also become beautiful to them.

*When you’re willing to accept change and go through the process of self improvement, it doesn’t mean that everyone else is. The world is a place where people of different values and attitude hang out. Sometimes, even if you think you and your best friend always like to do the same thing together at the same time, she would most likely decline an invitation for self improvement.

We should always remember that there’s no such thing as ‘over night success’. Its always a wonderful feeling to hold on to the things that you already have now, realizing that those are just one of the things you once wished for. A very nice quote says that “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

We are all here to learn our lessons. Our parents, school teachers, friends, colleagues, officemates, neighbors… they are our teachers. When we open our doors for self improvement, we increase our chances to head to the road of success.

Read more Self Improvement at http://www.self-improvement-guide.com

Dr Schoeffel is the creator of Self improvement guide You'll find useful informations, articles and resources to every aspects of self improvement and personal development. Here is the address: http://www.self-improvement-guide.com

Powerful Sleep Secrets
Could you use MORE Sleep? If the way you spend your days is similar to the general population, you will probably answer a resounding 'Yes!'. Many people go to work every day without a 'good night's' rest, always short of sleep.

What if I could show you a way to get better sleep during those 'too short' nights? What if you could get less sleep, but get a much more powerful sleep period? How much more could you get done? A sleep researcher has discovered such a method. He is sharing his discoveries in the Powerful Sleep System.

Download your copy of the first 2 chapters FR*EE and see for yourself the difference owning this book can make in your life. Imagine how you will feel when you are totally rested and able to seize each day's opportunities. Read more about Powerful Sleep here, and get your two free chapters.

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Can't We all Just Get Along?

Why Can't We all Just Get Along?
By David Snape

It seems that there must be some fundamental problem with human communication. Wherever you turn it is not hard to find people having an argument, a conflict or one person angry or frustrated with another for some reason. But why is it like that?

I think one of the key problems for us human beings is that our way of communicating through the use of language is very limited. When one considers that we all have a different picture in our minds of how things are and how they should be, it's a bit easier to realize the basis for so much conflict.

The use of the spoken word and its lack of ability to fully convey meaning creates communication barriers for people.

For example, I have a picture about something in my mind. I try to convey that picture through words to another. That person must hear those words and then put them together into a picture in his mind.

One problem lies in the fact that we create different pictures. The picture I started with might be entirely different than the one he has constructed from listening to my words.

Couple that with the way that many view life as a chess game, where they must out maneuver their opponent and one can see where problems creep in. Mistrust, greed, selfishness and paranoia are like weeds in our minds that we must exert conscious and constant effort to remove or risk unnecessary conflict, hurt and disappointment.

When two people talk to each other, these conflicting pictures or perspectives come into play. One person's words may be kind, compassionate and forged with good intentions. Yet, the person receiving the words may think that the other is being mean, rude, manipulative, overbearing, spiteful or any other of a number of negative factors.

A conflict results based on false or partially inaccurate notions. Some conflicts are obvious. Others fester in the mind of a person and come out in passive-aggressive ways. In either case, these situations can make people miserable.

Another problem stems from the simple fact that for as many people as there are in the world, there are as many different levels of awareness of any given situation. Some may have more information to work with than others.

I can't count the number of times when I thought things were one way, when in fact they were another. I can't count the number of times that I blamed someone for doing wrong when there was some factor that I wasn't aware of. A person’s range of knowledge is limited.

Multiply that by all the people on Earth having similar experiences and it's easy to see how conflicts start. Is there a solution? It's difficult to say. Without having a basic communication form that stems beyond the use of the spoken word, communication is always going to be a quagmire of complexities between any two or more people.

I feel that the situation would be better if we had a way to communicate our entire mental picture at any given time to others, complete with the emotional background and the history of what made us get to that state of mind or perspective. That is far more information than the spoken language of human beings seems capable of conveying.

One thing is for sure, in order to rise above the limitations of human language one must employ a strong character, tempered with endurance and tolerance, along with compassion and a desire to get closer to the truth of any matter. Only then can one live more harmoniously with others.

Dave Snape writes for All Things Pondered: http://allthingspondered.com

Powerful Sleep Secrets
Could you use MORE Sleep? If the way you spend your days is similar to the general population, you will probably answer a resounding 'Yes!'. Many people go to work every day without a 'good night's' rest, always short of sleep.

What if I could show you a way to get better sleep during those 'too short' nights? What if you could get less sleep, but get a much more powerful sleep period? How much more could you get done? A sleep researcher has discovered such a method. He is sharing his discoveries in the Powerful Sleep System.

Download your copy of the first 2 chapters FR*EE and see for yourself the difference owning this book can make in your life. Imagine how you will feel when you are totally rested and able to seize each day's opportunities. Read more about Powerful Sleep here, and get your two free chapters.

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

The Samurai on Self Discipline

A Path to Self Improvement - The Samurai Method
By Richard Berroa

Do you lack self discipline? Many of us do. Gaining self discipline is a matter of working at it it. Their are several paths to reach it, I think. One method is practicing constant self improvement. Check out my story; I have always been fascinated by the martial arts.

Martial arts are the physical self defense disciplines that were developed in the Far East. The arts include but are not limited to Kung Fu, Karate, Judo, Aikido, Kempo, Ninjitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu and many others. These were made popular here most famously by Bruce Lee. I believe that my addiction to these arts and their movies was fed by the Saturday afternoon matinees that the television stations used to show.

As a young prepubescent boy watching Shao Lin monks leaping through the air as if they were flying, shattering stones with their bare hands and the speed finesse and skill level that they displayed was mind blowing to me. That was first hooked me to their culture as I took up the arts myself I immersed myself in books and magazines about asian culture.

While I am not the first in sharing the riches and wisdom the Buddha, Sun Tzu and Confucius. I believe that I am the first to share the wisdom of the Samurai on EzineArticles.

In case you didn't know the Samurai were warrior caste in feudal Japan. The ideal samurai were expected to lead austere, disciplined lives, dedicated to their lords and the perfection of the martial arts and their character. They were expected to be capable of bringing the same finesse to the tea ceremony, calligraphy, and poetry as they would to the removal of an enemy's head in battle.

They gave complete loyalty to their daimyo (feudal landlord) in his private army, and received land, position, status, and money in return. Please read the following and try to absorb the principles of constant self improvement that the samurai practiced.

While it won't help you in your sword play the wisdom listed below can help into shaping you into a better person. Mind you that this list has been adapted from ancient Samurai precepts and thus they have been adapted to make sense in todays world.

Precepts of the Samurai (samurai no kokoroe), a modern variation on a historical philosophy:

Know yourself. (Jiko o shiru koto) Always follow through on commitments. (Jibun no kimeta koto wa saigo made kikko suru koto) Respect everyone. (Ikanaru hito demo sonke suru koto) Hold strong convictions that cannot be altered by your circumstances. (Kankyo ni sayu sarenai tsuyoi shinnen o motsu koto) Don't make an enemy of yourself. (Mizu kara teki o tsukuranai koto)

Live without regrets. (Koto ni oite kokaisezu) Be certain to make a good first impression. (Hito to no deai o taisetsu ni suru koto) Don't cling to the past. (Miren o motanai koto) Never break a promise. (Yakusoku o yaburanai koto) Don't depend on other people. (Hito ni tayoranai koto) Don't speak ill of others. (Hito o onshitsu shinai koto)

Don't be afraid of anything. (Ikanaku koto ni oite mo osorenai koto) Respect the opinions of others. (Hito no iken o soncho suru koto) Have compassion and understanding for everyone. (Hito ni taishite omoiyari o motsu koto) Don't be impetuous. (karuhazumi ni koto o okosanai koto) Even little things must be attended to. (Chiisa na koto demo taisetsu ni suru koto) Never forget to be appreciative. (Kansha no kimochi o wasurenai koto) Make a desperate effort. (Issho kenmei monogoto o suru koto)

Have a plan for your life. (Jinsei no mokuhyo o sadameru koto) Never lose your "Beginner's Spirit". (Shoshin o wasurubekarazaru koto)

Saigo made eizoku suru - persist to the end. This one has special meaning to me I look at this in this way "to persist is to conquer"

Personally, I try to make an effort to live up to these ideals. They teach the importance of self reliance and responsibility for ones actions. If you can't blame anyone else for your misfortunes you are that more focused on your goals. This is a constant effort, we are human, there is always room for improvement.

*The Samurai precepts is from http://www.kristenkyle.com/resnotes.html written by Kristen Kyle.

http://www.myhiss.com H.I.S.S. Home Inventory Service Specialists is headed up by CEO: Richard Berroa; a producer whose background is in live T.V. production and documentaries. At HBO, NBC and PBS; Rich was responsible for gathering all the information for the shoot (the who, what, when, where) and putting them to insure a successful production (the How).

That skill set is now put to work for your own H.I.S.S. catalog; which is a mini production itself. The same commitment, attention to details and meticulous organization will now work for you. We are a company set up to serve an under served need; the fact is that all insurance companies tell their clients to make an inventory but they do not provide this service to their customers.

WHY? Maybe it is because it's simply is not in their (the insurance company's) best interest. Empowering you the customer is our priority. We are insured; currently we service the entire east coast but we are willing to travel beyond on a per case basis.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

*NEW!* -- Audio Motivation

Join Audio Motivation and hear exclusive interviews from the greatest names in personal development. Leap onto the fast track to success with dynamic, exciting audio motivation messages with AudioMotivation.com. Listen to Audios with Success Teachers and today's movers and shakers and keep yourself at the top of your Game. Find out more today.

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Scheduling for Results

Scheduling for Results
By Pat Wiklund

It's typical to overestimate what you can accomplish in a day, and then underestimate what you can accomplish in a year.

Effective scheduling demands knowing how long a task takes.

But, it's impossible to be precise if you've never done it before. So start with a guesstimate. And then, keep track of how long the work takes so you can plan more effectively in the future.

Revise your schedule as you become more accurate in estimating time.

Highlight the dependent projects on your to-do list: the ones that can't be started until a previous task is finished. Line them up so they flow into a sequence, noting how long each step will take.

Schedule backwards from your deadline, being sure to give yourself wiggle room for unforeseen circumstances. If you know the last step will only take three days, give it another day or so. Build in reporting dates and benchmarks.

Ask yourself: where do you need to be 30 days out from deadline? 60 days out?

Fill in the slow times with anytime projects, those that are independent of the rest of the tasks but still need to be done.

Continue working backwards, including dependent tasks and the anytime projects, until the schedule is filled in.

At this point it may be time to panic. You'll realize you should have started three months ago last Tuesday to finish by your deadline.

Welcome to the world of too much to do, too little time. The hard question to ask is what can go?

At this point, most consultants advise: you can have it cheap, you can have it great, you can have it fast. Choose two.

Do a quick assessment to decide what you can let slip, cost, quality, or time. Make the adjustments and get to work!

Get a full 20% off for Pat's newest tele-seminar: How to Turn Around Your One-Person Business to become more focused, more purposeful and more profitable. Just send a blank email to: tuneup@1PersonBusiness.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

*NEW!* -- Audio Motivation

Join Audio Motivation and hear exclusive interviews from the greatest names in personal development. Leap onto the fast track to success with dynamic, exciting audio motivation messages with AudioMotivation.com. Listen to Audios with Success Teachers and today's movers and shakers and keep yourself at the top of your Game. Find out more today.

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Quick Tips For Motivation

Quick Tips On Getting Motivated When You Don't Feel Like It by Ed Smith

The secret to getting started on something when you don't feel like it, is surprising, but easy.

Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker, author and TV show host, who specializes in quick tips on how to move your life ahead even faster, offers the following advice.

The secret to starting something when you don't feel like it, is using what he calls the "Act As If" technique.

With this technique, you act as if you feel like doing something, even though you don't. You go through the motions of doing what you are avoiding, and act happy and excited about doing it.

You exaggerate your feelings on the positive side, while you are beginning to perform the task. Your body "fools" your mind into thinking you really want to do the task, and your mind changes itself into a positive view about the project.

This works on basic mood changes as well. If you are in a bad mood and want to be in a good mood, you would stand up, march around the room with your head high, smiling, signing and acting happy. Within 3 minutes you really will be in a good mood.

Contact Information
Edward W. Smith, 201-568-0019, edsmith@brightmoment.com, www.brightmoment.com, PO box 8106, Englewood NJ 07631-8106
Copyright Edward W. Smith 2005

Edward W. Smith is the author of Sixty Seconds To Success, hosts and produces the Bright Moment TV show, is a motivational speaker, is president of the Bright Moment Seminats and publishes the free, daily email of the One Minute Motivators.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Powerful Sleep Secrets
Could you use MORE Sleep? If the way you spend your days is similar to the general population, you will probably answer a resounding 'Yes!'. Many people go to work every day without a 'good night's' rest, always short of sleep.

What if I could show you a way to get better sleep during those 'too short' nights? What if you could get less sleep, but get a much more powerful sleep period? How much more could you get done? A sleep researcher has discovered such a method. He is sharing his discoveries in the Powerful Sleep System.

Download your copy of the first 2 chapters FR*EE and see for yourself the difference owning this book can make in your life. Imagine how you will feel when you are totally rested and able to seize each day's opportunities. Read more about Powerful Sleep here, and get your two free chapters.

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Time Management, Old Style

What a novel approach to an old world theory!

Time Management: A New Approach From Ancient Greece
By Eric Garner

Learn how to create a balance in your time and work by applying the theory of the Four Elements -- earth, fire, air and water -- to the way you manage your time.

Here is a model of time management, that, although highly original and innovative, is based on a theory that is several thousand years old. The theory is the theory of the Four Elements. According to the Ancient Greeks, all matter in the universe was comprised of just four elements: earth, fire, air and water.

These four elements are not just real. They’re also symbolic. And they represent the four key elements of time management. When you hold these four elements in balance through the tasks you perform, you bring to your life a rich, varied and harmonious pattern. Let’s see exactly how.

1. Earth Tasks. The Earth element represents the source from which we obtain our nourishment. It is the basis on which everything else is built. It is the rock, the core, the groundwork.

Earth tasks are those tasks in our life that have to be done if we are to survive. They include sleeping, eating, and bodily needs. In an organizational context, they are the routines, systems, and rituals around which work is organized. As such, Earth tasks are essential, if sometimes dull.

Spend up to a quarter of your day on Earth tasks. Do them when you want a break from thinking, creating, and relating tasks.

2. Fire Tasks. The element of Fire represents the creative spark in us. When this spark is lit, it can produce something uniquely special that adds to our lives and the lives of others. Fire tasks include any inspirational, dynamic, spontaneous, and productive work, such as developing new ideas, working on projects, taking risks, trying out something new, developing ourselves and innovating.

While we connect with Earth tasks through our lower bodies, we connect with Fire tasks through the heart and belly. Without Fire tasks, your life is repetitive and circular. With Fire tasks, you move ahead and fulfil the potential you were born with.

Spend up to a quarter of your day on Fire tasks. Do them when you want a break from routine, thinking, and relating tasks.

3. Air Tasks. The element of Air is associated with any activity that involves thinking. As such, it is often thought of as any non-doing activity. Air is the most elusive of all the elements. Air is everywhere and nowhere, yet it is impossible to grasp and contain.

