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
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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 . . .

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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 .

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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!

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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)
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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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/.