Are You A Positive Thinker? Test Yourself!

Self-Improvement - How to Tell If You Are a Positive Thinker? Take This Test! By B. K. Smith

Self-improvement requires adjusting your attitude and becoming a positive thinker. You've probably heard that statement a hundred times before. And it is true.

"If you are going to think: Think big." - Donald Trump

In fact, as you practice using positive thinking, you will find that things begin to change for you. Sometimes the change is so gradual you don't notice anything at all, until one day someone else points out that you seem different. They may ask if you've gotten a new outfit, changed your hair, lost weight, or started dating someone new?

Tapping into positive thinking not only makes you happier, it also makes you more attractive; the kind of person others want to be around. There are some common signs of positively charged people.

How to Tell if You Are a Positive Thinker?

Check out the following list to see if any of these sound familiar, and help gauge your progress and see what you have to look forward to.

You Know You're on the Right Track When:

1.) Your long drive to work flew by so fast, you questioned why it ever bothered you in the first place.

2.) You spent twenty-two minutes waiting in line at the bank, on your half hour lunch break, and your day wasn't ruined and your life didn't end.

3.) The gas station attendant gives you the wrong amount of change back; you point it out with a friendly smile and he happily corrects the mistake.

4.) The long awaited repair part for your vehicle finally arrived at the dealership after two weeks on back-order, only to discover it was the wrong size. You are so patient and understanding about the mistake, when the dealership calls, they give you a significant discount on the repair service.

5.) Throughout the day, when you catch a reflection of yourself in a mirror, you're smiling and you don't think you look like an ugly duckling.

6.) You don't hear the timer go off and dinner in the oven gets burnt to a crisp, yet somehow you quickly throw something together that turns out better than you originally planned.

7.) Unexpectedly you find yourself with generous free time on your hands, and lots of enjoyable things to do with it, including the energy needed to do them.

8.) You realize the last time you let yourself think "I can't" was while thinking: "I can't believe how blessed I am to have all these wonderful things happening to me!"

Well how did you do? Did you recognize yourself in any of these? Or are you looking forward to the day you do?

Regardless of your current level, a key to keep in mind is that the most positive, powerful, life changing thing you can meditate and think on is the Word of God. In Psalm chapter one it says that those who meditate and obey God's Word are blessed and whatever they do prospers.

Make no mistake about it; positive thinking has the power to change your life. As you continue to use this technique in your life, you will find you don't have to put much effort into achieving what you want. Positive thoughts put the law of attraction into motion and begin to manifest abundant success in your life.

May your thoughts be positive and your life full of growing prosperity!

And now, get a free life changing "How to Attract Prosperity" download. Plus enjoy Christian and self-improvement resources along with motivational videos. Check this out: http://www.GrowingProsperity.com

B.K. Smith seeks to provide resources to help you prosper in all areas of life - including your spirit, soul, body, finances, and relationships.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=B._K._Smith
------------------------------------------------------------------

We have a FREE Ebook version of "The Power Of Setting Goals" available among many other free reports on our Free Ebooks And Reports section of the RGG Ezines page. Just scroll down and download it FREE.

Some of our more popular posts are here:

• How To Get Motivated To Achieve Your Goals
  
• First The Mission Statement Then Goals That Align
  
• Goal Setting Practices Vary In The Details
  
• Build Your Self Motivation And Assure Your Success
  
• 6 Goal Setting Mistakes Not To Make In Your Planning

From Famished To Famous - A Great Goals Success Story

Here's a great article submitted by The Fire Flies For The Heart
Organization. Enjoy

She's On Her Way!

Eilleen was born in the tiny town of Timmons, Ontario in Canada.
She grew up used to bitter cold and a gnawing stomach. There
were days on end when bread and milk was the entire diet for her
and her 3 younger siblings. She learned to hide her poverty and
hunger from friends at school but it didn't ease the suffering.

About the only thing that could do that was her music. When life
was more than she could handle she would retreat to her bedroom
with her guitar, singing and writing until her fingers ached. The
music fed her soul even while her stomach was growling.

Her talent was recognized early and this little tomboy was shuttled
all over to perform in clubs, bars, and anywhere else they could
get her booked to make some extra money. Yet Eilleen never
really thought music was her future.

When she could no longer stand the poverty she managed to
convince her mother to leave their father and head for Toronto.
The shelter they stayed in for a long time provided the first regular
meals she had ever experienced.

Eilleen got her first job when she was 14, working at a McDonalds.
Later, she spent summers working as the foreman of a dozen-man
reforestation crew in the Canadian bush, where she learned to
wield an axe and handle a chain saw as well as any man. She was
tough because she had to be tough.

Then things got tougher. Both parents were killed in an auto
wreck and suddenly she was the parent to her siblings. She
managed to survive by getting a job singing at a local resort. The
experience was invaluable - giving her exposure to every aspect of
theatrical performance. It prepared her for what was to come.
In 1990, her siblings were grown and 23 year old Eillen was on her
own. The first thing she did was change her first name to an
Ojibway Indian name meaning "I'm on my way".

Shania Twain was indeed on her way. She has turned the world of
Country/Pop music upside down, winning many awards along the
way. Unless you live on another planet, you have probably heard
of her!

One of her songs really sums it up. She has this to say about the
irresistible I'm Gonna Getcha Good! "There is a typical Shania
attitude in the lyric, a definite female confidence. It's all about a
girl who knows what she wants, she not only knows how to get it,
but she's going to get it good."

All of us make a choice everyday how we are going to live our
lives. No one would have been surprised if little Eilleen had simply
become another person sunk in poverty - trapped by the reality of
a hard life.

Shania Twain, however, saw her future differently. She was not
content to stay where she was - determined to pay whatever price
necessary to achieve her dreams. Each hard thing did nothing but
strengthen her resolve and determination, teaching her how to
press through to success!

She learned to do the hard things. She learned how to spot
opportunity in every situation. She learned how to ask for what
she wanted - and just keep asking until she got where she
wanted to be. She learned how to fail, then pick herself back up
and do it again.

As Shania has now shown you the way to success...and now as
you create your own success, remember that you will succeed if
you choose to keep on trying!
______________________________

Beyond their magical beauty fireflies have a great lesson for us. Does the energy you expend radiate through the world, lighting the way to all you want in life? Fireflies for the Heart was created to teach you how to glow like the Firefly.

Can We Be Happy, Healthy, And Rich?

Do you really need to read another emotional article about being sick and tired of not being rich? Yes, you do want to get rich. The inside of your head is waiting to explode, you want it so bad!

You want to get rich though NOW, right? . . . RIGHT?

You might even have read a million articles and advice columns all over the internet. “Live below your means” is something you read all the time. It’s absolutely true but that sucks, doesn’t it?

You don’t want people to ask you to create a budget and stick to it or start early or invest now and not touch it until retirement and more along these lines.

Get started NOW. Don’t just spend your lifetime in thinking and dreaming. Do something solid now. It may not be the super right thing to do, but do it nevertheless. Just get started.

Edison did not invent the bulb overnight. He just started. He perhaps found some 10,000 odd ways that will not result in a bulb as the end! But alas, he made his creation. He tells the story about how he had found all the ways it wouldn’t work, so that the next thing had to work!

Start off now. Mistakes are part of the process. You will learn how not to do it the next time. Take action, analyze the results and be flexible. Adjust when necessary.

Remember, it is OKAY to fail. Mistakes are bound to occur. You can’t afford to be too hard on yourself. Most times, success lies behind the last mistake you make, which might even be a 100th mistake you are making. Just don’t stop digging three feet short of the gold!

You want to be rich. You’re just on your way. Pump yourself up and move on. Get closer to your dream.

You have loads of energy in you. You’re sick of earning a pittance. You want to see real money come your way now. So here’s what you need to rightfully do:

First, decide what “rich” is. Are you referring to Bill Gates rich where you can afford just about anything? Maybe you don’t really want to work that hard. You want to work lesser but still be “rich”. So, the first rule of thumb is - be specific. Do you want to be rich in the billion dollar area, 100 million area or maybe just 10 million dollars would be rich enough.

Here’s a quick idea, don’t work! . . . At least, don't work for someone else. Be your own boss. Well, you can have a job, and also work for yourself can't you?.

Are you going to work to please your boss or yourself? Please yourself first; you will realize that everybody around you will be happier with you if you are first happy yourself.

So, make yourself absolutely happy first and then you can go about doing that for others. Primary importance is you and you only. Do not forget this. You must take care of yourself before you can take care of anyone else.

Do what you love doing. Commercialize on what you love doing. It might initially seem like you can’t make any money out of it. But concentrate, meditate and THINK of all possible ways to make something work out for you. What you love doing should fetch you money somehow.

Now this doesn’t mean you can play golf all day and earn money. Not unless you’re Tiger Woods! Find some creative ways to make money with something you like doing. You just have to do this.

You can get rich. Just go out there now and do what you love doing. You have a wonderful brain. You just have to tap it and getting that lazy lost thing to start working. Think. Come up with a plan and plunge headlong into it.

Money is just a measure of the value you provide to others. Service to others should always be compensated for in some way. All you have to do is find enough of those people who can afford to pay for your services, and provide value and benefits they want or need, and are willing to pay for them.

Follow your passion and begin to strategize on how to monetize your efforts. Money will follow. Money will follow in great amounts as long as you keep persisting in locating strategies to earn compensation for your efforts. It will.

I apologize if this sounded more like a sermon than a post. After all, I needed a kick in the butt, and this helped me work things out in my own mind . . .

See you next time.

Al

More On Positive Associations And How To Avoid Negative People

Image via WikipediaThe Value Of Positive Associations And How to Avoid Negative People

There’s an old saying, “Birds of a feather flock together.” The reasoning behind this is that we tend to become like the people we hang out with.

If you’re around “cannot, should not, and do not” people, then you’ll constantly be discouraged and depressed. Instead, surround yourself with visionaries and those who can inspire and motivate you so you can, should, and do take action.

How To Avoid Negative People - Following your intuition can be an effective way of weeding out negative people early on. Here are some body language signs to look out for and be aware of when you meet new people:

· A sick or uncomfortable feeling forms in the pit of your stomach.
· The hair on the back of your neck stands on end.
· Your skin crawls and you feel jumpy and adverse to touch.
· Your shoulder muscles knot up and your throat and chest constrict.
· You feel a sense of pressure, agitation, or darkness.
· You feel physically, mentally, or emotionally drained after meeting the individual.

These symptoms may be your body’s way of telling you to stay clear of this person. You may leave their presence feeling depressed and discouraged because all you’ve heard is complaining.

Naturally, this sucks the energy right out of you, but you can learn to read these signs early on and you’ll save yourself from becoming involved with a negative person. These people are toxic and will poison your mind with their negativity.

Seek Out People with Positive Attitudes

Sometimes you can tell someone is positive just by their outward appearance or the way they conduct themselves. Walking confidently with their head up or even smiling are signs that a person is in a positive mood.

Some other signs of a positive person are more intuitive, such as:

· You get a feeling of familiarity – as if you’ve known the person forever.
· You feel relaxed, calm, and safe.
· You breathe easier.
· You lean forward instead of crossing your arms defensively and withdrawing.
· You’re at ease with the other person’s touch (hug, handshake, etc.).
· You leave their presence feeling energized and alive.

Just as negative people put out a negative energy, positive people have positive energy. These people are nourishing and supportive. Your body can pick up on this and warn you or encourage you depending on the situation.

How do we go about finding these positive people we wish to associate with? Much of the above responses are simply felt in our day-to-day associations.

However, there are more proactive steps we can take to align ourselves with positive people:

· Find a local community event, club, or group where people challenge themselves and encourage their members to be better people. They will help you set goals for yourself and then achieve them.

· Participate in online forums or organize your own positive mentoring group. Sometimes it’s impossible to completely avoid certain negative people (perhaps a boss or family member), but you can limit your relationship with them and seek out positive role models elsewhere.

· Utilize your positive support system to prevent the negative people in your life from getting the best of you. Get positive again immediately!

The choices you make in life are yours alone. It’s completely in your power to choose who you are friendly with and whether you want to live a happy life or be miserable.

If you feel too much negativity, take control of your life and make some changes to eliminate the negative sources. This will likely take some time but making these changes will help improve your daily mood and remind you that good things are ahead.

Find Like Minded Positive People To Associate With

Image via WikipediaHow to Surround Yourself with Positive People

One of the best ways to achieve your goals is to surround yourself with positive people. The energy these people have never seems to let them down, and they are achieving the great goals in life that they desire and dream about.

Positive people can help you stay on track and energize you toward your own goals. Many times these successful people share the same goals you have and are happy to pass on their wisdom and their techniques.

So how do you find these positive, like-minded people?

Here are 5 tips to help you find them, network with them, and glean valuable information and advice:

1. Smile. Although it may sound silly, smiling puts forth an image that instantly draws people towards you, especially other positive people. Having and showcasing a good perspective of life’s ups and downs makes other people want to be around you.

Positivism is often a difficult frame of mind to sustain all the time, and therefore, people are always looking for a way to be more optimistic.

· Staying positive is the building block of achieving your successes, as its opposite is futile. Smile and you’ll attract other positive people!

2. Communicate Positively. Although we all have rough days when nothing seems to be going right, the last thing you want do is complain and whine. No one likes a complainer, right?

For example, if someone were to ask you in a friendly manner, “how are you today?” don’t shoot back that “life stinks” or that you’re just “alive” or something to that effect.

Instead, take a moment – and a breath – and then reply with optimism, even if you’re having a tough day. After all, positive people don’t waste their time or energy on complainers or negative people.

· Even if you’re not feeling all that positive, by remaining optimistic in your outlook you’ll still attract positive people to you.

3. Think Positively. Keeping a level head on your trek toward success is one key to obtaining your objectives. Thinking positively – even through disappointment – will enable you to find the good in every situation and attract the positive people who share this vision.

· Even if you don’t really subscribe to these positive thoughts at first, or you find positive thinking difficult, sooner or later making yourself think positively will create a pattern of positive thoughts in your brain.

We’ve all got energy within us and we have the choice to use it constructively or destructively. If you want to attract positive people to network, then you’ll notice they try to be upbeat and optimistic, even during difficult times.

4. Act Positively. It isn’t enough to smile, communicate, and think positively when pursuing your goal. You must also put forth actions to substantiate this positivism.

For example, perhaps you thought you could get a promotion in the past, but then sat idly by while someone else snatched it up. This time, transform those positive thoughts into action!

· Showing your boss and employees that you are proactive and positive will set you up for more successes.

5. Reach Out. Lastly, reach out to people at your work, in your circle of friends, or even to people on the street who seem to exemplify positivism. Ask them what it is that makes them continue to be positive and reach their objectives.

· Seeking out positive people will not only give you valuable information to help you reach your goals, but you will also become a successful person with your own network of positive friends and role models.

Being positive and exemplifying positivism attracts others. After all, like attracts like.

People enjoy being around others with similar attitudes and, by maintaining a positive mindset, you’ll surely lead yourself to those successful people you seek.

If you don't feel like it then act as if you do . . .

Related articles by Zemanta

• Success Attracts Success
• Choose to be an Optimist
• Think Of Visualizing As Remembering Or Picturing. Just Imagine.

Are You Pumped About Life? Find Your Passion With These 6 Simple Steps

Image by Motographer via FlickPump Up Your Passion In 6 Simple Steps - Guest Author JoAnna Carey, Carey'D Away Enterprises, LLC.

Love life. Lose track of time. Get caught up in the moment. Choose to be not only present but truly, utterly involved in the things you do. Sing, laugh, dance and play. Life really is too short to not participate passionately in every moment.

PUMP UP YOUR PASSION IN 6 SIMPLE STEPS:

1) Even when things seem to be going "wrong," look for the gem in each experience. Are you one of those people who take the same route to work every day? Do you always eat at the same restaurant? Do you choose the same parking space every time you visit your favorite haunts?

If you always do things the same way, you will always get the same results. Be willing to try something new. If you don't like what you try, you've got a perfect reason to try something new the next day. If you do like what you try, it will give you the confidence to continue to search for other things that add joy and passion to your life.

2) View each situation you encounter this week as an opportunity to live passionately in the moment. Here's an example: Your spouse or significant other is passionate about historic facts and monuments. You are not as interested in history but love to learn new things.

Therefore, when you travel together and visit notable places, your partner focuses on the historic significance and you focus on how this experience may apply to current events. By slightly shifting your perspective, you will be more able to become passionately involved in the moment.

3) Document some of the moments that stand out in your mind, either good or bad, and notice how your attitude affected the outcomes. Life really is about the journey. That is a difficult concept for those of us who are always striving toward a particular goal. Savoring the moment means allowing yourself enough time to celebrate each victory before rushing on to the next event.

When you're working diligently to live to your full potential, give yourself permission to accept a reward: take a day off work, have a nice dinner, visit a nearby attraction or park, plan a vacation, or throw a celebratory get-together. Above all, acknowledge that you accomplished what you struggled to attain.

4) Exercise regularly. An active lifestyle is vital to your well-being. If you are so busy that you won't schedule regular workouts, start by incorporating daily routines such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking farther away from buildings, walking instead of driving whenever possible, even pacing and stretching at your desk while on the phone.

Being busy is not an excuse to neglect your health. Exercise does not have to mean hours on an exercise bike or trips to the gym. Give yourself permission to improve your health and wellness without the guilt often associated with weight loss as the only objective.

5) Pencil in a few appointments with yourself! Amid today's culture of information overload and multi-tasking, taking time to "be" is a formidable challenge; grant yourself permission to schedule a few minutes of nothing! Be a trendsetter, write "alone time" in your calendar or take as many non-working lunches as you can for one whole week. Find at least 10 or 15 minutes each day to just sit quietly sipping your drink of choice.

Shun all outside input: no idle conversation, no telephone, no reading, no radio, and no television; the point is to just 'be" with yourself and your own thoughts. Use the time to think about where you have been, where you are going and how to live in the moment. This is not as painful as it may seem; difficult, and maybe a bit frightening, but you won't know if this can help you pump up your passion unless you try.

6) Laugh at yourself! Don't take life too seriously. Whether you are happy, sad, embarrassed, confused, or even indifferent, learn to laugh at yourself. It's impossible to know everything. It's impossible to always do the right thing. Being human means making mistakes, learning from the experience and moving on to a new lesson.

To live a life full of passion, you will have to let go of the need for perfection. When all else fails, look for a reason to laugh at yourself. Let go of the need to control what will happen next. Giggle, belly laugh, laugh until you cry -- but just keep laughing and your pumped up passion is destined to unfold.

Use these six simple steps to create a more passionate lifestyle. When you decide to pump up your own passion you also seize the opportunity to add joy to the lives of others. A smile, a compliment, a small gift, or a card can make a world of difference in every life that is touched. Spread joy and your passion will soar!

All Rights Reserved. * Adapted from the book Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life by JoAnna Carey.

About The Author:

JoAnna Carey, aka "The Rat Race Relaxer," is available for radio, TV and print interviews. She's an energetic, young entrepreneur who merges her life experience and business success to perform enjoyable, influential presentations. She is the producer and host of her own weekly television program titled The Rat Race RelaxerT Show and the author of Rat Race Relaxer: Your Potential & The Maze of Life. Contact Carey'D Away Enterprises, LLC; www.RatRaceRelaxer.com .

Related articles by Zemanta

• The Power of Association
• Carolyn Anderson: Do You Want To Live To Be 100?

Positive Attitude And The Law Of The Garbage Truck

I received a neat little note in the mail today and thought I would share it with you. Like all internet jokes and notes, it has probably gone around quite a few times. If you have seen this one before then just click away.

I thought it was pretty neat and would probably help others like me today. The author is unknown, so I don't know how to give credit where credit is due. Here it is:

The Garbage Truck Rule

One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.

We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us.

My taxi driver slammed on his breaks, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches!

The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.

And I mean, he was really friendly.

So I asked, 'Why did you just do that?

This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital!'

This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call, 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks.

They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment.

As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you.

Don't take it personally.

Just smile , wave, wish them well, and move on.

Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home , or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day.

Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so... 'Love the people who treat you right, and Pray for the ones who don't.'

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

--------------------------------------------

Have a great day. See you next time.

Al

Are Negative Emotions Really Negative?

Or Are They Just Hiding Positive Intent . . .

I was starting out kinda slow and needed a quick pick me up from one of my favorite books. In my reading this morning, I chose Giant Steps by Tony Robbins. Short passages that impact you immediately. (Available from Amazon.com)

I usually just open it up anywhere and start reading whatever is on the page in front of me, and today, low and behold out came the negative feelings and emotions page.

I was in the midst of wondering if I was really getting to where I wanted to go in life. (Yes, I have these thoughts too, I just don't dwell on them. I've learned to turn them around quickly.)

I sure needed the passage this morning though as I spent half the night working on my sites and am going short on sleep and energy, a sure time when negative can seep in.