Air tasks include any pure thinking activity, such as goal-setting, planning, decision-taking, problem-solving, creative thinking, analyzing, and learning. It is also the time we need to spend in our lives for renewal and recuperation.

For many people who see work as constant activity, the Air element is a reminder of the need to switch off. Without Air tasks in your life, work becomes a struggle. With them, it becomes effortless.

Spend up to a quarter of your day on Air tasks. Do them when you want a break from routine, creative, and relating tasks.

4. Water Tasks. Water is a metaphor for working with others. Like water, time with others is a connecting process. Just like our relationships, water may be still or turbulent, trickling or rushing, bubbly or calm, shallow or deep, active or passive, destructive or playful.

While essential for getting things done, time with others can also be one of our biggest time robbers. We can achieve nothing without others. But if we are not careful, we can achieve nothing because of others. That’s why, like water, this aspect of time management is best when controlled and systemized.

Spend up to a quarter of your day on Water tasks. Do them when you want a break from routine, thinking, and creative tasks.

Balancing each day’s activities is not simply a sensible way to live. It is also healthy, productive and enjoyable.

To follow an intense period of planning (Air work) with a physical task (Earth work), then to follow that with time on a project (Fire work), followed by time with colleagues (Water work), is to create a rich and whole texture to the day that somehow feels right.

That’s why the theory of the Four Elements, as old as it is, still has so much relevance to our lives today.

For instant solutions to all your management training needs, visit http://www.managetrainlearn.com and download amazing FREE training software. And while you’re there, make sure you try out our prize quiz, get your surprise bonus gift, and subscribe to our fortnightly newsletter. Go and get the ManageTrainLearn experience now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

*NEW!* -- Audio Motivation

Join Audio Motivation and hear exclusive interviews from the greatest names in personal development. Leap onto the fast track to success with dynamic, exciting audio motivation messages with AudioMotivation.com. Listen to Audios with Success Teachers and today's movers and shakers and keep yourself at the top of your Game. Find out more today.

Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Dream, Focus, Plan, Do . . .

Dream, Focus, Plan, Do - The Keys To Claiming Your Life
By Timothy Crawford

Achieve Any Goal With These Four Steps To Greatness

Dream

We must first imagine what it is we wish to accomplish in our businesses, careers relationships and lives in general. It’s through allowing ourselves the freedom to dream that we develop a sense of deep desire to claim our lives from the day-to-day distractions.

In my program “Dream, Focus, Plan, Do” the first step is inspiring you to dream again. Dreaming of the possibility is the induction into embracing your true self. Too many of us are on auto-pilot. We do whatever is expected of us. We live our lives under some self-imposed false guidelines.

I will challenge you to strip away those guidelines and see yourself 10 years old, with all of the possibilities laid in front of you. Our self-imposed limitations are actually excuses that derail us.

Every amazing accomplishment on this planet was dreamt of before it was realized. Dreaming is your first step.

Pull out a sheet of paper and begin to write out your dreams. These dreams or goals must be personal in nature. Everyone has something they long to achieve. List those dreams and goals. Go crazy. It's okay. No one is going to read this list. You must list at least 5 goals. These 5 goals must bring a smile to your face. You must be emotionally connected to the possibility of reaching these goals. Dream on. Have fun.

Focus

Once we’ve allowed ourselves to dream we must then focus on our newly aligned goal. In this world of distractions we must make a conscious effort to pinpoint our goals. Nothing just happens. We must zoom in until the static around us is minimized and we’re standing face to face with our defined goal.

Focus brings clarity and clarity brings us into a call of action. Focus is a pivotal step in claiming your life. You cannot claim what you nonchalantly acknowledge. True focus demands our full attention and what we focus on then becomes our priority. Go back to your list of dreams and number them from 1-5 in order of personal passion.

Return to your list of the fantastic 5 goals, now put a check mark beside the three goals you feel most strongly about. These goals must especially invoke passion in you heart because these three goals now become your "Focused Goals". Read over your list.

Do you feel excited about the prospect of achieving those goals? Are these goals in line with the person you would like to become? Remember; you cannot achieve a goal that is contradictory to your sense of self. In order to fuel a goal, follow through and achieve it, you must feel it is a purposeful goal.

Purposeful goals not only benefit the person achieving it, but it benefits others as well. Now that we've defined our goals it's time to move onto step 3.

Plan

You have your dream narrowed. Your dream is real to you. You have your focus. You've accepted the purposeful importance of birthing your dream into existence. Now we plan. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Begin etching your map complete with defined landmarks which you’ll be able to recognize and gain inspiration from as you reach each small accomplishment.

The planning stage is where people have the most difficulty. Smart people tend to believe that being smart means you don’t need a written plan, but in reality, writing down our plans greatly increases our odds of accomplishment.

The planning stage is the most important stage of any achievement, any goal, any mission and it cannot be skipped. If you skip the planning stage it’s as if you’re privately saying “I don’t really want to achieve this goal. I’ll pretend to try because pretending to try makes me feel better”.

Accept that the planning stage is the difference between success and a do over. Return to your "Focus Goals" and choose one goal. Which one of the goals on your paper leaps out at you? Which one of those goals gives you the warmest feelings of excitement? Your list of goals must ignite you.

If you do not feel inspired by your list please return to step one. Sorry that's the rules. A goal worth achieving must burn a fire in your heart. There are times when I'm so focused on my goals I can barely sleep. If you feel so passionate about your goals that they keep you up nights with ideas then and only then are you ready to continue to step 4.

This is the stage where we take one goal and begin etching our path to achievement. What is one step you must take to fulfilling this goal? How do you begin? You already have begun, but here are some suggestions: Do a search using 5 search engines under the topic of you goal. Save these websites in your browser for future reference. The people who wrote the articles on those websites have something in common with you, make note of their email addresses.

Here's another suggestion: Go to Amazon and do a search for book titles on the subject of your goal. These sources of information will get you well on your way to etching your plan for accomplishing this goal. Planning needs to be set-up in small steps. This week you might plan to read two books on your subject, send 5 emails and join one organization. The plan is fluid, meaning the plan can be modified, it's the goal which we must be concrete.

Do

The last step in our 4 part plan is the doing. Doing is 100 times less complicated if we’ve planned. If we’ve planned effectively we’ve given ourselves several short distance landmarks where we can feel accomplishment along the way to our ultimate destinations.

I’ve found that the doing is the easiest step in the 4 part process simply because having a defined dream, focus and a plan gives us a sense of expectation to succeed.

This is the doing stage. Actually all stages are doing stages, but this is the stage where we put our plan into action. Go back and read information from all of those websites you saved earlier. Order at least 2 of the books you were able to locate on the subject of your goal. Search for 3 free newsletters on the subject of your goal and subscribe now.

Do not be afraid to revise your plan as new information becomes available, but keep the end result of your plan in stone: Accomplish Goal #1. As you take concrete action other opportunities will materialize, doors will open and when they don't you must stick to your plan. Continue onward despite of perceived obstacles. An obstacle can be overcome, remember there's always more than one path to achieving your goal.

If you follow the steps outlined you will not only accomplish this single defined goal, but you’ll be confident that future goals are not only attainable, but expected. You have the keys to accomplishing your dreams. Claim your life starting today!

Timothy Crawford is Washington DC, Maryland and Virginia's Top Up and Coming Motivational Speaker. (http://www.timothycrawford.com)

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Powerful Sleep Secrets
Could you use MORE Sleep? If the way you spend your days is similar to the general population, you will probably answer a resounding 'Yes!'. Many people go to work every day without a 'good night's' rest, always short of sleep.

What if I could show you a way to get better sleep during those 'too short' nights? What if you could get less sleep, but get a much more powerful sleep period? How much more could you get done? A sleep researcher has discovered such a method. He is sharing his discoveries in the Powerful Sleep System.

Download your copy of the first 2 chapters FR*EE and see for yourself the difference owning this book can make in your life. Imagine how you will feel when you are totally rested and able to seize each day's opportunities. Read more about Powerful Sleep here, and get your two free chapters.

One Day Dynamo Challenge

One Day Dynamo Challenge

I was making my rounds of the forums the other day and found a particularly useful post in the Tony Robbins forums. The fellow found a way to enrich each day's productivity by challenging himself each single day, as a separate entity to enjoy and fulfill.

What a novel idea? Live each day one at a time. Duhhh. Why didn't I think of that? LOL! Anyway here is an excerpt of his post and a link at the bottom to the follow up posts made.

Excerpted From A Post On The Tony Robbins Forums

That's where the "One Day Dynamo Challenge" comes into play. I figure that this particular challenge will give us all another chance to really push ourselves, but with a better opportunity for more "wins."

So, here is the challenge:

1. List three empowering questions for the day that will drive you to accomplish to the best of your ability today.

2. Answer those three questions.

3. Commit to yourself and to all of us on this board that you will take specific, bold actions today that will make this very day an amazing accomplishment.

4. Report back at the end of the day and let us all know how you did, what you learned, etc.

Here is my own personal example for the day:

Questions:

1. What can I do today to achieve more with this day than anyone else could ever reasonably expect of me?

(Answer). I can remain focused and driven without ever letting up today. I can do this in spite of any fears I might have. I can have a "take no prisoners" attitude today.

2. What can I do today that is an improvement on yesterday?

(Answer). I can have a compelling workout and a vigilant, healthful diet.

3. What can I do today to brighten up my wife's day?

(Answer). I can put two loads of laundry in the wash. I can mop the bathroom.

Here is specifically what I commit to myself and to all of you that I will do today:

1. I will have a compelling workout today.

2. I will eat reasonably throughout the day.

3. I will have a legendary attitude at work today in all things that I do and say.

4. I will generate at least $6,000 in business quotes today.

5. I will do two loads of laundry at home and mop the bathroom.

6. I will write my wife a love letter and mail it.

7. I will pay our bills today.

O.K. gang. I am totally pumped!!!! I'll let you all know how I did at the end of the day. I really hope that many of you are inspired to join me in reaching your own goals today!!!

The link to the Forum Posting is: One Day Dynamo Challenge
-----------------------------------------------

P.S. I especially liked his 'take no prisoners' attitude. Reminded me of a company contest I participated in, and our credo was - 'Ambush at will, Take no prisoners!' We won that contest by the way.

Al Smith

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Lessons From Acorns And Sheep

Success Lessons From Acorns And Sheep
By John Watson

I am lucky enough to have a beautiful wood, Petts Wood, near where I live in Chislehurst, Kent. Yesterday, I took a brief walk and was reminded of two great success lessons.

As I walked along I met up with Sam Pettman, the warden, and Ian who is one of the volunteers who help look after the wood. They were clearing a path way with chain saws. We had a memorable conversation. This is roughly how it went.

I asked them what the little bullet shaped nuts were that had started dropping on my head in some parts of the woods. Ian picked up one from the ground and explained that it was an acorn. He added that the squirrels were chucking them down.

"Deliberately?" I asked. "No", said Ian patiently. "Anyway,the nuts are quite soft."

"They don't feel soft to me," I interrupted.

"They would feel hard if dropped from a tall tree," he conceded.

"Yes," I agreed. "If a baby weighing 16 lbs was dropped on your head, you might die!"

"The baby wouldn't be too happy either," commented Sam, "although, on reflection, babies are pretty flexible."

As I walked on, I remembered a great saying from Jimmy Brown, the internet entrepreneur. It went roughly like this:

"If you wanted to get to the top of an oak tree would you start climbing or would you sit on an acorn and wait for it to grow into a tree?"

Too many of us would sit on the acorn and wait for things to happen instead of taking the action that leads to results and to climbing the tree of success.

Many modern self-help gurus stress that action is the number one factor that sorts the men from the boys and the women from the girls. Results follow action not passivity. We should not wait too long before we start taking action.

If we take action, we will often find that the waves part in front of us as when the children of Israel walked through the Red Sea. Robert Ringer, talks in a brilliant article, about a trip to a football match with his son.

He decided on the trip at the last minute and imagined all sorts of problems. He would arrive late, would have parking problems and would end up with a lousy seat far from the field of play.

In spite of all these imaginary obstacles, Robert took action and the Red Sea parted in front of him. He arrived in good time, found a parking space easily and ended up with some seats which were the best in the arena. He had a great day with his son. Action Rules!

More memories came to me as I walked past soldiering field where soldiers trained for war. I spotted a sheep that was hobbling along at the rear of the herd. I was reminded of a school trip in the Highlands.

My good friends, Sue and her husband, Trevor, were in the school minibus with me. As we drove along, Sue spotted a sheep that was hobbling along. Being a person of great compassion, Sue immediately asked Trevor to get hold of the sheep so that we could take it to a vet.

Trevor reluctantly climbed out of the minibus and started chasing the sheep through the heather. Trevor is very tall and lanky and a good runner but the lame sheep took off at tremendous speed. Trevor never got close. But the sight of him rushing after the bewildered sheep will stay with me for the rest of my life!

The sheep probably thought it was running for survival. It just shows that if our motivation is strong enough, we can ignore all handicaps and injuries and really get moving. Too often we limp through life when we could be running fast with a fresh breeze in our faces and the heather under our feet.

Let's throw out the excuses and start running as if for our lives. We could also start climbing to reach the golden fleece of success instead of sitting on our backsides waiting for Jason and the Argonauts to bring it to us!

About the author
John Watson is an award winning teacher and fifth degree black belt martial arts instructor. He has recently written several books about achieving your goals and dreams.

They can be found on his website http://www.motivationtoday.com along with a motivational message and books by other authors.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Goals, Short Term vs Long Term?

Is Your Short Term Goal Setting In Line With Your Overall Life Goals? By Josh Hinds

So what the heck are life goals, you ask. You see, many of us have goals, and while that's wonderful we have to make absolutely certain that they are in line with our life goals.

Life goals are basically just a fancy name for more long-term goals. Our larger dreams, the things that get us so excited we long for their achievement. Since our long term goals are where we ultimately want to end up, it's rather important that our shorter-term goals, or those action steps that support our long-term achievements are working together.

Here's an example:

If your dream is to become a graduate of your local college and go on to get your MBA, but your short term goals are not leading you to spend more time studying then you can just about bet you're going to have some type of struggle between what you desire and actually achieve. Essentially you're planning long term for one thing, yet taking steps in an all-together different direction.

A much more effective solution would be to work backwards where after outlining your longer term goals you start looking towards more immediate steps you can take that will lead to the overall outcome.

It's my hope that you got one thing from what I said above, that life goals are not to be taken lightly. They should be totally in line with your values, the things that you personally believe to be important. When we are careful to align our long term plans with our natural abilities I believe that we can actually steer our lives on the course we want it to take.

Personally my life goal is to create opportunity for those around me. To positively impact those I am fortunate enough to come into contact with. After identifying my life goal I have a standard with which to measure my short-term goals.

For instance, if I have an idea or goal I'd like to work towards I look at it objectively to see that it fits into and will help me reach my long-term goals, if it doesn't then the idea is discarded. I record the idea along with the reason I passed on it, and simply move forward with my daily routine.

You'll put yourself at a distinct advantage when you make sure your short-term actions lead you towards your long-term objectives.

