Are The Results You Are Getting The Results You Really Wanted?

I seen this article and just loved it. This really speaks to my heart because I have found myself in this very conundrum (is this really a word?) from time to time when I put my head down and just go go go . . . Then I look up and find out that I veered off course from my true meaningful path. I hope it will strike a chord with someone else also.

At the very least it is timely information. During the next few weeks many of will be doing more than a little evaluation of our present lifestyles.

I'm Very Busy Doing Not Much And Going Nowhere In Particular

Is it just my imagination or are we all busier than ever? And seemingly, less fulfilled, more stressed, more confused and more... lost?

And having less fun. Definitely less fun.

"I'll have fun later. Right now, I'm busy being important and successful, get out of my way."

Lately, it seems that everyone I talk to is 'flat out'.

All in a big rush..... to nowhere in particular. We're extremely busy... doing... not a lot. Well, nothing of significance or real consequence. Nothing that makes us (consistently) happy or fulfilled anyway.

Sometimes we feel like we're just another speck of humanity on the big green ball.

Our lives are time-tabled to the nano-second... but we don't really know why.

We say we want a life of meaning and purpose...but we're too busy to sort out exactly what that purpose might be...

"Perhaps I'll do it this Sunday, because I have the afternoon off." "Yep, that's it; I'll do the what's-my-life-purpose-thing this Sunday....unless of course I get busy."

Lives have never been more chaotic, complex or frenetic... yet we've never felt emptier or less fulfilled. We're 30, 40, 50 or older and we're still not sure what we want from life. We don't have clarity and purpose, we have confusion, uncertainty and fear.

I spoke to a bloke this week who has been in a mundane, thankless, un-fulfilling career (which he hates) for thirty-five years... because it didn't dawn on him that work could be anything other than a means of paying bills. When I suggested that perhaps he could find new meaning, purpose, fulfillment, direction and excitement (yes, even in his fifties) he thought I was trying to sell him something.

I was; A LIFE.

When I suggested that he at least explore the possibility of either 1) making his current career more rewarding or 2) changing careers and creating a new reality, he thought I was nuts.
I didn't say it would be easy or smooth or comfortable... but, is it possible to change careers, lives and realities at fifty and beyond? Yep.

Don't mis-represent 'fear' with 'possibilities'... If we say "it's impossible", then we don't have to overcome our fears... and we can stay in our un-fulfilling (but safe) little world that we've built ourselves.

Every day I ask people what their life-purpose is, and the majority don't really know.
And not only don't they know, they never even really take the time to explore it. Sometimes they'll mumble and bumble their way through some trite, predictable, I-wanna-save-the-planet-type answer... because that's what they think is appropriate... and sometimes they will get cranky at me and tell me that I don't understand their situation and I'm being unreasonable.

Okay.

Some of us get up every day and do what we did yesterday... because that's what we do.
It's not part of a plan or anything... it's just a habit we are living. We don't have a desire to keep doing what we doing, but at the same time, we haven't clarified what we do want to do... and we haven't really done anything to remove ourselves from the less-than-desirable position we are in right now.

With me?

We want 'different' but we trap ourselves in 'same' because of fear, laziness, apathy and ignorance.

Primarily fear.

Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Fear of losing what we've got ("I'd rather have mediocre... than nothing"). Fear of embarrassment. Fear of discomfort (emotional, psychological, physical, spiritual).

We need to take time out to get clarity. Real clarity.

Clarity and Certainty about what we want for our life.

Clarity about our reason for being here... some of my critics tell me there is no 'reason'; we're just here. I choose to be here for a reason. What's yours?

Clarity about what we want for our future. When I ask most people if they planned to be in their current situation, they say no. "I just kind of ended up her." Crap life-strategy. By not making a decision, you are making a decision.

Clarity about our relationships. Too many people don't know exactly what they want, need or like in a relationship. They don't create good relationships, they just exist and survive in the ones they have. I choose not to have friendships with negative, destructive, life-is-so-hard, energy vampires. I choose to hang out (socially) with people who challenge me, teach me and stretch me. I choose to hang out with people I respect. I choose to hang out with people who make me laugh... and cry.

