One Step At A Time, Just Get Started Right Where You Are

One Step At A Time
by Mark Farmer

The advice was the same I'd given myself many a time and he, my client, didn't like it any more than I did. Still it was the only advice I could give:

One step at a time.

So often we want to go from "here" to success in one step. "Success would be easy," goes the thought, "if I could just start from a different place."

The problem is... the only place you can start from... is right where you're standing.

Many a person has wasted years, wishing that they were starting from another place and wondering how to get to that other place before starting on their goal.

We wish we could start from a different place because we can't clearly figure out how to get from "here" to "there."

The problem is, that when you've set your goals out where they should be - somewhere between reality and fantasy - we CAN'T see how to get from "here" to "there".

Layer on a goal that really matters to our soul and we become afraid about what failure would mean.

The combination of fogginess and fear keep people stuck, sometimes for a lifetime.

Often, the largest "pain" you feel will be the realization that you have to start from "here" to get to "there." And... that in order to get from here to there... you'll probably have to do what you least *want* to do.

The woman who realizes that she won't be able to grow until she leaves the marriage she's in, stuck... trying to figure out a way to grow, but without leaving the marriage (not wanting to start from where she is: unhappily married) and not wanting to get a divorce (the thing that she fear's most). "I don't want to be here," she says, "I just can't figure out how to get to 'there.'"

The man who realizes he needs to lose over 50 pounds; that his weight is affecting his health... and wishes that he had time in the day to exercise (not wanting to start from where he is: where other things have taken priority over his health) or a professional chef to cook healthy meals (again, wishing he could start from somewhere else) and not wanting to go to the gym where he's afraid he'd look like a fool (fear). "I know I'm killing myself," the man says to himself in the mirror, "but I just don't see a way to change."

The unfortunate answer for how you'll achieve any of life's profound goals is this: One step at a time. Starting where you're at. And figuring it out as you go.

That "unfortunate" answer is also one of your greatest "secrets"...

(Look for "The Secret of One Step at a Time" in the next TLS newsletter!)

Reprinted from TotalLifeSuccess.com - the Web's leading success community featuring inspirational quotes, success articles, and tools to improve your life. To subscribe, visit TotalLifeSuccess.com

It's Half Time, Regroup and Hit The Ground Running Towards The Goal!

Today I ran across two posts on two different blogs that caught my interest. They are two great success tools to use if you aren't already. Check out: Decisions, Actions, . . . and Numbers and You Can't Win If You Don't Have A Thing To Lose. Now back to our article for today.

The Motivation of Second Half Thinking
By Paul O'Sullivan

Football matches are won or lost in the second half. It does not matter what code of football is being played, and it does not only apply to football. It is how you finish that counts – in any sport or competition or campaign. It applies to your life. Look at your life as one complete match or look at your current circumstance and assess where you are in terms of the half time break and begin now to strategize the finish.

I saw this very clearly on one occasion when I was playing a game of top level Rugby. The coach pulled us aside as a team at half time. This was now the quietest time of the match, not the time for noise and action. but the time for strategy for the next half.

We knew we could win, but we were behind at half time. We all felt we had something to say but the coach told us to shut up and listen. He reassured us that they had not penetrated our defense, they had just been lucky on penalties. He told us not to try and score points but to give them the ball and to run them down and then do our scoring.

That was when I learned that half time was the time to listen to that quiet inner voice, not the yells of the crowd or even your team mates. Let the coach talk. It is on the inside, in the locker room where you get the advice. It is on the inside, deep inside our hearts that most people either win or lose. It is on the inside that most organizations either fall apart or become strong, not from attacks from the outside.

Usually we get stronger when we are attacked from the outside. I have never worried about that. It is the inside I want to keep safe from the attack of its own lack of faith and wisdom.

What I learned that half time was that what had got us to where we were was not the thing that was going to get us any further. It was now time to apply a finishing strategy.

We had, as a team been doing things right. We were good at executing the elemental skills of the game. But doing things right is a lot different to doing the right things. Doing things right is efficiency, but doing the right things is effectiveness. The coach did not guarantee us success, but he guaranteed us we would fail if we gave up, or did not adopt the right approach.

Whatever you do, always play hard. There are no soft games. And the goal is not always the score on the scoreboard – it is to reach your full potential. That is called destiny – and everybody has one. Second half play begins with low cost probes. You don’t try to win recklessly and end up losing. You will win when you are well set. So slow down and be deliberate – this is the second half. You will make it.