-- Here's to your success, Josh Hinds

Josh Hinds specializes in helping people set and achieve their goals and live the life of their dreams. For expert advice on goal setting visit http://GoalsSuccess.com now!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

5 Steps To Better Sleep

5 Steps To Better Sleep
By Donald Saunders

If you've ever found yourself counting sheep into the wee hours, then you can take some small comfort from the fact that you’re not alone.

Insomnia is plaguing more and more people each year and with the stresses of our daily lives, it's no surprise. For more than 75% of Americans polled by the National Sleep Foundation, getting a good night's sleep feels more like a distant dream than a reality.

The good news is that enjoying a full and healthy night's sleep is easier than you might think. You can improve the quality and duration of your sleep without resorting to sleeping pills or other artificial sleep aids. All you need to start your journey towards better sleep are these five simple steps:

Establish a routine

Creating a consistent bedtime routine is one of the most important steps you can take towards getting a good night's sleep. Going to bed at the same time each night and getting up at the same time each morning is the first step towards establishing a consistent sleep pattern.

A successful sleep routine also involves reducing outside stimulants like television, computer work and exercise two to three hours before bed, and refraining from caffeine at least three hours before bedtime.

Create a peaceful sleeping environment

Achieving better sleep depends upon a relaxed, peaceful sleeping environment. For the best possible sleep, remove distractions such as televisions, stereos and computers from your bedroom. Keep your bedroom temperature cool. Gentle air circulation through an open window and fresh, clean bed linens also help to promote a good night's sleep.

Reduce stress

Thoughts of work, financial problems and family concerns can often prevent a good night's sleep. Try reducing stimulants, using aromatherapy, a warm bath or some deep breathing and relaxation exercises to induce sleep, reduce stress and decrease the anxiety that can cause insomnia.

Adjust your diet

Maintaining a balanced diet is also one of the keys to enjoying a regular and fulfilling night's sleep. A healthy diet assists the bodily functions necessary for sound sleep. If you aren’t following a healthy pattern of eating, you may find that altering the balance of your diet will dramatically improve the quality and duration of your sleep.

Use herbs or aromatherapy

Aromatherapy candles or oils and herbal teas are just two natural sleep aids that can significantly improve your nightly sleep. A variety of herbs enjoy a long history of use in addressing the problem of insomnia and in helping to induce better sleep.

Try burning a calming aromatherapy candle or adding soothing essential oils to a warm bath to help your body and mind wind down before bed. You might also try sipping chamomile tea (an age-old sleep remedy) an hour or so before bed to prepare your body for the good night's sleep you've been dreaming about.

The key to achieving better sleep

The five simple steps outlined here represent the basic framework for establishing a pattern of better sleep and provide an excellent starting point if you find yourself amongst the growing band of people suffering from insomnia. The key to achieving better sleep in the long-term doesn’t, as many people believe, lie in reaching for the sleeping pills, but lies in finding a natural solution that works for you.

Donald Saunders is the author of a number of health related publications including: "Help Me To Sleep - A Guide To Natural Sleep Remedies", "Jet Lag - An Alternative Approach", "Shift Work Insomnia" and "The Art of Meditation - A Guide To Meditation, Breathing and Relaxation Techniques" For further details please visit http://help-me-to-sleep.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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Powerful Sleep Secrets
Grab A Recently Exposed Sleep Secret Used by Army Professionals, and ER Surgeons, To Supercharge Your Energy Levels, Double Your Concentration, and Give You Hours of Free Time Every Day.
Powerful Sleep Secrets
--------------------

Are You in the Right Career?

How to Know if You Are in the Right Career
by Kathleen Gage

Ever wonder if you are in the right career? If you are like most people you have. Did you know that 80% of people are currently misemployed? They are either underemployed, not happy with their current position or not fairly compensated for their skill and/or function set.

If so many people are misemployed, why do they stay in their current situation? Why do they not take the necessary steps to move into something that will be fulfilling and something they can look forward to doing every day - a situation they can truly be proud of?

The following are some of the most common reasons:
. Complacency
. Fear of the unknown
. Fear of change
. Not knowing what their options are
. Don't want to give up the familiar, no matter how uncomfortable the familiar is
. Staying within their comfort zone
. No time to search for something new
. They just don't know how to make a change
. Fear of failure
. Fear of success (they may actually get what they dreamed of)
. They fear the job search is more frustrating than their current unsatisfactory job
. Not knowing where to begin

How often have we heard others give these reasons for not moving out of an unpleasant situation? How often have we said this to ourselves if we are actually misemployed? Imagine looking back over your life and saying, "I wish I would have done it differently."

So often in life, it is not what we do that we regret, rather what we don't do that we regret the most. Things like not making a change when we knew a change was in order, or not taking the appropriate steps to move into a situation that would lend itself to a more fulfilling life both personally and professionally.

If you or anyone you know are looking to make a career change, the following steps will help to make a smoother transition and find the courage to make that shift:

1. Evaluate your current situation
2. Decide you are ready to change
3. Give yourself a timeframe for making the change
4. Get excited about the change
5. Become enlightened about your own values and realize you are worth a great situation
6. Decide what kind of career would truly make you happy
7. Determine what would bring you fulfillment
8. Believe you deserve it
9. Be willing to put time and effort into you transition
10. Have a plan of action
11. Take action on a daily basis
12. Consult with people who have been successful in their own career shift
13. Be willing to invest in yourself
14. Work with a coach to keep you motivated
15. Go after what you want

Most of all - be willing to acknowledge that life is not a dress rehearsal, this is the real thing. When you look back over your life are you going to wish you had it to do all over and you had taken risks to move you into situation that would bring a deep level of satisfaction to you and your loved ones?

The reality is that when we are in a career that brings us a deep sense of satisfaction, all those around us benefit from the fact that we are more fully present in life rather than constantly talking about wishing things would change.

The truly successful people in life are the ones who are willing to create their happiness on a daily basis with the minute-by-minute actions they take and the thoughts they entertain.

About the Author
Kathleen Gage is a keynote speaker and business advisor based out of Draper, Utah. She is the author of several books including Street Smarts Marketing and Promotions. To sign up for Gage's free Marketing and Promotions Ezine visit www.kathleengage.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Why Wait?

Why Wait?
By Betty Mahalik

One of the characteristics that distinguishes the successful in life and business from their less successful counterparts is their bent for action. Successful people tend to take more, better and smarter actions. But most of all they act now rather than at some wished-for point in time. A couple of recent examples brought this point home in a powerful way.

I was talking with someone a couple weeks ago who was in a state of overwhelm. She had hired an assistant to help her enter her contacts into a Palm Pilot. And while that was a very positive first step, she still had no idea how to operate her handheld device.

Without asking what she was waiting for, I simply said to her, "Let's get you up and running on it right now." Fifteen minutes later she was delighted to have learned 90% of what she would need to make use of this time-saving tool. The key ingredient? You guessed it: action.

A client told me about an experience she had recently when she hired a personal assistant to help her organize papers and files at home. She also happened to mention to the woman that she wanted to reorganize her clothes closet. The assistant's response: "Let's do it now." And an hour later, my client was thrilled to have her closet neatly organized. Once again, the difference was action.

Several times a year I offer a four-hour planning workshop called Best Year Yet(R), which gives participants an opportunity to create a one-year goal plan for their lives and businesses.* Consistently the participants walk out of the program fired up and ready to make great things happen. Yet that enthusiasm quickly fades unless they take some action in short order to start moving ahead on the goals they set.

I offer all participants a free one-hour coaching session (valued at about $175) following the workshop. Less than 20% take advantage of it, but not surprisingly, the 20% who take that action are the same 20% who actually report back later that they are having (or have had) their best year ever. Why? Because they got in action.

Have you been waiting for something to change in order for you to get in action on a dream, goal or project? Maybe it's better weather. Maybe you're waiting until you "feel like it." Maybe you think there is something else you need to do to "get ready" to get in action. At the end of the day, it's action that separates the great from the good, the good from the mediocre and the mediocre from the failure.

It's action, consistently taken toward whatever you dream of, that turns dreams into reality.

In his book One Small Step Can Change Your Life, author Robert Maurer, devotes one entire chapter to "taking small actions." Everything from weight loss and exercise to saving money or kicking a bad habit like smoking begin with one small step, repeated enough times to build confidence, competence and momentum.

This week I invite you to get in action. Take a step on that project you've been procrastinating on. Remove 10 pieces of paper from your desk. Return a phone call you're avoiding. Eliminate something you no longer need, use or want. Enroll in the class you've promised yourself you'll take. Start an exercise program by walking up a flight or stairs or parking at the back of the parking lot.

The size of the action doesn't matter. Taking it does. What are you waiting for?

***********************
Quote of the Week
***********************

"When you improve a little each day, eventually big things occur. When you improve conditioning a little each day, eventually you have a big improvement in conditioning. Not tomorrow, not the next day, but eventually a big gain is made. Don't look for the big, quick improvement. See the small improvements one day at a time. That's the only way it happens--and when it happens, it lasts."

~~John Wooden
Award-winning UCLA basketball coach

Betty Mahalik has been coaching small business owners, independent professionals and leaders who want to achieve more but stress less, since 1996. Her background includes several years in the broadcasting and public relations fields prior to starting her own firm in 1987.

She is an accomplished public speaker and corporate trainer specializing in communications, goal-setting and leveraging your strengths. Since 2001, she has written a weekly motivational message, free to subscribers, titled Monday Morning Coach. Visit Dynamic Solutions to subscribe.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Blogging Your Way to Goals

Blogging Your Way to Goal Success
By Ellesse Chow

If you have always been procrastinating on how to get started or going with your goals, try this interesting method. Write a blog.

“What? You are asking me to publicly declare my goals?” Before you start thinking that this is another fruitless suggestion, would it convince you if we are to tell you that famous professional life coaches such as Anthony Robbins actually encourage people “to make commitments to others who hold them to a higher standard” about their goals?

When you make public announcements to people you trust about your goals, the tendency is, you will do whatever it takes to achieve your wildest dreams so as not to disappoint them. You will be less likely to stray from your bottom-line.

“Alright, I am convinced of the benefits of announcing my goals. But why must I have a blog?” A blog gives you more advantages than what a verbal announcement can provide. It helps you to

(1) Expand the No. of People You Are Committed To

Imagine declaring your goals to the entire internet community! Being online and available 24 by 7, almost anyone who have access to your blog url would be able to share your joys and frustrations in the pursuit of your dreams. Even your loved ones working or studying overseas would be able to know your progress through the internet. Surely you would not want to let them down by procrastinating on your goal tasks?

(2) Focus and Review Your Goals

As you write about your goal progress in the blog, you are actually focusing and reviewing the targets and methods in your goal plan. Say for example, your goal is to lose 20 pounds in 6 months. After sticking to a non-fat diet for 3 months, you find that your weight loss remained stagnant upon reviewing your past blog records.

At this time, it may be appropriate for you to change your approach towards achieving your goal. You may want to add some exercise into your goal tasks, or change the timeline of your target.

Sometimes, if you allow readers to add comments or suggestions to your blog, you might also receive an interesting tip or two from your friends or the public who have “been there, done that”.

(3) Obtain Constant Visualization of Success

By consistently visualizing that you are living your dreams, it is easier to encourage yourself to achieve much more with your goal. A blog provides that kind of opportunity for this consistent reflection. If you write your blog on a weekly or even daily basis, you are constantly reminding yourself of the potential success that you can achieve should you religiously work on the goals tasks in the action plan.

(4) Get a Constant Stream of Motivation

Most people derive a lot of satisfaction and momentum once they have realized that they have made a lot of progress in their goal endeavours. It will be exhilarating to know how close you are to achieving your goals. Is not it? If you have a blog, you can easily check your status just by reviewing your past records.

While checking, you may also come across a few words of encouragement left by your friends or the public on your blog. It is just like running a marathon race, with people constantly cheering you on the sides. Eventually you will be able to run pass the finishing line!

Start a blog today and write towards your goal success. You will be amazed at its results! See you at the finishing line.

About the Author
Ellesse Chow is the creator of Goal Setting College , a website that provides a 4 part Goal Setting Tutorial, other related articles & resources. Subscribe to Goal Setting College’s newsletter and get inspired by people who achieved their financial, personal goals today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Goal Setting System

A System For Goal Setting
By Terje Ellingsen

Most people will agree that goal setting is an important strategy in obtaining what we desire. If you don't set goals you will not know what to look for to determine whether an achivement was truly a success or not. The sad thing is that only a very small part of those who understand the need for setting goals actually take the time to figure out what they really want to accomplish and outline a plan for reaching them.

It goes without saying that with this approach or shall we say lack of approach, determining which accomplishments are successful or not will be a little arbitrary; 'more self reliant', 'a raise in salary', 'clear skin', 'a new home' or 'a new car'. It has been proven time after time that the more specific your goal is, the more you are likely to achieve it and the more likely you are to know when you have or have not achieved them.

Goals should move you ahead. When you make your goals absolute and precise you will know what to look for to find out if you have achieved them. If they are to general you can't really know if you have reached your goals or they can even mislead you into achieving something other than you planned for. Setting precise goals functions as an instrumental part or reference of any self improvement regimen.

Goals forms an hierarchical system: There are many levels of goals. They spring from your deepest values and are transformed via various levels to precise day-by-day action plans for accomplishing what you really want. So, what do you really want? Are you sure the first goal that appeared in your mind is what you really want deep inside?

To summarize so far: A system for setting goals in a certain area must include

your main or ultimate goal in this area, which all other goals are just a tranformation of

your end goal(s); which is a detailed and precise action plan for acheiving your main goal.

You must be sure what you really want to accomplish in a certain area according to your true values and you must know precisely what to do to acheive it.

Now, I'd like to tell you about a method of setting goals that I have used successfully myself.

The ‘Why – How method’ for setting goals

Take the first goal that appears in your mind right now. Let's say you've found out that your big problem is that you just don’t have enough money from month to month and this is the rock in the road for you whatever you try to accomplish. So your goal is 'to get rich'. Now you have two ways to go to elaborate and fullfill your work of setting goals and you should go both ways.

Ask ‘Why?’

Ask yourself; Is 'getting rich' my real goal or is this just a means to reach another, deeper goal? Ask yourself; Why do I want to get rich? Think over it for a while and write down all reasons why you want to accomplish the goal that has appeared in your mind. It might be; Financial security, freedom to travel where you want, freedom to visit any concert or opera-house you want, freedom to have a home you really feel confortable with etc.

Whichever answer you give, continue to ask "Why" until you are not able to find any more reasons. If you have been honest with yourself, you probably found your deepest value, which equals the main goal you try to accomplish by 'getting rich'.

Ask ‘How?’

Now, when you have revealed your ultimate goal or value by asking 'Why?', then start to figure out how to accomplish it. Let's say you have come to the goal in your goal hierarchy that says 'getting rich'. Your question now is: 'How do I get rich?' Your answer might be 'Getting more income.'

Next 'how much higher an income do I want, which also means; how rich do I want to be?" Then your answer might be '$20,000'. Continue asking 'How?' until you have made a precise action plan of what you will do to get these increased income of $20,000.