Clarity about our career. We're always hearing those stats on how we all spend 108.7% of our time working and that 264% of us are miserable in our career ....okay, I made the numbers up but you get my point.

Spend time exploring, researching, asking questions, talking to people. Perhaps you need to study or re-train. Don't panic.. you'll survive ya big scaredy cat. I went back to University at thirty-six after an eighteen-year absence from (formal) education.

And I spent three years, five days a week, hanging out with a bunch of eighteen to twenty year-olds who taught me way more than I taught them. I had zero computer skills, I had a full-time career, I had fifty-plus staff, I had people telling me I shouldn't do it, I had massive time-management issues .....and I had the best time ever!

Clarity about our beliefs, values and principles. Aaah, now we're getting into the juicy stuff. Ask yourself two questions:

1) What are my beliefs, values and principles? If we are absolutely honest, most of us are a little hazy and foggy when it comes to articulating this - I'm talking about speaking with emotion and depth of feeling from the heart, not some rehearsed politically correct waffle from our head.

If you really haven't clarified what are your 'core' beliefs, values and principles (what represents you, what is important to you) then maybe now's the time.

I know it's not convenient now but do it anyway. Who knows.. you may grow to like spontaneity!

2) Am I living a life which is consistent with my beliefs, values and principles? Answer this honestly and you may discover many of your big-picture answers. Many people are miserable because they are actually living a life which is at odds with 'who they really are.'

To gain genuine clarity requires space.And silenceAnd no distractions.And focus.And time.And discipline.

And guts and honesty.

Some of us are trapped in an emotional, cerebral and creative fog. We need to stick our head up through the clouds and take a look at the big wide world of possibilities.

I love Planet Possibility; it's where I live.

I know I have many short-comings; but I choose to succeed anyway. I know I'm not super-talented... but I've decided to squeeze every ounce out of what I've got. I know that a life lived with purpose is not always easy... I'm prepared to be uncomfortable regularly.

I know some people will be critical of my philosophies, ideas and choices; I'm okay with that. I know I will be wrong and make mistakes sometimes; I'll choose to learn. I know that if I don't believe in me, it doesn't matter what anyone else says. I know not to confuse 'what I feel with what is real'... because my feelings are not a great indicator of what's possible.

I know I want to live, laugh, love and learn. Every day.

What do you really want? And what are you prepared to do for it?

by Craig Harper

Craig Harper is a motivational speaker, qualified exercise scientist, author, radio presenter, television personality and owner of one of the largest personal training centres in the world.
He can be heard weekly on SEN 1116 and GOLD FM radio stations and appears on Monday's on Network Ten's 9AM.

Motivational Speaker- Craig Harper

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

Time To Think Of This Year's 'New' Resolutions

4 Rules to Creating Powerful New Year's Resolutions

Every year you promise yourself things will change – you’ll shed a few pounds, organize your office, get rid of clutter - maybe change the world (well, sort of…). Then it happens – apathy. What began as a grand idea disappears like a puff of smoke.

Why is that?

When we make New Year's resolutions, are we inevitably setting ourselves up for failure? Sadly, the answer is commonly, “yes.”

It’s not that our intentions aren’t honorable – we honestly want our lives to improve and we desire to eliminate things that aren’t working. The reason we fail is that we don’t plan the plans properly.

If you think New Year’s resolutions are just a modern day ritual, think again. The tradition of New Year's Resolutions can be traced back in history to 153 B.C. when the Romans selected Janus, a mythical king to be the leader of the calendar.

Janus became the ancient symbol for resolutions and the Romans asked their enemies for forgiveness and gave each other gifts before the New Year.

The greatest benefit about the commencement of a new year is that it gives us a chance to ‘begin again', and eliminate bad habits of the previous year.

New Year’s resolutions aren’t just about giving things up - they’re also about replacing poor habits with great ones. This is not an easy process - it requires commitment and perseverance and being aware of our self-defeating behaviours.

The most common resolutions include: losing weight, quitting smoking, saving or earning more money, being more tolerant of others, getting organized, exercising, eating well and being a better person.