Anyway . . . What I read that made the difference for me today was this:

"Understand that all emotions serve you. Those you once thought of as negative emotions are merely calls to action."

"ie. If you are feeling frustrated, it really means that you believe things could be better and they're not. This is a call to action telling you that you must do something to make it better right now."

The negative emotion is really a gift if you use it effectively. (That is if you don't choose to wallow in it instead.)

"So, from now on when you think of what you used to call a negative emotion, think of it as a call to action, an 'action signal'." According to Tony Robbins, there is always something you can do to master your present state.

It is quite amazing how your energy can be turned right around by just a short but impactful bit of positive information. What does it for you? How do you turn yourself around when you need it?

Self Esteem And Confidence, Do You Have Full Portions?

See that ceiling? It’s all glass. “Don’t think you are, KNOW you are”. That’s what Morpheus said to Neo in the famous movie Matrix.

Indeed, how many times have we backed out from pursuing our goals just because we thought we are not capable enough to do it? Be it the professional arena, or personal lives- the number of lost chances are just numerous for almost all of us.

However, if we just relax back and ponder over those lost chances we will realize that the fine line that differentiated between a blockbuster success and an utter failure is not resources, but is it sheer willpower, or lack of that.

Ask any anthropologist, and she will say that there are a whole lot of factors that differentiates human beings from about 100 million other species that populate our Mother Earth. However, the only one single factor that makes us truly different from other species is our ability to dream.

Dream Big, so said the achievers. In short, the world is becoming flat, and we are limited only by the greatness of our dreams. Now, how do we get that power that lets us dream big? It is not a secret formula. It is not rocket science either.

Try the following 3 rules of thumb and perhaps you will start enjoying the habit of dreaming and pursuing your dreams to fruition.

· Have a positive attitude: It’s easier said that done, but having a positive attitude to life is perhaps the most important key that can lead you to success. You know you are good, and you know you can do it. So what exactly is stopping you from taking that plunge?

Love the person in the mirror; admire that person. Someone may call you a narcissist, but you will love the feeling of loving yourself. Start believing in yourself and take the 1st baby steps. Rest assured, with your abilities and diligence, your dreams will see fruition.

· Stay happy: Have you ever wondered how infectious is a bright and warm smile? Physicists are wrong when they say that it is only heat that radiates. Its human warmth that radiates too. Smile, be happy and enjoy the small pleasures of life.

You will see how this positively energizes the small world around you. And once you have your own world full of positive energy, taking on the harsh world will become an oh-so-easy activity.

· Take the 1st step, and take it firmly. It required more than a hundred years for an army of workers to complete The Great Wall of China that spanned over four thousand miles. But there was a shovel work that marked the starting of the grand dream.

Do not get bogged down by the apparent enormity of any dream. Take the first step, and take it firmly. The foot-space for other steps will automatically follow. Project Apollo took mankind to the moon, but it all started from the first stroke of the pencil in a blank drawing board.

As Brian Tracy says, Don't get bogged down in whether you can do a thing, ask how it can be done! Over and over if you have to but keep asking until you get the right answer.

So go for it, you can do it!

Al

Have The Courage To Say Yes!

In a culture full of reasons to say "no", it takes a lot of courage to find ways to say "yes".

We're taught to say "no" from a very young age, after all. For most of us, our first word was "no'', and it quickly became our favorite word. As toddlers and teenagers, we used "no'' to differentiate ourselves from our parents, peers, and surroundings.

It's how we began to control what was happening around us, or at least, how we tried to control that. It helped us over those early developmental hurdles, and gave us our earliest sense of our personal boundaries -- and that's a lot of significance bound up in such a tiny word!

The problem isn't that "no" in and of itself is somehow bad; indeed, giving yourself permission to say "no" as an adult can keep you out of an awful lot of trouble.

The problem is that "No" begins to take on a life of its own. Too often, that life is yours. Read more here: No Fear, No Fear, No Fear. Say Yes! (sorry, this post was moved)
-----------------------------------------------------------

Is Winning Everything? Depends On Your Definition Of Winning!

Picked up the following video from a tip from tkulser of Aweber on Twitter - Just had to pass this on, had me in tears.



WOW! How do I follow that? What an example of true winners . . .

Life's Treadmill - Easy To Get On, But Can We Ever Get Off?

Are You Bored With the Treadmill of Life?
By Gary Simpson

Every week for years and years you get up in the morning, go to work, come home, pay the bills, get up again, go to work, come home, pay the bills. Sound familiar? You're on what I call "the treadmill of life."

Unless you are happy with this existence you had better start doing something to change it. Because, if you don't, in ten years time, and with a few more wrinkles and some more gray hair, you will still be getting up, going to work, coming home and paying the bills.

You see, most of us get into this routine. Pretty much we fall into it, obliviously. Everybody else is doing it. It's just the done thing. Or is it?

Well, who wrote the script?

If this is "normal" for you then I can almost guarantee that after years and years of doing it you will one day wake up and wonder why you keep doing it.

Maybe it will be next year, maybe in a few years, maybe it will take another ten or twenty or thirty years. Hey, maybe you are wondering about it right now! Are you?

What are you going to do about it? What is the defining event that will allow you to jump off the treadmill? To answer that, you need to know why you are on the treadmill in the first place.

I can categorically state that 100% of people who are on the treadmill do it to pay those darn bills that seem to appear almost magically every day in our letter boxes.

Let me put you to the test. If you had no bills to pay and could exist comfortably without money would you still you get up every morning and tootle off to work? Well, would you?

Do you have something else that you would rather do with your time? Do you enjoy battling the highways and the subways with hundreds of thousands of other commuters?

What are you going to do about it? To replace your income will open up your life to a whole new spectrum of options. Think about it.

But how can you achieve such a thing? How can you replace your income? How can you get off the treadmill that will command your life until you retire?

Just think - when you "retire" with that nice little super-annuation and retirement benefit - then you can REALLY enjoy yourself. Heck, maybe you can even take that ski trip that you have spent all your youth waiting for.

Have I got you thinking? I hope so! Don't wait until all your youth and health has been spent in the system before you realize that there could have been so much more to life.

To learn how you can get off the treadmill click here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

Do You Have What It Takes To Persevere? Develop Persistence.

Perseverance - How To Quit Quitting

** The Definition Of Perseverance

From a dictionary: "Persisting in or remaining constant to a purpose, idea or task in spite of obstacles." Notice it doesn't start, "Wisely persisting..." Perseverance can clearly be a both a good thing and a bad thing. Remember that when you find yourself wanting to quit something. Quitting might be the wisest choice.

Of course, the problem with the idea that you should quit when something isn't worth the effort, is that it's often used as a rationalization. It comes to mind when the effort is difficult, but really is worthwhile. It's confusing at times, so how do you wisely persevere? There are three important aspects to consider.

Keys To Wise Perseverance

1. Self awareness: Notice when you look for excuses, rather than truth. Are you letting fear or laziness cause you to quit or procrastinate? If honestly watching yourself is difficult, explain your reasoning to a friend. Close friends may be more likely than you to know when you're rationalizing. (Think about it from the other direction and you'll see this can be true.)

2. Costs and benefits: To wisely persevere, you need to see the costs and benefits of what you are doing. If moving to Hollywood to become a star is going to cost you your business or family life, you have to see that clearly before you decide. An honest and good decision requires honest and good information.

3. Motivation: Once you've made a decision, and you're sure you made it for the right reasons, you have to motivate yourself. In fact, perseverance requires that you regularly re-motivate yourself. Write goals down, do daily affirmations, and whatever else you have to do.

Habit is the most powerful secret of success. Practice watching yourself to make self-awareness a habit. Practice analyzing costs and benefits objectively, and practice motivating yourself. By the way, there are many good motivation techniques, so if what you're doing doesn't work - go read up on them and try something else. That's perseverance.

By Steven Gillman

Steve Gillman writes on many topics including brainpower, weight loss, meditation, habits of mind, creative problem solving, generating luck and anything related to self improvement. Learn more and get free e-courses at http://www.SelfImprovementNow.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

All Blame Is A Waste Of Time - Quote

"All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you.

The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration.

You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy."

-- Wayne Dyer, Teacher

5 Simple Success Lessons From The Tortoise

I was reading in my journal today (yes I have once again started to make entries), and I ran across a favorite entry of mine from long ago. Remember the old fable or story about the hare and the Tortoise?

The story where they raced each other and everyone expected the Hare to win because he was faster than the Tortoise. The moral of the story was slow and steady wins the race.

I tried to find out where I first found it so I could give proper credit but I was not successful. So, here is the piece I wrote down anyway because it touched me at that particular time in my life.

If anyone knows who wrote it, let me know so I can link to the credits. Thanks.

----------------------------------------

Success Lessons From The Tortoise And The Hare

Here are 5 Simple Lessons of Success:

1. In Life, we may have our own limitations like not being able to run as fast as others, but even though we have our own limitations, we do have all we need to finish the game of life, that is to finish the race.

2.In Life, we may also be the underdog against the opposition, but there is always a potential in us to win and to succeed against the opposition.

3.In Life, when we start our race, our goals, our ambitions . . . as long as we don't stop, give up or quit and we just keep going, we just keep plodding along, we will get to the finish line and we will succeed. Consistency is the key, stay the course no matter what.

4.In Life, you don't have to be someone "gifted", you just have to be yourself to succeed.

5.In Life, the moment we think we are better than others or have a superior advantage, we become arrogant and it will hinder our success.

* END OF EXCERPT*
----------------------------------------

Just a reminder that all we need in life to win is already within us. We are perfect just as we are and have unlimited potential. So . . . Go For Your Dreams! Yes. Go For It Now!

See you next time.

Make Choices Not Excuses

Make Choices, Not Excuses
By Rachelle Disbennett-Lee

When you don't want to do something, it is very easy to make excuses. For some reason, excuses provide the illusion of getting you off the hook, or making it okay not to do whatever you committed to or planned to do.

Excuses are, however, just excuses - not really a reason to not do what you said you would do.

Instead of making excuses, make the choice. Excuses render you powerless, while choices are empowering. You can choose at anytime to do or not do whatever you're contemplating.

I signed up and paid for an event I was excited about attending. However, when the date drew near, I found myself making excuses as to why I didn't want to go. I had a lot of work; I had out-of-town company; I had a cold; the weather wasn't right – the list went on and on. When I stepped back and looked at the situation, I realized that I was in fear.

I was afraid to attend the event. As exciting as it was, it was also scary. It was something I had never done before with people I didn't know in a place I had never been. The excuses were covering up the fear.

Once I realized that, I made a choice to face the fear and go to the event. It felt good not to feel that I needed to hide behind an excuse.

Excuses are not the reason you don't want to do something. The excuses are the mask. Usually when excuses begin to fly, there is something else going on. For me, the excuses were covering up fear. Before you let the excuses stop you, figure out what they are trying to tell you.

Once you know what is behind the excuses, you can make a choice to do or not do something. You'll be operating from truth and you won't have to hide behind an excuse.

Excuses are not the reason you don't want to do something. There is something else going on.

Until you figure out what it is, the excuses will run you, and you will not be at a place to make a firm choice. When you find yourself making excuses, stop and ask yourself, "What am I afraid of?" Or, "What are the excuses trying to tell me?"

By taking a step back and looking at the excuses from a different, more objective perspective, you can determine the reason the excuses are flying and then make a choice on what to do.

Coach Rachelle Disbennett-Lee, PhD, is a Certified Master Coach specializing in working with business owners and professionals in being more profitable and productive while staying sane and balanced. Coach Lee is the publisher of the award winning e-zine, 365 Days of Coaching.

Her first book, 365 Days of Coaching – Because Life Happens Every Day (Universal Publisher, 2004) was named a finalist for Best Book 2004 by Publish.com and has a five star rating on Amazon.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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/
--------------------

Shield Yourself From Crippling Negativity

Are You a Trash Can for Others' Negativity?

Carmen, a client of mine, told me at the end of one of her sessions, “I’m no longer willing to be a trash can for others’ negativity.”

“Wow!” I said. “I’m delighted to hear that! And I love that metaphor!”

Carmen is a lovely, warm, intelligent and compassionate young woman in her late 20’s. Coming from a very narcissistic mother, Carmen learned early in life to be safe from her mother’s anger by listening to her mother’s complaints. She learned to put aside her own feelings and be a mother to her mother.

Of course, no matter how much she gave to her mother, it was never enough. It wasn’t until Carmen started her inner work that she discovered was narcissism was.

Early in our work together, Carmen discovered that most of her friends were just like her mother. “ I sit and listen to them complain or listen to them brag. They are never interested in me at all. If I say anything about myself, they always bring it right back to themselves. Why are so many of my friends like this?”

“Because you are willing to listen without speaking up for yourself. There are many self-absorbed people, narcissistic people with entitlement issues, who just love it when someone is willing to listen to them.

As long as you are willing to listen their complaints and support their self-centeredness, they will continue to do it.”

“But if I speak up, I won’t have any friends.”

“Well, you might not have many friends for awhile, but eventually you will find new friends – people who really care about you. When you are willing to care about yourself instead of putting yourself aside, you will attract people who care about you.

But this will take time. You need to be willing to lose others rather than continue to lose yourself. Do you think you are ready to do this?”

“Yes! I don’t want to be a trash can anymore. I don’t want people dumping their negativity onto me anymore.”

How do you feel inside when you allow others to dump their negativity - their complaints, their anger, their self-centeredness and sense of entitlement onto you? If you really look inside instead of pushing your own feelings into a closet, you will discover that you feel really lonely with these people. There is no mutual support, no sharing of love, no mutual giving and receiving.

You give and they take, and you end up feeling drained and lonely. Yet you hang in there for fear of being alone with no friends or no partner.

If you are really honest with yourself, you will find that it’s not worth it – that you deserve better than to be a trash can for others’ negativity.

It takes faith and courage to speak up for yourself. It takes courage to say to your friend who is dumping her negativity onto you, “This doesn’t feel good. Whenever we are together all you do is complain or talk on and on about yourself. You are never interested in me at all, and this is no longer okay with me. Either this needs to change or I don’t want to spend time with you. It’s not fun for me and I just end up feeling used and drained.”

When you become willing to speak up for yourself, you will discover who really are your friends and who was just using you. Some people may say, “I’m so grateful you told me this. I didn’t realize I was doing this. I want to stop, and I would appreciate your pointing it out to me next time I do it.” Others will go into denial and say, “That’s not true. I listen to you all the time.” Others will just get angry and go away.

It’s a great way to discover who your friends really are!

By Margaret Paul, Ph.D.

Margaret Paul, Ph.D. is the best-selling author and co-author of eight books, including "Do I Have To Give Up Me To Be Loved By You?" and “Healing Your Aloneness.” She is the co-creator of the powerful Inner Bonding healing process. Learn Inner Bonding now! Visit her web site for a FREE Inner Bonding course: http://www.innerbonding.com or email her at margaret@innerbonding.com. Phone Sessions Available.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

---

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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
--------------------

To What End Are You Headed And How Are You Getting There?

Good story over on Brad Isaac's "Achieve It" Blog today, if you havent read it yet check it out at Two Old Men. It really drives home how differently two friend's life can turn out as they age. Decisions you are making now are IMPORTANT!

And I found another great post over on Mike Hyatt's "From Where I Sit" Blog yesterday. He takes us through his method of Getting Things Done. This man is CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers, so there are real tools here also. Check out his post at My Current Workflow System

Both of these are great Blogs and I follow them regularly. The tips they reveal have helped me change my life considerably.

Anyway, just wanted to get this out quickly, got to get onto other business . . .

How To Fall In Love With Your LIfe

How to Fall in Love With Your Life
By Dan Goodwin

Ask yourself honestly this question - Are you in love with your life as it is right now?

Most of us can say that we love parts of our life - those parts we can’t wait to get involved in, and pour our time and creative energy into. Then there are other parts we don’t so much love, but just like, accept or tolerate.

Often we can find ourselves blindly hurtling down paths in various areas of our lives without much thought or planning or any particular aims. Without taking the time now and again to assess where we actually are in our lives, and whether or not we're heading where we want to be heading, we can end up with that heart-sinking moment we when suddenly look in the mirror one day and ask - “How did my life end up HERE?”

If you're not in love with your life right now (and very few of us are totally…), how would like it to be different? What would it take to for you completely and utterly fall in love with every part of your life?

Your life is a partner you're going to be with for the rest of your days. Doesn't it make sense to make that partner as lovable and as pleasurable to spend time with as you can?

Take some time to write, draw or otherwise create a picture of your life as it would be when you’re completely in love with every part of it, your vision of how you’d love your life to be.

One way to make this exercise more vivid and powerful is to write it in the present tense, as if you already have this life you love. Immerse yourself in it as deeply as possible, use all of your senses to describe your life.

Be honest and specific, you may want to divide it into different areas like Relationships, Work, Finances, Health and consider them each separately. Get into details and measurable aims.

For example don’t get drawn into vague statements like “I want to be a famous writer”. Instead state what kind of writer you are, what you’ve written, what you’ve published, where your work is published, how much you earn from it, who reads it and where and how you create.

We all have the choice to live as we wish. Every day is made up of a series of tiny choices, and the occasional bigger one.

And we all have imaginative and resourceful minds capable of being highly creative and then putting that creativity into practical action.

So start small, choose just one thing today, one part of your life you're not in love with. Then use your abundant creativity to start coming up with all the possible the things you could do to get closer to where you want to be in this part of your life.

Don’t censor or restrain your imagination, just write freely all the different things you COULD do, however viable they seem at this time.

Once you've got a long list, ask yourself - "And what ELSE could I do?". Ask this question again and again until you've completely exhausted all your ideas.

Then, from your list, pick three options that appeal to you most, and write down the first step you need to take for each and a date and time when you’re going to put it into action. Then do it!

Review your progress regularly and then work on a different area, each time aiming to fall more in love with your life. Remember once again, your life is the partner you’re going to be with for the rest of your days. It’ll benefit you greatly to make it as loving, and as lovable, as you possibly can.

© Copyright 2006 Dan Goodwin.

Creativity Coach Dan Goodwin is the author of “Create Create!”, a FREE twice monthly ezine for people who want simple and powerful articles, tips and exercises to help them unleash their creative talents. Sign up right now and get your FREE “Explode Your Creativity!” Action Workbook, at http://www.CoachCreative.com

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

Things That Can Prevent The Good Life

10 Things Between You and A Great Life

1. Unfinished business:
Free yourself from the past by identifying and cleaning up your unfinished business. Call an end to whatever you started - a project, a diet, a feud, a commitment - by dumping it, delegating it, or doing it.

2. Ignoring the Present:
Today is a result of all the Today’s that came before it. A well lived present will naturally produce wonderful future. Save a dollar today, and you’ll have a dollar tomorrow. Eat 500 calories less today, and you’ll lose weight tomorrow. Only what you do TODAY can affect tomorrow.

3. No Priorities:
Never trade what you want at the moment, for what you want the most. If you just react to the next thing that gets your attention, you’ll never have enough time for what is important. Don’t schedule your time around your priorities…schedule your Priorities around your time.

4. Betraying yourself:
Telling lies to yourself is the most hurtful form of disrespect. Write out the ways in which you have been untruthful to yourself, and how you can change that. “I will no longer pretend that what I put into my mouth doesn’t matter.” “I will no longer pretend that overspending my budget is ok.”

5. People Pleasing:
If you always say yes even when you want to say no, you will find yourself unhappily going through the motions of living, giving control of your time, energy, and spirit to anyone who asks for it. Free yourself by learning to quietly assert your boundaries.

6. Accepting Energy Drainers:
Everyday crisis and problems ARE NOT “just the way it is”. Choose to put life on your schedule. Make a conscious choice to simplify your tasks, organize your environment, and set up your life to support how you want to live.

7. Complaining Instead Of Asking:
You will only get as much as you ask for. Complaining is passive, not active. Choose to consciously educate people on what you need by making a request instead of complaining.

8. Low Reserves:
Without reserves to back you up, you will make decisions based on your LACK –lack of money, lack of time, lack of energy. And that will cause you to make mistakes, and miss opportunities. Systematically eliminate things from your life until you have a built-in reserve of time and money; then build from there.

9. Hiding your weakness:
Let your weakness help you be more truthful. Educate people. "I’m really impatient; please let me know if I skip over something you don’t understand." "I’m not good with secrets; please don’t tell me anything that you don’t want me to repeat."

10. Wishing Instead of Planning:
START! Do something! If you just sit around *wishing* that things would be better, it’s not likely that they ever will be. As my mother used to say, “wish in one hand, pour peas in the other…see which fills up faster.” Create a plan, and get into action.

by Kathy Gates, Copyright 2005

=============================

Professional Life Coach Kathy Gates specializes in helping people who are ready to create a simpler, less stressful, more joyful and meaningful lifestyle. Get information on her programs and services at http://www.reallifecoach.com or call 480.998.5843.

