Live a Beautiful LIfe | Tips and Ideas for Better Life | Inspirational Steps and Success Resources for Beautiful Life

Focus on Your Primary Aim

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:43:00 PST

As we go through life we have many goals we wish to accomplish. Sometimes our wants are so numerous they seem to overwhelm us -- we don't know how to do them all at once.

The solution? Focus on our goals one at a time until we accomplish them all. Carry a list of your goals with you everywhere. Individuals will be on your path, who - when you show them your goals - may be able to help you achieve them.

Action Step:

To see our dreams come true we need to discover the natural talents we were born with. Think about the things that you love to do, things that make you feel like a million bucks, things that you really don't have to try too hard at to be successful.

For example, when I stand in front of an auditorium filled with thousands of people, and speak to them about fulfilling their dreams, my mind and body are filled with energy -- so much that I'm practically buzzing all over.

When I'm speaking to people I'm so excited I can hardly stand still. Speaking and writing are my right livelihood. I love it and it loves me.

To discover your strengths, ask yourself a few questions, like:

1. What are some activities that I excel at without a lot of effort, study or preparation?

2. What do I do well that most people find difficult?

3. What skills do I have that makes people make "wow!" comments and compliments?

4. If I had all the money I could ever spend -- meaning money is not a concern -- what would I do?

Take this list of activities and on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being what you feel you're most talented at) rank these activities. Your biggest rewards will come from the activities you've ranked 7 and higher.

Once you have your top activities -- you should have 5 or fewer -- choose the one you love to do the most, because that is your primary aim. Over a lifetime, a well-chosen primary aim tends to extend itself into many possibilities.

Yours in success,

Live a Beautiful Life

[Source: markvictorhansen.com, by Mark Victor Hansen]

How Do You Attract Opportunity Into Your Life?

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:31:56 PDT

Someone recently asked me the question: "How can I have more opportunities come into my life?" Good question, but I think my answer surprised them a bit.

I bypassed the obvious (and necessary) points about hard work, persistence and preparation. They actually were very hard workers. And they had the great attribute of being seekers, they were on the outlook. But I felt maybe they were missing this next and most valuable point - attraction.

I always thought opportunities and success were something you went after, then I found out that I needed to turn it around. Opportunities and success are not something you go after necessarily, but something you attract - by becoming an attractive person.

That's why I teach development of skills. If you can develop your skills, keep refining all the parts of your character and yourself, your health, your relationships, etc. so that you become an attractive person to the marketplace - you'll attract opportunity.

Opportunity will probably seek you out. Your reputation will probably precede you and someone will want to do business with you. All of the possibilities are there by working on the philosophy that success is something you attract.

The key is to continue making yourself a more attractive person by the skills you have, the disciplines you have, the personality you've acquired, the character and reputation you have established, the language and speech you use

Personal development - the never-ending chance to improve not only yourself, but also to attract opportunities and affect others.

To Your Success,

Live a Beautiful Life

[Source: jimrohn.com, by Jim Rohn]

It's A Beautiful Day!

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 22:52:17 PDT

You hear other people say it and you've probably said it 1,000 times or more. "Life's too short."

What better reason to take each and every day and live it out loud. Now, I hear this sentiment once in a while but rarely is it put in such a way where the message doesn't sound like a commercial for Mountain Dew.

What a gift life is. Another day. Wow.

Think about it. You are the sum total of all your days up until now. Every day has gone into creating you. When you're 70, 80, 90 what a horrible shame it would be if you were to look back and think, "I didn't do so many things I wanted to do. I was mad or scared half the time."

Use today to get where you want to go.

Maybe you're behind your pre-determined schedule. Perhaps you wanted to do more by now than you have.

That's not a problem.

You've got today. How lucky you are...

Don't even think about putting it off 'til tomorrow. Even if there's no place to go or big goal you can work on today, you can do something else.

Look around. Things may be bustling, pushing, moving at cyber speed. But you can be alone in your thoughts and see whatever you want. That mountain is there just for you.