By now you’ve probably reached that point where you don’t want to set any resolutions for fear they won’t come true. You know the feeling – the resolution to lose 20 pounds and it’s the end of the year and you haven’t lost weight, or the dream of exercising three times a week and getting in shape and you’re still soft and pudgy.

There’s another way to look at resolutions – you need a new approach. This begins with four rules for resolutions.

The first rule is to focus on one resolution at a time. If you start the New Year thinking, ‘I will lose weight, exercise four times a week, be a better person, make more money, etc.’ you’ll be overwhelmed and won’t focus on anything. Start with one specific goal that’s important to you (your most painful problem) at the present moment and develop a detailed plan of action for success.

The second rule for resolutions is to record them on paper or a computer; this way the goals won’t be forgotten or changed. You’ll find it easier to continue with your plan when it’s written out on paper or your computer.

The third rule is that you must be held accountable for your resolutions, otherwise you’ll ‘let the goal go’ when it gets tough. Designate a friend, mentor or a coach to monitor your progress, offer support and hold you accountable.

The fourth rule is you must be persistent; no goal will happen unless you keep working. This can be the most challenging rule – especially if you’re trying to lose weight and you don’t see immediate results.

This is where you need to use the third rule – have someone help you be accountable. You might ask your best friend to phone you weekly to check your progress on weight training. You might hire a coach to help you be accountable for setting financial goals in your company.

If you belong to a business network, the members might email you and touch base weekly to help you complete your marketing goals.

If the thought of resolutions still doesn’t inspire you, consider keeping it simple and focusing on spending your New Year doing things that give you joy.

This might include: spending more time with family, friends, doing hobbies, exercising, traveling – whatever makes you happy and gives your energy.

Remember in the larger scheme of things, life is meant to be enjoyed – living by impossible lists and resolutions isn’t living, it’s existing.

Wishing you much success in the year ahead!

by Lisa Rickwood

Lisa Rickwood, "Small Biz Stress Relief Coach," is a visual artist, coach/speaker and author of Escape The Pace: 100 Fun And Easy Ways To Slow Down And Enjoy Your Life. She helps small business owners master stress to enjoy professional and personal success. Get her free report – 10 Simple Secrets for Business Success by visiting: http://www.escapethepace.com

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

10 Goal Setting Techniques To Use When Writing Down Your Goals

Great article I found about Goal Setting Basics. When in doubt always go back to the fundamentals and practice, practice, practice. Get good at this stuff! Here it is:

If You Write It, It Will Come -
10 Goal Setting Techniques To Use When Writing Down Your Goals

I’m sure you have heard at one time or another that you should write down your goals. Chances are you may have even done it at some point in your life. While the act of writing down your goals is important, even more important is your overall approach to goal setting. It may not be enough to simply write down a goal, especially if you end up forgetting about it. Below are 10 goal setting techniques to use when writing down your goals.

1. Be Specific: The more specific you are when writing down your goals the more likely you are to achieve them. Our subconscious mind is extremely powerful, and we all have the ability to guide it. It is for this reason that you must outline exactly what you want.

When you write down a goal think of it as instructions to your subconscious. The more specific you are the better. If you just write down a goal such as "buy a house" you really have given your brain very little to work with. The more specific you are, the easier it will be for your brain to accept it, and as a result you will start taking the action necessary to achieve it.

By providing detailed instructions - such as "Buy a Mediterranean style house near the beach with six bedrooms, a pool, large back yard and 4 car garage" - your brain will assume you are giving it directions to achieve exactly what you want. Simply writing “buy a house” will get lost in the shuffle and put aside while you focus on goals that seem more specific.

2. Stay Positive: Write your goals in a positive rather than negative manner. Avoid writing “stop being lazy” or “don’t go to work late.” Instead, write “be active” or “go to work on time.” Your subconscious will not differentiate between a negative and a positive command and will accept the instructions in their entirety without judgment.

So even though your intentions may be good your mind will still hear words like “stop,” “lazy,” “don’t,” and “late” which all have a negative connotation. The more positive you keep your instructions, the more positive your results.