---

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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
--------------------

How To Be Happy Now!

I received this article in my email today and wanted to pass it on to you. After you read the article check out Miami's Blog article Happiness And The Mexican Villager. Every once in a while I need to be reminded to enjoy everything I do right now, to take time for myself right now, instead of continuously building an empire for tomorrow. Enjoy!

Begin With A Blank Page

If you could begin your life all over what would you change
given the chance to wave a magic wand and start from
scratch?

What if you had no ties, no burdens, no limits, no
memories, and no past?

What would that life look like? If the answer that comes
to your mind is different than what you are doing, why is
that? Why are you not doing what you want? Is it
because of someone else? A spouse, a parent - children?

I think the ultimate test is to close your eyes and place
yourself on your deathbed. (Fun, huh?) Now, look back at
your life as you are currently living it. What will you
think then? Will you be satisfied you lived completely?
Or will you wish you had done differently?

Here is a clue.

Very few, if any, of our senior citizens look back on their
life and say, "I sure wish I had spent more time at the
office!" I do not think anyone says, "I wish I had watched
more TV!"

This is what they say. "I wish I had been bolder. I wish I
had given more. I wish I had tried harder to see
more, do more and feel more." People wish that they had
lived more.

I know I have held back on some dreams and goals because
of our two boys. However, as my life progresses and learn,
I realize there is no reason to hold back. Just think -
if I hold back I am teaching them to hold back. Where does
that leave them - and their kids, and theirs?

On the other hand we have not been exactly standing still
either.

We have done our best to live our dreams. We
built a sailboat and lived aboard for 7 years traveling
about 15,000 miles. We lived in the snow in Aspen Colorado,
and on the beach in Hilton Head South Carolina. We lived on
an old brick mill in Long Island, and on the dock in Palm
Beach Florida.

We have written books and music, acted in
the theater, and home-schooled the boys. We have built a
horse farm, and businesses! Yet, there is so much more
we want to do!

It is a balancing act. We all must have sufficient
finances to support a comfortable lifestyle, (although
most of us tend to spend way too much on that!)

Part of this balancing act is understanding what we
are passionate about doing so that work becomes a joy
instead of a job.

Is this not a major reason of
lost dreams and goals? Many people find work, call it
a job and make a living at it.

But they begrudge every
minute of it, going as far as using the job as a reason
for playing the martyr. Find something else!

There are many, many teachers of the attraction
philosophies of "making a life". With as many opportunities
today in every field imaginable, somewhere, something is
calling to you.

Another part of the puzzle is to include those close to
you in frank and open discussions in what it is you desire.

Too many of the clients I have coached have kept their wants
and needs bottled up inside them forever! They decided for
the other person in their lives there was no interest in
whatever it was they themselves wanted to do! How absurd!

How can we possibly know what someone else wants or
desires without asking?

Would it not be tragic to spend
your life in a city for all your life, working at a job you
despise because you thought your spouse wanted that life,
even though you wanted to live in the country and be a
farmer?

Then one day you overhear your spouse tell her
best friend all she ever wanted to do was live in the
country? Don't laugh - I have seen this happen!

Sure this is a bit far fetched - but you would be amazed at
what I hear!

Make an attempt today to start with a brand new page of
your life. Create your life story how you want it.

If there are others in your life to be involved, have them
do the same exercise. Then compare what your notes. If
this matches your current life, congratulations! You are
one of the few. Now make it better.

However if your written life stories sound like someone
completely different, then you are living a life of
conflict.

Here is the good news. Your life is your life.
No one can take that away from you. You are not indentured.
You are not a slave. You are free to go, do, and be whoever
you wish.

It might not be easy, but it sure might be worth it. I coach
people daily who are changing their lives.

There are so many things to be grateful for, and so many things open to
us. We owe it to all the ones before us who gave us this
opportunity to take advantage of it.

Today.

Miami Phillips has spent the last decade teaching
business owners and others the secrets to living
a full and successful life. Try:
http://www.miamiphillips.com

Win-Win, Is It All It Is Cracked Up To Be?

I was rereading an article by Josh Hinds that I especially liked and had printed out. I really try to live my life practicing this principle.

Look For The Win, Win!
Josh Hinds, Copyright 2005

Always be on the lookout for the win, win in all endeavors - I'm absolutely convinced that if we look hard enough at any given situation we can identify a win, win result in it. So what's the big deal about looking for the "win, win" you ask?

Admittedly, I know a lot of people (some are personal friends of mine) that go day to day in their business dealings (and personal lives for that matter) looking for opportunities that only benefit themselves directly.

Now I am not saying there's necessarily anything wrong with this. Even so, I can't help but imagine that their personal level of success would multiply if they only took the extra time to explore ways to ensure that the opportunity was equally beneficial to all parties involved.

There's something magical about focusing on win, win scenarios. When we're fortunate enough to develop ourselves to the point where we are always looking for these types of opportunities it's as if they come out of the woodwork :-) The fact is people like to deal with those that don't have the "what's in it for me attitude", wouldn't you agree?

Believe me, I'll be the first to admit that there are plenty of people who have done very well for themselves without adhering to the win, win approach. However, I wonder if one might really consider them successful?

Keep in mind that success has so many facets to it. Just because someone has attained material wealth for instance does not make him or her successful nor non-successful.

It is all in the eye of the beholder I guess you might say. For me personally, I measure my level of success by how much I can give back to others -- and that's worth thinking about.

To your success, Josh Hinds :-)

(c) All rights reserved.

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

Another Way To Get Things Done Faster - Modeling or Mentorships

I was thinking about my blog post earlier and thought of another way I get things done perhaps with a simpler and faster strategy. I'll share it with you here, but it is not new information, many use this strategy to speed their journey to their goals. I think Tony Robbins was one of the first to popularize modeling and mentoring for me.

I follow the expert's advice about going to those who had more experience in what I want to do and ask for help. You would be surprised how many people will help you if you would just reach out to them.

--------------------------------
Are you lost as to what to do next? Have you plateaued? Want to get to your goals faster? Save time and energy by modeling other successful people who have gone before you. Ask yourself some empowering questions.

Who is already getting or who has already achieved the results I want? Who can be my hero? What are they doing or What have they done that I can model. How can I interview them, How Can I get access to how they did it, and what do I need to do right now to secure this information from them?

Do I know them? If I don't know them, how can I meet them? How can I get together with them? How can I get to know them? What value can I provide to them so this can be a win-win situation for all involved? Have they documented their journey so I can study their thought processes somehow?

Find books, audio tapes, CD's, or videos of people who have been successful with the goal you want. Immerse yourself in the details of how they overcome every obstacle that presented itself to them for solution. Focus on solutions instead of problems.

Learn what others have done before you. Most of the time, this gives us shortcuts to our goals. Model their thinking and how they approached the goal, and you will always have the road to your goal laid out before you.

Read their map, make your plan, and follow your heart.

See you next time.

Al Smith

-------------------------------

Getting Emotional Is Key To Getting Results!

First, I just wanted to point out a great article post over at The NLP Weekly Website about "Conditioning Yourself" for maximum effectiveness during sometimes difficult habit changes. Check it out, there is some good info there. And on another blog to go along with that post, Steve Pavlina makes a good case for the use of Overwhelming Force to create results.

Next, I loved the quote in our article today about how powerful emotions add to the effectiveness of your goal setting program. When I was younger, I had a lot of trouble setting proper goals because I couldn't decide which goal to commit myself to. As if I wouldn't be able to change once I commited myself to a certain direction . . .

Anyway the quote to which I am refering is "Focus less energy on setting the perfect goal and spend more time preparing yourself for ultimate success."

I certainly could have used this information earlier! (or maybe I wasn't quite ready to see it's importance back then)

Top goal achievers all agree on one thing. We must get very emotional about our goals or we are wasting our time setting them. How emotional are you about your present goals?

Do they really move you to action, or are they leaving you stagnant? Are you excited about your life? If not you have some work to do in this area.

This is an awesome article today from an expert who knows and practices his stuff. Make some notes about how you can start to apply this in your goals program today.

Emotions are tremendously powerful when it comes to getting ourselves to take action.

Just something to think about today. Enjoy!

Going Beyond Goal Setting
By Kevin Eikenberry

I just Googled the phrase “goal setting”, and found approximately 3,600,000 web pages that relate in some way to that phrase. This shouldn’t surprise us, because conventional wisdom is that goal setting is an important skill.

It is easy to document both through anecdotal evidence as well as through research that setting goals can help us achieve more. There are hundreds of books, tapes, speeches, workshops, and websites that will provide us with tools and processes to set goals.

One would think for something as important as goal setting, with as many tools as there are available, that everyone would be a goal setter. This however isn’t the case.

While I could fill a book with the reasons why, there is one that is very important.

People don’t set goals now because they didn’t achieve the ones they set in the past.

They’ve followed the goal setting process they learned or read about, but the seminar or book stopped at the wrong time. The seminar stopped with the setting of the goal. That is like ending the game after the first play, then going to sit on the sidelines, while the goal is out on the playing field.

My advice to you, if you can identify with what you’ve just read is to stop worrying about goal setting. And start focusing on goal achieving.

In other words, stop worrying about which goal setting model to use, or which software to track your progress with. Stop making the goal setting process the focus, and start putting the focus on goal achievement.

Here are three things you can do to put our focus on goal achievement and drastically increase your success:

1. Get sick and tired. It is often said that people really begin to reach new health goals when they become “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Achieving a goal means that you want something different than you have now.

To build your ongoing and sustaining drive to achieve the new item, knowledge or situation, you must become disgusted and dissatisfied with the current situation. This doesn’t mean that you should become bitter or grumpy.

Rather it means to develop a healthy dissatisfaction with the way things are now (current profitability, the cycle time for new product development, or your inability to find a bathroom in Brazil).

2. Get (and stay) excited about the result. To sustain the challenges, setbacks and disappointments along your way to goal achievement, you must have another motivation as well. You must really want the benefits that will come to you when the new goal is achieved.

Build a clear and compelling picture in your mind of what you will feel, sense, see, and believe once your goal has been achieved. Focus on the results you will gain from the goal, rather than just the goal itself. This is important because in the end this is what you are after, not “just” the goal itself.

As you work towards your goal, the goal might shift, but as long as the desired results remain clear, you have improved the likelihood of achieving the end result you desire.

3. Start a plan and get started. Notice I didn’t say to lay out a complete plan of all the steps between you and your goal. If your goal is of any size and importance at all, it will require many steps, and it will be very difficult/impossible to identify them with any degree of certainty at the start.

Too many people think they need the perfect plan. They delay starting so they can get the best information. They want to talk to one more expert, read one more book, examine two more options.

Get started already! Give yourself a clear idea of a general approach, and some clear first steps. Allow yourself the luxury of knowing that the next specific steps will become clear as you stay on the path.

Doing these three things will drastically increase your success in achieving any goal you set.

Actually, let me say it more strongly. Until you have these three factors going for you in large (although potentially varying) amounts, you won’t achieve the goals you set.

You will lose momentum. You will lose focus. You will lose hope. You won’t be able to overcome the first setback.

And you will fall into the convenient and comfortable thinking that goal setting “doesn’t work” for you or that you need a new tool, a new technique or a new guru to help you set “better” goals.

Whether you are setting goals for yourself, the team you lead or for your organization at large, take this advice to heart.

Focus less energy on setting the perfect goal and spend more time preparing yourself for ultimate success. Stop worrying about the resolution, and start focusing on the resolve that will be required to succeed.

Doing this will bring you greater success, less frustration and will help you and your organization move closer and closer to your potential.

By Kevin Eikenberry, Copyright All Rights Reserved

Kevin Eikenberry is a leadership expert and the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group (http://KevinEikenberry.com), a learning consulting company.

To receive a free Special Report on leadership that includes resources, ideas, and advice go to http://www.kevineikenberry.com/leadership.asp or call us at (317) 387-1424 or 888.LEARNER.

The Real Secret To Making A Change - Change Your Thoughts First!

Eight Steps to Success in Life - Change Your Thoughts and You Can Change Your Life

Your thoughts are closely related to the real world around you. You may feel that your thoughts are a result of the world around you. Not true! By carefully choosing your thoughts you can control the world you live in and choose what you want to see in your life…

All human beings, including you are living in two different realities at one time – the reality of the physical world around you and the reality of the world of thoughts. You probably make the same mistake as everyone else which is to allow your thoughts to be controlled by the physical ‘reality’ you see around you.

You allow your inner mind to react to circumstances. As a consequence you are not able to experience the creative power of your inner mind. The true power of your inner mind is that you can create the circumstances that you desire. Your thoughts can be very powerful and can affect the reality around you. They will affect the way you perceive the world around you, the decisions you take, the way you act. All these things will lead to changes in the world around you.

Individual thoughts are quite weak, a bit like grains of sand. But if there are enough of them and they are well enough organised, your thoughts can become like a mighty sand dune that imposes itself on the landscape. The challenge is to ensure that your thoughts are consistent and focussed so that they add up to a single coherent whole.

The tragedy is that you may go through your life unaware of the majority of your thoughts and not recognising the way they affect your life. If you had to weigh up the thousands of thoughts you have each day and balance positive with negative, which way would the scales tip? Many of your thoughts are deeply held beliefs, fears, attitudes, hopes and worries that you may only experience as emotions when you react to circumstances.

One of the key steps in achieving greater success is to change your thoughts and align them with your desired direction in life. You need to start with a clear set of goals and adopt a positive mental attitude. If you constantly tell yourself that what you want will never happen or it’s too difficult for you, the chances are it will never happen. On the other hand, if you adopt that attitude that you can do it, all you’ve got to do is figure out how, you will…

The challenge is to learn how to direct as many of your thoughts as possible in the direction that you want to go. If you want more money but your present reality is that you don’t have enough money to pay your bills every month, it can be very difficult to maintain wealthy thoughts for a significant period of time each day.

It can be difficult to direct your thoughts where you want to go, but it is not impossible. It may help you to think of your mind like a garden – you want to grow the beautiful flowers of your dreams. Like any good gardener, you are going to have to do battle with the weeds that want to choke them and turn your garden into a wasteland every day. As you work at your mental garden, the weeds gradually loose their hold and your garden flourishes.

Changing your thoughts is an important step to success. You need to align your thoughts with the results you want in life.

by Kevin John

Would you like to learn more about eight steps to success in life? Download my latest e-book here Secrets of a Millionaire Mindset. Visit my website for more resources, articles, and support materials about success and personal growth.

Kevin John has spent many years helping businesses owners, aspiring business owners, and private individuals to develop the understanding and skills needed to achieve the success that they want. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_J._John

Procrastination Buster - Just Take Action!

Personal Success - How to Stop Waiting and Take Action

In the course of my work and life, I meet so many people who have big, amazing, earth-shaking plans that get me excited just listening to them. But when I ask them how they're progressing with those plans the answer is almost always the same. "Well, I just have to - (insert any excuse here) - and then I can get started."

There are a million reasons that go in the middle of that sentence, but the basic premise is always the same; these people are not taking action. I bet you could hear yourself saying something similar when you think about some of your plans. I know I have said similar things myself, many, many times.

So how do you break out of this pattern of procrastination? Here are five key tips to get you started on the road to your own personal success.

Tip #1 - Don't listen to yourself. Very few of us are actually insane, but we do all have voices in our heads. As soon as we begin to think about stepping out of our comfort zones, the voices of our highly efficient self protection mechanisms start chattering and telling us not to do it. They can come up with a million reasons why we shouldn't go any further, but they all boil down to one. Fear of failure.

You can't shut them up - it's impossible. But you can ignore them and that's what you must do to move forward. Instead of thinking about what might go wrong, just concentrate on what to do next and just start doing it.

Tip #2 - Perfection is a pipedream. One of the most frequent reasons for inaction is telling yourself that everything has to be perfect before you start or else the end result won't be right. So what? Nothing's perfect.

The best results arise from trying and failing, learning and adapting, doing and adjusting. If you wait for every single thing to be right, you'll still be waiting when you die. Embrace imperfection and learn to use it. Just start doing.

Tip #3 - Don't listen to others. The thing about dreams is they're very fragile things and they need to be protected. You already know that you can crush them with your own self-talk, but far more destructive are the opinions of others.

How many times have you told someone you know one of your plans, only to have them shoot you down in flames? They do it for only one reason; to protect themselves. They might tell you that they are protecting you, but don't believe them. They don't want you to achieve your dream because they are afraid that you might change, that they may have to acknowledge they were wrong and that they might be found wanting in the face of your success.

Just like the voices in your head, listen, nod, smile politely and then just ignore them. As I keep saying, just start doing.

Tip #4 - The bigger your dream the bigger the axe. If you want to build a roaring log fire in your front room, you can't set light to a tree. You have to cut that tree down and then chop it into pieces small enough to fit in your hearth and small enough to catch fire. Dreams are the same.

No matter how huge your vision, you have to start somewhere with a small manageable piece that you can do in one day. Instead of standing back and admiring your great big, wonderful shiny future, roll up your sleeves, wade in, pull out the first task and deal with it. Then go get the next one and the next and the next, until one day you look up and you find that you've done it. Just start doing.

Tip #5 - Yes, that’s right - Just Start Doing! This is the simplest to say but it's the toughest to do. A novelist who began his writing career, very late in life was once asked how he finally got started. "Well", he said, "I decided to stop sharpening my pencils and write something. Since then, I've never stopped."

Taking that first tiny step and actually beginning the first task is so liberating and empowering that you'll hardly believe how good it makes you feel. It is like walking on air. All the talk is finally over and you are at long last becoming the person you want to be.

Stop waiting - Just Start Doing

by Andrew Grant

Andrew Grant is a web entrepreneur, life coach and marketing consultant. He has written many articles on self growth and how to build a successful web business. Andrew publishes a FREE fortnightly newsletter, packed with valuable information for growing your wealth and growing your self. Visit http://www.money-and-mind.com to subscribe Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Grant

---

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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.

Positive Attitude Is Not Enough

Just before we get to today's article on Attitude, I want to announce that the current Realgoalgetter Ezine is now online.

Positive Attitude is Not Enough

Contrary to the popular saying “attitude is everything” attittude is not enough. You can have the right attitude and all the motivation in the world and still wind up playing “dead atheist.”

You know, all dressed up and nowhere to go!

The key is that the right attitude must be followed by the right actions. That’s the bottom line of the doing part you mentioned in your question.

Renowned motivational expert Anthony Robbins says that one of the keys to success is to “take action.” In his work with getting people to take action, Robbins speaks often of “massive, intelligent action.”

I’ve taken that concept and expanded on it a bit, and created a concept called “CMICA (pronounced ka-mee-ka). CMICA stands for Consistent, Massive, Intelligent, Creative Action. Let’s look at each of these key factors below.

Consistent - For action to be successful, it has to be consistent. My friends in the health club industry tell me that January is the time of year when the most people will join a health club or gym. A very few will then show up and work out regularly. A few others will show up occassionaly. My friends tell me that most people show up once or twice and then are never seen again.

Seems like that’s how we often approach taking action. “Well, I did it a couple of times and it just didn’t work for me.” Yeah right.

Nothing other than small, consistent, daily actions will bring you the success you desire.

Massive - Massive action simply means to “do all the necessary things” to get you where you want to go. Not a few, not some, not most, but ALL necessary things required to get your goal.

A common question at this point is “what are all the necessary thinngs I need to do?” That’s a good question, which leads us to........

Intelligent - The great news here is that the wheel has already been invented. By this I mean that what you what to accomplish has probably already been done. Through the process of modelling, we simply need to find someone who has done or is doing what we want to do and model their keys to success. Rememer, if it’s possible in the world, it’s possible for you.

At the same time, don’t confuse activity with achievement. Make sure you are spending your time and energy on actions that get you closer the to your goal, and are not simply busy work.

Creative - If you want to really have some fun, be creative in your actions. While you are taking intelligent action, also ask the question “How can I do this in ways that have never been done before?”

Here’s a four step process to get your creativity going:

1) Precisely define your goal.

2) Identify efforts that have not worked in the past and drop them.

3) Come up with crazy, silly, bizzare, outlandish ways to achieve your goal, that you would never do, but are fun to think about.

4) Come up with creative ideas that will get you where you want to go. Sometimes the seeds for these creative ideas are in the crazy ideas. Other times, simply laughing at the crazy ideas will boost your creative juices for other solutions.

Action - Consistent, massive, intelligent, creative ACTION is the path to success.

Remember, trying is not doing. Doing is doing. Oh, and one last thing before I close: get out there and do it!

By Jeff Herring

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com

---

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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.

Goal Work - Who Are You Spending Time With?

I just finished reading a post over at Dave Navarro's Wealth Blog and I just wanted to pass the link on to you. Great article as always Dave!

Have a look at: Surround Yourself With The Right People, because I totally agree that who you associate with will determine how successful you will be in attaining your goals. After you finish reading his post come on back and read an exercise that will help you make the transition.