Reach milestones on your way

A goal can also be devided into several parts or milestones which marks that it is on it's way to being fullfilled. Let's take the $20,000 goal example. Let's say one of your end goal is to

'earn $20,000 within two years by promoting affiliate programs on 50 websites where each website is making you $16.67 per month on average.'

you should divide this goal into several smaller goals or milestones, let's say one part of your goal is reached when you have earned $1000, one when you have reached $5,000, $10,000 etc. This way your goal achieving process becomes much more motivating and fun when you see the results fairly often.

Room for adjustments

A system for setting goals should also include a procedure for periodic adjustments; some actions are more likely to help you reach your goals faster than others. You’ll only know which actions or end goals these are by having a goal system that enables you to try out different action plans or end goals.

You simply execute the end goals or action plans than you planned initially. If they work carry on with them and if they don't or if you think of other ways that can fulfill your ultimate goal faster or better, than go for them. So, don't forget that your system for setting goals must include this option also.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website 1st-Self_Improvement.net. Terje is a Sociologist who enjoys contributing to the personal growth and happiness of others. He tries to accomplish this by writing about self help issues from his own experience and knowledge. For example, goal setting for self improvement and self confidence improvement success.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

How Much Money Do You Make?

How Much Money Do You Make?
By Walter H Groth

That is probably the question most people are interested in. This is especially true in the corporate environment but also in society as such. But at the same time people just don’t want to talk about it openly because it is a very sensitive topic. And yet we should ask this question far more often. Why’s that?

When digging deep into this subject and doing the research properly you will find astonishing things. Whether you thought that the amount of money is related to your level of education you got, or to your efficiency, or to your experience, or to your years in the job, our to your relationship with your boss, or to the people you know, or sheer luck (if you believe in luck…I don’t), etc. you will find that all these issues are not really relevant. Quite a number of people have already come to this conclusion and I am just one of them.

It is our inner world that creates the outer results, our belief system and our conditioning. Look at the wealthiest people around they just believe that all the wealth will come to them. And now look at the poor people and their beliefs. Both groups are getting exactly what they are focusing on!

What creates our world is the power of our thoughts. What we are focusing on becomes real for us. And each of us has a different reality and is experiencing a different truth. If you look at it from a scientific view you’ll find the proven fact that our physical eyes for example are only capable to receive about 8% of the information available.

That means we are missing more than 90% of it. And now this information is processed in our brain, compared with our belief system, our conditioning, our past experiences, etc. and each pixel which doesn’t match will be taken out and replaced by our brain. Our brain gets the “replacement pixels” out of the memory and by the way cannot distinguish between memory and “seen facts”.

Our mind is making it up and you are getting a picture which perfectly fits our world view but no the one of others. That is the reason why it is so pointless to fight over different points of view.

And here is a quote for you from Frank Outlaw:

Watch your thoughts; they become your words.
Watch your words; they become your actions.
Watch your actions; they become your habits.
Watch your habits; they become your character.
Watch your character for it will become your destiny!

Knowing that and based on the information out there in so many different books about positive thinking, self motivation or the power of affirmations you might believe that you could easily recondition your mind. Based on my experience that is a hard thing to do.

It is definitely not enough to just stand in front of your mirror and repeat let’s say “I am a wealthy person!” because at the same time your thoughts are flowing out with the message that you don’t have wealth. So nothing happens or maybe it becomes worse because of the underlying effect that you are reinforcing with your thoughts your lack thereof.

You created in your sub consciousness the life situation you are in right now. Your sub conscious mind works like your auto pilot steering you along the “pre-programmed” direction. You might say that there is free will and by your sheer will power you will able to change your life direction.

Now look back: Each time you did that it took quite some force to overcome your inner resistance and eventually you gave on it and back you were on auto pilot. Don’t believe me, just look at your results you obtained and where you are at right now.

You do not need additional lecture or seminars on motivation, you do not need more of these positive thinking work shops, you do not need to learn more affirmations, and you don’t need to order your stuff at the universe! Don’t get me wrong, these tools are all fun to use and I believe you learn something in each and every lecture or seminar!

Just ponder this: “If what you are looking for would be where you are looking for it, chances are that you would have found it by now!” Or as Albert Einstein phrased it: “The definition of insanity is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results.”

You have already everything you need to succeed and you also possess the key to it! It is your body, mind and spirit! You decide where to direct your awareness; you decide what to bring into your consciousness and what to focus on. In order to do so you just have personally grow by raising your consciousness to higher levels.

Why don’t you try out the following today: Instead of concentrating what you don’t have, start enjoying what you have: your health, your performance, what you now earn, the beauty around you, etc. It’s about living in the here and now! The past is over and you can’t change it and the future has not yet arrived.

The only thing you are in control of is the moment of now!

Embrace what you have and be open, really open to the opportunities showing up in your life! Don’t be stubborn expecting that an opportunity has to come in the way you imagined it! There are infinite possibilities how you can have prosperity, abundance and wealth in your life! The more open you are and the more you enjoy what you have will get you in the long run more of what you dreamt about!

Walter H. Groth
Institute for Life and Career Transition

Walter Groth founded the Institute for Life and Career Transition http://www.truelifepurpose.com with offices in Laguna Beach and Munich. We specialize in Teaching and Coaching Businesses and Individuals the Power of Personal Growth and how to leverage this with down to earth steps and actions to become an expert in life and business situations.

Our approach is different because we are taking into account the proven fact that you are creating your own world. We believe that your success in the real can only grow to the degree you grow! Our goal is to re-shape the way business is done in corporate world taking advantage of the Human Dimension and providing Caring Leadership.

This process worked for him and hundreds of people in large international corporations and in different cultural environments. Therefore it might work for you as well.

If you believe also have a lot more potential than your real world success shows, please contact us info@truelifepurpose.com and we will be happy to explain our process to you.

Check it out: http://www.truelifepurpose.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Thoughts on Being Happy

Five Thoughts on Being Happy
By Jackie Fletcher

Happiness can sometimes seem rather elusive. So here are some thoughts, based on borrowed wisdom, on how to feel happy – and how to realize you can actually be happy right now.

“In our minds, we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but rather gratefulness that makes us happy.” ~ Albert Clark.

Every day write down, or say out loud, ten things for which you are grateful. What we focus on expands, so focus on the good things. Acknowledge and be grateful for a whole range of things – your eyesight, health, friends and family, the sunshine, the clothes on your back, ability to drive. Life is good!

"Remember happiness doesn't depend upon who you are or what you have; it depends solely on what you think." ~ Dale Carnegie.

Monitor your thoughts for a few days. What self chatter is going on? Do those thoughts serve you, make you feel good? No? Then begin to say positive supportive things to yourself, and choose to stop paying attention to the negative thoughts that cross your mind. You wouldn’t say negative things to your best friend – treat yourself the same way.

"If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy, and inspires your hopes." ~ Andrew Carnegie.

Have something specific to work towards – some purpose in life that really fires you up. Achieving it will feel fantastic and fulfilling – and working towards it will also feel great. Have some focus, some meaning in your life.

“Every day, the happy person does at least one difficult thing.” ~ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi.

Try something new, something that stretches and challenges you. Join an evening class, jog an extra mile, write to a long lost friend, achieve something different – surprise yourself!

"You wander from room to room hunting for the diamond necklace that is already around your neck!" ~ Jalal-Uddin Rumi.

Instead of thinking you will be happy when you change jobs, move house, or meet that new partner, realise that you can choose to accept and experience happiness now – it is not conditional on the external factors you are seeking, but is already inside you.

Copyright Jackie Fletcher 2005

Jackie Fletcher is a life satisfaction and mentor coach, working with busy professionals, small business owners and new coaches, helping them create and live the life they really want – balanced, successful and happy. Jackie has recently published an ebook collection of 2000 quotations. For more information visit www.transitionslifecoaching.co.uk

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Afternoon Pick Me Ups

Afternoon Pick Me Ups with No Starbucks in Sight!
By Kim Snyder

It's afternoon, you're starting to feel rundown, wondering how you're going to muster enough get up and go to finish out your day.

If you have given up caffeine or trying to cut back, here are four energy-boosters without a coffee cup or soda in sight!

Walk or run up 2 flights of stairs trying to take 2 at a time. Land on every other one going up, then turn around and land on the one missed going down. Do this twice. It is a great way to get your circulation and heart rate going. Even just getting up and moving around can help wake you some.

Run your hands under cold water for about 20 seconds. Now close your eyes. Using the middle finger of each hand, tap each of the following areas five times. Between your eyebrows, the top of your cheekbones, your chin and the area just under your nose. That each one 5 times and what your doing is stimululating the nerve endings on our face which in turn gives you an all-over pick me up.

Try slathering yourself with citrus scents. We all know how orange juice wakes us up and good for us but did you know that just the scent can enhance your energy and boost mood? Look for products infused with lemon, lime or orange essential oils.

When all else fails, why not take a power nap? Even grownups still need naps. Try to darken the room, set the alarm for about 20 minutes. Most cell phones these days have an alarm feature. Now lay back in your chair or lay down on your office couch, close your eyes and relax! A good power nap is no longer than 30 minutes at the least.

Go ahead and try these simple but easy tips to help muster up enough energy to make it though your day, without your beloved cup of Starbucks.

Kim Snyder is owner of Overallbeauty.com where the ideal is that there is beauty in everything. In the use of cosmetics, nail polish, all natural skin and body care, and now carries new line for skincare just for men.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Stay Motivated To Workout

Staying Motivated
By Michael Schmit

One of the biggest reasons people stop their new workout/diet routine after a short time is due to a lack of results. They have a New Year's resolution to get in shape and they are determined to stick with it. During the first week they are excited to get into the gym and destroy those weights. They come out of the gym feeling exhausted from their workout and they like how it feels. They are happy to feel the soreness in their muscles the next morning.

The next week they start to get into a routine. It also starts to get repetitive. It’s not as fun as it was the first week and the scale hasn’t moved as much as they expected. They start to wonder if it would even make a difference if they went to the gym at all. The next morning while they are watching TV, they come to a channel playing the movie ROCKY. When the movie is over, they can’t wait until their next workout.

I think that movies like Rocky are one of the best kinds of short-term motivation. It will surely get you pumped up and excited for your next workout. However, you will need more motivation if you are going to stick with it for a long time.

GOALS

Setting goals is a very important part of staying motivated. Anybody that has a new workout routine should set goals for themselves. Write your goals down on a piece of paper and look at them often. You should set a long-term goal that outlines exactly what you want to accomplish through your workouts. This way you know what you are aiming for and where you are headed.

You also need to set short-term goals. This way, it won’t take you years to achieve your goal. If you set short-term goals to gain/lose a certain amount of weight after a month, then you have a sense of accomplishment after you reach those goals.

CHALLENGES

Another great way to stay motivated is to challenge someone. Find someone with the same goals as you, and set some kind of challenge up. It could be to reach a certain amount of weight first, or to be able to lift more weight after a certain amount of time. Have a big reward for the winner. Have both people put in $50 and whoever wins gets to keep the $100. Find 3-4 people to challenge and have a reward of $200. That would be great motivation for myself.

TELL PEOPLE

Tell everybody that you know that you are going to get in shape. Tell your family, friends, or anybody that you see a lot about what you are going to do. Tell them what your goals are and how you plan to achieve them. If a lot of people know about it like this, you will feel like you can’t give up. You wouldn’t want to quit working out because you’re too lazy and let all these people down would you? There will also be some people that might tell you that you won’t be able to do it. Being able to prove them wrong would feel great.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

Since changes in your body will seem to come very slowly, it will be hard to notice them if you don’t track your progress. You should do things like take pictures of yourself, record your workouts, and track your weight. By doing this, you can see exactly how much progress you are making. Being able to sit down and actually see how much better you look now is very motivating.

CHANGE THINGS

At the start of this article, I mentioned that things will get repetitive. Working out can get very repetitive and sometimes boring. To eliminate this, all you have to do is change things up. Bring some headphones with you to the gym if you don’t normally. Go to a different gym. Do some different exercises. Do whatever you can do to make things different. This will make things seem new and make it less repetitive.

For more fitness articles, ebooks, and supplement information, visit http://www.ironfitness.info. You will find out where the cheapest supplements on the internet are!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

What Do You Believe?

Before we get to the article on Beliefs, I just want to announce that The latest Realgoalgetter Ezine is now online for viewing. It's got another bunch of great articles this time! Have a look. Now back to our article for today.

How To Achieve Your Dreams and Goals by Navigating Through Your Seas of Beliefs By Leanne Hoagland-Smith

Much is written about how to change and improve one’s life through dreams and goals. If you go to any bookstore or search the Internet, would you not find thousands of books and sites on self-improvement from which to potentially help you navigate a successful course? Even though many of these sources contain excellent information, my experiences have revealed that these sources fail to address and infuse our own personal beliefs.

These foundational, internal thought processes, also known as beliefs, determine what an individual does. From our beliefs, spring the attitudes or habits of thought. For it is these beliefs that drive the attitudes creating observable behaviors. When you talk with people, how often do you hear “I believe this” or “My sense is” or “I don’t know that, but I believe this?” Every day we use our beliefs to navigate through the daily challenges and opportunities that we face.

Life is like a sea where we navigate our ship through uncharted waters. Starting at a very early age, we paddle through the shallow waters of these beliefs. As we grew acquiring more experiences, so did our beliefs and the depths of those convictions. Now, our ship is crossing very deep seas navigating through new experiences with old beliefs.

Recently, I had the incredible opportunity to explore how beliefs navigate and influence behaviors. A friend made the following statement: “My type of personality is that when I am stressed out, I eat.” I asked if he believed this to be true and the response was a very quick and firm “yes.” Next I asked: “Who has control over the food that you eat?” The response was “Well, I do. No one is forcing food in my mouth.”

I then drew 3 concentric spheres on a piece of paper with the inner sphere representing what one has control over, the next outer sphere representing what one has influence over and the final sphere representing what is beyond one’s control. After drawing the 3 spheres, I asked: “Since you tell me that you have 100% control over what you eat and how much you eat, then why do you have a belief that suggests you have no control over your eating behaviors?”

All of the sudden with loud sigh he said: “So, that’s why I have never been able to keep my weight off and have successful weight loss. My beliefs conflict with my behavior. I need to change my beliefs, but how do I do that?”

My friend took the first step to changing his behavior by recognizing and acknowledging his beliefs. Next I suggested to him to create what some call a positive affirmation statement or what I now call a belief statement. By touching, hearing, seeing and feeling this positive self-talk statement, he will change what he believes to be true and he will eventually change what he receives in his life.

Navigating our beliefs is not an easy task as it involves reflection and self-awareness. However, my friend made the conscious choice to recognize his beliefs regarding his challenge allowing him a greater opportunity to chart a course where he can connect his efforts to his results.

Leanne Hoagland-Smith, M.S. CEO of ADVANCED SYSTEMS located outside of Chicago, IL, is the Learning and Process Specialist. With over 25 years of business & education experience, she helps her clients to double their performance. By uniting systems, strategies and people to create loyal internal customers, Leanne brings a unique perspective to training and development that delivers ROI solutions in 4 key areas: financials, leadership, relationships and growth & innovation within a variety of industries including education, healthcare, manufacturing and professional services.

As co-author of M.A.G.I.C.A.L. Potential: 7 Capacities for Living an Amazing Life Beyond Purpose to Achievement due for 2005 release, Leanne speaks nationally to a variety of audiences. Please contact Leanne at 219.759.5601 or visit http://www.processspecialist.com/newsletters.htm to read how you can connect your passion to your purpose to double your performance for unheard of results.