"Awesome." Your mother's voice. Beautiful. You may never hear it again. Your kids. Precious. Your friends. They love you. Enjoy it.

Is there crap? Huge difficult challenges? Sure, but you can learn from it. That's good, right? Just notice the good stuff right now.

What could possibly make today great? A bunch of stuff. And don't think that playing or lounging is the only way to celebrate your day. What can you do?

* Do your best at work - Make today your crowning achievement.

* Recognize someone else - Put a smile on some faces.

* Find out about someone else - Someone on your "team." Be genuine.

* Take some time off if you need to - There might be some roses that need smelling.

* Call someone you haven't talked to in a while. Or pay 'em a visit.

* Meditate - With no goal in mind. Just notice your thoughts.

* Look in the mirror - You're a pretty cool person. Recognize it. It's true.

* Read a chapter - learning is your ticket to where ever you want to go.

* Look at your victory log - And do something today to add to it.

* Laugh - at yourself, others, cartoons, TV shows, commercials. Just laugh.

And I'm sure that you can think of more stuff. The important point is...

Today is a beautiful day.

But if your perspective is screwed up, you won't see it. Review the list above and add to it if you like. Review it regularly and your view will change. Guaranteed.

Don't make feeling good so hard. It's not. You don't have to be at Disney World to have a good day.

Today is God's gift to you. Appreciate the gift no matter what it is that you find yourself involved in. It was given in love.

Accept it with love.

[Source: thinkrightnow.com, by Mike Brescia]

He Made Him Captain

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 21:00:41 PDT

One of my best friends coached a group of 13 year old boys in soccer a while back. He saw some leadership potential in one of the boys but he also saw some disturbing qualities. My friend approached the boy and told him that he thought he could be captain of the team but he wanted to see changes in some of his behaviors.

Almost overnight, the boy stopped his whining and complaining. He became responsible and an effective leader. Today, he is the captain of the soccer team and parents who have known this kid for years are asking my friend what he did to transform him.

My friend didn't do anything other than tell someone that he believed in him and thought he could do better. When was the last time you told someone that you believed in them? You can criticize until the cows come home.

However, if you want to see lasting change... find the positives in a person and reinforce those. When you do those qualities will grow and overshadow the less desirable qualities. For an overnight transformation... find positives and make them captain!

[Source: ronwhitetraining.com, by Ron White]

From the Inside Out

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 01:07:24 PDT

There is probably nothing more powerful in beginning a conversation or transaction, or in overcoming an interpersonal challenge, than a smile. A warm, genuine, sincere smile that emanates from your heart (from the inside out).

95 percent of the troubles we encounter with others could most likely be resolved peacefully but for a smile, followed by genuine concern for the other's needs. The fact that most people don't do this will only make it easier for you to put yourself ahead in the game when it comes to persuading others to take your side of an issue.

When you must speak with someone's supervisor about a particular challenge, your smile will bring down his or her walls of resistance, and set the tone for a pleasant, win/win discussion and positive result.

One main reason is that you've just separated yourself from practically everyone else whose greeting is a defensive, angry, or intimidating word or look.

In his book, "Working With Emotional Intelligence", Daniel Goleman writes, "It happens that smiles are the most contagious emotional signal of all, having an almost irresistible power to make other people smile in return." Isn't that so true? In fact, read any good book on people skills and there will be at least a mention of the power of
a smile.

John Mason, author of "Let Go of Whatever Makes You Stop", writes, "One of the single most powerful things you can do to influence others is to smile at them." Very true! Dale Carnegie devoted an entire segment of his awesome book, "How to Win Friends & Influence People", to this single fact.

Don't feel badly if this does not come naturally for you. For some, it takes practice. Fortunately, it's very easy to learn how to smile effectively. If necessary, simply imagine something that truly brings you joy and think of that before you need to smile. After a few practice sessions, you'll be able to bring forth that smile naturally, "from the inside out."