Goal Work - Who Are You Spending Time With?

Are You Associating With People Who Can Help You Get What You Want?

This is critical to your success. It may be time to pull out the old log book and detail how much time you spend with others and whether their interests align with yours.

Success Masters say they can tell you where you will be in 5 years by the books you read and the people you associate with. Here is an easy exercise to tell whether you will end up where you want to be, or at least what you have to do more work on.

Evaluate your time in the area of whom you spend it with and who has the most or strongest influence over you at this time. Be brutally honest with yourself. There is no good, bad, wrong, or right here, just what is.

Take it over the last week, or month, or year.

Write down all of the people you spent time with at work, or personally, friendships, significant other, mentors, associations, or mastermind group, and list them in any order. If you can, approximate how much time you spend each week with them.

Then, arrange them from top to bottom, with the top being the most time spent, and the bottom being the least time spent. Draw a line through the halfway point. The top half of your list probably accounts for 3/4 or more of your time, and this should be spent with relationships that serve each other's needs and goals, not those who have conflicting aspirations.

Are the people at the top half of the list those who support you, or have similar goals? If this is not the case, then you have some work to do in this area. Work to build relationships with those who can support you in your life's journey. (And the other way around) Get that top half filled with people in alignment with your goals and just watch the magic happen!

I am not recommending that you drop your present friends if they are not pursuing a same or similar path to your own. But . . . if they are real friends of yours, they will be happy that you are spending more time fulfilling your passion and will enjoy hearing about your successes, when you do get to spend some time with them.

In life, you must associate more with those who are moving in the same direction as you want to go, and whose goals align with yours. Even better if they are slightly ahead of where you want to be. If you choose not to heed this very important principle, your journey will be more difficult. Believe me, I know this from cold hard experience. As always, the choice is yours.

Good Luck, start the exercise now . . . (I always wanted to say that. LOL.)

Al Smith

If you continue to have difficulty with negative people in your life then you may have a long, hard road ahead of you. To keep your self esteem high, have a look at this article, Be Your Own Cheerleader

Simple Steps To Successfully Overcoming Limiting Beliefs

Overcoming Limiting Beliefs - 8 Simple Steps to Success

Limiting beliefs are those things you believe about yourself or the world that keep you from being fully effective and successful. They range from believing that everyone is better than you, to feeling you’re not good enough or not lovable, to believing that the world is very scary, and many more.

Breaking out from these beliefs is essential if you are to be truly fulfilled and release yourself from limiting what you do with your life.

Nancy Kline, in her book 'Time to Think', offers an approach that will help you break free from those limiting assumptions so you can achieve your goals. Follow these 8 simple steps and you CAN overcome your limiting beliefs and achieve success:

Ask yourself "What might I be assuming that is stopping me from achieving my goal?" (replace the words "achieving my goal" with whatever your actual goal is - e.g. to be able to stand up in front of an audience and give a presentation, to become fit, to look after my own needs, or whatever).

Then ask yourself, repeatedly, if there's anything else that you're assuming that's stopping you taking action, until you are sure you have uncovered all your limiting assumptions.

Now ask yourself, "Which of these is most in my way?" This will often be a belief about yourself, or about the way things are, that is damaging you and getting in the way of you achieving what you really want to achieve. For example, "People like me are not important", or "I am not lovable", or "It's not OK to make mistakes".

Once you discover what your real limiting belief is, think of the opposite position, e.g. "I am important", or " I am lovable", or "It is OK to make mistakes".

Now ask yourself, "If I knew that I am important (or whatever), how would I.....(whatever your goal is)?” For example, "If I knew that I am as important as everyone else, how would I approach speaking to a room of senior people?"

See how many creative ideas you can come up with. For instance in the example above you would feel confident and prepared, you would not worry about what your audience were thinking of you, only about getting your message across clearly and pleasantly, and you would walk away from the presentation feeling great about yourself and your achievement.

Now determine all the steps you need to take in order to achieve that. For example, you might prepare and rehearse the presentation, find ways to make what you have to say more interesting, such as adding in story examples, imagine yourself giving the presentation confidently and well, tell yourself that you can do it, recognise what you do well, and reward yourself afterwards for your achievement.

Write down the steps you will take, decide which action you will take today, and DO IT NOW!

Bonus Tip - to help you along the way, having done the above exercise, work out what is (or, if necessary, what will be) your new empowering belief about yourself e.g. "I am important", and repeat this to your self several times a day, so that you really believe it!

by Elizabeth Juffs

Elizabeth Juffs is an experienced Life Coach, specialising in working with people who are successful in some aspects of their lives, yet want to make positive changes to their confidence, career or work-life balance. She helps them build their self-confidence, reduce their stress, and gain greater control over their work and their lives, so they feel fulfilled, healthy and happy.
For further help in overcoming your limiting beliefs and gaining greater control over your life, sign up for her free newsletter and free report "How to Jump Start Your Life" at http://www.ejllifecoaching.co.uk/

© Copyright Elizabeth Juffs 2007.

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

---

Audio Motivation

Listen to exclusive interviews with the greatest names in personal development. Walk, jog or exercise to Audios with Success Teachers. They are great to download onto your MP3 players so you can take your motivation with you.

Tap into the same power that today's movers and shakers use, and keep yourself at the top of your Game with dynamic, exciting audio motivation messages. Find out more today at AudioMotivation.com.

Read testimonials from people already using them. I joined so I can listen to them too. It is an extraordinary value and a great investment in your future. Do you want the edge? Get motivated with AudioMotivation.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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.

Successful? Or Just Busy . . .

Busy, Busy, Busy
By Douglas Woods

Being busy has become a way of life for many of us. So much so that we begin to feel guilty if we find ourselves not being busy or we feel uncomfortable if we find we have nothing to keep ourselves busy.

If we see someone who is not being busy then we think they may be lazy or unwell. If we are not busy, we try to think of ways to look busy!

In our work, in our office, in our home, we like to be busy. We may complain that we have not got a moment to ourselves and yet, when we find that time, we feel guilty and feel we should be doing something!

In our minds we seem to be confusing being busy with achieving. Our efforts to keep busy seem to be replacing our drive to be successful.

Perhaps we feel that if we keep busy, at some point our efforts will magically bring success. Or perhaps we keep ourselves busy to take our minds off thinking about other things.

Yet, if you were to ask people what sort of life that would love to lead, how many would say they dreamt of a ‘busy’ life? Most of us would dream of a calm, peaceful and successful life, which is quite the opposite of a busy life.

Being busy is not a virtue, it is not a goal.

Being busy is what happens when we find ourselves adrift from what really matters in our life.

Being busy is what happens when we find ourselves working to the values and goals of others in our lives; our boss, our line manager, the company, even our parents, partners, children and, yes, even the other people living in our street.

Someone who looks busy may have the appearance of being successful, powerful, and influential but do they really feel that way? Usually not. Usually, the person feels flustered, annoyed, pressured and stressed. They feel as if they are not in control of their own time or their own lives and feel they are working to the demands of others.

Keeping busy takes people away from their own thoughts and visions. It takes them away from working toward their own success or their own purpose. Busy people have little time to consider ‘the big picture’, they are busy working on a little piece of a puzzle without knowing where or whether it fits.

People will say that they go to work and keep busy to earn money. This may sound fair enough but earning money is only a ‘reason’ for going to work. Having a ‘reason’ is not the same as having a ‘purpose’.

How many people would say that their purpose in life is to earn money? You may need to earn money, maybe lots of money, to achieve your purpose or live the life you want for yourself and your family but earning the money is not the purpose of life.

Being busy has effects upon ourselves that we do not realise. We stop talking to people; I mean really talking to them. Sure, we may talk about whatever thing we are each busy doing but do we really talk about anything else? How many of these people do we really know? We may know a bit about the work they do but do we really know anything about them as people? Do they know anything about us?

Being busy takes time away from other things and from other people. How many of us have heard our partner complain that they do not see enough of us? How many of us would like to spend more time with our children or more time for ourselves?

Being busy has effects upon our health, how many of us have felt stressed as a result of being too busy? How many of us know we are under strain but fear to slow down in case we are seen as lazy or not pulling our weight? How many of us can find the time to book that urgent doctor’s that we know we need but are just too busy to fit it in?

So, now, ask yourself these questions;

1) When I am being busy, whose purpose am I working for? Mine? My family’s? The company’s?

2) When I am not being busy, do I ever feel guilty, lazy or devious?

3) When I am being busy, how many people do I talk to? What do we talk about? Do I really know the people I talk to?

4) If I were not being so busy, what else could I be doing?

5) In the last week, how many successes have I had?

6) Could I become more successful without being so busy?

7) What benefits could it bring me and those close to me if I stopped being so busy?

Douglas Woods is a fully accredited Life Coach, teacher and counsellor. You can find out more about his work from his website, http://www.dougwoods.com

---

Audio Motivation

Listen to exclusive interviews with the greatest names in personal development. Walk, jog or exercise to Audios with Success Teachers. They are great to download onto your MP3 players so you can take your motivation with you.

Tap into the same power that today's movers and shakers use, and keep yourself at the top of your Game with dynamic, exciting audio motivation messages. Find out more today at AudioMotivation.com.

Read testimonials from people already using them. I joined so I can listen to them too. It is an extraordinary value and a great investment in your future. Do you want the edge? Get motivated with AudioMotivation.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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.

Are You Right Or Wrong About Yourself?

What You Think is Wrong With You May Be Something Right! By Julia Rogers Hamrick

I want to introduce you to a radical notion. Maybe what you think is wrong with you, is actually something that is right with you! Sadly, some of our unique and important personality traits are misunderstood and not accepted by ourselves or by society.

So many of the things we decide are personality defects are simply things that do not fit into our culture’s ideas of what and how we are supposed to be. They are characteristics that, if properly cultivated, may be our true strengths, but because they don’t fit easily into the world the way it is, they may not be valued in our society, and we may decide they are defects and judge ourselves as defective.

When you stop resisting about yourself that which you have judged, and accept it instead, you may find that, at the very least, you are now in position to transform it, since only when you are out of the realm of judgment are you able to channel Love, the only transformative force in the universe.

But even more exciting is that you may find, instead of a liability, you have a characteristic that is something to cultivate and celebrate! And it may even be a clue to your divine role and purpose on the planet!

For example, if you are someone who moves from career to career, job to job, and can’t seem to make anything “stick,” you may feel that you are a failure, and judge yourself as defective. If you have not settled on one thing and mastered it, but have tried many things, continually moving from one endeavor to the next, you may believe that something is wrong with you because, according to society’s values, you are supposed to find a career, get very good at one thing and work at it until you retire.

Consider, however, that the capacity to keep moving from one thing to another is a strength, and the willingness to attempt new things means you are flexible and adaptable and ready to re-group at a moment’s notice, always available to go where Spirit leads you. This is a valuable trait—an evolutionary trait—if not in the eyes of society, in the whole scheme of things. The Divine Design needs versatile people like you!

Some of your qualities may simply be problematical because they are misplaced—you are not in the right situation to utilize them. What if you are someone that tends to be loud and animated, and you work in a hospital or library or other place where being loud is a mismatch, but you’re having a hard time reining in your energy?

Can you think of any role in which being naturally loud and animated, a sign of someone channeling a large flow of energy, would be a plus? Besides being a stage actor, a comedian, or motivational speaker, perhaps those characteristics would come in handy for crowd control in an emergency, or for working with the hearing-impaired! Or perhaps you are meant to learn to channel that powerful energy for healing.

Instead of judging your characteristics as wrong, consider that you may simply be in the wrong situation to optimize those strengths.

Procrastination is a biggie for many of us, and a trait that we tend to dislike about ourselves. What is procrastination? It is the decision to defer action until you are internally moved to act. Granted, oftentimes procrastination is a rebellious reaction instead of a real choice.

Many of us have had overly coercive parents who did not honor our need to attune with the flow of Life Force within us and coordinate our actions with our own sense of what to do when, so we’ve unconsciously used procrastination as a way to try to take back our power.

Viewed as a strength, procrastination may be interpreted as a sign that you are unwilling to live your life according to an externally dictated schedule, and understand that waiting for energy to well up in you telling you it’s actually time to get a thing done is a way of aligning with divine timing.

When you stop vilifying this pattern and begin to utilize it for what it is, you can see that there are times when putting off action has been the right thing to do—and, you may find that you will choose to act promptly more often, once you free up your attitude about procrastination and stop reinforcing it through condemnation.

The list of possible misunderstandings about yourself is as long as the list of qualities you don’t like. Instead of fighting your innate tendencies, perhaps it is time to accept and use those qualities to serve in a higher way. Before you permanently judge that something about you is wrong and needs to be changed, try this:

Make a list of those things about yourself you find unacceptable. Use your imagination to come up with how and why those things may really be strengths in disguise. Brainstorm this—no answer is too far out when you’re brainstorming. The very thing you like least about yourself may be one of the most important tools you were given for carrying out your Spirit’s purposes here on Earth!

Certainly there are things about your personality that you don’t like that are simply adaptations to the dysfunctional situation on Planet Earth, and bringing these parts of you that may be out of balance into balance may be exactly what is called for. It is crucial you understand, though, that the only way to balance and transform these aspects of you is through Love—and love requires acceptance.

Your lack of self-acceptance means that you are out of alignment with Source, and out of the flow of Love. Love is the only force that can transform this or any other aspect of you, so self-acceptance is a must either way.

Self-acceptance is the key to your transformation!

©2005 Julia Rogers Hamrick

Julia Rogers Hamrick has been a spiritual-growth facilitator for over two decades, and is the author of Recreating Eden: The Exquisitely Simple, Divinely Ordained Plan for Transforming Your Life and Your Planet. Julia writes about and leads seminars on proactive joy, and the relationship between frequency and experience. For more information on Julia and on recreating Eden, visit http://www.recreating-eden.com To read about Julia's own dance with Spirit, ego, and frequency, read Julia's blog http://www.recreating-eden.com/weblog/.

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 The Realgoalgetter Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
--------------------

All Winners Share This . . .

What's The Magic Ingredient That All Winners Share?
By Timothy Crawford

I’ve always searched for an edge in my life, something that would give me the blueprints to success. During my search I’ve found there is no rigidly defined course complete with do’s and don’ts.

The edge also isn’t some sort of miracle pill you take, or some secret password into a fraternity, sorority or group. The edge, the lift, the “IT” all begins one place; No not in New Jersey! In our Attitudes.

A person’s attitude will either propel them over and through obstacles or it will leave them trapped in a barrel of frustration, deep within the wells of self-defeat and forfeiture.

A person’s attitude is their aptitude.

A person entangled in a negative attitude is beyond sabotaged, they are doomed to unhappiness and lack of fulfillment. Humans are blessed with the ability to make rational and irrational decisions. The same blessing of our thought-processes is also the source of our biggest obstacle.

If you don’t believe me take a second and think about the insect world, Ants in particular. It may seem comical, because it is, but have you ever studied a group of ants moving across the sidewalk carrying crumbs back to their nest?

You’ll see these ants carrying objects twice their weight and four times their size. It’s remarkable! How in the world can a tiny ant carry a piece of bread 4 times its size?

It doesn’t know it can’t.

An ant doesn’t know the odds against him lifting that humungous breadcrumb. An ant doesn’t concern himself with the possibility of failure, he knows only instinct. The ant doesn’t sit up nights sweating, stressing or doubting it. The ant doesn't need a shot of alcohol to get its nerve up.

The ant sees the crumb, picks it up and starts marching. The ant defies its circumstance. The ant defies physics or our understanding of it anyway. The ant is a natural miracle.

Is it luck that made ants able to lift so much weight over extremely long distances without breaking stride or stopping at Starbucks?

I don’t believe in luck, but I do believe in tenacity and good things happening when people ignore the odds and focus on their goals.

How Powerful is Attitude?

I was reading an interview of “The Rock” recently. The Rock is a great example for illustrating the magic of having an empowering attitude towards ones life. Many people see celebrities and other successful people with an eschewed view of how great things are accomplished.

People tend to believe successful people are born with a clear path to success, but as in “The Rock’s” life before stardom, and in so many other stories of successful people, you’ll find that adversity, disappointment, set-back and derailments are very common.

Dewayne Johnson a.k.a. “The Rock” wasn’t necessarily dreaming of becoming a World-Class Wrestler or even an Entertainer. In fact, “The Rock” had a totally different dream. His dream was to become a professional football player.

Blessed with athletic ability, he wanted to harness his physical strength, endurance and mobility and utilize it playing in the National Football League.

What happened? Life Happened! Mr. Johnson suffering 3-ruptured discs in his back happened. It took “The Rock” 3-ruptured discs to realign his goals and aspirations of becoming a pro player.

Now, pull closer, this is where “The Rock” becomes a real celebrity in my book. This is the part where greatness comes into play. Are you listening?

The Rock didn’t quit dreaming, or working, or searching how to fulfill his life, instead he set new goals. He charted new paths. He believed in the possibility of success in his life. In short, “The Rock”, armed himself with an attitude of belief and with aspiration he forged into his future with intensity, optimism and joy.

Of course he was disappointed, who wouldn’t be, but at some point he made a decision not to “Stay” disappointed. Attitude and Belief. “The Rock” had it, has it and uses it!

Dewayne Johnson never reached his goal of playing in the NFL, however he went onto become one of the most exciting pro wrestlers in World Wrestling history.

“The Rock” has starred in movies, and for all of you out there here’s some more information about the Rock you might not know, The Rock’s film, “The Scorpion King”; earned him a cool 5 million breaking all previous records for the most money paid to a first time leading-role actor in a major motion picture.

Who would have thought a guy with 3-ruptured disc, a football dream down the tubes and all the reasons in the world to give up would become so super-successful? Do you see the power of Rock’s attitude? Do you see the power of your own attitude?

Your Greatness Starts Here

Today begin to realize that the only true limits we have on our lives are our ATTITUDES about OURSELVES. Be good to yourself. Encourage yourself. Feed your mind positive reinforcement.

Tim's Positive Reinforcement Quick Action Plan:

1. Run out and buy a book that inspires you.
2. Start that exercise program that you’ve been putting off.
3. Phone that loved one that you had a falling out with 3 months ago. Mend those fences!
4. Do one thing that moves you to your goals, then work your way up to doing one thing a week.

You’re worth the effort. You’d be surprised how far you can go. Begin to strengthen your positive attitude towards YOURSELF. Accept that regardless to your present condition, situation or background that what you’ve done up to this point is just that; what you’ve done!

Done is past tense. Done is a description of your past. Any of your past setbacks, stumbles or downturns do not define you. You define you! You are what you think you are.

Change your attitude and change your aptitude. To change your attitude from negative to positive you must first start within your heart. Too many people make external changes overlooking the internal.

The magic ingredient to personal success is ATTITUDE and an empowering attitude begins one place; in the heart.

Timothy Crawford is DC, MD and VA's Top Up and Coming Motivational Speaker. http://www.timothycrawford.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

--------------------
Great Attitudes Create Great Results!
Al Smith is also the Editor and Publisher of a Motivational and Goal Achievement Ezine. Subscribe for FREE at
The Realgoalgetter Ezine.
--------------------

I Just Did It!

I Just Did It!
By Graham Harris and Julie Harris

I succeeded. I achieved my goal. I am successful. I set myself a target and did it. I wanted to do it and I have. I am really pleased with myself. I am so happy I want to tell everyone about my success. I did really well. I performed the best I have ever done. I performed to the best of my ability today. I feel great and am so proud of myself.

I did it.

Others said it was impossible. Others said I would never do it. Others said I could not concentrate for that length of time. Others said I did not have the courage. Others said I was useless. Others said I was not cut out for such a task. Others said I should be happy with what I’ve got. Others said just be grateful and stop all this success thinking. Others said I did not have what it takes.

But I know that is not true because I did it.

I am a success. I have proved that if I want something enough. If I put my mind to succeeding I can achieve. I just did it.

I know that I can do whatever I want to. The only thing that stops me is me.

The more I listen to others the more I move away from my goals and my dreams. I can achieve my dreams because I just did it.

The more I listen to the positive me. The more I tune into the part of my brain that wants me to succeed, the more chance I have. The more I can say. I just did it.

I just did it. I believed in myself enough to take a chance.

I just did it. I followed my instincts.

I just did it. I listened to my inner being.

I just did it. I listened to the brain that is inside my stomach rather than the one inside my head.

I just did it. I followed that part of me that I can only hear when I am quiet.

I just did it. I allowed myself to feel rather than think.

I just did it. I didn’t analyse I just went with the flow.

I just did it. I visualised what it was I wanted and went for it.

I am so proud of myself; I followed my path. I finally got it.

To truly get what I need all I have to do is listen to myself. Place one foot in front of the other. Trust the experience and accept whatever happens is for my benefit.

There I just did it.

Good Luck.