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

The Secret Of Abundance

The Secret Of Abundance
By Chuck Danes

You know it never ceases to amaze me when talking with people regarding living life to the fullest, how the majority of people perceive that it must happen.

When it comes to money, the majority believe that you must work longer, harder, or be luckier than the next person if you are to ever achieve any type of financial security. It is a common belief that "money is hard to come by," or "money doesn’t grow on trees."

Although I have never actually seen a money tree, the concept of wealth creation is much easier than most realize, or can imagine. The reality is that money is only a medium of exchange, that can easily be attracted if one knows the simple laws and principles for doing so.

Obviously money isn’t the only aspect of living an abundant life, although many will disagree.

To live a truly abundant life, there are actually 3 areas that determine a true sense of fulfillment, which must be balanced if one is to really experience and enjoy life to the fullest.

These 3 key areas are Money, Health, and Relationships.

If you had $30,000,000.00 but your health was such that you couldn’t get out of the house to enjoy it, it would have little value. If you had the same amount of money and phenomenal health but no one to share it with, it would be nothing but worthless paper.

By the same token, if you were absolutely broke, but enjoyed healthy relationships and outstanding health, it would be impossible to experience and fully enjoy those things that money can buy, which would allow you to do for yourself and those you love, whatever you would like. Correct?

It’s true that the majority in the world, perceive and experience lack in one or more of the three key areas of life, and true abundance is only enjoyed by the minority.

But why is that?

With respect to money, it has been estimated that if the worlds wealth were divided among the people of the world equally, there would be enough for every single person alive, children included, to live in a 3000 square foot home and have $7,000,000.00 in cash!

Why is it that some seem to have it all, while others scrape by from day to day just to pay the bills and keep food on the table?

Actually, the answer is quite simple, and the simplicity of it will astound you. Many will shun the concept based on the simplicity of the answer.

Do you know what the reason is? It’s called thoughts and emotions. These 2 incredibly powerful aspects of your life are what determines what you have or don’t have. These 2 seemingly simple aspects of mind are the difference between living a life of overflowing abundance or barely getting by.

How can that be? It is our thoughts and emotions that form our beliefs. These beliefs are established, for the most part, when we are just young children and are based on the experiences of our parents, and what they were taught and came to believe as truth in their life.

As life goes on, we accumulate and establish many more beliefs based on the type of church we attend or what our particular religion teaches. We establish these beliefs when something happens in our life that supports what we were taught, regardless of their validity, and they then become our reality. Once this happens it becomes an endless circle of the same results over and over and over again.

Many people believe that the occurrences that happen in their day to day lives happen because that is "Just the way life is", and for them, it’s absolutely true.

What many fail to realize is that the reason that these things happen as they do is because that is what they are attracting to themselves through their belief system.

That is how our universe was created. It has been proven scientifically, and known, experienced and talked about for thousands of years in spiritual circles.

Many man made religions of today teach that you must do certain things or act in certain ways if you are to accomplish or accumulate. Basically, that you must be good.

In many cases, when we hear this sort of thing our conscious mind searches the limitless capacity of the data storehouse, referred to as the subconscious mind, to find a record that has been stored there from as long as several years ago, previously taught to us by well meaning parents or loved ones, which validates this teaching we are now receiving, and reaffirms that information which we establish as truth or belief. It is through these established beliefs which attract the events, conditions and circumstances that manifest in our lives, and makes it our reality.

Many will doubt the validity of what is being shared because it goes against the common belief systems that have been established and been taught to believe as truth.

In an attempt to validate what I am sharing, I’ll use the following example…

Many are familiar with the name, Roger Bannister. For those that aren’t, Mr. Bannister is the man that broke the all time record of running a 4 minute mile, on May 6th 1954.

Until the time that he accomplished that incredible feat, it was believed to be Impossible, and beyond a humans ability to do so. Even psychologists said that it was beyond human comprehension or any humans ability to do so. That was the common belief of that day, and so it was.

That is until Roger Bannister came along, who broke the previous world record, and finished in an amazing 3 minutes 59.4 seconds!

Once it was found that such a thing actually could be accomplished, that record has since been broken many times! The most recent in 2001 in an incredible 3 minutes 43.13 seconds, by Hicham El Guerrouj.

How Is That Possible!? According to the world, even 4 minutes wasn’t possible. It was impossible. According to the most respected psychologists of Bannister’s day, it was Impossible. And so it was. Until someone had established the belief that it could be done, it was impossible.

Until someone had established a strong enough belief that would change history, it was impossible. Since that day in 1954, many have seen that it was possible and had the desire and ability to shed the self limiting belief that held them to that limiting belief. Many since have broken that impossible record!

I could reference hundreds if not thousands of cases in all walks of life that support what is being conveyed, but I don’t have room within this article.

Look at your own life. You don’t have to be a track star to create whatever it is that you desire in your life. You don’t have to be someone else to achieve whatever you desire and enjoy more abundance in your life than you could have ever previously imagined. You don’t have to be anything other than yourself.So what is the secret of abundance? Great news. There isn’t one. There never has been.

All that is necessary to attract all the abundance you could ever hope for, is for you to shed the self limiting beliefs that you have allowed to be stored as your truth. All that is required is that you develop an awareness of the overflowing abundance and unlimited potential provided to you by the Source of all that is or ever will be.

The only thing required to attract whatever you desire, is that you train the subconscious mind.

All that is needed is for you to change your beliefs about what is possible.

You have the power to choose.

Change your beliefs and you will change your world.

Chuck Danes has been assisting individuals for the past 25 years in the areas of self improvement and personal development. His passion is assisting others in becoming aware of and fulfilling their unlimited potential. He is currently assisting individuals worldwide with life changing tips, techniques and resources, through his site, www.Abundance-and-Happiness.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Better Than a Million Dollar . . .

Better Than a Million Dollar Lottery Win
By Jo Ball

Do you remember the feeling of seeing someone you were attracted? It makes the heart bump, doesn’t it?

Have you ever stood on stage in front of a sea of faces that you know well and pulled out your notes to make a speech? Boy does the vibration of shaking liven you up!

Have you ever felt the breeze on your face, either during a hot-air balloon ride or by sticking your head through the car sunroof? It wakes your senses up, doesn’t it?

And on a scale of 1-10 how much does your heart bump, body shake and senses wake when you do your day job? I bet you can practically do the tasks with your eyes shut. In fact I bet there are days when you feel like you did have your eyes shut?

Most people don’t feel awakened by their day jobs. Their role lacks excitement and the chores get done with a distinct lack of passion. In many places of work you often hear people making a, “If I have to work for a living I’d sooner do something I enjoy,” kind of statement.

However finding or creating work that engages you to the extent that you lose track of time isn’t easy, is it?

Many people find themselves in the place of having money and all the trappings, yet still feel unhappy and not knowing why.

Part of the issue here is that they/you probably don’t attach any other meaning to work except the money taken home at the end of the month. And if you won the lottery this weekend, would we see you at work on Monday?

Probably not.

But I want to give you an example of a guy I know living his life purposefully and totally engaged in his work. He used to be obese. He used to pack in a minimum nine hours sleep each night, he often got ill and he was forever counting the clock down at work.

Now he has lost 84 pounds, works in timeless awareness – where time slips by unnoticed - sleeps on average 5-6 hrs per night and wakes up raring to go in the morning. In fact on a summer morning he’s worked for an hour, jogged six miles, done an hours yoga and is sitting at the breakfast table by 8am. Also he’s not seen a doctor in three years and had only one cold or virus!

The weight loss will give him years extra to live and the lack of pharmaceutical drugs in his body means his major organs are no longer breaking down and continuing the illness cycle. And the extra hours he now has because he is not sleeping… well these give him just over two moths extra living each year!

And the good news is he began as an ‘ordinary’ person and learned to make extra-ordinary changes when he discovered and began to understand his Life Purpose.

If you don’t feel engaged in your work it is probably because you are not working close to your life purpose or because your natural talent and ability is being choked.

If you feel apathy in your work, lethargic or are suffer from weight issues it is well worth taking a look at your life purpose.

Best Wishes

Jo

Take a look at your life purpose. Join Jo Ball (LCA, Dip, NLP) at http://www.unstoppablelife.com and start to rediscover and understand the real you. It’s simple to do. Her newsletter is full of tips, stories and tricks on living Life Purpose. It’s FR>EE to sign-up and she’ll send you an e-book, Simple Steps to Greater Happiness as a thank you for joining and give a FREE Life Purpose Report.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Over 50, What Do I Do Now?

This is for Chuck Stephens, he has written an article and needed to get the word out.

Before we get to his article, I just wanted a say a few words myself. Personally I am in my fifties also, and I at one time was restructured out of my career, although it happened in my forties. I know this feeling Chuck, and I encourage you to go forth and sell yourself. List all and I mean all of your assets (mental, not financial) and draw up a selling letter for your resume. See all of the people you need to see in order to get what you want. This is a numbers game so be prepared for some 'no's.

It only took me slightly over a hundred resumes to find regular income, so that I could move forward from there. And I sold myself to everyone I came in contact with. It was never my intention to settle for working for another company forever, so I did everything I had to do to sustain myself until I opened up other opportunities for myself. Don't worry about the younger generation taking all the work. There is enough work for all of us and we just need to do something different.

Now that you have got it out of your system, start focusing on what you can do. Do whatever it takes. You have a lot of value to share, go for it Chuck, this is for you kiddo.

Over 50
By Chuck Stephens

I have been trying to put one of my articles on this web site for over a year. Maybe it is fear of the unknown, fear of what people might say. I don’t know. One thing I do know is that one reason is that I have no web site to send anyone to for further listings and/or purchasing. I still do not have a web site but I am compelled to write this.

I know the more I read and the more I write that better I get at this. I have several small articles I have written. I tend toward two subject areas. That being history – primarily the American Civil War and Technical material – mostly computer related. This has nothing to do with either of those. Let’s get started.

I happen to be in my mid 50’s, a hard worker and love my work. I find myself in a strange position. Most of my work is contract or what is referred to as 1099. Some work is one day some are longer. Now they happen to be few and far between. Money is tight. I have a part time teaching gig with the local community college. That pays once, when the course is over. That happens to be in two weeks. I spend my spare time looking for work. There is not much out there, at least in the area that I happen to live.

I had lunch with a colleague the other day. We worked on a contract together for over a year. His employer told him that they could “no longer afford him”. And that this was his last day, turn in all company related material and identification. He is in his 50’s also.

Do you see where this is going? I hate myself for thinking this but it is out there and it is getting bigger. Why pay someone with 15-20 years experience when I can get someone right out of school and pay him/her next to nothing.

I even approached an employment agency counselor with this very question "what effect does my age of 58 years have on me getting the job". Of course he said nothing. Well the real young guy with next to nothing in experience got the job. The employer sees my experience. I am applying for a job that might be below my usual pay and work ability. They think why hire him, something must be wrong, besides he is too old.

I can not even get in, to plead my case. I work rings around the young guys. I work now on and off with a 28 year old male. He has a hard time keeping two projects going at the same time. There is a lot of waiting in my line of work. So I look for more work to keep me busy.

He sits there waiting while I have three, four or five projects going at once. That happens to be my work ethic. I give you, the employer your moneys worth. Besides my years bring to the table experience as to what works and what does not. I am a good listener and I am strong advocate of my beliefs, and a team player.

Now I have to find employment, not a job but some way to bring in a buck. All of my bills are overdue, my credit cards are behind and therefore I can not use them, the phone is ringing. Getting a job outside of my chosen profession will tie me down as to how and when I can look for, apply, and go to interviews, for jobs that I would much rather have.

For a single male in his 50’s there is no mechanism for assistance. I went to the state Welfare office. Would you believe that because I have no job I am not eligible for medical assistance and because I have no job and no visible means of paying back the grant I am not eligible for that either. I am eligible for $125.00 in food stamps.

I contacted a state senator‘s office. The assistant tried but came up dry. I went to Catholic Charities. Now this is a charity. I have no job, no visible way to repay the grant, that being $200.00, so I am not eligible. They work like a bank. I would like a loan, you can’t have it because you don’t have that much money in our bank. If I had the money I would not need a loan.

I went to several pastors. There is no form of assistance. I told all of these people that all I needed was some way to get back on my feet. I will work for you or anyone you like to help in repayment. They all say that they are not employment agencies and do not work that way.

Our world has become very lopsided and leaning toward survival of oneself and not others. ‘If I have a job and can work why can’t you?”. There are many reasons, to many to talk about here for the plight of an individual. I pride myself on my love of the human race and of all mankind. I treat all as I would want to be treated. Society has become very self oriented and look out for yourself even at that expense of others. What happened to "be kind to your neighbor"?

I might sound very pessimistic and angry. Angry I am, pessimistic I am not. I will get out of this situation and be a better person for it. One thing is for sure, if I happen to be in a position that I am able to help a needy individual, I will make every effort to do so. I have a love for my fellow man. Man referring to both genders. A sexist I am not. Maybe a little too old fashion when it comes to how a woman should be treated. Material for another article.

In closing I apologize for this ranting and raving. It happens to be therapeutic for me to vent my frustration... Is there any one out there that would be in the need of an individual that has experience in computers, networking and technical training? Send me an email. Relocation might be possible. I write a little to. Any work in that area?

I hope that I have not violated any guidelines for posting of this article. I would like to post this one and am hopeful of more to follow. I have not had the joy of seeing anything that I have written published. I can be reached at cstep@3rdm.net. No web site as of yet. Soon I hope.

I answer all of my legitimate emails, so please have a subject listed and a name of some sort. My spam filter works overtime. I would not want to miss any criticism. How is my writing style? What improvements can I make? This is new to me and I would like some input. The subject material is true. An email, with comments, are what I am looking for. I want all the criticism that you can throw at me, the good with the bad. Sitting here waiting.

My first submission. I wonder how it feels to see something that you created published. I should know soon. My name is Chuck Stephens I am an over 50 single male with over 20 years in computers. I happen to do a little teaching on the side - tech stuff. Doing research on a Civil War topic and putting the results to paper has opened a new world. I hope that this meets with approval. I can be reached at cstep@3rdm.net. No web site or anything to sell, yet.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Boost Your Self Confidence

Seven Tips for Boosting Your Self Confidence
By Kate Smalley, Copyright © 2005
Connecticut Secretary

Self confidence drives your entire professional and personal life. It can shape your ability to overcome obstacles and achieve success.

Self esteem isn’t something you’re born with; it’s something you develop gradually throughout life. “Confidence is a habit that can be developed by acting as if you already had the confidence you desire to have,” according to success guru Brian Tracy. And successful coach Vince Lombardi says, “Confidence is contagious; so is lack of confidence.”

Some people seem to radiate self confidence. They can easily talk in front of a crowd of people, sell themselves at job interviews or to start an interesting conversation with people they’ve never met before. Regardless of the situation—whether business or personal—they appear comfortable and in control.

If you lack self confidence on a professional or personal level, there’s good news. You can resolve to start building your self-esteem today. Here are seven tips to help you:

1. Think Positively.

When you catch yourself thinking something negative, replace it with a positive, realistic statement. Substitute “I’ll never get that job” with “I might not get the job, but I’ll do my best at the interview.” Or replace “I’ll probably make a fool of myself” with “I’ll do the best I can.”