It seems very few people smile without a particular reason. But that doesn't have to include you. Get that smile on your face before you deal with anyone; the service person, government bureaucrat, your boss, the waitperson, your spouse and children; everyone. Get yourself ready for that person to like you and smile back at you!

I employ this simple action all the time and everyday with incredible results and I know others who regularly do the same. They quite often get waited on or helped at a crowded
desk first, just because the person sees them with that smile.

This week, while feeling grateful for all your blessings, let those blessings bring a smile to your face. A smile "from the inside out."

[Source: burg.com, by Bob Burg]

The Right Mental Attitude

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 22:59:10 PDT

An old Ann Landers column contains some excellent advice from one of her readers. This lady said that at one time she assumed that a wealthy woman whom she only knew slightly was an arrogant snob because she rarely spoke and never smiled.

She also had the feeling that the woman in the supermarket with the whining children was a lousy mother. "Then," she said, "one day I stood in line at the grocery store. I noticed that the clerk never smiled at the customers and ignored light conversation."

She said, "I was tempted to tell her what I thought of her sour attitude when the elderly woman in front of me took a different approach. She said, 'Honey, you look like you're having a bad day.'

The clerk looked up with the saddest eyes I've ever seen and said, 'My husband lost his job yesterday and I just found out I am pregnant.' The lady patted her hand and said,
'Dear, things will work out.'

"When it was my turn," she said, "the clerk had tears in her eyes, but she smiled, and I felt ashamed of myself for being so intolerant." Then the lesson she teaches is significant. She said, "That instant made me realize that people usually aren't rude because they're mean and want to make my life miserable.

They are unpleasant because they have problems on their mind and a heavy heart. My entire outlook changed that day, and I am now much more compassionate." She said, "I now assume the frowning woman might be worried about the results of a biopsy.

The rude young driver could be on his way to the emergency room to meet an injured relative, and the distracted mother with the screaming child in the supermarket may need my smile and a kind word.

Perhaps the only one she will get all day." This reader said, "This change in my attitude has made those around me happier, but the greatest benefit is mine. I am less angry and more serene, and I like myself better than I used to."

I can certainly relate to what this dear lady said. A few years ago when I was doing an early-morning seminar, I greeted the young woman who was guarding the backstage door with a cheerful "Good morning, how are you doing?" She said, "I'm not doing well. I hate to be here." I confidently, cheerfully and arrogantly said to her, "Well, think about it
this way.

There are some people who don't have any kind of job doing any thing, so maybe you'll feel better with that thought." The young woman looked at me and said, "Look, I'm not ready for any of your 'positive thinking.' I'm having an extremely tough time."

As I walked away I thought to myself, "Boy! What a lousy attitude!" However, as I pondered it during the next few minutes I realized that what she needed was some empathy, somebody to say, "Is there anything I can do?" or, "I'm sorry things are not going your way."

I went back at my earliest possible moment to apologize to the young woman. Unfortunately, she was gone. That's one of the reasons today I talk a great deal more about the right attitude in addition to having a positive attitude.

In that particular incident, my relationship with that young woman, and the possibility of giving her any real encouragement later, was destroyed because I was so intent on saying what I had to say and not really empathetic to her problem.

Relationships are built on putting yourself in the other person's position and trying to relate; as the old Indian adage says, "You won't know another person until you've walked in his moccasins at least one day."

Try to imagine how he or she must feel, and you will be able to deal with them more effectively and get along with them far better - and feel better about yourself in the process.

[Source: zigziglar.com, by Zig Ziglar]

Inspiration Can Be Found Anywhere at Anytime

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 01:51:57 PDT

Inspiration is not a stop-start process. It's like a spigot you just can't turn off. When you have it, you have lots of it. But when you don't have it, it might seem that no matter what you do, that spigot is just never going to crank on again.

Have faith. Inspiration, in and of itself, never stops. It's up to us, then, to step aside from blocking it. To ignite your awareness of inspiration, look into subjects and topics that interest you.