Graham and Julie
http://www.desktop-meditation.com

To improve your intuition, initiative and energy levels please go to: http://www.desktop-meditation.com It’s free.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

---

Audio Motivation

Listen to exclusive interviews with the greatest names in personal development. Walk, jog or exercise to Audios with Success Teachers. They are great to download onto your MP3 players so you can take your motivation with you.

Tap into the same power that today's movers and shakers use, and keep yourself at the top of your Game with dynamic, exciting audio motivation messages. Find out more today at AudioMotivation.com.

Read testimonials from people already using them. I joined so I can listen to them too. It is an extraordinary value and a great investment in your future. Do you want the edge? Get motivated with AudioMotivation.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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.

A Tough Morning . . .

A Tough Morning This Morning

. . . and It probably won't be the last . . .

WOW! I had a hard time powering up this morning. Usually I can spring right up and get going, you know, attack the day sort of thing. Well . . . this particular morning was a little different. I felt tired and didn't want to start the day. I thought . . . just let me sleep another hour. Yeah, right!

I have been burning the candle at both ends, maybe I just needed that extra hour. Maybe that was all that it was. I think it more likely that with all the decisions I have been making lately, I have started to move deeper into uncharted territory.

I have commited to literally changing the whole direction of my life. A life that has been pretty safe and secure for quite a few years I might add.

Am I having some second thoughts about whether I can succeed at it or not? After all, I have never attempted this before. What makes me think that I can succeed, where many people fail? It got me wondering. And it was affecting my state. Shaking my confidence. Definitely not good, not good.

Me, MR. Positive. LOL! Has that ever happened to you? I can almost guarantee that if you have ever made a decision to step out of the old comfort zone, that you have felt this way a few times. Only natural.

However this morning, habit took hold of me, and got me to the sink where I splashed ice cold water all over my face and that was the end of my indecision. I was mobile. I started to say to myself "I feel happy, I feel healthy, I feel TERRIFIC! . . . again, and again.

The insecurity was replaced with energy and enthusiasm, and I went on with my day. Three things got me through this rough wake up. Habit, Physiology, and Belief.

What gets you through your tough mornings?

I will complete my plans for a new life, and succeed in any undertaking I commit to. How do I know this?

I believe it deep down in my core that I am worthy and that I will do whatever it takes to make it happen.

Have you installed that belief pattern in yourself yet?

If not, do it now! You absolutely can not know the feeling I am talking about until you have.

Al Smith

---

The Motivated Mind
Discover the Secrets to Getting and Staying Motivated
to Change Your Life and Achieve Your Dreams.
The Motivated Mind is a new, step-by-step guide
that will teach you how to get everything you want in life.
The secrets can now be yours.
The Motivated Mind

---

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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.
--------------------

What Do They Have That You Haven't Got? -- Attitude!

Never Give Up On Your Goals!

What thoughts or emotions came over you as you read that? Never give up! Billionaire Philanthropist and Presidential Candidate H. Ross Perot said, “Most people stop digging three feet from the goldmine.” This is the wrong approach. There has to be certain aspects in place, such as goals, plans, visions, etc.

However, for the most part, when these components are intact, success will come to you sooner or later.

Many people don't like the whole later possibility aspect, yet it can't be ignored. The important thing is that your dreams and goals will come to pass if you do not give up along the way. If you stop pursuit, you lose.

Yet, if you adopt the attitude that I will not be denied, you really won’t be denied. I'm not an expert on this, but I believe obstacles show up to help us become more resilient.

Where you greatly desire to go, you can't be a wimp. You must be able to chew nails and breathe fire (figuratively speaking). Les Brown says it best. "You must trade in who you've been for who you must become."

Wow! What a profound statement. Think about it. Look into the future and be brutally honest with yourself. What type of person must you be in the future in order to truly BE who you greatly desire to be?

What qualities and characteristics does that person possess that you do not currently possess? What do you particularly like about that person? Are they friendlier, healthier, more confident, a better leader?

Thoroughly diagnose the ultimate you and the current you. When placed side by side, what changes must you make to become the ultimate you? Completing this exercise is very eye-opening.

One important thing that you will discover is the confident, resilient attitude that you really won’t be denied. You are that warrior that chews nails and breathes fire, and love’s every minute of it. Success requires a different mindset.

A big part of that mindset is developing a never give up mentality. It is possible for you to complete each task you begin with that mentality. Giving up robs you of the joy that’s sure to come as you check off tasks that you’ve completed on route to your goal.

Remember the words of Jack Canfield: “You deserve to have your life exactly the way you want it.” I believe that quote with everything within me.

The challenge is to believe the quote and realize that it may take a year, or two, or three for your life to be exactly as planned. The question is do you give up along the way? I have confidence in you that you will make it through to the end.

By Demond Jackson

Demond is the owner of Self Empowerment Network where visitors can get an accurate Personal Mission Statement. After the mission statement, please visit our Self Empowerment Goals section to develop your dream life.

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

---

Audio Motivation

Listen to exclusive interviews with the greatest names in personal development. Walk, jog or exercise to Audios with Success Teachers. They are great to download onto your MP3 players so you can take your motivation with you.

Tap into the same power that today's movers and shakers use, and keep yourself at the top of your Game with dynamic, exciting audio motivation messages. Find out more today at AudioMotivation.com.

Read testimonials from people already using them. I joined so I can listen to them too. It is an extraordinary value and a great investment in your future. Do you want the edge? Get motivated with AudioMotivation.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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.

Make Good Choices, Commit To Your Decisions

Before we get to today's article, I'd like to announce that the Current Realgoalgetter Ezine is now online. Enjoy!

Why And How To Make Making Choices That Are In Your Best Interest A Daily Occurrence

The dictionary defines choice as “the act of choosing; selection; the power, right, or liberty to choose; option; an alternative”. We sometimes hear ourselves or others say, “I have no choice,” when really what we mean is “I feel obligated.” There is always a choice.

Sometimes one must choose between two unattractive alternatives and often times making the choice that is best for you carries with it repercussions from friends or coworkers, but that isn’t the same as actually having no choice at all. I encourage and challenge you not to confuse hard choices with no choices.

Of course, before making your best choice, it’s necessary to know what is important to you so you can make choices that honor your values. Think of your values as the essence of who you are. They are the principles that you hold dear.

You already have your values, now you need to identify them so that you can orient you life, by making choices that are appropriate for you, around them. To that end, the following exercise will help you identify your top four values.

IDENTIFYING YOUR TOP 4 VALUES

Take some time and find yourself a quiet corner where you can concentrate. Read through the list below. Choose twenty words that resonate with you, that either thrill you or make you cringe. Feel free to add your own words to the list before making your choices.

Look over your list of twenty and narrow it to ten words. If you have difficulty choosing between two, look for one word that encompasses the meaning of those two. Then narrow the ten words to the four words that you feel fully represent your top four life values.

Print these four on index or note cards and put them in conspicuous places around your home and/or office as a reminder of what is most important to you. Refer to the list when you are making decisions so that you can be sure to make decisions that honor your values.

Abundance, Achievement, Adventure, Ambition, Authenticity, Beauty, Challenge, Charity, Creativity, Dignity, Enjoyment, Equality, Excellence, Expertness, Faith, Family, Freedom, Friendship, Fun, Health, Honesty, Honor, Hope, Humility, Humor, Independence, Inner harmony, Integrity, Joy, Justice, Kindness, Leadership, Learning, Legacy, Love, Loyalty, Nurture, Organization, Power, Recognition, Relationships, Religion, Respect, Respite, Risk, Safety, Security, Service, Sharing, Simplicity, Spirituality, Success, Tradition, Tranquility, Trust, Truth, Wealth.

If you don’t get that “aha” feeling that you’ve chosen exactly the right top four values, revisit this exercise in a day or two and then a week later to be sure of your choices. Knowing what you value most in life is the first step toward choosing what you want to add to or eliminate from your life in order to create your perfect life.

Three Tips for Making Good Decisions:

1. Make a list of the pros and cons of each choice and choose based on the quantity and quality of those elements.

2. Ask yourself just before you fall asleep what is the best choice to make and see what you are thinking in the morning.

3. Listen to your body. When you think of which choice you want to make in your head, how does your body react: are you excited, feeling woozy or sick, fearful? Your body often knows the right choice long before your mind does.

By Ruth Hegarty

Ruth Hegarty is a confidence coach who helps people increase their personal and professional confidence for greater self-esteem, happiness, and success.

http://www.ruthhegarty.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 Ezine
at http://www.realgoalgetter.com/ezines/.

A Nice Long Break. I'm Back Now . . . With A Positive Imagination

Well, that was a nice long break from posting.

After three years I wasn't feeling the enjoyment anymore or the thrill of sharing quality information. I began to feel more like I was chained to these blogs and that if I stopped writing all that I had built would all come crashing down, so I continued because I feared losing momentum.

I was no longer doing this because I wanted to, or that's what I imagined anyway. Well, I have never been an advocate of doing things for negative reasons or because of fear motivation. I bit the bullet, I stopped posting on all my blogs and took a much deserved break. And you know what?

The traffic to this site actually went up during this time period because of all I had written previously. Most of the information on this site is "evergreen", or to put it simply, never goes out of season. It is always relevant. And . . . I had been imagining the worst possible scenario if I stopped writing.

Success information is and has been written about since the beginning of time, and most of the principles never change. We just change our vocabulary from time to time so it is more acceptable in the present day language. People seem to understand it better if it is written in present day lingo and slang.

Anyway, I digress . . .

While I was reading last night, I came across some information I did want to share with you.

It comes from one of my favorite books, The Magic Of Thinking Big. The topic: Learn to see things for what they can be, not for what they are now, practice adding value. Use your imagination as a positve force.

"People who don't have much, see themselves as they are now. That's all they see. They don't see a future, they just see a miserable present.

I'm determined not to let what I haven't got stop me! I've made up my mind to look at myself as the person I'm going to be in a few short years."

1. Practice adding value to yourself.
Ask yourself this question daily. "What can I do to make myself more valuable today?" Visualize yourself not as you are but as you can be. Then, specific ways to attaining your potential value will suggest themselves to you.

2. Practice adding value to things.
This is what they do in real estate investing. For example, What can I do to 'add value' to this room, or this house, or this business? Look for ideas to make things worth more. A thing -- whether it be a vacant lot, a house, a business or a product -- has value in proportion to the ideas for using it.

There is more information in the book obviously, but you can get the idea. Value is everywhere, value is determined only by our imagination.

And your imagination is all powerful, it can be a force for positive, or in my case previously, a force for negative. I'm back now! For the right reasons again . . .

Dreams Seem Too Far Away Or Too Difficult To Believe? Bring Your Dreams Closer.

5 Ways to Focus on Your Dreams

How do you focus on your dream when life experiences show that you're far from it? Here are five simple ways to develop the focus that will get you moving...

1. SUSPEND YOUR DISBELIEF.
Put it on a shelf and open yourself to actually experience new ways of creating positive momentum toward realizing your dreams. The most limiting factor is to think that because something is simple, it won't work. When you buy into this, you have either just placed a tremendous bolder in front of you or veered off your path completely.

2. IMAGINE CONSCIOUSLY.
The conscious aspect involved in imagining on purpose is very important. When we're in a place of despondency and feeling the density of the hardships in life, we're imagining very powerfully, to our detriment. When our imagination is activated in this way, we get more and more of the density we want to be rid of.

Yet universal laws cannot be denied, like gravity, believe it or not, yet it's in always in action. The Law of Attraction (what we place our attention to, increases) is one such law. When you're imagining everything that can go wrong because what has gone wrong has been in your field of attention, it of course takes you backward and further away from how you really want to live.

Consciously decide to use your imagination differently, to your advantage. Imaging what you DO want without paying attention to the ABSENCE of it's existence in your current life. Imagine what it will FEEL like as though it's taking place right now, this moment. This is what being in the moment is. Use your moments wisely by deciding to imagine what it is you want, this moment, and feel it.

3. DAYDREAM.
Yes, daydream. It's a way to use your imagination,and a simple yet valuable tool to practice. Allow this process to help you build the bridge from where you are to where you want to be. People who are living their dreams have stopped listening to the voices of the past that have yelled at them for daydreaming.

It's a simple matter of using our daydreams on purpose, using many moments throughout our day, which become the respite that rejuvenates us; day dreaming renews our energy. When you daydream, make sure you're actually FEELING that life you'd like to be living. Imagination fuels your daydreaming.

4. DIRECT YOUR ATTENTION TOWARD THE POSITIVE.
This is very different and far beyond positive thinking. Deciding to look for what's positive changes your focus toward what is in your life right now that reminds you of the abundance you currently have. Directing your attention toward the positive shifts your thoughts and feelings toward gratitude rather than lack.

Finding just one thought that feels better than the last, even a little better, will help you focus on what is positive right now. Then make sure to put as much emphasis on feeling that positive aspect as fully as possible.

When your thoughts and feelings are in alignment with what you truly want, you've taken the first half of the action to move forward; the second part of the action will be steps that you take, inspired actions that you enjoy, because you have opened yourself up to inspiration that positive thought and feeling have produced. It's easy then to move forward with doing that action because you are inspired by it.

5. ENGAGE.
This means begin immediately: feel what you want to be living and practice feeling it more often. There's no need to wait; actually, this now moment is the best moment to begin; it always is.

by Gabriele Reign

Gabriele Reign is a Visionary, Relationship Coach and Author of dynamics that guide you to create and manifest the life you've always imagined for yourself. To begin creating a live you love, visit: http://www.DynamicRelationshipsNow.com

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

Motivation And Discipline, A Powerful Tag Team Partnership!

Motivation and Discipline - How to Make Yourself Succeed

One of the hardest things a person can do is make himself (or herself) do something he really doesn't want to do just because he knows it's good for him. Motivation is not only a good thing, it is absolutely necessary before anyone will act to do anything. Here is my definition:

Motivation
A set of psychological factors, having been met, creates an impulsion to act. An internal impelling of someone to want or be willing to do something.

That means, if someone is doing something, they must be motivated. If they are not doing it, they must not be motivated to do it, or they are motivated more to do something else. That is a fact. And that fact means that you must be motivated to do something or you won't do it. But how do we account for doing things we don't seem to be motivated to do?

The answer is what I call "Cross-over motivation".

Again a definition:

Cross-Over Motivation
The use of a motivation to do one thing to make yourself want or be willing to do something else.

An example is: you really want to date a particular person, so you ask them out to do something you don't like to do (for instance, such as bowling) because they do like to go. Here, you are not motivated to go bowling, but you use your want to date this person as your cause to go anyway. To use a crossover motivation on purpose is called discipline.

We will look at discipline in a moment, but notice that what motivates the person to act isn't the want to go bowling. There is a cross-over desire to do or have a greater good that is accomplished through going bowling.

It is a very powerful way to overcome an emotional response to something (such as disgust or annoyance) and stay focused on a more reliable approach to achieving your ultimate goals. This can easily be applied to both life in general and work.

Think about those mornings in school or college when you had an eight o'clock calculus class (or whatever) you really didn't want to attend. You were far more motivated to snuggle back up to your pillow and fughetaboudit!

But in most cases you went to class. Why? Because in the back of your mind you heard a little voice say "you've already missed three classes and one more means you flunk the course. If you want a good job (or to get into med or law or graduate school, or don't want to hear your parents carp) you better get your anatomy out of bed and into class." That is what you were trying to accomplish...not going to calculus.

Of course the cross-over motivation might have been that you wanted to do well and you knew that missing the class would not help you do it. This is still not a direct motivation to be there. If you thought it was simply a review of what you already knew and you had three free skip days left, my bet is you would have turned back over and sawed logs.

In our every day lives and at work, we often find ourselves having to do things we really don't want (an emotional state) to do, so we look for a way to "make" ourselves do them. Use this cross-over motivation on purpose. Think about what larger purpose you serve in doing this unpleasant task--how it will help you or someone else in the longer run, or hurt you or someone else if you don't do it.

Here is my definition for discipline:

Discipline
The ability to take the motivation for one thing, and focus on it as a motivation to do something you neither want nor would be otherwise willing to do.

An example is that you are so motivated to get into graduate school, that you use that motivator to make yourself study for an algebra exam tonight. You neither want nor would be otherwise willing to read algebra, but you use this alternate motivation as your impeller.

It is sometimes the job of a manager, supervisor, mom, dad, friend or counselor to remind others of the larger picture or the greater vision that can be used as a cross-over motivator. We all lose sight of our longer term goals sometimes as we focus on the immediate.

If you consciously look for cross-over motivations for yourself, and help others see the benefits of doing useful but unpleasant things, there will be a great deal more accomplished in your life and in the lives of those you love.

This is the very essence of courage, to stand up to strong emotions (such as dislike, disgust, complacency, indifference, etc.) and making yourself do the "right" thing. Try it once today, and prove it to yourself.

Cogito! You can't enjoy the Christmas lights if you don't put them up. No one likes to do what they don't like to do, but we very often like the result of doing it. Always keep your eye on the prize and forget the struggle. Nothing of value comes without it.

by Phil D'Agostino

Phil D'Agostino, the author of Naked Thinking, how to feel less, think more and make better decisions, is a licensed psychologist, author of the email broadcast E-Motivator, professional speaker and corporate trainer, personal coach and human performance specialist. See his book at NakedThinking.com and his site at BeMotivated.Com

Adapted from Phil D'Agostino's Naked Thinking

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Phil_D'Agostino

Power Beliefs - Accept Responsibility For Your Life And Take Back Your Personal Power

Personal Power Comes From Radical Responsibility

Several years ago I read a book about the power of personal responsibility, at the time the principle really didn't sink in as I was around 17 at the time and still in the early days of my personal growth studies; however several years later I came across the material again and those very same ideas began to impact my life in a variety of ways.

I have no idea what would have happened at those pivotal points in my life if I hadn't read that simple little book, but I do know one thing, being exposed to it opened something within me.

It made me aware of the enormous power I had to control my destiny and although I continued to make mistakes along my journey, I somehow found the strength to continue my quest by simply not giving my power away.

Today it is highly unpopular to take responsibility for ones life and to even tell others about it.

We live in a world where everything is someone else's fault, the government, the media, the rich, the poor, big business and even God.

The recent US election was a case in point; for almost a year people on both sides of the political divide where pointing the accusing finger at the other party blaming them for all manner of things, and in the process neither side took responsibility for any of their own errors in judgement.

Sociologists and scientists have even got in on the act by making claims that our genetic makeup is largely responsible for our behavioural and lifestyle choices.

This constant focus has created a world where no one is truly responsible for what they do. This leaves many of us in society in a very perilous position due to the fact that buying into this dangerous philosophy renders us totally powerless.

One of the fundamental principles I have discovered in my work with belief systems is the fact that the mind can only operate on one single guiding principle at time, meaning that if you believe in one thing you cannot also believe in its opposite.

If you believe that life is unfair then you cannot also believe there is fairness.

If you believe that all people are dishonest then you cannot also believe that people are trustworthy.

If you believe that it takes luck to achieve success you cannot also believe that if you work hard that your success is assured.

And if you believe other people are responsible for your failures then you cannot also believe that you are in control of your life.

This is a fundamental truth that I have seen proved again and again throughout my work, yet it is something that many of us fail to recognise.

To truly be in control of your life, you must take full and complete responsibility for every aspect of it, by doing so you will be sending a powerful message to your unconscious.

At first it may not be easy because you will still feel the tendency to blame others for the misfortunes you experience, however if you are patient and stay with it a phenomenal shift will take place as your sense of personal power increases.

Be responsible for what you say, think and do and take back control of your life! It's the only way!

by T. D. Mackenzie

T. D. McKenzie is the creator of The Mckenzie Mastery Process. Discover The Secret Word That Allows You To Erase Any Limiting Belief Permanently From Your Mind Within 90 Seconds...Even If It's Been A Part of Your Life Since You Were 5 Years Old! http://www.mckenziemasteryprocess.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=T.D._McKenzie

Win-Win Sounds Like A Great Idea But How Can I Make It Happen?

Master Success By Making Everyone A Winner

One key to helping yourself be a winner is to focus on a mindset that eliminates the element of competition. The problem with focusing on competition and making yourself a winner is that someone then has to lose.

However if you focus instead on creating a win-win situation then not only will you be a winner then your success will foster the success of others and others' success will help foster your success.

While so much of our society is focused on competition and winning at all costs, this is ultimately a very destructive mindset. A team that works together is always stronger than a group of individuals only out for their individual purposes. If you can apply this principle to every aspect of your life then you can achieve tremendous success.

The truth is that if you set up competition in most areas of your life then you lose even when you win. For example, if you "win" an argument with your spouse what do you gain and what do you lose?

Perhaps you scored the most points in the argument or simply wore down your significant other until they gave in. Now you have your way regarding your weekend plans or whatever was at stake.

But what damage has been done to your relationship? How does your spouse feel about you? How will he or she feel as they participate in the activity you won? How much damage will accumulate to your relationship if you win the next argument? And the next?