3. Hold Yourself Accountable: Tell the people close to you about your goals. This doesn't mean you should go around telling everyone you know how rich you are going to be. It means that you should tell a few people who are close to you about the goals you have set. By telling them what your goals are you are making a statement.

You are putting yourself and your credibility on the line. It is very easy to slack off and become lazy when you are the only one who knows about your goals. When you tell other people, especially the people who know you the best, you make yourself accountable.

It is amazing how much people are willing to do to save face. No one wants to be embarrassed by not doing what they said they were going to do.

4. Make Them Visible: Put your goals in a place where you can see them. It does you no good to write down a goal then put the paper you wrote it on in a drawer or file where you will never see it. It is kind of like making a grocery list then leaving it at home when you go to the market.

Post your goals in a prominent location where you will see them everyday. I keep mine on the wall that I see while I am sitting at my desk. The purpose is simple...repetition is the mother of learning. The more you see your goals the more you condition your mind to achieve them.

5. Wording is Everything: Avoid weak words and use present tense when goal setting. NEVER use the word try. To me, one of the weakest words in the English language is try. The word, by its very nature, is limiting. It prepares you for failure rather than success.

Do not use other words that give you the ability to put off achieving your goal. Writing “I will loose weight” or “I am going to loose weight” implies that it will happen in the future but it has no urgency. The subconscious mind thinks it can put off a goal that does not seem urgent.

Write your goals in present tense, first person, as if they are currently true…such as “I am losing weight” or "loose 2 pounds every week."

6. Visualize: Part of conditioning your subconscious mind is the conscious act of visualization. Once you have written down your specific goals take time out of the day to focus on seeing them happen in your mind. If you want to travel to the Bahamas, for example, think about actually being there.

Picture yourself sitting on the beach enjoying your favorite drink or sailing on a yacht in the crystal blue water. The more detailed your visualization is the better. This is best done in a quiet place where you won't be disturbed, but you can really do it any time throughout the day. Think of it as constructive daydreaming.

7. Break Them Down: You should break down your goals into daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals. I prefer using this method rather than using short term or long term because it is not specific enough. By setting specific target dates for your goals, you are telling your subconscious when you want to achieve them.

It will also allow you to have some order to your goals, so that they do not all blend together. Obviously, daily goals are going to be very different from goals that will take a year or more to complete. Think of this practice as a way of maintaining control over your goals. It makes sense to do this, as any profitable business sets goals in the same manner.

8. Make an Association: After you have written down your specific goals find something that will inspire you to achieve them. Find an object or picture that will remind you of each specific goal. For example, if you want to a car find a picture of that car and post it right next to your written goal.

Even better would be to find a physical object to represent your goal. If, for example, you want to buy a new house then you can find a doorknocker that will represent that goal. Then, when you accomplish that goal, you can use that same doorknocker at your new home. Be creative with this goal setting technique!

9. Re-write: You must re-write your goals regularly. Just like we as people change over time, so will our goals. Make it a habit to re-write your goals as often as you can. Take this opportunity to update your goals and make them even more specific. Feel free to rephrase goals you have yet to achieve as sometimes that makes all the difference.

10. Read, Read and Read: The last technique is arguably the most important one. You must read your goals EVERYDAY. By now you should realize that goal setting is really about conditioning your subconscious.

By reading your goals (preferably out loud) you are literally telling yourself to achieve them. I cannot emphasize this enough. When you read your goals you are not just reminding yourself about them...you are commanding action.

If you just take away only this rule I have done my job. Read your goals everyday and I assure you will have great results.

If you follow all of the rules above I am confident you begin to take the action necessary to achieve your goals. Remember, goal setting isn't complicated...it just needs to be done the right way!

by William Saleebey

William Saleebey is a filmmaker, writer, entrepreneur and internet marketer. He specializes in createing content rich sites that generate traffic on the internet. If you would like to know more about the type of sites he builds the best source is the company he uses to build them.

It is an all-in-one site building, hosting and marketing step by step system that is unmatched on the internet. If you're looking to build a web site, create an online business, or just want to generate a second income on the internet check out: http://www.make-a-web-site-that-gets-traffic.com

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Arnold Schwarzenegger's Positive Thinking Road Map To Guaranteed Success!