Half time is the time for inner motivation to drive you, not just some external reward. It is like seeing it in terms of a career and saying 'I would do what I’m doing for no pay, rather than, 'as long as they pay me enough I’ll do what they want’. That is when you know you want to do it and reach your potential.

Discover more about spiritual understanding at the Spiritcode website.

Copyright 2006 http://www.Spiritcode.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_O

More On Sabotage - How Your Beliefs Can Stop You From Achieving Your Goals

How Your Beliefs Can Stop You From Achieving Your Goals

Have you ever failed at reaching a goal you had in mind? Do you ever wonder why you can’t achieve your goals but you see other people reaching their goals all the time? Do you ever wonder what’s wrong with you that you just can’t reach your goals

I’ve been there and I’ve finally discovered the secret of how other people do it. It’s so simple yet I never realized the importance of this very important aspect of goal-setting.

Don’t get me wrong. I’ve done my due diligence. I’ve read the “how-to-set-goals” articles and books. I’ve written my goals down; I’ve visualized them. I’ve spoken them out loud, over and over again. I’ve done all the things they tell you to do except for one simple thing.

I didn’t let go of my “undermining beliefs” and therefore I failed to reach my goal.

Belief is such an important aspect of goal-setting because, as Napoleon Hill said, “If you can believe it, you can achieve it.”

You might be saying, “Well, of course I believe I can achieve my goals. Why would I set a goal that I don’t believe I can achieve?”

Beliefs can be used for positive affect in goal-setting; in can also be used against you in goal-setting.

Your beliefs about yourself can undermine the goals you say you believe you can achieve.

One goal-setting area that I have struggled in is weight loss. I’ve set goals for myself to lose weight. I’ve joined the programs and believed I could do it. But there’s one belief that was causing me to fail at losing weight. I believed that I couldn’t give up sugar.

Deep in my heart of hearts, I believed I couldn’t be happy without being able to eat sugar. Sugar like cookies, candy, cake. So I would always sneak it, believing that cheating just a little wouldn’t hurt. It ended up sabotaging my weight loss efforts. Pretty soon, this belief made me stop believing that I could achieve my goal of losing weight.

These “undermining beliefs” need to change before you can achieve the goals you believe you can achieve.

But how can they be changed? There’s a small bundle of nerves in the human brain that controls behavior. It’s called the reticular activating system.It allows your brain to take action on the things that you consciously or subconsciously believe are important. It filters out the stuff that doesn’t matter.

If you can affect this part of your brain by focusing on the particular thing you want to change and believe that it’s important that it change, you can change your behavior.

Let’s go back to my belief that I can’t be happy unless I am able to eat sugar. I can change this behavior by believing that I will become very sick with Diabetes if I continue to eat sugar. I must believe that I won’t be happy if I am sick with Diabetes. This is the only way I will stop eating sugar.

I will reach my weight loss goal if this belief stops me from eating sugar, as long as I am following the rules of a healthy diet and exercise plan.

This concept can be adapted to any “undermining belief”. If you’ve made goals and failed to achieve them, examine whether you have an “undermining belief” that’s become an obstacle to reaching your goals. Look for things that you often say to yourself after experiencing a failure at not reaching your goals. These are the “undermining beliefs” that you must change in order to experience success.

by Eunice Coughlin

Eunice Coughlin is webmaster for http://www.healthy-living-for-moms.com/, a site devoted to helping moms of all ages with their physical and spiritual health. See what's new on the site at http://www.healthy-living-for-moms.com/healthy-living-blog.html

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Self Sabotage On An Enormous Scale! Don't let this happen to you.

Wealth Consciousness - Why You Can't Afford To Be Without It

Wealth consciousness isn't only about money. It's about being aware of, and appreciating, ALL the good things in your life, because that's how you get more of them.

Sooner or later you always get exactly what you focus on... and as I'm writing this I've just watched a TV documentary which illustrates that perfectly.

The documentary was about the great empire of the Hittites, whose capital, Hattusha, was rediscovered recently after being lost for over 3,000 years.

Their empire was designed "to last forever". Hattusha was built high in the mountains, with huge towers, massive, thick stone ramparts, and inner walls with secret tunnels from which the inhabitants could ambush and wipe out any enemy who managed to make it that far.