2. Take Small Steps Forward.

Self confidence takes time to build, but you can start with small steps. From there, you can use your successful experiences to lead to other positive experiences that can move you along the road to recovery.

3. Emphasize Strengths.

Give yourself credit for everything you try. By focusing on what you can do, you applaud yourself for efforts rather than emphasizing negative outcomes. Starting from a base of what you can do, instead of what you should do, helps you live within the bounds of your inevitable limitations.

4. Do Something You’re Good At.

Indulge in swimming, running, dancing, cooking, gardening, climbing, painting, writing—anything you do well. If possible, do something that holds your attention and requires enough focus to get you into a state where you forget about everything else. You’ll feel more competent afterwards, which will prepare you to face bigger challenges.

5. Stop Thinking About Yourself.

Low self-esteem is often accompanied by too much focus on yourself. Doing something that absorbs you and holds your attention can quickly make you feel better.

6. Take Risks.

Approach new experiences as opportunities to learn rather than occasions to win or lose. Doing so opens you up to new possibilities and can increase your sense of self-acceptance. Not doing so turns every possibility into an opportunity for failure and inhibits personal growth.

7. Realize That It’s OK To Fail.

Dare to fail. You don’t learn by doing what you already know. You have to make a step further and try new things to get better. Think of failure as a lesson-building tool. You can build on your experience to do better next time.

Remember that you are who you think you are. You can accomplish what you think you can - no more, no less. So start working on boosting your self confidence today so you can perform at your fullest potential.

Copyright Kate Smalley
Professional Transcription Services
Freelance Secretarial Services
Connecticut Secretary
mailto:kms@connecticutsecretary.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Success: A Worthy Destination

Success: A Worthy Destination
By Earl Nightingale

The stories of people achieving unusual success despite all manner of handicaps never fail to capture our attention. They're inspirational to be sure. But they're much more than that if we study them closely. The boy whose legs were terribly burned and who was told he'd be lucky to ever walk again becomes a champion track star. The woman blind and deaf from infancy becomes one of the most inspirational figures of the century. And the poor children who rise to fame and fortune have nearly become commonplace.

In this age of unprecedented immigration, we see examples of people who start off in this world with virtually nothing and within a surprisingly short time have become wonderfully successful.

What sets these people apart, people with vast handicaps such as not knowing the language, not knowing the right people, not having any money? What drives the boy with the burned legs who becomes the champion runner or a Helen Keller, blind and deaf who becomes one of the most inspirational figures of our time? The answer, if fully understood, will bring you and me anything and everything we truly want, and it's deceptively simple. Perhaps it's too simple.

The people we've talked about here and the thousands currently doing the same thing all over the world are in possession of something the average person doesn't have.

They have goals. They have a burning desire to succeed despite all obstacles and handicaps. They know exactly what they want; they think about it every day of their lives. It gets them up in the morning, and it keeps them giving their very best all day long. It's the last thing they think about before dropping off to sleep at night.

They have a vision of exactly what they want to do, and that vision carries them over every obstacle.

This vision, this dream, this goal, invisible to all the world except the person holding it, is responsible for perhaps every great advance and achievement of humankind. It's the underlying motive for just about everything we see about us. Everything worthwhile achieved by men and women is a dream come true, a goal reached. It's been said that what the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

It's the fine building where before there was an empty lot or an old eyesore. It's the bridge spanning the bay. It's landing on the moon. And it's that little convenience store in Midtown Manhattan. It's the lovely home on a tree-shaded street and the young person accepting the diploma. It's a low golf handicap and a position reached in the world of business. It's a certain income attained or amount of money invested. What the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.

We become what we think about. And when we're possessed by an exciting goal, we reach it. That's why it's been said, "Be choosy, therefore, of what you set your heart upon. For if you want it strongly enough, you'll get it."

Americans can have anything they want. The trouble is they don't know what they want. Oh, they want little things. They want a new car; they get it. They want a new refrigerator; they get it. They want a new home and they get it. The system never fails for them, but they don't seem to understand that it is a system. Nor that if it'll work for a refrigerator or a new car, it will work for anything else they want very much, just as well.

Goals are the very basis of any success. It is in fact the definition of success. The best definition of success I've ever found goes like this, "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy goal." Or in some cases the pursuit of a worthy "ideal." It's a beautiful definition of success. It means that anyone who's on course toward the fulfillment of a goal is successful.

Now, success doesn't lie in the achievement of a goal, although that's what the world considers success; it lies in the journey toward the goal. We're successful as long as we're working toward something we want to bring about in our lives. That's when the human being is at his or her best. That's what Cervantes meant when he wrote, "The road is better than the inn." We're at our best when we're climbing, thinking, planning, working. When we're on the road toward something we want to bring about.

With our definition, success being the progressive realization of a worthy goal, we cover all the bases. The young person working to finish school is as successful as any person on earth. The person working toward a particular position with his or her company is just as successful. If you have a goal that you find worthy of you as a person, a goal that fills you with joy at the thought of it, believe me, you'll reach it.

But as you draw near and see that the goal will soon be achieved, begin to think ahead to the next goal you're going to set. It often happens that a writer halfway through a book will hit upon the idea for his next one and begin making notes or ideas for a title even while he's finishing work on the one in progress. That's the way it should be.

It's estimated that about 5% of the population achieves unusual success. For the rest, average seems to be good enough. Most seem to just drift along, taking circumstances as they come, and perhaps hoping from time to time that things will get better. I like to compare human beings with ships, as Carlyle used to do.

It's estimated that about 95 percent can be compared to ships without rudders, subject to every shift of wind and tide. They're helplessly adrift, and while they fondly hope that they will one day drift into some rich and bustling port, for every narrow harbor entrance, there are 1,000 miles of rocky coastline.

The chances of their drifting into port are 1,000 to 1 against them. Our state lottery is a tax on such people. So are the slot machines in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Someone wins from time to time to be sure, but the odds are still there ... stacked steeply against them.

But the 5 percent who have taken the time and exercised the discipline to climb into the driver's seat of their lives, who've decided upon a challenging goal to reach and have fully committed themselves to reaching it, sail straight and far across the deep oceans of life, reaching one port after another and accomplishing more in just a few years than the rest accomplish in a lifetime.

If you should visit a ship in port and ask the captain for his next port of call, he'll tell you in a single sentence. Even though the captain cannot see his port, his destination for fully 99% of the voyage, he knows it's there. And then, barring an unforeseen and highly unlikely catastrophe, he'll reach it.

If someone asks you for your next port of call, your goal, could you tell him? Is your goal clean and concise in your mind? Do you have it written down? It's a good idea. We need reminding, reinforcement.

If you can get a picture of your goal and stick it to your bathroom mirror, it's an excellent idea to do so. Thousands of successful people carry their goals written on a card in their wallets or purses.

When you ask people what they're working for, chances are they'll answer in vague generalities. They might say, "Oh, good health or happiness or lots of money." That's not good enough. Good health should be a universal goal. We all want that, and do our best to achieve and maintain it. Happiness is a byproduct of something else. And lots of money is much too vague. It might work, but I think it's better to choose a particular sum of money.

The better, the clearer our goal is defined, the more real it becomes to us, and before long, the more attainable. Happiness comes from the direction in which we're moving. Children are happier on Christmas morning before opening their presents than they are Christmas afternoon. No matter how wonderful their presents may be, it's after Christmas. They'll enjoy their gifts, to be sure, but we often find them querulous and irritable Christmas afternoon.

We're happier on our way out to dinner than we are on the way home. We're happier going on vacation than we are coming home from it. And we're happier moving toward our goals than even after they've been accomplished, believe it or not.

Life plays no favorites. Yet of one thing you may be sure, you will become what you think about. If your thinking is circular and chaotic, your life will reflect that chaos. But if your thinking is orderly and clear, if you have a goal that's important for you to reach, then reach it you will.

One goal at a time. That's important. That's where most people unwittingly make their mistake. They don't concentrate on a single goal long enough to reach it before they're off on another track, then another, with the result that they achieve nothing. Nothing but confusion and excuses.

By thinking every morning, every night, and as many times during the day as you can about this exciting single goal you've established for yourself, you actually begin moving toward it and bringing it toward you. When you concentrate your thinking, it's like taking a river that's twisting and turning and meandering all over the countryside and putting it into a straight, smooth channel. Now it has power, direction, economy, speed.

So decide upon your goal. Insist upon it. Demand it! Look at your goal card every morning and night and as many times during the day as you conveniently can. By so doing, you will insinuate your goal into your subconscious mind. You'll see yourself as having already attained your goal, and do that every day without fail, and it will become a habit before you realize it. A habit that will take you from one success to another all the years of your life. For that is the secret of success, the door to everything you will ever have or be.

You are now and you most certainly will become ... what you think about.

Learn more about Earl Nightingale and his all-time bestselling programs The Strangest Secret and Lead the Field at http://www.nightingale.com/a~Author~Earl_Nightingale.asp

Also visit Nightingale-Conant Corp at http://www.nightingale.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Action Steps to Motivate Yourself

10 Action Steps to Motivate Yourself to Great Accomplishments
By Ed Sykes

Let me ask you this question, "Are you motivated to achieve great accomplishments in your life?" The following are ten action steps you can apply today to achieve more success in in your life:

1. Positive Affirmations

Our subconscious mind is a wonderful tool for success or failure. It will do what we tell it to do. It all depends on what thoughts we feed it. So why not feed your inner mind with only positive thoughts. The following are some examples of positive affirmations you can feed your inner mind for success:

* “Today, I will win because I have faith, courage and enthusiasm.”

* “I see failure only as a signpost on my road to success.”

* “When I feel stress, I will relax and release my stress before I take on my next task.”

* “I always write down my priorities, thinking of my responsibilities. I may not get everything done, but I will do the most productive thing possible at every given moment.”

* “I am a winner, I work for a winning organization, and because of my contribution and cooperation we will keep on winning.”

* “Today, I will see opportunity in every challenge offered to me.”

2. Positive Language

Recent research has come out that 75% of daily conversation is negative. Whether it is the words we use or the body language, we need to communicate in a positive manner all the time.

The following are some examples of how you can turn negative words into positive communication:

* Instead of saying “problem,” call it “opportunity.”

* Instead of an action being a “failure,” describe it as a “learning experience.”

* Instead of “I have to,” say “I choose to.” This gives control for your actions back to you.

* Instead of saying, “There’s nothing I can do,” say, “Let’s look at our alternatives.”

* Instead of saying, “That’s just the way I am,” say, “I choose a different approach.”

* Instead of saying, “He makes me so mad,” say, “I control my own feelings.”

If you notice, by using the positive response, you have control over your actions and life.

3. Exercise

A Gallup survey found the following among men and women who have taken up exercise recently:

* 66 percent report a more relaxed life

* 62 percent a new surge of energy

* 55 percent less stress

* 51 percent better looks

* 46 percent more confidence

* 45 percent better love life

* 44 percent greater job satisfaction

* 37 percent more creative on their jobs

These are great motivators to exercise! Next time you feel demotivated, give your body a workout. Recent research reports that as little as fifteen minutes three times a week has profound effects. Get moving. Get motivated.

4. Take Risks

We all live our lives in comforts zones, avoiding risky situations, avoiding the potential to fail. It’s real safe for us. But in order to get ahead of your competition and master the ongoing change in your life, you must go out of your comfort zone.

Start one step at a time. Try that little new thing, that different approach. It could be as simple as taking different routes to and from work. Once in a while I like to “take the road less traveled” to stir up my creative juices. Then, keep stepping out of your zone.

It may seem uncomfortable at first. But the more you do it, the more it will seem natural and you will see an increase in your creative juices and opportunities you never thought about before.

5. Positive Reading

Read about the lives of successful people. Make sure you read only those people that embrace the timeless values that make them truly successful through the ages. Not the “success today, scandal tomorrow” success stories that we are experiencing today.

People like Herb Kelleher of Southwest Airlines, Fred Smith of Federal Express, Mary Kay Ash of Mary Kay, Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are good examples. These are people who overcame enormous challenges, created real value for others, or changed other people’s lives for the better.

6. Positive Visualizations

Condition yourself to paint your vision for success. One of the best ways to do this is the following:

* Go to a quiet place in your home or elsewhere. Turn off all radios, televisions, etc.

* Find a comfortable chair and get into a relaxed state of mind.

* Start thinking about one goal you want to accomplish. Remember, visualize as if you are already accomplishing this goal.

* Visualize taking all the necessary steps to successfully complete these goals. The better your visualization, where you can actually see, feel, hear, and touch your vision, the more real it is to you.

* Visualize any challenges to your successful completion of this goal and how you will eliminate this challenges.

* Visualize how good it feels to complete this goal. Visualize what benefits it will bring to you, your family, friends, co-workers, etc. Enjoy the moment!

Important: If you don’t take time to see it, it won’t happen!

7. Think Big

See the big picture in everything we do. So much of our time is wasted dealing with the unimportant things in our lives (what that person said or did, the driver who cut us off this morning, and activities which don’t add value to our lives, etc.) that we forget about the big picture.

We were put on this earth to make a difference. We make a difference for our families, our communities, our organizations, and for ourselves. All of our actions must be put into action with this concept in mind.

Think a little bigger today than yesterday, and you’ll create a better future tomorrow. Thinking big leads to great actions. Thinking small leads to small results. So Think BIG!

8. Set Goals

The fastest way to fail in life is to not set clear goals. Set goals in the financial, family, health, spiritual, and career areas. Your goals must incorporate the SMART techniques or else it’s just a “conversation in the park.”

* S for specific

* M for measurable

* A for attainable

* R for realistic

* T for time-based

For example, you might have a goal of achieving $2 million for retirement in twenty years. After doing your research, a SMART goal would be the following:

“I will acquire $2 million dollars for retirement by 2024. I will do this by contributing $20K, or $1667 per month, to my various retirement funds each year. Of the $20k each year, $2k will go to my IRA, and $18K will go into my organization’s retirement program.”

Remember the most detail you can add, the more realistic your goal becomes.

9. Positive Appearance

Super achievers are very careful about their appearance and their movements. They know that looking good translates into feeling good. Billy Crystal, of Saturday Night Live and movie fame, once played a character that was known for saying, “It is better to look good than to feel good.” What he was really implying was the “fake it until you make it” concept.

In other words, if we are feeling down, then think positively and your mind will tell your body to follow suit and act positively. Also always dress the part of an achiever. Model the dress, actions, and behaviors of someone who is successful and embraces the long term values of successful people. This will also tell your mind that I am an achiever.

Don’t let that be the deciding factor on being motivated. You can easily distinguish those who are motivated from those who are not motivated just by looking at their appearance and their movements. The motivated move forward, onward and upward with confidence.

10. Helping Others

Develop an obsession to help others. Share your special talents without expecting a reward, payment, or commendation. And above all else, keep your good deed a secret.

You know what, if you apply the helping techniques to others, it will automatically come back to you tenfold in a number of ways.

First, the enjoyment of knowing that a special talent you had made someone else’s life better.

Second, because you didn’t seek it, word will spread about you and your deeds. This will be translated into unexpected riches and opportunities.