Arnold Schwarzenegger's Positive Thinking Road Map To Guaranteed Success!

Arnold Schwarzenegger started life in a tiny village of Graz in Austria. It was his father who first encouraged him to participate in some kind of sport.

However it wasn't until the age of 15 that he first began lifting weights. But even at that early age he was decisive and positive declaring:

"I want to be the best built man in the world. Then I want to go to America and be in movies. I want to be an actor."

And with this sort of drive and intention he became unstoppable, for after just five years of training he was declared Mr Universe - The Greatest Bodybuilder on the planet. 'Arnie' subsequently went on to raise the bar further constantly pushing himself to 13 more major titles.

It was clear that his laser beam focus and concentration played a great part in his success and that his inner power was the key to much of his success as to his outer lifting abilities.

"I knew I was going to be a bodybuilder. It wasn't simply that either. I would be the best bodybuilder in the world, the greatest, the best-built man."

Through meticulous gathering of knowledge of his subject and immense passion and devotion, success was always going to be his but only because he made it for himself, no-one did it for him....he wasn't lucky! Far from it, he created his own reality.

"I wanted more, I demanded more of myself." It is clear now that Arnold had tremendous belief in himself and refused to give in or waver from his goals. He knew what he wanted then went and got it, no matter what. He regularly used creative visualization produce astonishing results.

In his bodybuilding life his mind was utterly dominated by Reg Park. His image was my ideal. It was fixed indelibly in my mind."

Reg Park was another top bodybuilder whom he wished to defeat.

"The more I focused in on this image and worked and grew, the more I saw it was real and possible for me to be like him."

Arnold had clearly discovered the power of mind over the body. He also realized emotional distractions and worry weakened him. These negative influences took strength away from his workouts which he hated.

It came to his notice that the people surrounding him also made a difference. Negative people tended to try to stifle him, not believing in his goals and focused lifestyle. He found negative people were not at ease around him until they had either pulled him down or he had won them around to his way of positive thinking.

"I remember certain people trying to put negative thoughts into my mind, trying to persuade me to slow down. But I had found the thing to which I wanted to devote my total energies and there was no stopping me."

He was determined not to let anyone distract him no matter what. He was persistent in his efforts and held his dreams in his mind always. Arnold clearly understood the principle that: success breeds success, declaring:

"Positive Thinking can be contagious. Being surrounded by winners helps you develop into a winner."

Arnold's tremendous progress as a teenager continued. He continuously challenged himself through his self imposed goals and bust through many road blocks inwardly and outwardly but in short...his dream was coming true!

"I wanted that body and I didn't care what I had to go through to get it."

At just 18 Arnie was called up for his military national service joining the tank corp. However this put him in a difficult position as it meant he wouldn't be allowed to compete in the junior 'Mr Europe' being held in Germany that year. However his determination to compete and succeed forced him to risk all and go AWOL.

Naturally he took the top prize and a big trophy but also picked up a week in solitary confinement for his troubles. It seemed there was no sacrifice to great for Arnold to achieve his goals.

Next he went on to win Mr Universe in London and following this his dreams led him to the US where he immediately came across much tougher competition and initially came up short. However it didn't take him long to assess his weaknesses and devise ways to cut them out, in short he refocused.

"I was always honest about my weak points, this helped me grow. I think it's the key to success in everything: be honest; know where you are weak: admit it."

So his reality check allowed him to stay in control of his goals and to adjust his plans accordingly. Doing this stopped him from becoming to inward looking ad wandering off track.

"When I see that I have certain backward attitudes, I reason them out and work to make my outlook more realistic."

Arnold also learned a lot through observing what other successful people do and what unsuccessful people do. This down to earth approach has often given him the edge on his rivals.

"Most of the people I observed couldn't make astonishing advances because they never had faith in themselves. They had a hazy picture of what they wanted to look like someday, but they doubted they could realize it. Ultimately they didn't put out the kind of effort I did because they didn't feel they had a chance to make it. And of course, starting with that premise, they didn't."