They could see the entire surrounding area for miles. No-one would ever have a chance to approach the place without being seen and thoroughly prepared for... which was just as well, because they had an overwhelming fear that at enemy would someday take the city and destroy it.

They had a ferociously trained and disciplined army, which struck terror into the hearts of all the nations round about them.

They had a culture of duty, loyalty and discipline, with oaths sworn with great solemnity and threats of appalling punishments, both human and divine, for breaking them.

They had an ingenious system for storing water, which they brought in pipes from the streams in the surrounding hills and stored in 7 massive reservoirs.

They fought against the Egyptians under their great Pharaoh, Rameses II, and drove them backwards 200 miles into their own territory, forcing them to make a peace treaty with the Hittites and acknowledging their ruler as "the Great King".

They had 5 massive libraries, enormous gates and archways, and elaborate carvings of gigantic size. They were clearly a people of enormous ingenuity, wealth and power.

They'd have to have a wealthy consciousness, then, wouldn't they?

No. They hadn't. In fact, their poverty consciousness was so extreme it brought about their total ruin.

When Prince Hattusili returned with the Egyptian peace treaty, he probably expected a warm welcome. Instead, the King was terrified the Prince would now usurp his throne.

Whether Hattasili originally meant to seize the throne's not clear, but faced with the risk of execution as a traitor he took a gamble and deposed the King.

That would be drastic enough in any society, but in one that was held together by an intense code of loyalty, it was fatal. Some of the people went along with Hattasili, but others remained loyal to the King. Civil war broke out.

It ended with the city smashed to ruins. As the small band of survivors straggled through the huge stone gate and disappeared from history, they were still so obsessed with fear that their abandoned city would fall into an enemy's hands that they set light to it.

They needn't have worried. The place is so remote and inhospitable that even today, over 3,000 years later, no-one has ever attempted to rebuild it. The Hittites themselves remain the only people who have ever raised their hands against the place.

These people had everything - excepting for the understanding of how rich they were. It didn't matter how secure they REALLY were, they never could believe they were secure enough.

What you focus on is what you get.

No-one's suggesting you should be naïve and simply close your eyes to any risk to your prosperity, well-being, happiness or safety. Of course it's sometimes necessary to take precautions to protect yourself and those you love from harm.

It's just that it's a good idea to keep things in proportion. Once you've done whatever's necessary to make you feel secure, don't let yourself obsess about it.

Focus on the things you WANT, not what you DON'T want.

Fill your heart, your mind, your words and actions with your purpose and your goals.

Keep your mental compass firmly fixed in the direction that you want to go in, not the one you're scared someone might try to make you head for, and be fully appreciative of, and grateful for, the good things you already have.

That way you can keep difficulties or dangers in proportion, and have a balanced, optimistic outlook that will help you find the answers that you need.

The alternative is, you'll focus on the things you fear until you take the very course of action that will make them happen.

The Hittites could have told you that - if there were any of them left.

by Aislinn O'Connor

Aislinn O'Connor is a motivational writer and personal development consultant. For tools to help you to enjoy the happy and successful life that you were born to live, visit her website at www.access-your-peak-performance-zone.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Aislinn_O

Only 8 Steps From Here To Massive Success - Are You On The Path?

Your 8-Step Strategy for Success

Can you imagine finding success in every venture that you pursue? You can, and you will. Granted, it is seldom easy, but it is simple. Almost any worthwhile pursuit can be mastered by utilizing the following simple, eight-step process.

1. Dream!

Your dreams set the stage for your accomplishments. That’s why it is so important to dream big! At the point of allowing yourself to dream, do not allow any limits to your thoughts. Simply dream. Write down your dreams and review them.

Consciously think about how you would feel when each of your dreams becomes reality. Your brain does not make a determination between dreams and reality so it believes all that it stores. Believe that your dreams will come true. See them in your mind as reality! Be expectant. Anticipate success.

2. Establish your desired goals. Write them down.

This is where you go to work on your dreams. You cannot hit a target that you cannot see. In the same manner, you will find it difficult to achieve a goal that you haven’t identified and written down. Your brain immediately goes to work, sifting through its cumulative records and all your memories, to construct a strategy for achieving those goals.