The same is true about competition in other areas of your life. If you win a competition at work then you may reap benefits in term of recognition and even monetary rewards. But if your win comes at the cost of your co-workers then not only will they feel like losers but they may well resent your success. How well will you work together as a team in the future? What will happen when you need those people to work with you on a project?

So what is the alternative? After all, no one wants to be a loser and the perception is that if you are not a winner then you are a loser. But what if you can create a situation where everyone wins? What if you can eliminate the competition? Remember, your short term win is a long term lose if it damages your relationship with your spouse, child, co-worker, or friend.

How do you create a win-win situation?

You have to keep your long-term goals in mind for that relationship which may mean that you need to remind yourself and reaffirm to the others involved that you value yourself and the other person (or people involved). You also need the maturity to strike a balance between strength of purpose and empathy.

Finally, you need to believe that there is enough success for everyone. You need to be a big enough person to understand that there is more than enough for everyone so it does not cost you to share in the success. Helping or allowing another to succeed will not diminish your success and in fact may well enhance it.

Making the decision to change your mindset from win-lose to win-win is not easy and then following through with that philosophy change can be extremely difficult. Most of us have been conditioned from early childhood to compete in every aspect of our lives.

However once you give up that competitive edge and focus on helping everyone win then you will be on a sure path to success in life.

by Dianna Mascle

Deanna Mascle shares more Words Of Inspiration and Inspirational Words at http://wordsofinspirationonline.com

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

Are You Taking Action? Yes, Talk The Talk, But More Importantly Walk The Walk!

Thinkers - Talkers - and Walkers - Where Do You Fit In?

I heard an interview a couple of days before I wrote this article where the guy being interviewed said “There are three kinds of people – thinkers, walkers, and talkers…” It made me stop and think and I believe the reflections are worth sharing.

In reality, there are probably more like a billion kinds of people on this planet. I’ve never been a fan of categorization and black and white questions about “what kind of person are you”.

However…

Sometimes we need to create results in our life. Maybe it’s business, romance, or just some personal need we want to fulfill in our lives but there are definitely times when we need to plan, execute, and measure.

So for purposes of those times in life when results matter, I think it’s fair to say there are three basic types of people:

First we have the thinkers. These are the day dreaming what-ifers who spend most of their time conceptualizing, making lists, etc. some of their ideas are great but most of the time that’s as far as they get in the creative process.

Being a thinker alone isn’t going to get you much in terms of accomplished goals. Planning and writing down what you want are great steps, but these tactics are no end in themselves.

Then there are the talkers. Talkers may or may not think before opening their mouth, but they are essentially a step above folks who just plan and make lists.

These types are very interactive about their ideas and objectives. Every time you see them they have a new game plan, and an even better idea that what they were talking about the last time you met.

But as they say, talk is cheap. Sharing ideas with others, brainstorming and networking for instance, can be an very powerful part of any process but if that’s as far as you take it well… it’s not any better than just keeping your mouth shut and making notes.

And finally, for the purpose of this exercise, we have the walkers. These are the action takers in life and the people who spend the time doing and not just thinking and talking.

What’s interesting is that sometimes people think, talk, and then act. But the first two steps are not always necessary.

In reality many times a “walker” will just get up and take action before they realize they had a winning idea on their hands. I’m not trying to downplay the value of making plans and getting feedback from others on your ideas, but if you had to choose from one of the three models illustrated in this article I’d push you toward being a walker.

Trust your intuition and take forward-moving action! Don’t spend all your time thinking or talking about something you want when right now is the best time to DO just about anything on your objective list.

I’ve thought, talked, and walked a good deal in my life but when I’ve been truly inspired and really wanted something with all of my being I have found myself in motion before ever taking the time to brainstorm or chat about the issue; just something to think about.

by Tim Whiston

Tim Whiston is a full-time entrepreneur who helps small businesses and individual professionals develop a profitable web presence for their ventures. Have a look at his Website Design Service to find powerful and cost-effective solutions for your business. Also be sure to check out his Internet Marketing Blog for more great content.

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

It's Never Too Late To Change Your Background. Just Look For What's Good!

Change Your Background

“No man is free who cannot command himself. -- Pythagoras

The summer of 2001 was a summer that I will always remember. It was great! We had lots of company that I completely enjoyed. The weather was hot. My kids seemed to grow about 5 inches, and the company that I had worked for, for the last 16 years was absolved and a new one created in which I became a managing partner.

At first I was excited about the change in employment, but as it started to become a reality and I was making major decisions, I suddenly realized that this was for real! I went from a small level of responsibility to a major level in 24 hours flat, and I became overwhelmed with the reality of it all. I started to lose sleep, I became a little edgy, and I don’t think that I was all that much fun to be around.

One morning while I was out for my daily run I thought, “Hold on there, big fella”, I said to myself, “You have no experience running a company like this, let alone have employees work for you. Why don’t you admit it now and get out while you still can before it’s too late.”

You know, I almost believed it. I came very close to deciding on stopping the process and going back to what I was doing before. I finished my run, sat at my desk, sweat pouring off of me and wrote the pros and cons of going ahead with this change.

The more “pros” that I wrote, the more excited I became. As a matter of fact, I didn’t even get to the “cons” side because I was too excited.

I sat then and wrote the answers to the following questions:

1. What is the problem?
2. What are the causes of this problem?
3. What are the possible solutions for me?
4. What is the best possible solution?

Sitting at my desk and going through that process was energizing me. I felt completely renewed! It dawned on me that I had reached a career goal that I had set for myself 10 years ago. I have had many goals in my career, and reached most of them, but this one was the “Mother of all goals”. I guess that I was just a little too caught up in the busyness of life to realize what had happened.

I believe that what was making me nervous, was the fact that I was focusing too much on my background than on my future. My background was not in management or serious decision-making, but in going through life every day just doing the best that I could, and leaving the heavy decisions to someone else. I had doubts because I had never done this before. I think that I was comfortable in a rut that I didn’t even know that I was in.

I see people every day who do just the same thing. They blame their lot in life on their backgrounds. They had an unpleasant childhood, or something happened along the way where they failed, and they decided that it was easier to not try at all than to fail.

In effect what they were doing was believing that if nothing is ventured, nothing is gained and the status quo remains. It was easier to blame someone else, than to accept that something happened and move on. Never taking responsibility for who they are today, and what they can do to improve on that.

The realization that I came to is that you can change your background if you choose to! How you ask? Simply by focusing on what went right.

Even in the greyness of your memories, there were some things that went right. The next way to change your background is to change your future! After all, tomorrow, when you look back on today, will become a part of your background.

The decisions and actions and attitudes that you take and have today, will affect you tomorrow, and thus become a part of your background.

If you want to achieve more in your life, but are hampered by the thoughts and happenings of yesterdays gone past, change your background by changing your viewpoint.

Focus on what is possible, not impossible. Focus on what you can do, not can’t do. Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Make an action plan to carry you through the process, get a mentor and if necessary ask someone for help.

When you ask someone for help, make sure that it is someone who will challenge you and who knows the road ahead. Too many people ask the wrong people for advice and never succeed. Sometimes they ask people who have never risked anything because they were afraid of failure or change.

These people may be wonderful people, but in this case, they are not what you need. You need someone who will challenge you and encourage you and guide you along the way.

This week, as you are striving to become the you that you want to be, realize that you can become whatever you want if you will want what you will become. Do it with passion and energy, and you will achieve goals that you never before dreamed possible.

Be willing to take a risk. Afraid is good! Face the fear and do it in spite of it! That is what I am willing to do this week, what about you?

by Paul Kearley

For 22 years, Paul Kearley has thrived in the personal development and coaching business. As a Master Coach for the past 10 years, Paul’s passion is in developing and creating increased potential with both clients and other trainers. A columnist for two newspapers in Eastern Canada, and editor for his own weekly ezine, Paul writes articles that address the everyday challenges we all have and face in life and in business, and offers suggestions for success.

If you’d like to subscribe to “E-Motion” his weekly ezine, simply goto his website: http://www.mustfactor.com/ or by calling 506 433 4722.

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

Once You Decide On A Goal And A Course Of Action, Do You give 100%?

In general, how commited are you to the results you want? When you decide what your goal is, and how you are going to get it, how commited are you to it's completion?

Here is a good article explaining why you must be 100% on board with your own plans. Commit to your goals 100%, and don't allow any conflicting emotions to surface. One Focus To Success!

100%

There is a certain way in which you can eliminate all of your internal self debate. I don’t care what you want, by using this method you’ll eliminate your internal debate every time. There will be no more thinking it over, compromise, doubt, coulda, shoulda or if I’d only’s.

When you put this into practice the decision is made, and you no longer have to waste energy making up your mind.

What can you do in order for this to happen?

Give 100%

I’m not talking about working hard, or giving everything you have for something. I’m talking about making up your mind 100%. If you only decide 99% you’ve left room for debate, by writing the decision as made with 100% certainty you’ve eliminated your need to debate.

Take marriage for example. If you decide 100% that you will not stray from your spouse you do not need to think about it. No matter what situation you find yourself in, no matter what ‘opportunities’ you are presented with, you will remain faithful every time. The decision was made and it’s no longer up for debate.

However, if you’ve only decided 99% then you have problems. With each new temptation comes a new debate. With every chance you’re given to make a poor decision, you must decide that time whether or not to ask.

That 1% difference is huge.

Imagine if 99% of flights were safe. Imagine if 99% of the time surgeons do a good job. Imagine if 99% of the time you took your kids to the park they weren’t kidnapped.

The results of those scenarios are disastrous. If you want to protect your life, and your children’s lives you’d want to make sure that each of those above scenarios are perfect 100% of the time.

Missing 1% may seem small, but if it was you that had a botched surgery, a crashed flight, or your kids were taken from you–that 1 % ruined your life.

If you’re losing weight, make it a 100% commitment. Turning down cake after dinner is easy if you’ve already made your mind up.

Want to make more money? Turning off the tv and working toward your goal is easy, no matter what’s on if you’ve determined that no matter what you’re going to do it.

Improving yourself? Check.

Being a better parent? Check.

Being a better spouse? Check.

Being a better person? Check.


Decide today what you want, and make your mind up 100% that you’re going to have that.

By eliminating that self debate you’ve had in the past, you’ve freed up a ton of energy to focus in on what you actually want!

by Josh Bickford

Josh Bickford has found his purpose, and it's YOU! He has written a book just for you--and it's FREE! Be sure to claim your copy at: http://magnificenceblog.com/free-stuff/setting-your-goals-so-you-reach-for-magnificence

Never settle, always reach for magnificence!

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

Sometimes Bad Things Happen To Good People, How Will You Handle Bad Days?

RESISTING THE SIREN’S SONG OF THE VICTIM STORY

So... you think YOU had a bad day, huh? Last week I...

...had my new car stolen
...found an error requiring me to pay $2500
...got news that my Grandfather had been involved in a horrible accident
...had to file suit in court due to another's wrongful actions

Think I'm making this up!? Nope. It all (er... and even more bad news) happened.

I'm not writing this to make you feel good about your life, poo-poo your challenges or even garner sympathy for my plight... Nor is there going to be any "well... life goes on, there's a silver lining in those clouds" kind of moral here, either.

What will happen in any of these circumstances? Dunno. But the larger insight has been not to give in to the siren's song of "the victim story."

Time and time again on TLS I see people locked in to their victim story. No matter what they do, something bad happens to them. Others are doing bad things to them. They're *trying*, it's just that... (fill in the blank with some thing, someone, some something that AGAIN victimized them).

But... I'm not a victim. Nope, not even of the auto theft.

It's said that one of the toughest realizations every person comes to in becoming an adult is the realization that no one else is going to take care of you. If it's to be... well, it's up to me. And, if you get locked into the victim story, well... you get lots of sympathy. But you sure don't get much power OR change.

You had a hard life? Well, what are you going to do about it!?

Stop taking pride in your victimization. Stop holding out your complaints and the wrongs others (life?) have done to you. NO ONE IS COMING TO YOUR RESCUE.

The life I'm living is mine. It's the way it is, from a myriad of actions and decisions that's brought me to this moment. Responsible for other's actions!? Nope. But, no matter WHAT anyone has done "to" me... I am responsible – FULLY responsible – for my life.

I'm responsible for where my life is, for what protections I've put in place, for what insurance I've put in place, for what resources I've build up, for what friendships I've built to call upon, for what money I've saved....

... Or not.

Sympathy begets sympathy. And, if you're to keep receiving your daily allotment of it... you'll need to keep the "poor me" stories coming.

Don't get me wrong: it's not that bad things are not happening to you. They are. After all, my car WAS stolen. My Grandfather did suffer a catastrophic accident. Another has wronged me to the point that it was necessary to file suit.

But the question is WHERE IS YOUR POWER? And, it certainly is NOT in what's been done wrong to you.

This is life. More to the point, this is YOUR life. There's no sense resisting. Things simply are as they are. There's nothing in that, that means that you can't work to make them better. But, in the mean time, drop the victim story. The sympathy you'll get for it is not worth the cost it takes on your soul.

Your answer is your power; your joy; even, what comes "easy" even when your car was stolen and your Grandfather placed in the hospital.

I'm not a victim. I'm the victor.

For today, drop your complaints, drop your victim story. Do not complain about another thing in your life, for today. This is simply the life you've made yourself. Even if someone else did something to you. No one else is coming to your rescue; no one else is going to take care of you. You don't need them to. You'll figure this out on your own. And, you'll do it, because... you're not a victim.

You're the victor. Even if you're still figuring it all out along the way.

by Mark Farmer

Reprinted from http://TotalLifeSuccess.com – the Web’s leading success community featuring inspirational quotes, success articles, and tools to improve your life. To subscribe, visit http://totallifesuccess.com

Control Your Self Talk - Maximize Personal Development by Stopping Mental SPAM

How to Maximize Personal Development by Instantly Stopping Mental SPAM

Did you know that the one solitary reason why people fail in their personal development efforts is because they allow their own belief systems to get in the way?

You will find people who say that there were circumstances beyond their control that made them have to step away from their self improvement efforts, but that is very rarely the truth of the matter.

Yes, it is possible for life to throw up roadblocks that you have to hurdle, but if you are truly dedicated to making improvements in your life, you will find a way to get over, under, or around any roadblock that is put in your way.

However, since the most powerful gift that any human being has is their mind, that power can be used to trip you up just as easily as it can be used to lift you to new heights.

In fact, in a society that is filled with a seemingly never-ending supply of negativity, an increasing lack of free time, and a continually growing list of tasks that any given person is called upon to do, it is no surprise that people have trouble staying on track with their personal development efforts.

The trick to breaking out of that vicious cycle is to recognize that it is your own mind that is allowing you to believe that the circumstances of your life have the power to get in your way, and then redirecting your mind whenever that happens.

Let's say for example that you are in the process of becoming financially secure. You are focusing on that goal, and you are inspired to take action on business ventures, create new products, or offer new services.

The normal course of the human thought process is to then immediately start to think about all of the things that are going to stand in the way of your success.

Maybe the business venture that you want to get involved with will require resources that you don't have easy access to. Maybe the products that you want to create will require a large expenditure of time. Perhaps you don't see an easy way to offer the new service that you have been thinking of.

Another example could be that of weight loss. You decide that you are finally going to buckle down and start exercising and eating right, and you get excited about the more healthy (and smaller) person that you are going to become.

Once again, your mental roadblocks jump in the way. You start to think about how much time it is going to take you to workout every day. You give thought to how much more difficult it is going to be to prepare and have access to healthy foods.

You start to think about how physically and mentally busy you already are, and how cleaning up your health is going to cause even more strain on your life.

There are endless examples just like the two that were listed with regard to finances and health, but the process is always the same. You decide to make some positive changes in your life, but then you talk yourself right out of doing it.

The simple way to stop this process is to come up with a word or a phrase that you can use to immediately sweep away the negative and disempowering thoughts that come to mind when you are considering your personal development efforts.

It could be a simple power word like "Next!" or something more in-depth such as "I am in control of my ability to accomplish _________________, and nothing is going to stand in my way!"

You can come up with any word or phrase that works for you on a personal level, but the key to achieving success with this method is to consistently use it - especially in the first 30 days of your personal development efforts.

It is a well-known fact that it takes anywhere from 3 to 4 weeks for a new habit to become fully ingrained into our lifestyle, and that fact applies to mental thought processes as well as the actual tasks that are involved in your self improvement efforts.

This method seems simplistic, which is exactly why many people will think that it is not effective. Another negative human habit is that we tend to only give value to something if we have to spend a lot of money for it, or if it is something that is going to require a huge effort on our part.

This simple but effective self improvement technique does not fit either of those descriptions. Rather it is amazingly powerful, yet ridiculously simple.

Whenever you have a disempowering thought, you immediately dismiss it.

Whether those thoughts come out at random intervals, or if they are constantly popping up on a frequent basis, the solution is the same. Dismiss every disempowering thought with your power word or phrase every single time that such a thought crosses your mind.

Before you know it, not only will you have consistently taken action on whatever your initial goal was, but you will have simply and easily reprogrammed yourself for continued success in the future as well. You will also have built a rock-solid base of self-confidence that you will be able to rely on for the rest of your life!

by Aaron Potts

About the Author
Aaron Potts is the founder of the Today is that Day Success Community, and the author of Energy Harmonics, which teaches about self improvement, vibratory alignment, and the Law of Attraction. Visit his site at http://www.todayisthatday.com to learn about Energy Harmonics and to get his free newsletter, or visit his blog at http://www.todayisthatday.com/blog/

Keys To Overcoming Failure On Your Way To Your Goals

I thought this would be a good follow up article to our post the other day about gaining self confidence through failure. (How To Build Confidence And Gain Expertise At The Same Time)

There is good information here for those who might like to know just how to get through failure and and achieve their goals.

5 Keys To Overcome Failure

Everyone hates to fail but what most people don’t realize is that failing is part of success. Anyone who has ever succeeded has failed many times. So, how do you overcome failure?

Here are 5 keys to overcoming failure.

1. Learn from your mistakes and failures. How did you learn to ride a bike? The short answer: you fell off 100 times. Every time you make a mistake or fail, learn as much as you can from it so that you are better prepared next time.

Action Step: Write down the top five things that you learned from your last mistake or failure.

2. Don’t dwell on it. Now that you have learned something from your mistake, move on. Don’t dwell on your past. You can’t tell where you are going if you are looking backwards. Also, dwelling on your past failures will keep you in prison right where you are.

Action Step: Read what you have written down in Key 1 (The 5 Things You Learned).

3. Don’t be afraid to try again. Don’t let the fear from your last failure stop you from reaching your greatness, goal, dream, or potential. Just like learning to ride that bike, you didn’t fall once or twice and then give up.

Action Step: Take what you have learned and try it again now that you are better prepared.

4. Surround yourself with positive people. No matter what it is that you are trying to achieve, surround yourself with successful people that have done what you want to do.

One of the best ways to overcome failure is to learn how other people just like you overcame failure. This will not only encourage you but give you the proof that it can be done.

Action Step: Find a person or a group of people who are successful and get around them as soon as possible.

5. Realize that failure is part of the learning curve. Failure and mistakes aren’t fun but they are what help us learn to be great at whatever it is we are trying to achieve.

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” – Colin Powell

Action Step: Think back to a time where you succeeded. Then think how many times you failed or made mistakes to get to that success.

Now that you have the 5 Keys to Overcoming Failure, go out there and just do it! You have a seed of greatness on the inside of you. Don’t let anyone or anything stop you from reaching your full potential in life.

By Jason Osborn and Rebecca Osborn

Jason and Rebecca are the founders of http://www.findyourgreatness.com/ They have helped many people to get started on their path towards greatness and start living their dreams. They are an inspiration to everyone they meet.

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

Keeping Success Simple, Avoid Overcomplicating Your Plans

KISS - Keep It Simple Sweetheart

Ran across a great post on another blog today and wanted to share it with you.

It's all about how successful people (and there are plenty of examples) accomplished extroardinary goals in their life by making simple plans and staying the course.

By consistently putting in the effort towards what they wanted, they moved inexorably towards their goals with persistent, determined actions daily.

Sometimes in our efforts to 'get all our ducks in a row', we will plan everything down to the last detail and not only lose our flexibility to adjust quickly, but we actually make our plans hard to follow and difficult to action.

Here is a teaser and then follow the link to read the rest of this great article.

Success Through Simple Plans

When Seko, the Japanese runner, won the Boston Marathon in 1981, he was asked about his training plan. Seko explained it with only twelve words:

“I run 10 kilometers in the morning and 20 in the evening.”

This simple plan enabled him to outrun the world’s most gifted runners.

When Seko was told that his plan seemed too simple, compared to that of other marathoners, he replied:

“The plan is simple, but I do it every single day, 365 days a year”.
Simple? Yes!

Effective? Yes!

Easy? No!

Most people fail to reach their goals not because their plans are too simple or too complicated.

They fail because they do not follow their own plans. All plans are useless if they are not followed.