Over the years Arnold had developed a winning mindset and mentality. He soon realized that this could be a applied to any area of life that he wished. In short he had developed a simple mind set for success.

In bodybuilding, there are big goals like winning Mr Olympia; there are medium-term goals such as attaining your ideal weight of 245 lbs with just 5% body fat; and there are lots of short term goals like: getting to the gym, eating enough protein, doing an extra rep for each exercise and so on.

Basically what Arnold did was to take this successful approach and apply it in exactly the same way as he did in bodybuilding to other areas of his life.

"In two or three years, I had actually been able to change my body entirely. That told me something. If I had been able to change my body that much, I could also, through the same discipline and determination, change anything else I wanted. I could change my habits, my whole outlook on life."

Arnold was actually a millionaire way before he started his career in Hollywood and in learning about business, Arnold applied the bodybuilding-template to his studies. In exactly the same way he built up his acting career slowly but surely always with the end focus in mind.

Looking back at the achievements he has made during his life it is no surprise his philosophy on life is: "The meaning of life is not simply to exist, to survive, but to move ahead, to go up, to achieve, to conquer,"

I strongly suggest you take a note of the tremendous success of Arnold's life and realize that it was down to himself and the way he has used positive thinking throughout his life to achieve his goals. He wasn't born lucky, or with anymore chance to succeed than you or I. Follow his template for success and you can also live a very fulfilling life.

by Stephen Ryan

Discover more click: Power Of Positive Thinking now and receive over $60 worth of FREE positive thinking training. You'll also discover how to use the law of attraction and creative visualisation to help you lead a more fulfilling life!

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

Plan Out Your Goal Strategies And Include Breaks To Re-Energize!

To Live Well, Take a Break!

Please don't think the idea of taking a break is all fluff, lazy or just not possible. If you're someone who wants MORE for their life, taking time to enjoy yourself, rest and be still, on a consistent basis, is a very smart strategy that will boost your effectiveness in all areas of your life.

In Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz's book, The Power of Full of Engagement, they state we live in a world that celebrates work and activity, ignores renewal and recovery, and fails to recognize that both are necessary for sustained high performance.

They go on to say without periods of recovery, our life becomes a blur of doing and leaves little time for being. But it is in our ability to just be where our creativity flourishes, love and friendships are nurtured and a deeper connection to our spirit can be found.

Spiritually speaking there is a Universal Law of Balance that simply states: Balance applies to us on cosmic, biological, and personal levels – to our body, mind, and emotions – reminding us that anything we do, we can overdo or underdo, and that if our internal pendulum swings to one side, it will inevitably swing to the other. (Source: The Life You Were Born To Live by Dan Millman)

Right now, take a few moments and decide how you can have more fun, get more rest and practice stillness on a regular basis. As an example, see my personal list below. Feel free to use this outline for your own use.

How I like to have fun: spend time with friends, plan and host a party, travel, go shopping, try new restaurants, discover fun things to do in the city I live, decorate my house, volunteer

How I like to rest: nap, read, watch TV, go to a movie, hang out with my family and friends, go to the spa, get a massage, wear my comfiest clothes

Where I can find stillness (how I clear my head so I can hear my wiser inner voice): meditate, walk in nature, go for a drive, take a shower, exercise, get my camera out and take pictures

Life is lived in the NOW. It is not lived down the road, in the future, or when the time is right.

There is no better time to enjoy this life you have then right now. Take a break from all of your responsibilities and worries and rebalance your energy by doing something that allows you to laugh, feel joy, and refresh your body, mind and spirit.

Copyright (c) 2006 Cari Vollmer

Cari Vollmer, founder of LifeOnTrack.com and creator of InspireYourSuccess.com, simplifies personal growth by showing you step-by-step how to create and live a life that works well and feels great! To sign up for her FREE how to articles and no-charge 5-Day Feel Great Now E-Course visit http://www.LifeOnTrack.com

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

Like Where You're At? What Are You going To Do Differently Next Year?

Have You Planned Your New Year's Revolutions?