Third, you will gain a new level of confidence in knowing that you can make a difference. Super achievers find motivation and meaning by helping others.

Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success coach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress management, customer service, and team building. You can e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at (757) 427-7032. Go to his web site, http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for his newsletter, OnPoint, and signup for the newsletter, OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, "Empowerment and Stress Secrets for the Busy Professional."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Are you missing out? Want shortcuts to your goals?
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Secret to Goal Setting Success

One Single Secret to Goal Setting Success
By Yuliya Muravey

Perhaps you have never taken a stock of the most valuable and precious wealth of yours. Every person possesses it since the day of birth. This wealth is our life, its minutes, hours, days and years. Proper planning starts when we begin to take stock of this wealth. So, we should make the most efficient use of every minute to preserve and multiply this wealth. The initial stage of planning is identifying and setting your major life goals.

One way or another, deliberately or not, but we speculate on our life goals. More often we don't even call them goals, they are just obscure and unshaped dreams, which exist only in our imagination. But to speculate on them and to write them down on the paper are different things. Goals which weren't written down remain only Utopian and vague dreams, which aren't likely to be accomplished.

How to make your dreams come true? To begin with, transform your dreams in the shape of the written goals and quit formulating your goals using the subjunctive mood. Never write: "It would be great to travel to Italy" or "It would be nice to buy a car". Erase these statements from your memory and start writing your goals in such a way: "I'll buy Jeep Cherokee in two years time".

"Start from wherever you are and with whatever you've got."

Actually, goals are the tools on your road to success. You should know the secret of their correct utilization. This secret is the materialization of your goals on the paper. When you see your goals in a written form you make a new glance on what you really want. Writing your goals will help you make a sense of what you want to achieve, analyze your goals, elaborate on their perfection, maybe even to revamp them somehow and single out specific standards and means for their achievement.

Committing your goals to a paper is a great success strategy, which delivers big results. All successful people use this strategy for achieving their life goals. They take advantage of this strategy and keep writing their goals repeatedly and persistently.

Writing down and examining your goals means creating a set of concrete and determined instructions for your subconscious mind. In such a way you give your subconscious mind a set of instructions to work on. These instructions must be filled with positive and well - disposed emotions. The more positive instructions you give to it, the better results you get. So, write your goals only in a positive way.

The key force that drives you towards your goal is a thorough and detailed description of everything you want. You can go into details and particularize all the slightest minutiae. But at the same time your description should be per se. You should draw a clear - cut picture of your goal rather than vague and indistinct image of what you want to achieve. Be unwavering to decide what exactly you want to attain.

Accompany your written goals with visual pictures. Visualize each goal of yours. Close your eyes and imagine a car you want to buy. Get on this car, feel the softness of the new seats, the smell of the leather in the passengers compartment. Let your imagination draw a vivid picture of your goal and embellish it with bright details. Don't neglect this method. Remember that the visualization of your goals keeps your motivation up and stimulates your desire to reach your goals.

An effective goal setting system can't go without frequent review of your goals. The revision of your goals will help your analyze them more thoroughly and, perhaps, to revamp them slightly. Be flexible and have courage to change your goals. To change your goal doesn't mean a failure, it is a victory as you have realized in time that something was different.

Keep in mind that the more concentrated you are on your goals the more likely you are to achieve them. Let's take Brian Tracy, one of the most successful and productive people, for instance. He began his way as an apprentice on the ocean - going ship. Only his perseverance and discipline helped him develop an effective goal setting system, which led him to success in life. Now he is one of the most high - paid and successful businessman.

"Discipline is the bridge between your goals and their accomplishment."

You can compose the whole Declaration of your life goals. This document will come into force only when you write down all your goals. It'll be confirmed by you and the control for its accomplishment will lie on your conscious. From this moment you and nobody else take the responsibility for your life.

Try this success strategy of writing down your goals and be sure that it won't let you down. Remember a saying: "If you don't have a target, the arrow will hit nothing."

Yuliya Muravey is a self-employed entrepreneur and co-owner of the http://www.goalsettingforms.com. She believes passionately in the enormous power of the goal setting and its impact on the short-term and long-term success in life.

For more information, please go to: http://www.goalsettingforms.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
Are you missing out? Need shortcuts to your goals?
For success tools at your fingertips,
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Do Others Control Your Attitude?

Do Others Control Your Attitude?
By David Holmes

One of my favorite quotes of all time is from William James: “The greatest discovery of my generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.”

That is powerful. It fills me with hope every time I read it because it says if we can control our attitude we can control our life.

I had this discussion with friends many times about controlling your attitude and through these conversations I’ve learned this concept to be very difficult for many people to understand. It seems there’s a widely accepted belief that attitudes are the result of environment. For instance, if you have an abusive spouse you may be believe your attitude is the result of a bad home life—and, that you have no control over how you feel.

Consider this, if you wait for someone else to change before you allow yourself to have a winning attitude then you’re giving control over to others for how you feel. Why would you allow anyone to control you in this way?

Can I tell you something for a fact? That is, you make decisions about your attitude throughout the day. You are not at the mercy of anyone to allow yourself a winning attitude.

While writing this I am reminded of a specific time in my own life when I allowed someone else to control my attitude. I have one of the most cantankerous neighbors who ever existed (perhaps an overstatement but the woman is maddening in her attitude). She, like many people, is in constant pursuit for something to disapprove. In short, if this woman ever knocks on your door you may rest assured she’s not there to wish you a happy day.

For years I allowed this woman to change my attitude. The very sight of her made my blood boil. On many occasions, she was the topic of conversation in my home. I constantly asked friends and family what in the world could make this woman so bitter; I just couldn’t believe anyone could be as obsessive as she. I couldn’t see that I was allowing myself to become obsessive. I was hurt that she disliked me so much and I allowed thoughts about her to affect my life. Can you see what a negative impact one negative person can cause?

The ripple affect of my neighbors’ negativity went way beyond the tiny little details she was disapproving of. It affected me, my family, friends and anyone who would sit still long enough to hear me rant and rave about her. Then, one day, I read an amazing quote by Charles Swindoll: Mr. Swindoll says, “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill.

It will make or break a company ...a church ...a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past ...we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ...I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ...we are in charge of our attitudes.”

Brilliant, except for one thing, I wasn’t being in control of my attitude. Not yet anyhow.

I immediately decided to take control over this situation, not by yanking this woman bald headed as I had dreamed of doing, but by changing my attitude. I began smiling and waving at my neighbor each time I saw her. I replaced my hateful thoughts about her with thoughts of love. I had pity for how miserable she was and I prayed daily that she would find peace.

I became happier when I freed myself from the bonds of my bad attitude. The differences were amazing and they were immediate. The funny thing is that this neighbor doesn’t find nearly as much to disapprove of these days, I believe a positive attitude affects people as much as a bad attitude.

You have a choice. What are you going to choose?

David Zack Holmes writes from his experiences--with a southern flair. To see more of David's columns or to signup for his weekly newsletter visit: http://www.davidzackholmes.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Qualities of Leadership

The Leadership Thought Provoker Checklist
By Rick Johnson

1. Making promises when you are not sure you can keep them can lead to a loss of respect.

Take making promises seriously. View a promise, as a commitment made with an understanding that circumstances might arise that would make it impossible to keep them. Make those circumstances very clear to the person at the time promises are made. Breaking a promise can lead to a loss of respect on the part of the employee. He may question your integrity.

A leader must have an impeccable character to earn the confidence of his employees. Don’t make promises you can’t keep and in that rare circumstance that you do break a promise, face the employee eye to eye explaining in detail why you were not able to keep your promise. Be honest about it.

2. Some employees whine, especially sales people. It’s part of their DNA. That does not mean you should ignore complaints that you consider whining.

No employee thinks his complaint is insignificant even if you think it is whining. It is still a problem even if the complaint is taken lightly or ignored. In fact it may grow and fester. An effective leader will address the complaint and not be afraid to tell the employee it is whining or trivial by explaining why.

Even though the employee may not hear the answer he is looking for, the leader will not lose respect due to inattention. Of course how he delivers the message is important and should be done without belittling the employee.

3. A leader must show consistency and fairness in his treatment of employees. Do you vary your approach with employees, being lenient with some and strict with others? There is a fine line between treating all employees exactly the same and showing consistency in the treatment of employees.

Employees are all individuals with different backgrounds, different values, different goals, different ideas and different motivational factors. The ability to recognize the differences in people and the ability to apply variable leadership methodologies is an important characteristic of effective leadership.

That being said, it is extremely important that a leader does not show favoritism and give preferential treatment to employees. A lack of consistency in the leader’s treatment of employees destroys teamwork and trust. Do not give special privileges unless a special situation warrants it, and everyone understands it.

4. Becoming buddies with your employees is not a good idea and Corporate Recreational Mating is an absolute taboo. That does not mean that you should be cold and aloof. Leadership is about relationships but you must not develop a personal relationship to the extent that it compromises your ability to take command and show control when necessary.

Aloofness can detract from effective leadership. You can be friendly without losing authority or compromising your position. A leader must demonstrate competence and vision and at the same time show a sincere interest in the well being of his employees. Anyone whose job is to influence people and direct them in their work must maintain friendly contact with the group.

5. Being able to collaborate, share ideas and not be threatened by the transfer of intellectual capital is extremely important to promoting a team concept and an atmosphere that promotes confidence.

Sharing your thoughts, experiences, knowledge along with coaching and mentoring is showing confidence and self respect. This supports a culture of camaraderie. Share information whenever issues in your realm of responsibility affect operations in other manager’s areas. Absolutely do not circumvent the authority of managers reporting to you and don’t go around other managers.

6. Refusing an employees request without creating resentment is a tactful necessity of effective leadership.

The ability to say no without creating hostility is important. The key to accomplishing that objective is to recognize the request with sincerity and explain in detail why the request cannot be granted. Being sincere demonstrates concern and makes your personal regret believable.

“The ideal leader is courageous, strong and persistent, wise – but what really separates him or her from the pack is passion and vision. It’s not enough to be skilled administrator or a world-class manager. No, to be a true leader, we need the passion of our dreams – and a vision of how to make them real. Passion and vision are transforming forces that will fail unless we fuse them into one powerful source for change. “Jack Welch, the former CEO of General Electric”

• A leader doesn’t follow others footprints—he is always first in line creating a new road map to follow

• A leader doesn’t panic in a crisis he becomes a pillar of strength for others

• A leader doesn’t look for the light at the end of the tunnel—he carries the light

• A leader doesn’t flaunt his title—he finds the time to be more than his title

• A leader doesn’t get up early to make himself better—he gets up early to help make others better

• A leader has a vision—he doesn’t dream—he is the dream and he communicates his vision

• A leader isn’t arrogant but he commands a presence. He is confident.

• The leader is not the one taking credit for success first but he’s the first one to credit those who helped create success

• The leader may not be the most valuable player but he is the player most valued

• The leader does not like being called the reason for success— He realizes success depends on the people you surround yourself with--after all he is the leader

Eric (Rick) Johnson

Dr. Rick Johnson (rick@ceostrategist.com) is the founder of CEO Strategist LLC. An experienced based firm specializing in leadership for wholesale distribution. CEO Strategist LLC. works in an advisory capacity with company executives in board representation, executive coaching, team coaching and education and training to make the changes necessary to create or maintain competitive advantage.

You can contact them by calling 352-750-0868, or visit http://www.ceostrategist.com for more information.

Rick received an MBA from Keller Graduate School in Chicago, Illinois and a Bachelor's degree in Operations Management from Capital University, Columbus Ohio. Rick recently completed his dissertation on Strategic Leadership and received his Ph.D.

He’s also a published book author with four titles to his credit: “The Toolkit for Improved Business Performance in Distribution,” the NWFA & NAFCD “Roadmap”, Lone Wolf-Lead Wolf—The Evolution of Sales” and a fiction novel “Shattered Innocence.” Rick’s next book due in November is titled; Lone Wolf – LEad Wolf The Evolution of Leadership

--------------------
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Blast through Procrastination, Inaction, and Distraction
with Consistent Focused Action!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to The Realgoalgetter Chronicle
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Power of a Dream

Power of a Dream
By John Di Lemme

I recently spoke to a Youth Leadership Group, and I was deeply inspired listening to the dreams that the teenagers had for the future. While I was presenting, I felt the group of teenagers begin to realize that it is ok to dream and be proud of what you have done in your life and where you want to go in life.

As adults, we need to realize that the power of a dream will enable you to achieve whatever your ultimate "WHY" in life is. By the age 25, most people lose all of their dreams and fall into a rut. From the age 25-65, people generally go back and forth to work and say to themselves," I wish...if only I could have...if only I knew then what I know now," and numerous other lamentations as to why they do not feel fulfilled in life.

The key in life to feeling fulfilled is to simply listen to your inner spirit and make your daily work in life something that you love to do and will help you achieve your DREAMS!

The key word in that sentence is DREAMS! Too many people when asked, "Where do you see yourself 2-5 years from now" give the answer, "Just let me make it to this weekend." The underlying reason that they don’t know where they are going to be is because they have no dreams. This can be extremely frightening! Each of the teenagers that I spoke to this week has dreams for their life and where they see themselves in the future.

As a professional speaker and business coach, my ultimate outcome is to empower people to find their WHY in life -- to catapult them to attain their dreams in life. I also spoke to the group about how important it is to be around a mastermind team, which will push you on and let you know it is awesome you have a dream.

As an overall population, over 95% of adults have no mastermind team but they have group of so-called friends, who will tell every reason why they should never try to win and to just accept their life. You need to stop right now and take a personal inventory of your life and ask yourself three life-changing questions:

1) WHAT is my WHY in LIFE!!! (Why I am getting up each and every day?)
2) WHO is my Mastermind Team?
3) WHERE do I see myself 2-5 years from now?

When you answer these questions you need to be honest with yourself and tell yourself the truth because the truth shall set you FREE! The key to living a fulfilled life is waking up each day with a driving desire to achieve your "WHY”. The key to winning in life is to be part of a winning team and realize life decisions are challenging but very beneficial. Bring your Dreams back to life!

Find your WHY & FLY!

John Di Lemme
www.FindYourWhy.com

John Di Lemme, a Former Clinically Diagnosed Stutterer, now the World’s Leading Motivational Expert *shocks millions globally* by exposing the truth they’ve been searching for in order to achieve monumental life success through his Award Winning Live Seminars, Power-Packed Training Programs, Live Tele-Classes, Motivational Club and Weekly E-zine.

Take action now and join tho.usands of others that have used John's proven methods to live their life to the Maximum! Visit www.FindYourWhy.com and discover how you can finally create monumental success in your life today and achieve all your goals, dreams and desires.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to one of The Realgoalgetter Ezines
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Organizing Your Goals

Organizing Your Goals
By Angela Agranoff

We all have goals and dreams that we want to accomplish—some big, some small. But until we can organize a plan on how to pursue these goals and dreams, we may never reach our final destination or possibly even start. Goals can help us to feel more confident and fulfilled. They can give us direction and help us to make decisions. Goal setting can help us to feel more organized.

Here are some simple steps to assist you in beginning your journey towards your goals.