Review these written goals frequently, especially before sleeping and immediately upon rising in the morning. Encourage yourself to stay focused upon the goals you select. In the absence of your written goals, your brain will go to work on something of its own choosing, perhaps even a plan inspired from a television show. Remember, your mind does not discriminate between fact and fantasy.

3. Layout your plan (in writing) to achieve your goals.

Identify, in detail, the steps necessary to achieve each of your goals. Be certain to include anticipated obstacles and your intentions for dealing with each of them. Lay out a timetable listing each step and each obstacle relative to your successful achievement of your goal.

4. Take massive action. Be persistent. Never quit.

Now that you have identified what it will take and what stands in your way towards achieving your goals, identify the action steps necessary. Be very specific in determining the actions necessary for each stage and obstacle. Write everything down. Now it is time to get busy.

The best plans imaginable are impotent without action, lots of action. Do not ever consider quitting as an option. Be persistent. Adopt an attitude that you will not allow yourself to be denied.

5. Pay particular attention to what is working and what is not.

“I can’t do much about the wind, but I can adjust my sails” is an old saying that proves especially useful here. Take action. Work smart and hard. Notice what is working for you? In the same manner, what is not? It makes little sense to keep pursuing a line of action that is of little value or becomes counter productive. Be smart. Keep alert.

6. Make necessary adjustments to your plan and strategy. Go back to step 4.

Make necessary adjustments to your action strategy on a continuous basis. Always be paying attention to your plan and your relative position on your timeline. Your plan is an effective strategy towards achieving your goals and your dreams only to the extent that you have designed it to work for you. As you make alterations, take massive action again and monitor all aspects of your plan continuously.

7. When your goal is achieved, be thankful. Then bathe in the warmth of your success. Take time to enjoy the wonderful culmination of your plan.

Paying attention to this process will enable you to know precisely when you have achieved your goal! Demonstrate an attitude of gratitude. Be thankful for your abilities, your persistence and those who have been of help to you. Enjoy your success. Enjoy the feelings that fill your mind. Remember them. Allow this euphoria to motivate you for your next achievement.

8. Set new goals and begin the process again.

Now that you have tasted success, start the whole process over again with another goal or dream, this time with even more positive expectancy than the first.

This simple, eight-step strategy has been proven again and again over time by thousands of people from all walks of life and circumstances. There is no mention of the word “if” anywhere in this strategy, only “when.” Adopt this simple yet powerful strategy and make it your own. It will produce the results you have only dreamed of thus far.

by Daniel Sitter

Daniel Sitter, author of both the popular e-book, Learning For Profit, and the highly anticipated book, Superior Selling Skills, has extensive experience in sales, training, marketing and personal development over a successful 25 year career. LearningForProfit.com Read his Blog, Idea Sellers

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Daniel_Sitter

Value Your Time And Your Self-Esteem Will Flourish

Value Your Time And Your Self-Esteem Will Flourish

"What can I do right this second that will change who and what I am a year from now; 4 years from now?" Have you ever stopped for a moment and thought about that question? It just drives me crazy to see people that are supposed to be busy doing something, but they're hiding out. Yeah, I'm like a former smoker who can't stand the smell anymore.

What I mean is I was the biggest procrastinator you've ever met, in my early years. I'd spend an hour trying to get out of half an hour's work. What a circus. My parents, teachers and employers weren't very amused. TV was big in my life. What a shame. What an incredible limiter of life.

Today, I have a pact with myself. If I see a task that has to be done, I do it then, schedule it, or delegate it and make sure I follow up with the delegate. Life has a way of loading more stuff on you as your responsibilities grow, so it's important now to become time wise.

Next month, or next year, when your skill at using time effectively is evaluated... or when you need to get something done fast, you'll have developed your ability-and you'll succeed. You'll be rewarded. Isn't it amazing how, after a week or a month in preparation of a deadline, you're still working on it minutes before it's due? Why is that? Poor planning... "Killing" time, hiding out.

If some thing you have planned is going to take a Herculean effort and may take a team, put the time into planning and delegating. Don't you feel like a dog when you're hiding from a task? I know I did. I just felt like a criminal.

Want to feel like you deserve an award? Want to feel like a hero? Want to be admired by everyone? Then watch yourself and how you use your time. If you catch yourself sitting around watching TV, shooting the bull or reading unimportant magazines or newspaper articles, stop immediately and do something that will make one of your ambitions come true. That is what all effective people do.