Seko’s plan was effective not because it was simple but because he followed it every single day.
On the other hand, we are more likely to follow a plan if it is simple.

The great marathon runner, Paula Radcliffe, has a simple race plan. She gets out in front and stays there!

In the film ‘Waterloo’, the Duke of Wellington is asked by his second in command what his plans are for the battle.

The iron duke replies: ‘To beat the French’.

Wellington was a man who paid close attention to detail in all his campaigns but he kept the simple over all plan in constant view. Every smaller plan must fit into the big simple picture.

Epictetus was another person who knew how to keep things simple:

“If you wish to be a writer, write.”

The writer who has the simple plan of writing for an hour every day will eventually complete whatever they are writing. The weight lifter who lifts for an hour every other day will become strong.

A simple plan that is followed is worth far more than a sophisticated plan which is not followed . . .

Read the whole article here: Success Through Simple Plans

If I Only Had a Heart . . .

I enjoyed this article so much that I figured that someone else might too. No wonder the movie is a classic, and is still regularly shown after fifty or sixty plus years!

If I Only Had a Heart

I know you probably have heard of the movie, “The Wizard of Oz” right? Well, for those of you, who have somehow managed to miss this movie, let me give you a brief description of it.

A young lady named Dorothy is upset with her home life and decides to run away. But before she can get very far, a tornado strikes. Her entire house flies away in the cyclone. She lands in a land called Oz.

Now, all of a sudden, Dorothy wants to get home. When she was home, she wanted to run away. Isn’t that just like us? We are never happy.

Anyway, she learns that the only person who could help her get home is The Wizard and he lives in Emerald City (am I confusing The Wizard of Oz with The Wiz?)

Nevertheless, on her journey to meet The Wizard, she meets a scarecrow, a tin man and a lion, each of who decides to join her on her journey to meet The Wizard. They figured if he was going to do something for her, then perhaps he could do something for them too.

See the scarecrow needed a brain. The tin man needed a heart and the lion needed courage. They figured The Wizard would be able to give them what they needed.

They take you through this long journey through The Land of Oz, where it becomes apparent to everyone except the individual that he already has exactly what he is looking for but he doesn’t believe he has it.

The scarecrow, who believed he didn’t have a brain, was the one who came up with all the ideas and was able to defeat The Wicked Witch of the West (or was it East?)

The tin man was so sensitive and cried so much that everyone but him could tell he had a heart of gold and the lion, defended and defeated everyone who came in their path. He, too, had what he was looking for—courage.

I tell this story because I was watching it the other day with Erica and Eli and it reminded me about how so many of us are today.

We settle for anything and everything because we believe we do not have what it takes to be successful. We believe we are not skilled, or smart enough, or strong enough to get the job done.

Yet, if we were to ask others, people who know us well, what they thought we were good at, they could run off an entire list of things that we can do well.

And, when we hear the list of things that others think we excel at, we deny it. We say, “No, not me. I couldn’t do that. For real? You think so?” We find it hard to believe.

So we continue to search for The Wizard. And when we find him, we discover that he is just a nice, old man standing behind curtains working a Wizard machine and that everything we ever needed was right inside of us all along.

What are you seeking that appears to be out of reach?

What do you desire for your life?

What do you really wish to do but feel you do not have what it takes to accomplish it?

Chances are you do have it. You already have all that you will ever need to be the person you desire to be. All it takes is for you to recognize it, claim it, and visualize your way to success.

See, in the movie The Wizard of Oz it wasn’t until The Wizard, or nice, old man behind the curtains gave the scarecrow a piece of paper, the tin man a golden locket, and the lion a medal of honor, that they started to believe in themselves.

Are you that person who needs a picture-framed diploma hanging around your office before you believe you have what it takes?

Then make one up yourself.

You have a computer. You can put together a certificate. Make it say whatever you want it to say.

Say something like, “I, Dawn Fields, am certified to Do, Be and Have ANYTHING I desire. I am fully capable and able to do whatever it is that I wish to do with my life—RIGHT NOW, in this VERY moment. So long as I invite the God that is within to go along for the ride.”

Now go out and be the best that you can be.

by Dawn Fields

Dawn Fields is a motivational speaker, author and spiritual life coach. She also hosts Your Life's Purpose Interactive Internet Radio Show every Thursday night at 9 p.m. EST at http://www.dawnfields.com/radioshow.htm

Be sure to visit the web site at http://www.dawnfields.com and sign up for the inspiraitonal and motivational weekly newsletter Your Life's Purpose by sending a blank email to yourlifespurpose-subscribe@topica.com with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

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

Are You Living A Life Of Significance? If Not, Why Not?

Why Can't You Be Extraordinary?

During a recent interview, millionaire Farrah Gray was asked what inspired him to become rich at age 14?

Farrah Gray replied, "Why not me."

I admire Farrah Gray for his vision and more importantly his commitment and quest for wanting to be rich. To become rich or wealthy you have to do something extraordinary.

Extraordinary does not require you to do anything unusual except planning your work and working your plan. A better way to state this is for you to decide on an area of focus like real estate and then learn all you can about it and follow through, which is the action step.

You may not want to be a millionaire like Farrah Gray but you do want to achieve better results in your life. Your goal may consist of being a more effective leader or a better accountant.

Whatever you decide to do to become the best at what you do will consist of developing a plan, then working your plan to see it through to fruition.

There is nothing difficult or revolutionary when it comes to being extraordinary. Part of being extraordinary could very well involve you being in the right place at the right time for your opportunity. It is stated, showing up is 80% of success.

In other words when you decide to fully exploit an opportunity it simply means you want it bad enough to go the extra mile to achieve your goal. Determination and will overcome lack every single time.

You were born a extraordinary human being, develop your plan and work your plan and you will be considered an extraordinary human being.

by Paul Lawrence

Paul Lawrence Vann is known as 'Mr. Peak Performance" because he leads people to maximize their human potential. He is the author of Living on Higher Ground: How to live with passion, motivation, and joy. Contact Paul at: (00) 476-8976, http://www.paullawrencevann.com, or paul@paullawrencevann.com.

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

How Is Your Self Talk? How Is Your Resolve And Are You Being Persistent?

I Resolve To - Three Powerful, Positive Words To Live By

What to do about the winter blahs?! Where is the motivation and good mood? Where is the sunshine? Why do we feel like this? Those are very common questions in January and February when we struggle with gloomy days, and hope for a better mood and motivation to work on our resolutions, dreams and goals.

Let me suggest a few strategies that can give you a boost when you're down in the dumps during those long, cold days of winter.

First: Keep in mind the weather will warm, the blossoms will bloom and your whole outlook will change in just a couple months. Count down to the first official day of Spring, March 20 - it will remind you that winter doesn't last forever! You will soon be working in the garden, biking, walking, basking in the sunshine! Don't waste precious time in January and February. Remind yourself each and every day: I Resolve To . . . and persist until you fulfill your dream!

Second: Wallowing in the January Blues won't help. If you're feeling a bit down, or mulling things that are making you feel 'negative' - stop. Change the channel. Turn the tape off. However best helps you to visualize a change in mood, a change in your attitude - apply the brakes now. Stop dwelling on whatever is putting you in a 'negative' frame of mind. Remind yourself each and every day: I Resolve To . . . and persist until you fulfill your dream!

Third: Focus on one goal that makes you feel good about yourself and your place in the world during those harsh, gloomy winter days. Focus on the positive. Do something that you enjoy, something that makes you happy, something that moves 'you' forward in your life in a 'positive' way.

Instead of thinking about the bitter temperatures, snow, hard work, messy house, holiday excess-poundage, debt - all those thoughts, feelings and emotions that are really depressing you - get busy and go for a walk, hit the gym, read a book, write, organize a messy room, see a movie with your kids, have dinner with good friends . . . the list is endless.

Don't dwell on the negative. Do something and don't worry if it's simple, you don't have to move mountains every day! Accomplish a few small tasks, then hit the big ones when you have some momentum going!

Bottom line: change your focus from the negative to the positive. It's hard. I really have to work at it some days, like most folks, but you can change your focus to something that is beneficial and rewarding in your life, something that makes you happy and promotes inspiration in the dull days winter.

Remind yourself each and every day: I Resolve To . . . and persist until you fulfill your dream!

Fourth: Renew your hope, faith and desire for achieving your dream. If you've been a little hit and miss lately with your resolution to ___, don't give up, it's natural at this time of the year.

You are not alone. If you keep pressing forward with your resolution, one small step at a time, one day at a time, your attitude will shine. You will build on your successes, one after another like climbing stairs to the stars. The act of 'doing' will make you feel much better, more accomplished, more in control!

Stop the 'someday, someday syndrome'. Procrastination reaps nothing but regret, so get going! Ultimately, you will build and implement a simple, common sense plan that will take you from start to finish. It's your choice. It's time!

Remind yourself each and every day: I Resolve To . . . and persist until you fulfill your dream!

Tomorrow, hit the gym for 30-minutes. Work on your novel for 30-minutes. Do your homework about healthy eating habits. Research that dream trip to Greece (that you'll take next August).

Map the best way to organize your house, room by room during the next 12 months. Begin the daily journey by Daring to Dream, then make a Decision to 'Pursue That Dream One Day At A Tme For One Year'. Make it a Lifetime Dream that's with you always. DO IT FOR YOU!

Remember: I Resolve To Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year. Let's 'Go For It'!

Yes you 'can do it' during the cold bleak days of winter just as you would during the sunny days of spring, if you set your mind to it, and cultivate passion, patience and persistence!

by Kim Simpson

Kim Simpson, a former journalist, provides communications and fundraising services and strategic planning, for Members of Congress, Non-Profit Organizations and Associations in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area. A self-employed entrepreneur, she launched http://www.IResolveTo.Com in 2005 in an effort to help others to achieve their New Year Resolutions, Dreams and Goals.

Her motto is - I Resolve To Achieve My New Year Resolutions, One Resolution, One Day At A Time For One Year.™ Let's 'Go For It'. This article is Copyright © I Resolve To, Inc.™ * All Rights Reserved. It can be printed for personal, non-commercial use in achieving New Year Resolutions, Dreams and Goals.

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

Can You Achieve Your Goals Through Belief Alone?

Performers in any kind of competition speak of the importance of belief and confidence. The stars who win gold medals often describe how they believed, and even knew, that they would win the event before it started.

Does belief, then, always work? Not always.

I was surprised when I watched one or two episodes of American Idol recently at how many candidates said they believed they could become the next American Idol.

Many were sure of it. They believed they could sing well enough to charm a nation. The same thing happens in Pop Idol, the UK equivalent of American Idol.

Some of these confident people clearly had no hope at all of becoming the next idol as they could not sing in tune and had not given much thought to their appearance or performance skills.

Yet surely if their belief was strong enough, they should at least be able to get through to the next round of the competition?

I began to think that if they are so deluded about what they believe possible and don't realise it, maybe I am just as deluded about what I believe possible for myself.

I have not been too deluded about my singing since I was slung out of the school choir at the age of 8 although I have sometimes questioned that expulsion and considered it a little hasty!

Maybe I am deluded about my ability to write something worth reading? You will have to decide that!

Perhaps the expelled American and UK candidates did not really believe. Maybe they were just hoping? But many of them were really upset and even furious when they were turned down. They really believed they should have been allowed through to the next stage of the competition.

Many of us would have been annoyed at the needlessly rude remarks of Simon Cowell but some candidates were just horribly disappointed anyway when they failed to pass their audition.

Paula Abdul, another judge, tried to let people down lightly. She spoke kindly and wisely to Jonathan who was convinced he could be the next idol.

"Always believe in yourself and you'll make it in something."

Part of the answer to questions about the power of belief can be found in Paula's words. We need to decide carefully which of our talents are worthy of our belief.

Some of the 'singers' who wish to perform in American or UK singing competitions might do better as dancers or actors or fans of those who could sing well.

We should also realize that belief and confidence should be based on reality and regular training.
Sarah Price, the English backstroke swimmer, won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in August 2002. She was asked for the secret of her success and answered that it was caused by the confidence she gained from her systematic training.

Consistent, systematic training means that you must train when you may not feel like training. Regular training is vital whether one feels like it or not.

My favourite quote on consistent training comes from Peter Vidmar, the American gymnast. He speaks of the two secrets which were responsible for his success:

"There’s only two things I had to do to win Olympic gold: train when I wanted to, and train when I didn’t."

Peter won two gold medals and one silver medal in gymnastics at the 1984 Olympics. He later became an inspirational speaker showing people how to apply the lessons he had learned in sport to their lives in business.

Before Sally Gunnell, the UK hurdler, won Olympic and World Championship gold, she oozed confidence and belief in herself. Why?

Because she had a record of success behind her and because she knew she had prepared hard and eaten correctly for months before the championship.

She had not touched chocolate in 6 months! The world was about to become her oyster or chocolate egg instead. She won gold at both meetings.

Athletes who have talent and confidence but who do not train hard and regularly, seldom win the big championships. Many have the talent but are not prepared to pay the price of training when others relax or sleep.

If you do not believe in your ability, start working your way into the necessary belief by preparing hard and training hard. Someone has wisely said:

"It is easier to behave your way into new thinking than to think your way into new behaviour."

Basically, I do think that belief is crucial to success. The eventual winners of the American and UK Idol clearly need to believe in their own talent enough to enter the competition and to keep working away even when they are discouraged by the occasional poor performance.

Sally Gunnell needed to believe in her ability enough to even begin the arduous training and preparation necessary to achieve Olympic gold.

However, your belief must be based on some evidence at least that you can achieve your goal and on hours and hours of hard work and training.

Don't worry too much then about whether you feel you will win or lose or whether you will succeed or fail. Just get going on what you have to do to achieve your goals and let your belief grow along with the work you put in.

Do the work anyway and don't worry about the results. If you do your best the results will usually follow and you will stand out from the majority of people who seldom do their best.

Belief and work have always been the powerful combination recommended by the great religions and by the great self-help gurus.

The harder you work, the greater your belief will be. And the more you believe in yourself, the harder you will work as you begin to accept the possibility that you might actually achieve your most cherished goals.

One of the greatest self-help experts Dr Maxwell Maltz had no doubt about the power of belief:
"Within you right now is the power to do things you never dreamed possible. This power becomes available to you just as soon as you can change your beliefs."

The power to do the impossible becomes available when we can change our beliefs. However, changing our beliefs might well involve hard work as we develop the skills which will allow us to start believing in our own abilities.

John Watson

About the author - John Watson has written several ebooks on motivation, success and goal achievement. One of his main ebooks called '36 Laws' is at http://www.motivationtoday.com/36_laws.php

Applying any one of these laws can make you realize that you have the inner power necessary to achieve your dreams.

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

Another New Year And "I'm Back In The Saddle Again"

Hi Winners! Happy New Year to you! I hope that you all had a safe holiday and took a little time to re-energize. I sure did. I love taking time to be with family and friends, and December is always a time to "sharpen the saw" for me.

I usually set my goals for the year and then I plan to achieve them in 11 months instead of 12. I tend to wind down early in December. Then once I set my goals for the new year I go after them with gusto and enjoy every bit of the journey. I wish that for you too.

Anyway, just a short message for you today. It is a classic poem to hang on your mirror or desk, and a couple of short but profound quotes. I'm sure you have already seen them, but have you really taken them to heart? Here they are again.

My Wage by J.B. Rittenhouse

I bargained with Life for a penny, And Life would pay no more,
However I begged at the evening, When I counted my scanty store.

For Life is a just employer, He gives you what you ask,
But once you have set the wages, Why, you must bear the task.

I worked for a menial's hire, Only to learn, dismayed,
That any wage I had asked of Life, Life would have willingly paid.

-- J.B. Rittenhouse

Another good quote to remember . . .

William James of Harvard said, "If you would be rich . . . you will be rich. If you would be learned . . . you will be learned. If you would be good . . . you will be good. But wish then for one thing exclusively, and don't at the same time wish for a hundred other incompatible things just as strongly."

And don't ever forget this one . . .

Don't wonder about whether something is possible - don't get bogged down in WHETHER. Ask HOW. Over and over if you have to, but ask how can you do it, not whether you can." ---- Brian Tracy

For those interested in Getting Fit this year, check out this information from a blog I have been following. - Paul Piotrowski. He is writing a great series of articles on getting into shape.


Action Step

So, What do you want for 2007? Have you written your goals out on paper? Are they aligned so that each one helps build momentum and adds to the quality of your life? If you havent done it already, then this is a good time to start.

If you have new year's resolutions to get healthy in 2007, then please check out these two areas for information on how to set effective goals and follow through.

How To Set Healthy New Year's Resolutions - New Report
Quit Smoking Now - New Section of The Realgoalgetter

Let's make 2007 another banner year. See you next time. Go For It!

Al Smith

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

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

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

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

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

Success Starts And Ends With A Positive Attitude (with a little "how to" inbetween)

Success Starts With Positive Attitude

Got attitude? A positive one?

I will bet every one thinks that they have a positive attitude, and unfortunately the same amount of folks have never taken a course in it.

Eighty to 100 percent of one's success is dependent on their positive attitude, yet most have had no formal training. You can start by reading and studying these four books:

1. Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
2. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
3. How to Stop Worrying and Start Living by Norman Vincent Peale
4. The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

If you want wealth, first build a wealth of knowledge. I also recommend that you enroll in the nearest Dale Carnegie program. Carnegie courses are timeless and will provide a great attitude foundation.

Here are 21 other attitude gems that I have picked up along the way that I recommend you read, cut out, copy, share with others, post on you wall and study:

1. Change your input to change your attitude. If you seek a positive mind, you must expose yourself to positive information and hang around positive people.

2. You were born to win, but you must plan and prepare to win. Then you can expect to win (a famous Zig Ziglar quote).

3. The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare to win. (Vince Lombardi, famous coach.)

4. You will get whatever you want if you help enough people get whatever they want.

5. Make every day as productive as the day before you go on vacation – a day EVERYTHING gets done.

6. Ignore people who tell you you can’t (except your boss). People will try to rain on your parade because they have no parade of their own.

7. If you have nothing nice to say about someone, say nothing.

8. Do not dwell on (or whine about) the problem, concentrate on the solution. Resolve how you can, not lament why you cannot.

9. Forgive and go forward. Grudge blocks positive. Until you clear the past, you are destined to repeat it.

10. Self-talk equals self-performance.

11. What is the picture you have of yourself? That is what you will become. Spend 15 minutes a day focusing on a positive picture.

12. You will hear the word ‘NO’ 116,000 times in your lifetime. Try converting just 1,000 of them to a “YES,” and the world is your oyster.

13. What you do off the job determines what you are likely to do on the job. (Uh oh!)

14. Strengthen your weaknesses and strengthen your strengths at the same time. Combine positive with negative for better personal development results.

15. Failure is an event, not a person.

16. It is not what happens to you, it is what you do with what happens to you. Attitude manifests itself in your response to events.

17. Every obstacle presents an opportunity, if you are looking for it. “Revel” and “lament” are choices.

18. Hard work makes luck. Nothing affects positive circumstance and results more than hard work.

19. How many of your problems are cured with 10 grand? If money makes your problems go away, attitude makes them go away as well.

20. It is not what you say - it is how you say it. The tone of your verbiage determines the atmosphere of your environment.

21. Resign your position as general manager of the universe. Do not try to solve other people’s problems, until you are problem-free.

Years ago I was riding down the road listening to a tape by Earl Nightingale (one of the founding fathers of personal development). On tape 4 of his legendary series “Direct Line” the topic was enthusiasm. “Enthusiasm,” he said, “comes from the Greek ‘entheos’ meaning the God within.”

All of a sudden all the other quotes and advice made sense. The strength of self-belief is within your own spirit, it you hunger for the feeling.

by Janae Wentworth
Top Podcasting Resources
Prostate Cancer Info
Prosthetic Eye Care

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

Want To Make Massive Progress? Be Unreasonable!

7 Ways To Be Unreasonable

Most people look to what they know they CAN do as a guide to what they WILL do; I think to get anything important done in the world, you have to look towards what you WANT to do, and then figure out how to do it.

When most people think about what they are committed to, they consider where they can build a bridge to from where they already are. What would happen if you chose where you wanted to go without considering your current circumstances and then worried about how to build that bridge?

There is nothing wrong with being reasonable, except that "what is reasonable" is a poor guide to action when designing actions to push the future. Being reasonable will help you feel safe in the sense of knowing that your actions will turn out pretty much the way you expect them to. But it is dangerous in that same sense of producing predictable results; what is predictable has, by definition, been done before. And what has been done before is unlikely to make much of a difference in the future.

Seven ways to be unreasonable.

“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adopt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.” - George Bernard Shaw

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results.” - Rita Mae Brown

“So what else is new?” - Paul Lemberg

Being reasonable

My dictionary defines being reasonable as being rational. Rational, it says, means being reasonable. A vicious circle: I know I'm in trouble already. Going further, reasonable also means being governed by reason; which in turn means explanations, justifications, underlying facts, good judgment, normalcy, plus the capacity for logic and analytic thought. Further, being reasonable means being within the bounds of common sense, as in arriving home at a reasonable hour, and lastly it means not excessive or extreme.