Revolution:
~ a sudden, radical, or complete change
~ a fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something
~ a change of paradigm

I can think of no better way to begin this New Year than by initiating a revolution, or perhaps several.

A resolution is defined as a "firm resolve". And for most people, with each passing day into the New Year, that firm resolve seems to turn closer to mush.

But a revolution? Now that sounds powerful. A sudden, radical, or complete change. Yes, that sounds like a call to action. No pussyfooting around here.

A fundamental change in the way of thinking about or visualizing something. Now that has substance. No superficial wishy-washy daydreaming here.

A change of paradigm. Whoa, we're talking challenge here. Set a new example for myself.

Perhaps if we planned our New Year's Revolutions, we just might summon up our innate power source which hooks us up to the Universal power source and find ourselves a tad closer to the completion of those goals and desires we long for.

Let's affirm:
I'm ready now for the revolutionary new and improved ME!

© Copyright 2004-2006 Marilyn Jenett

Marilyn Jenett, an accomplished business owner in the corporate arena (http://www.MarilynJenettLocations.com) founded the Feel Free to Prosper program to mentor and teach others to become aligned with Universal laws and accept their right to prosper. Her students, from around the globe and from all walks of life, are enjoying remarkable success applying her lessons and participating in her private and group telephone sessions and audio programs.

For more information, visit her website at http://www.FeelFreetoProsper.com and her network forum at prosper-network.ryze.com.

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

Do You Stand Out Or Are You Blending Into The Crowd?

Millionaire Mentality

It is often said that millionaires are eccentric.

The dictionary definition of ‘eccentric’ is - deviating from the recognized or customary character, practice, etc.; irregular; erratic; peculiar; odd: eccentric conduct; an eccentric person.

Of course millionaires deviate from an established norm – that is an essential pre-requisite to achieving anything worthwhile. What do you think happens when you conform to a normal style – you get a normal result.

A normal style does not lead to great wealth because if it did everyone would be a millionaire. Millionaires and successful wealth people behave differently in many ways. Here are three things that make them really stand out:

1. They think differently – normal thinking tends to focus on the negative “That won’t work,” “That can’t be done.” Millionaires tend to think “That will work,” “That can be done…I just have to figure out how to do it!”

2. They act differently – most people do not act at all on their thoughts and ideas; or only act in a half-hearted fashion and that is destined for failure. Millionaires take positive and enthusiastic action, which they fully expect to succeed.

3. They persist – most people give up at the first hurdle; seeing it as a confirmation of their expectation to fail. If you expect to fail, why bother to get over the hurdles? Millionaires see each hurdle for what it is: one more stepping stone on the road to success.

A wealthy person knows - and expects- that setbacks will occur and it is mentally prepared to work through them, making changes where necessary and working steadily towards their goals and objectives.

It is the three stages of: 1. Think 2. Act 3. Persist

Which separate the winners from the losers. If you make use of this process ‘eccentricity’ is assured. (i.e. deviate from the normal style) So if anyone labels you as ''eccentric' or 'crazy' then celebrate, accept it and rejoice! The alternative is normality, which leads to mediocrity.

Watch the crowds and avoid whatever they are doing. Stand out and dare to be different.

Remember three main points
1. Practice positive thinking 2. Act differently – if you keep doing the same things you are going to get the same results…so change your actions 3. Fail forward – see mistakes as part of your success pattern.

by Eilidh Milnes

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Top Ten Time Management Tips From An Expert Time Manager

A Simple Plan for Getting Things Done: Top Ten Tips for Time Management

I have about two hundred things to do on my task list right now. I have no chance of getting all of these things done in the next few days or even next week, but they will all get done. Yet as each one gets done, one or two more tasks sprout in their place.

This is the nature of being a person with many projects bubbling - you’re going to have to figure out how to get it all done.

I’m about to explain to you my simple system for getting things done. It’s been my backbone of organization to produce many seasons of popular multi-million dollar television series liked “Inked” and “Queer Eye”, but it can easily be scaled up or down as your needs require.

I’ve alternated between keeping my task list in Entourage, Outlook, Ical, LifeBalance, a PDA, my Treo, and more dayplanners than I can remember. But I always seem to default back to handwritten lists, or occasionally a long typed list of things to do.