You'll enjoy yourself once you get started... That's the toughest part. A year from now, you'll be a year older. Will you be any wiser? What are you here for exactly anyhow? What's your purpose? If you don't know, go to amazon.com, BN or borders.com and search for a book about developing a mission. Stephen Covey is a great person to read.

What if you're 80 years old? A mission can add a bunch of enjoyable years to your life. Why are you sticking around? Be productive. The man across the street from us is 84 years old and his lawn looks like Disney World. It's his passion. Get a degree. You've got the time. Be honest with yourself.

I learned an interesting technique a long time ago... I talk to myself like I'm an advisor... to myself. I tell me what to do, given the facts and situation. This way I can be less of a wimp when it comes to making tough choices with my time.

Instead of immediately thinking I can't do a particular thing, I hear that voice that sounds like me but is much tougher than a person would normally be with themselves. Kind of like a drill sergeant in your own head. All I can tell you is that it works.

I rarely hear, "I don't know..." for long before the sergeant comes in with, "It'll only take a minute. Get it done and you won't have to worry about it later." It always makes sense, so I do it just to shut me up!!

No matter what you may believe, you were born with tremendous ability. Use your own brain. It can help you do so many things that you can't imagine. You're NOT weak. You're strong. You're NOT stupid. In many areas, you've got genius capabilities. Pull it out of you. You are worth it.

WINNING BELIEFS:

-- Today I'm performing at my best

-- I love staying busy

-- When I see a new task, I do it, schedule it or delegate it

-- My time is valuable and I treat it that way

EMPOWERING QUOTE:

"Time ripens all things. No man is born wise." -Miguel De Cervantes

What if you had the same minute-by-minute thoughts as the super successful? Mike Brescia has developed the ultimate mental conditioning programs that can help anyone wipe out intense fears and enjoy huge successes in all areas of life.

by Mike Brescia

Mike Brescia is the creator of the world-renowned Think Right Now! Accelerated Success Conditioning Programs. Mike becomes your own personal success coach - guiding, motivating, inspiring, teaching and moving you in a way that only a best friend would. Mike will inspire you to take a hard look at yourself and be accountable for what you are in life, to be dissatisfied with the "old you" and the bad habits, to take action, ready to happily do whatever it takes to win the game of life.

Find descriptions of all his products at http://www.thinkrightnow.net/

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Brescia

Turn Your Goals Into Questions (And 10 Reasons Why)

Turn Your Goals Into Questions (And 10 Reasons Why)

You’ve set a goal. It is specific, measurable and has a deadline. All the things a good goal should be. Now what?

If you’re like me, you need a push to move from “goal setting” to “goal getting.”

Questions can give you the push you need to get moving on your goal and make it become a reality.

Here’s how:

Write out the question, “what steps do I need to take to make this goal come true?” This question helps you come up with a step by step plan.

Then write, “which of these steps can I start acting on now?” This question helps you get the ball rolling and off to a good start.

Keep writing out new questions as they come to mind to help you get over every hump and through every phase until the goal is accomplished. One of my favorites when I get up in the morning is, “what can I do today to move me closer to my goal?”

You should also use questions to gauge your progress. “What changes or improvements can I make to help me accomplish this goal sooner?”

Also use questions to push through procrastination. “What can I do right now to help me move closer to my goal?”

A question can help you break the goal into small, more manageable pieces. “What little step can I take now to keep me moving toward this goal?” I also use this same question when I have only a little time between other responsibilities to make me “sandwich” a little goal-related activity between appointments or projects.

Use question to keep yourself motivated. “Why do I want to accomplish this goal?”

Questions can also help you visualize the finish line. “How will my life be different when I accomplish this goal?”

Keep your emotions from growing stale or fading with, “how will I feel when I accomplish this goal?”

And possibly most important of all, use questions to escape from drudgery. “How can I make this job fun and enjoyable as I move closer to my goal?”

Questions have their own extraordinary power that focus your mind and can keep you moving toward your goals. Use them as tools to help you get the job done.

COPYRIGHT(C)2006, Charles Brown. All rights reserved.

Get New Clients With Irresistible Copywriting! Charles Brown is a Dallas, Texas based freelance copywriter who writes web copy, advertisements, white papers and direct mail. Read his "Freelance Copywriter Secrets" at http://dynamiccopywriting.blogspot.com or contact him at 817.715.3852 or **charbrow@gmail.com**.

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