1. Brainstorm - With pen and paper decide what goals you wish to pursue. Write everything down. Your list can be as long as you wish. Your goals can be as big or small as you wish. They can include areas of your life such as family, health, career, spiritual, education, travel, etc.

2. Prioritize - Choose a few goals you want to begin with. Which ones are more important or urgent to you? List those on a separate sheet.

3. Get Specific - Once you have decided which goals you are going to work toward, write them down on a new sheet of paper and begin adding the details of the goal. Be very specific. Only use words and description that are positive and describe what you DO want to accomplish. List each step that you need to take toward that goal.

4. Visualize Your Goals - Picture them often in detail in your mind. You can also post pictures from magazines or photos to help you see your dream.

5. Watch Your Progress - Read over your goal list regularly. It will help to remind you of your progress and keep you on track. You can also hang your list up where it is always visible, like at your bedside. If you notice that you haven’t made any progress, try adjusting what steps you need to take.

6. Work Through The Bumps - Your journey toward a goal may not always run according to your plan. You may have setbacks. Learn from them. They may be good lessons to help you in the future. Some of the best experiences come from the actual journey toward your goal, than the goal itself.

7. Mission Accomplished. Next! - Once you have completed a goal, begin to work on the next and so on. Goals setting should be a constant action. Make it a life-long habit.

Tips for Encouragement

1. Use your emotions to help you to continue to move towards your goal.

2. Every step you take, no matter how big or small, gets you closer to your goal and your success.

3. Your only failure will be if you give up and quit. Don’t be afraid of setbacks or mistakes—they will bring you closer to success.

4. We can be our own worst enemies—be compassionate toward yourself.

Congratulations!

Angela received her bachelors degree in fine arts, with an emphasis in Commercial Design, from Western State College, Gunnison, Colorado in 1992. She has years experience in graphic design and is also an artist. She is also married with three children, 7 year old and twin one year olds.

After many requests from friends and family to help in assist in organization projects and decorating/design projects, she has turned this talent into a career. She now is a professional organizer assisting families in their homes, students and artists. She is a member of Colorado Professional Organizers (CoPO), and National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO).

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to one of The Realgoalgetter Ezines
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Fuel for Motivation

Fuel for Motivation
By Paul Jerard

How can you stay energized in the face of so many obstacles? Why do some people look at life from a positive point of view all the time? What is the formula for success?

The prime ingredient in any success story is motivation. Motivation is the driving force to keep going, “when the going gets tough.” In order for you to stay motivated about anything, you must choose something you have a passion for. This will help you to stay inspired in good, or bad, economic times.

So before you consider motivation, do some self-analysis and realize your passion. This must be something you would love to do every day, and don’t consider it to be work, because you enjoy it so much.

How many of us have known an artist or musician that pursued his, or her, dream. Some make money, and some don’t, but all put a lot of work into their passion. They do this willingly, because their work inspired them. It wasn’t the money that kept them going. The life of most artists, or musicians, is one of economic struggle, even in the best of economic times.

Once you have found your passion, make sure it is something that will help others in some way. This allows you to feel positive about your work and find solutions for people’s problems, which leads to the first factor needed to stay motivated, all the time.

The first factor is gratification in your work. Without it, why should any of us want to keep working at a goal every day? So, you must have a deep feeling of satisfaction from your work.

The second factor is recognition. Everyone wants to be recognized and be proud of their accomplishments. Look at how a child glows after getting an award and receiving praise from his, or her, parents. Recognition makes us all feel worthy.

The third factor is staying positive in the face of negativity. You can’t close your eyes and ears to negative input or a “doubting Thomas.” However, you can use negative energy as fuel for your own cause. Always look at “the glass as half full,” as compared to half empty.

How is this possible? Use the doubts of others as an incentive to prove them wrong. I call this “negative motivation.” Teenagers often do this with parents: Mom or Dad says it won’t work, so the teenager works twice as hard to prove his, or her, parents wrong. Adults can borrow on this method and learn from rebellious teenagers.

The fourth factor is complete health in mind, body, and spirit. You need friends in high places to stay motivated and succeed, so why not take time to pray? I never heard anyone tell me they felt bad about praying, but I have heard many people say they don’t pray enough.

You have to allow for down time; even the toughest of us need a break now and then. If you must work hard, due to an impending deadline, remember Benjamin Franklin’s words, “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

Take the time to sleep, exercise, go on vacation, play with your kids, show love toward those who love you, and live life as well as you can. If you follow this formula, you will be motivated and success will surely follow.

Paul Jerard is a co-owner and the director of Yoga teacher training at: Aura Wellness Center, in North Providence, RI. He has been a certified Master Yoga teacher since 1995. He is a master instructor of martial arts, with multiple Black Belts, four martial arts teaching credentials, and was recently inducted into the USA Martial Arts Hall of Fame.

He teaches Yoga, martial arts, and fitness to children, adults, and seniors in the greater Providence area. Recently he wrote: Is Running a Yoga Business Right for You? For Yoga students, who may be considering a new career as a Yoga teacher. http://www.yoga-teacher-training.org/index.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to one of The Realgoalgetter Ezines
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

React or Respond?

You Choose To React or Respond
By Daniel Sitter

Choices abound. Sometimes choices confound us, while at other times, certain choices are obvious. Any way you approach the subject, choices present opportunities to either excel or hinder. As human beings, we were endowed by our Creator with the power of choice. It is one of the factors that differentiate people from animals. Some people make these choices or decisions more easily than others.

Each day, we must decide how we will spend our precious 24 hours and deal with all that the world presents to us. We choose how we will be affected by both everyday occurrences and those that are much more extraordinary.

Whether consciously or unconsciously, we choose to either react or respond. These are not the same, for one is negative and one is positive. Which we choose may have a significant impact on our life and possibly those close to us.

Reacting to outside influences, usually beyond our control is generally a negative choice. Reacting implies that we have given charge of the situation to someone or something else. We surrender our input and any control in the matter. We are now at the mercy of the situation and are forced to be in reaction mode where we are constantly dodging bullets and expending great amounts of energy just to stay afloat.

In reacting to a situation, we do not anticipate that which is to come because we are too busy handling the present. The future then surprises us and the whole mess begins again.

Responding to a situation is a positive choice. It is the opposite of reacting. It is proactive and anticipates that which is yet to come. Responding is preceded by thought and often prayer.

In responding, we take charge and have command over how the situation impacts us. We also have control over how it affects us internally. We decide upon the level of personal impact.

Our lives, families, careers and other everyday activities and interests are operating at breakneck speeds and appear at times to be accelerating. One thing is for certain, the old days of sitting around on the front porch each evening listening to Mother Nature are gone for many of us. The pace of life in Mayberry, as healthy and tranquil as it would appear, is unfortunately a thing of the past. We live life on the fast track.

A major news weekly magazine is currently featuring material devoted to stress and distress in our lives and their effects on our cardiovascular health. Although not totally surprising, this information is disturbing. How did we ever get to this point?

Witness the number of television commercials and magazine advertisements for gastric distress, acid reflux, anxiety, depression, headaches and other ailments that are increasing in frequency. There are millions of prescriptions written each day for these medical conditions, most of which will find their roots in internalized stress and distress.

People spend many hours of their lives worrying. Worry is a senseless, energy robbing activity that has engulfed many. No one has ever benefited from worry, yet countless people engage in it.

Worry is the opposite of faith. Worry is negative while faith is positive. There is no mystery here. Many books have been written on the subject. The conclusions are the same: "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and "Stop Worrying and Start Living" are among the many themes presented. Good advice indeed.

Most areas of life present us with choices. We must choose either to respond or react to circumstances. We choose whether or not to worry. Learn to be aware that you have a choice in these matters. Learn that there are ways that you can deal with everything either positively or negatively.

Learn that your choices may influence your very health, both physical and mental. Learn that there will be costs associated with poor choices, worrying and negativity in general. These may include social, monetary, peace of mind and time costs. Certainly, the total cost associated with negative choices is too high.

Learn that positively responding to circumstances in life will reduce or eliminate worry and contribute to your overall good health and well being. Find joy in life. Be happy.

Daniel Sitter is the author of the popular, award-winning e-book, Learning For Profit. Designed for busy people, his new book teaches simple, step-by-step accelerated learning skills, demonstrating exactly how to learn anything faster than ever before. Learning For Profit is currently available from the author’s web site http://www.learningforprofit.com and a variety of online software and book merchants. Mr. Sitter is a contributing writer for several online and traditional publications. His expertise includes sales, marketing, self-improvement and general business topics.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to one of The Realgoalgetter Ezines
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Do-It-Yourself? or Delegate?

Do Your Best; Hire the Rest
By Doug Emerson

One of the hidden perks of raising six children is the learning laboratory it provides for the parents. My wife and I have learned how important it is to teach our children to do things for themselves and become problem solvers. There isn't enough time to do it any other way with a house full of children.

Learning how to tie your shoes, make a telephone call and solve for two unknowns in an algebraic equation are examples of goals society sets for children. Undeniably, do it yourself skills are important for all of us to acquire.

As we mature, we get comfortable with the fact that doing it ourselves will save time, create a feeling of accomplishment and definitely save money. We do it yourselfers develop a feeling that the control of doing it ourselves will also lead to a job well done. How many times have you heard, "If you want it done right the first time, do it yourself."

What parents intend to be a lifelong asset of independence for their children can later be a lifelong hindrance on their financial growth, however. I notice that D-I-Y is a curse at times.

We become so accustomed at doing everything, that we spend all of our time doing everything.

Unfortunately, this leaves little time for doing the few things we do best. I can prepare my own income taxes, but I gave up the preparation part many years ago. The money spent to hire a professional freed up time to do more productive things in my businesses.

I know the basics of how a website is created and how to transfer html coded pages for uploading, but I hire out that service, too. I understand how the stock market works and how to analyze the performance of a stock, but I use a financial consultant to help me with my investments since I just don't have the time to do it all.

Many small business owners started their own businesses as "solopreneurs" and got comfortable with being a do it yourselfer. Operating as one-man bands, they are destined to be soloists the rest of their business careers unless they ask for help.

When they are ready, they may choose to seek help with bookkeeping, marketing or planning. They will just say help with hiring, payroll or product development. Focusing on what they do best will cause them to ask for help with sales, pricing or maintenance.

The paradox of being self sufficient and asking for help is hard to handle. When we do it yourselfers wrestle with the temptation to be jacks-of-all-trades and pin it to the mat, we will be able to grow in our business and personal lives.

Next time you have the urge to do everything yourself in your business, think about the Spandex Rule: Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

Doug Emerson trains consults and coaches business owners on how to make more profit in less time using 8 key strategies. He writes a free electronic newsletter about the business of life called Getting to the Point. Free subscription available at the homepage. http://www.douglasemerson.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

--------------------
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of
FREE Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezines.
For success tools at your fingertips,
Subscribe Now to one of The Realgoalgetter Ezines
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
From The Realgoalgetter Group of Companies;
dedicated to helping you live a long, passionate, joyful life.
--------------------

Performance Management

Coaching and Performance Management
By Chris Stowell

When Performance Management replaced Performance Evaluation in Organizations, it was going to give leadership a different definition and much more credibility and accountability to all members of a team. Instead of having little control over personal development within the organization, leaders and team members could begin to create relationships that would develop a workforce with skills needed to compete in a globalizing world.

Because this approach looks towards the future rather than the past as the Performance Evaluation does, team members and leaders began to receive constant feedback from relationships, giving everyone a maximum amount of control over their own performance.

The major component of the Performance Management Process is “Coaching.” There are three important steps to this process and each step seeks to answer just a few critical questions. By using coaching at every step, the team becomes more aligned with the goals of the organization.

The first step begins at the Organization’s Fiscal Year where objectives are established. The basic questions to answer are:

What are we going to do?
What are our goals for the next fiscal year?
What needs to be developed?

During the year, team members and leaders will have follow-up discussion(s) to provide feedback on their ongoing performance and answer the following questions:

How are we doing?
Are we accomplishing our goals?
What are the areas for improvement?
What else needs to be developed to meet our goals?

These follow-up discussions (The second step of the Performance Management Process) are aimed at improving performances in order to achieve objectives. During these discussions, the leader will coach the team members to help team members develop in areas identified at the beginning of the year (during the first step of the process) or during the actual follow-up discussions.

The third step of the process is a final discussion between the team member and the leader that will be put into writing in answering the questions:

How did we do?
Did we accomplish our goals – where did we come up short?
What should we concentrate on next year?

The success of this approach is dependent on two conditions: the way the leader handles the coaching discussions and the commitment of both the team member and leader to improve and develop skills to meet objectives.

Effective coaching relationships between team members and leaders can improve the performance of human resources within the organization. The outcome is better performing employees producing better results.

So what do the “coaches” consider to be an effective coach? What was their definition of coaching? The one thing we knew for sure (based on years of taking surveys) is that employees need and want effective coaching on a regular basis. This was true in the past and is still the same as we gain a better understanding of coaching in the workplace for Performance Management.

Coaching is a “process” used in developing partnering relationships. I am not debating the fact that shareholders need results, I am simply suggesting that the results achieved as an outcome of an effective coaching relationship is long lasting and much more appealing to team members in today’s organizations. It may even be an important strategy for the challenge in regards to keeping and attracting employees.

Based on the last two decades spent with thousands of leaders at all levels in different organizations, I have often heard the following sentence from team members: “Walk the talk” and “I will commit to doing everything I possibly can to improve my performance.”

Still, many leaders experience difficulties with the Coaching approach when this program is first implemented. Their difficulties are often the result of:

Misunderstanding of the coaching approach. Too many leaders and team members still believed that Performance Management was just another name for what had been done in the past (Performance Evaluation). They were convinced this was simply a different stationary form.

Therefore, discussions were still done in a top-down method i.e.: Here is what you are not doing well and here is what you will do to improve it. Now, go to it! Not very useful for helping team members and developing partnering relationships…!

Misuse because leaders using coaching concentrated on the end result rather than the process to use to obtain this result. There was little or no relationship development between team members and leaders. Talks often sounded like the ineffective coach in professional sports i.e.: A basketball coach demands to see a higher score on the scoreboard in order to win.

When a player asks for feedback on how to do that, the answer is: I don’t care how you do it, just do it! This results in the team members feeling manipulated. They will start to do as little as needed to keep their job. So when a new leader joins this team, the new leader is convinced that the team members were not committed. This brings to mind the term “self serving biases.”

Misleading because the word “coaching” has been used in so many ways, many team members believe that it is just another way to get all the juice out of them in order to satisfy the shareholder regardless of the impact it has on human beings and ultimately the organization. Unfortunately, coaching is used to describe many different things, it was hard to be clear about it.

Often, the word “coach” and “mentor” are interchanged. Some advocate that coaching is a skill needed by the boss, and others seemed to believe that coaching is a process that should be done by someone else other than the boss. Coaching is a process delivered to a group of employees informally rather than individually. “Coach” is the new title for a leader.

Yet, when leaders regularly use coaching discussions effectively, it becomes very easy to determine what should be going onto the final document for the year. It is also easy to determine what the answers to the questions of the first step for the following year will be. That is true Performance Management!

If you would like more information around the areas of performance management and coaching, please contact CMOE at (888)262-2499. Please reference this article to receive a discount on your first purchase.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

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