I’ve worked from context lists (David Allen, Getting Things Done), A-B-C-D priority lists (Alan Lakein, How To Get Control of Your Time and Your Life), time-mapping (Neil Fiore, The Now Habit and Julie Morgestern, Time Management from the Inside Out) and theme based mangement (Stephen Covey, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People).

In the end, though, I always come back to some sort of handwritten or typed master list of hundreds of things to do, with a few simple tweaks to identify what I need to do right now. I can definitely see how my time management/task management system has evolved from each of these thinkers.

From David Allen, my little list of projects to remind me to always have at least one task per project on my daily list (this, after all, is the basis of how things get done) , and the use of verb-oriented “next actions”.

From Neil Fiore and Julie Morgenstern, my use of “time maps” on days when I am feeling overwhelmed - a quick and dirty way to map out what I can really accomplish in the time available.

From Stephen Covey, reminding myself to make sure that my projects make me a well-rounded human and that I don’t get too focused in one area of my life at the expense of another.

And from Alan Lakein, the so simple it hurts idea that sometimes you just need a list of stuff to do in the order you need to do it in.

So how do I actually manage it all these days? I have a pocket Moleskine with a list of next actions that take up a half dozen or more pages, with little hand-drawn checkboxes next to the tasks. When I finish one, I check the box. Need to add one, I write it down. I also keep a list of projects and random lists of ideas and research I want to do.

Bill Westermans’ GSD3 system is pretty close to (and the inspiration for) my current system, except instead of putting little dots next to the “urgent/today” items I slide an index card under the band on the outside of the Moleskine.

One side of this card has a random list of the things I need to do that day (pulled from inside the Moleskine’s master list) and the other side serves as a place to scrawl writing ideas, things I want to look up, or project plans done on-the-fly.

TOP TEN TIPS FOR GETTING THINGS DONE
1. Have a small list of the various roles you play - father, artist, business owner, whatever.

2. Have a project list that includes at least one active project per role (but will probably have many more).

3. Consider a project as anything that requires more than one step to complete, and keep as few “next actions” as possible on your master task list - why write down two steps on an active list if you can only do one at a time?

4. If a project is particularly complicated, involved, or has lots of dependencies, write down an informal list of all the “next actions” for that project. This will be the “well” from which you draw your next actions.

5. Once you complete a task for an active project, write down the next task associated with that project on your master list. David Allen calls the project list “stakeholders” to remind you to always have some discrete physical action associated with the project.

6. Your master list of tasks is all the verb-based “next actions” that support your project plus all the other little crap that doesn’t fit into a project.

7. Keep a list of goals - things you plan on doing but aren’t committed to doing right now - and move goals onto your project list when they become active.

8. Make all of your tasks start with a verb - instead of “laundry” try “pick up laundry”.

9. If you’re overwhelmed, draw an hourly breakdown of your day and write down when you’re going to do whatever you need to do.

10. Keep a post-it, index card, or some other disposable piece of paper on the outside of your little notebook, and each morning review your projects and master list and write down the top ten or fifteen things you need to get done today.

All of this is much simpler than it sounds but does require a few weeks to form as a habit. Don’t worry if you have to tweak, start over, or make changes that make it work for you.

Keep it simple - really this is just a list of big goals, future goals, a master list of tasks that support the goals, and a prioritized daily list drawn from the master list (to keep you from being overwhelmed). Notes, project plans, and ideas can also be jotted in the notebook and indexed by creating page numbers.

Bonus tip: Read all the books I listed above, starting with “Getting Things Done”. Creating your own personal system is what will work best, and knowing the different approaches can only help.

Of course, if you’re already organized and getting everything you need done, ignore everything I’ve just said.

by Jerry Kolber

For more articles and ideas go to http://www.jerrykolber.com/ because that's where the good stuff is.

Jerry Kolber has produced over 100 episodes of television in the last three years alone, including "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy", "Inked" (A&E), "Gastineau Girls" (E!), and "The Agency" (VH1). He is a recognized expert in the fields of creativity, branding, and productivity.

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