I'm all for logic and analytic thought, but does following the dictum "be reasonable" sound like a good way to build a breakthrough business?

The very idea of "being reasonable," prescribes something restrictive. It exhorts us to remain "within the box," to do what sensible people would do: not to over commit ourselves, to be cautious, to avoid risks, to hold our trump cards.

What is the alternative?

To be unreasonable, of course. Being unreasonable, like it's more cautious cousin, suggests multiple meanings. Here are seven applications of being unreasonable.

1. Think beyond what is normal, proper, and appropriate.
Typically, one of the first things prospective clients say to me is, "But you're not from our industry. How can you understand our problems, much less provide solutions?" My response is always the same: "That's the last thing you need. You already have plenty of people thinking similar and over-used ideas." What you need is thinking un-bounded by the traditional logic of your industry; ideas that can bring an un-reasoning perspective.

2. Eliminate the reasons why.
There are reasons why we have to do things a certain way. There are reasons why certain approaches to business are going to work and others will not. There are reasons why things should be the way they are and not some other way. Challenge the reasons why and ask people to set them aside. Ask, "Well, what if we did. What would happen then? Would that work? What would work better? What would really rock you?"

3. No more excuses.
When someone in your company doesn't produce the desired results--results to which they have committed, perhaps promised themselves and their departments--they usually have a reason why not. Looking at it this way, you always have one or the other: desired results or reasons why you don't. People act as if those reasons are almost as good as the results. How do I know this? Because they always say something like, "Well, it didn't work, but here's why not," or "We didn't get 'it' done, because..." Or, worse still, " We didn't even try because..."

Remove people's option to resort to reasons why not. Take away their option to resort to excuses. I think the entire working world would shift if there was no recourse to the "excuse" option--if all you could do was produce the desired result, or try another way to get the desired result, or try another way, and so on.

4. Set unreasonable expectations.
Ask people to go beyond what they think is reasonable or normal, Ask them to go beyond cautious commitments that hedge their bets, to make risky pronouncements that exhilarate them but might threaten the natural order of things.

Place big giant stakes in the ground--then figure out how to deliver. Figure out how to turn those unreasonable expectations into reality. Taking this approach will dramatically increase effectiveness and productivity--and ultimately cash flow, if it works nicely--in any business. Why should you settle--why should your customers settle--for what is reasonable and predictable? Why accept the norm, the average, the median? Apply unreasonable thinking. Set unreasonable expectations.

5. Make unreasonable requests.
This approach will aid every executive when working with vendors, contractors and employees. Remember "Just say no?" Try "Just ask for more." Keep asking for more, better, sooner. Up the ante. Ask people to perform beyond their best.

This is not a negotiating tactic. It is not "nibbling." It is asking people to perform beyond their own sense of what is reasonable. Sometimes people will fail to meet these unreasonable commitments--don't beat them up for it. Sometimes you will get stellar results you wouldn't have dreamed of previously.

6. Make unreasonable plans.
Does this sound like an oxymoron? Most companies plan to achieve reasonable results relative to past successes and failures, or even worse, relative to questionable industry lore. Insteadof setting these kind of goals, begin with a more profound question: what would make a really big difference? What would cause a breakthrough for the company? What would dramatically increase shareholder value or profits? What would be "worth doing?" The answers may not be reasonable; they may instead take you down a path towards huge success.

7. Forecast unreasonable futures.
Most businesses forecast their results--revenues, growth rates and so on, based on prior year's results. They call this reasonable, and similarly they assume industry norms and consider them reasonable. But in the twenty-first century, driven by the incredible rate of change in all aspects of our: culture, industry, customer's businesses, our workforce, available technology--to think that anything dating from last year remains the same in this one--this isn't just not reasonable, it might be totally ridiculous.

Take into account all the factors--bring everything you know about the situation up-to-date, add to it all the future changes you predict--and use that to forecast unreasonable results and make unreasonable plans.

So what to do?

Should you give up all pretense of rationality and logic? Should you step outside the norms and ignore the accumulated wisdom of your industry? "That would be great if it works out," you say, "but if it doesn't my job is on the line." Right? Well, yes, but...

Unreasonable thinking does not mean un-thinking. Unreasonable thinking is about exploring. Pushing the envelope. Cross pollinating. Intuitive inventing. It may be that the line separating unreasonable ideas from ridiculous ideas lies where thinking is left behind. Or perhaps the line lies only in hindsight.

I think the fear of failing, the fear of jeopardizing your future, is the biggest obstacle to creating great results. Yet the only way to create big giant breakthrough results is to take the road less traveled--to create ideas and programs that are unreasonable--and going for it. If you fail people will--with perfect hindsight--call your idea ridiculous. But if you succeed... wow!
Visit www.paullemberg.com/toolsandtips.html to download a simple worksheet for aiding your practice of making unreasonable requests.

By Paul Lemberg

Paul Lemberg is the president of Quantum Growth Coaching, the world's only fully systemized business coaching program guaranteed to help entrepreneurs rapidly create More Profits and More Life™. To get your copy of our free special report with detailed steps on how to grow your business at least 40% faster, even when you aren’t sure what to do next, go to Paul's business coaching website.

Click here if you are interested in Quantum's Business Coaching Franchise opportunities.

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

A Great Master Ambition - Do You Have One?

The Power of Purpose

What does it take to be a success? We've all heard that it takes lots of hard work, but now there's actually research to back that up. Recently, researchers have shown you don't have to have talent to succeed. Just the ability to apply "deliberate practice". This type of practice still requires the long hours, but they are focused hours designed to improve performance and provide feedback on results.

Wow - that's a mouthful! It's what separates the "greats" from the "not-so-greats". Actually, it generally takes around ten years of this "deliberate practice" before "greatness" or "success" is accomplished.

Even though we now know that we don't necessarily have to have an innate ability to succeed, how can we develop the persistence and focus it requires to go through years of "deliberate practice"

That's where purpose and passion come in. Every potent life must have a great master ambition which takes precedence over all other motives. The person with a vigorous ambition is a positive, constructive, creative force.

No one can be resourceful, inventive, original or creative without potent concentration; and the complete focusing of the mind is only possible along the line of ambition, the life purpose. We cannot focus the mind upon a thing we are not interested in and enthusiastic about.

There is an infinite distance between the wishers and the doers. Most of us go to work every day and we may like our jobs favorably enough but we know in our hearts it is not our life's calling or passion. We are only loosely connected to our work and usually can't wait to go home. That's hardly a passion, is it?

There is great power in a resolution that has no reservation in it — a strong, persistent, tenacious purpose which burns all bridges behind it, clears all obstacles from its path, and arrives at its goal, no matter how long it may take, no matter what the sacrifice or the cost.

The inspiration of a great, positive ambition transforms the life. When the awakening power of a new ambition is born in a man, he is a new creature. He sees everything in a novel light. The doubts, the fears, the apathy, the vicious temptations which dogged his steps only yesterday, the stagnation which had blighted his past life, all vanish as if by magic. They are dispelled by the breath of a novel purpose.

This new feeling is comparable to the feeling you had when you first fell in love. Remember how all of a sudden the world was brighter, kinder and more beautiful? That's the feeling you want to strive for. When an inspiration comes to you, do something about it. Write a note or do some small act to remind you about the thought.

Otherwise, you may think about it for a while and then it will gradually fade away. The habit of postponing kills even the strongest inspiration. These thoughts don't always come at the most opportune time, but take action when you get them.

Remember at the beginning of this article, I pointed out that almost all of the successful people in the world got there from 'deliberate" practice over years of time? Here's some examples:

Tiger Woods - many say his "natural ability" for golf makes it look effortless. But he started playing at 18 months and had 15 years of practice before he won his first major tournament.

Michael Jordan - if his "talent" for basketball was so innate, why did he get cut from his high school basketball team?

Jerry Rice - one of the all-time foremost football receivers, was passed up by 15 teams because he was considered too slow.

Now that you feel inspired and you know that you can accomplish anything without a "God-given" ability, where do you go from here? It's not enough to merely desire something or "wish" you could do it. You must say, "I am going to prepare myself for the great life work. I have faith in my future. I have made a vow to succeed and I am going to do so with a plan of action."

There are various tools and resources to help you with your plan. Keep reading and learning! One amazing tool I have found that helps you create, focus and attain your goals doesn't cost a dime! Read below for more information.

by GiGi Konwin

Get the plan for your success started today. To discover the free tool to help you plan your life's dreams go to: Planning for Success

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

Success Strategy - The Power Of Failing, Fail Your Way To Your Goals!

Another great article by Steve Pavlina on his blog today, Making Decisions That Stick, check it out. Now to today's article on the power of failing.

Do You Believe In Your Own Strengths?

Every successful person will tell you that they only accomplished their goals because they learned how to.

They were not born with self confidence or personal strength. It is something you can create in your own mind – In fact if you examined the track record of every successful person -- you'll find that they failed more often then they succeeded. They didn't dwell on their failures. They concentrated on their goals, and moved forwards.

Successful people are not always successful. But they don't focus on their failures -- and this helps create the self confidence that propels them to greater success. They develop an attitude towards everything in their lives that increases their self esteem and confidence.

Without any arrogance, I believe that I have self esteem and confidence. In fact in spite of all my physical imperfections, I like myself! That helps, because then I can like others!!

I have achieved more than I ever thought of achieving because if I ever felt I did not like my life at any moment in time I made changes. My choice. My desire to feel good came from within and I acted on anything that sabotaged that.

I was not born with personal strength. I remember constantly looking at others in my life and wishing I was like them! I guess the desire to be different was strong enough to start me off down the road that helped me to make changes and to reach where I am happy to be today.

Wherever necessary we can make changes for improvement!

My point is that you can create your own strengths -- by developing the way you think. If you seriously want to change the way your mind focuses on things you can teach yourself to create a new way of thinking. Many have done that and are reaping the success of applying what they learnt.

How many times have you met someone for the first time and just got the sense that they're successful? Or you see someone, and they just give off this feeling of success. You've never exchanged a word with them -- but you just sense that they are successful. You can be the same! Yes you can.

Personal Strength and Self Confidence is created -- it is not given to you! This means that you can create Self Confidence to any degree you want and make the changes you want in life!

If you feel you are locked into certain situations, then change your attitude towards that situation. See it for how someone else would look at it. most of us have many things that others would appreciate, jobs, homes, husbands, wives, children, all the things that we can allow to pull us down at times.

It helps to realise that some people go through their entire lives without any of the things mentioned there. Try to look at what you have from another view point and get some appreciation for the things in your life.

It's entirely up to you how you look at things - you are in control!!

by Violet King

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

Learn To Value Rejection! And . . . Hold On To Those Rejection Letters

Hold On To Those Rejection Letters

Now why on earth would you want to hold on to something that has announced its rejection of you? Are you trying to self inflict yourself with more pain? In the beginning I cried at each rejection letter and note that I received. I literally took it personal. I was crushed and my feelings were hurt.

In the beginning, the rejection letters were coming so frequently that I could have decoupaged my walls with them. At first it affected me so horrifically that I stopped writing for a while. I had my usual pity party and thought that writing was for the eccentric, literary genius. The results – no submissions – no rejection letters – no acceptances!

After hearing about some high profile authors and entertainers whose works were rejected hundreds of times before they became famous, I regained a gratifying sense of hope. I re-read and dissected some of my rejected pieces and found grammatical and guideline errors that could have easily been avoided.

After some self-chastisement regarding those crazy, careless mistakes, I opted to turn my negative energy into positive results. Even what I considered to be a polished submission, somehow, it was still shredded to pieces.

I heard a young lady make a comment about her father, who was a writer, throwing away every one of the rejection letters he received. She said that this sent him into a deep depression and ultimately he stopped doing the one thing that he loved to do.

Apparently, he allowed his anger and hurt to overpower his passion to write. What a waste of probably some very good talent! I told her about my experiences with rejection letters and how I overcame them. Hopefully, she will share my story with her father and perhaps it will give him some inspiration to get recharged and start writing again.

Under normal circumstances, it is human to rid yourself of the painful presence of some “thing” or some “one” inflicting the feeling of rejection towards you. In this case, I found that my rejection letters helped me to create a therapeutic poem entitled “Rejection From The Red Pen Bandit.” The more I got rejected, the more I tweaked and rewrote again.

Some of my pieces that were rejected at one publication, I elected to revamp and submit elsewhere. Sometimes this resulted in a published piece. Needless to say I would be in shock, but nevertheless very elated! Now-a-days, if I receive a rejection letter, I will re-edit my piece and shop for publications where my submission adheres to their guidelines and send it out.

Turn rejection into approval by refusing to settle for defeat and accept the sweet smell of victory! While striving towards writing perfection, don’t allow obstacles (attitudes, emotions, people, and situations) to divert your attention from your destination. Be sure to abide by ethical standards. If you are a member of a writing group, sometimes membership packages will include editing services.

Read your compositions out loud to see how they flow. Find someone who shares interest in your craft or a mentor who wouldn’t mind giving you some constructive criticism. Don’t allow rejection to “break” you, let it “make” you! Who knows, that rejection letter could turn into an award winning novel.

by Kym Moore

Kym Gordon Moore has over twenty six years of writing experience throughout her corporate career, in various industries from fashion and special event coordination to marketing, public relations and sales. Dedicating the last five years to her personal creative writing projects, she’s currently working on some upcoming book projects. Many of her articles, essays, short stories and poems appeared in a variety of magazines, newspapers, ezines and anthologies. http://www.kymgmoore.com

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

No Excuses Left After Reading This . . . Print This One Out!

How To Reach The Top Starting From Anywhere

You need to ask yourself, "What limitations have I been clinging to that I should and will throw right out the window, never to look back at again?" Erik Weihenmayer went completely blind when he was 13... Since then he's climbed the world's tallest mountains, run marathons and jumped out of planes, among his many pursuits.

Erik's story is about having the 'vision' to dream big; the courage to reach for near impossible goals; and the grit, determination, and ingenuity to transform his life into "something miraculous". If you want to learn more about Erik, his book, "Touch the Top of the World" can be found just about anywhere.

OK. So if a blind guy can climb the world's tallest mountain... How do those excuses sound that you keep coming up with about why you can't do that paltry little project that's been sticking its tongue out at you for months now.

People like Erik only have one thing that separates them from most everyone else; the attitude that life is to be lived; that accomplishments require some risk, and that the risks themselves can make life juicy and fun.

Now, it's probably not required that you risk life and limb to achieve most of your goals, is it? You want some juice, don't you? Accomplishment? Real excitement? Then set a big goal. A REALLY big goal. But whatever it is, it's got to stretch you. It's got to be something that you really want... something that would really change your life.

Write down all the steps it will take. Who do you have to call? Where do you have to go? Does it require special training? Do you need tools or supplies? What sacrifices do you have to make?

Sitting on the couch for another 10 minutes might be pretty "comfortable". Taking one more unimportant phone call might be more "fun" in the moment. But at the end of the day when you look in the mirror... the only way THAT'S going to be fun is if you cut short the unimportant phone calls, got off the comfortable couch, stopped hiding out and took some major steps toward a big goal... every day. If you do that consistently, you'll start to really be proud of who you're becoming.

Those "sacrifices", if you'll look at them, aren't sacrifices at all. Happiness comes from what you become, not what you get. If you become more, you'll get more automatically. It's one of those cosmic universal laws.

Erik Weihenmayer, in achieving his goals, has become more. Now he gets paid huge sums to talk to thousands of people every year about the thrill of working to reach your wildest dreams. He gets to write about it. 90% of the people who attempt to climb to the peak of Mount Everest fail. Many die.

Erik "looked" past the risk and "focused" instead on the reward, and went after it passionately. So even though he's blind, he wouldn't trade his life for anyone else's. His life is his life, so he's enjoying every bit of it.

When Erik was about 15 minutes from the top of the world's tallest mountain, so close to his goal, he started to cry... but his tears were freezing, making it difficult to breath in his mask. So he had to put off crying with his blind eyes for another 15 minutes... until he actually reached the top of the world.

WINNING BELIEFS:

-- I am working hard to reach my biggest goal now

-- I learn something valuable every day in pursuing my goal

-- I am becoming more today than I was yesterday

-- I love reaching for and achieving challenging goals

-- I can do it... I know I can

EMPOWERING QUOTE: "Twenty years ago, when I went blind, it was tough to even find the bathroom. Now that I've climbed Mount Everest, well, I guess I've come a long way." -Erik Weihenmayer

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

Powering Up Your SUCCESS Mechanisms!

Powering Up Your SUCCESS Mechanisms!

An effective self- concept generates the desire to strive for things that were thought to be impossible before. It generates fight, but it doesn't kick dogs and slap babies.

Andrew Carnegie is reputed to be the toughest man to sit behind a desk. But the railroads he built are still with us today, and the foundation he created still advances human welfare.

Before we go into how you can Power Up Your Self Concept. Let's talk about The Four Mental Conditioners first.

The Four Mental Conditioners

1. You are what you concentrate on.

If you concentrate on failure. You get feelings of failure. If you concentrate on success, you get feelings of success.

Which feeling is likely to produce your best effort? Feelings of success, isn't that true?

So you pretend you're successful, and you do this by concentrating. Eventually you make success feelings a habit. By a mental act that originates in pretense, you achieve your best effort.

You are what you practice. You practice what you concentrate on. When you concentrate on success, you practice success. That trains your nervous system to produce success for you.

2. What you concentrate on grows

Concentration on trouble makes trouble grow, because that's what you're looking for.

A guy in playing poker loses a few hands and gets scared of losing more. More disciplined players watch him with a smile. They know that scared money never wins.

When you try not to think of an elephant wearing pink underwear.....you think of an elephant wearing pink underwear. If you try not to think of failure, you think of failure.

That's why scared money never wins.

To produce success, you have to think SUCCESS.

3. What you concentrate on becomes real.

By misusing this one you can wind up in the institution believing you're Alexander The Great. We come to believe anything we concentrate on, no matter how bizarre or fantastic.

A guy can start out as a conman promising heaven, but if he continues to promise it, he winds up a believer. That's the history of conmen, they became fanatics.

Don't kid yourself that they become sincere through some moral revelations. It's a law of the mind that what we concentrate on becomes real. Scientifically they call this "self fulfillment". You can start playing around with astrology with your tongue in cheek, but if you persist in concentrating on it, you'll wind up believing it. Use this law to induce beliefs that produce fruitful actions.

Concentrate on achievement, success, energy, confidence, skill, joy, persistence.

If you concentrate on being Alexander the Great, you have a very severe handicap , your troops were killed centuries ago....

4. You always find what you concentrate on.

The outcome of our efforts always tells us what we are concentrating on.

I know a very good teacher who divides students into winners and losers. That's all he wants to know about them, and he makes a practice of doting on winners. He even carries his theory onto the golf course, pairing himself with people who win. He could make a nice living just playing golf.

People who win are people who think victory. People who lose are people who think defeat. It's hard to convince a loser that he looks for defeats.

Reasoned justification makes a whole literature. Don't waste your time on it. It's just prolonged weeping, which is embarrassing in grown- up men.

Losers all think the world should be changed. It never occurs to them that they might change themselves. But they can, simply by concentrating on winning. That sets up success habits.

You always find what you concentrate on.

To find and develop your greatest potential, you discipline your mind with four mental conditioners.

You concentrate on growing, achieving, winning, confidence, persistence, determination, and success.

You develop your potential by thinking SUCCESS.

It's important to understand that they ALWAYS work whether you consciously use them or not. The greatest danger in your life lies in dwelling on failure.

The greatest reward lies in thinking SUCCESS.

How to use the four mental conditioners to Power Up Your Self Concept.

* Power up your self concept.

Now you're skating on thin ice, because the greatest sin in self- development is looking into yourself. Stay away from introspection as if it were poison. Introspection is self- criticism and plays failure experience on the imagination's turntable.

Stay strictly with what works and what doesn't work. Throw out the things that don't work, and try the things that look like they might work.

* What you see tells you what you are.

To change what you see, change your self- concept. That's all the self- analysis any one needs. That's all he can handle, if he wants to grow up and achieve.

Set your self concept to switch on success by programming it to strive for the things you want. You set your sights on higher performance, because when you move towards higher performance, your ability grows.

Train yourself into a "Go For It!!" self concept by disciplining your mind with the four mental laws discussed earlier.

Let's restate them now in the light of self- concept.

1. Your self concept is formed by what you concentrate on.

2. Concentration makes your self - concept seem real.

3. Your self - concept grows towards the image of your concentration.

4. What you find in the world reflects your self- concept.

Successful mental re-programming produces mental discipline, the ability to think something useful instead of something useless or ....dangerous.

You ca