Read inspiring stories; research the people who inspire you. Oftentimes you will find that they, too, struggled with turning on that inspiration spigot ... but they always found a way through.

Action Step:

See, there is nothing different between you and your heroes. That's why you're attracted to the qualities they possess - something about them resonates with something inside of you. Do as they have done to resonate with inspiration.

Act as they have acted to turn that "inspiration spigot" on. Before you know it, you'll be back in that inspired mode!

Yours in Success,

Live a Beautiful Life

[Source: megabookmarketing.com, by Mark Victor Hansen]

On Competition

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 19:48:56 PDT

Why don't more people build powerful partnerships today? Doesn't it make sense that you leverage your power when you build partnerships with supportive, powerful people? And that you increase your success, while minimizing the effort it takes to achieve what you want?

I believe that part of the answer is that we are conditioned to compete with one another.

One of the most striking facts that my research revealed is that truly successful people never compete. The reason successful people avoid competition is that when you compete, you limit yourself and restrict your ability to create.

Consider the kinds of thoughts that must be created for competition. You must:

Compare yourself to your "adversary," and think that someone will win and the other must lose.
Believe that there is a limited supply of goodness and success.

Both of these thoughts are in error, and completely out of alignment with the Super Laws. Your success, or lack of it, comes directly from your own thoughts, feelings and actions.

Other people have no power to keep you from your good. So the only real competition you will ever have in life is the competition between the positive thoughts of your disciplined mind and the negative thoughts of your undisciplined mind.

You are only in competition with yourself.

If you must have an adversary, let that adversary be lack of understanding. That is the only thing that will slow your success.

Resolve this week to more fully discipline your mind, to focus your will power, to keep your eyes on "the prize" you want to create to the exclusion of everything else!

To your continued wealth and happiness,

Live a Beautiful Life

[Source: harmonicwealth.com, by James Arthur Ray]

Purpose, Vision And Goals

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 23:39:02 PDT

Do you have a definite purpose that guides your ambitions, vision, and goals?

It doesn't matter how you think you arrived here on this planet or under whose direction -- the fact remains that each of us has specific talents and gifts that are uniquely coded within our own DNA.

As you go through life, you don't just pick up things you like doing by chance. You discover what you're good at because you were meant to discover it, just as you were meant to figure out what your fingers do, and how your elbows work. Your unique gifts are hardwired into your system just as surely as your lungs are given their blueprint to breathe.

And it's from these specific talents and gifts that you're able to define and determine your definite purpose... the reason why you're here. What's in you cannot be found in another living human being.

In fact, it's quite possible that what you bring to the table hasn't been duplicated -- ever -- since time began.

That's right! This "purpose" is serious business.

If you fail to determine your definite purpose, everything else is wrong.

It's like working with a broken compass -- you may think you're going North, but you're not. You're not sure which direction you're heading, so, you're just wandering aimlessly.

Without your purpose identified firmly in your mind, you will wander through life, never quite feeling that you're "in the flow." I say, then, that it's imperative you recognize what it is you're good at -- what it is you really love to do.

Your purpose in this lifetime is to do the thing that you love.

People will tell you they already know what they're good at, and what they love to do most, but they'll never earn money doing it. Whoever gave you that idea? When you're sorting out your purpose, I don't want you thinking about THAT non-issue at all.

You can earn money at anything. Once you determine your purpose, you won't even have to think hard on how to earn money -- it's as if you're being guided by an unseen hand, heading in the right direction... and everything falls into place.

The key to your life is not that you settle for the "safe" thing that will bring in the money. The key is to turn and do what you really love. Fall in love with an idea. That's your life! That's your purpose.

[Source: sixminutestosuccess.com, by Bob Proctor]

Accept No Limits

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:43:16 PDT

"A person is limited only by the thoughts that he chooses." - James Allen, As A Man Thinketh

You are not limited to the life you now live. It has been accepted by you as the best you can do at this moment. Any time you're ready to go beyond the limitations currently in your life, you're capable of doing that by choosing different thoughts.

We each earn the income we do today because that is the amount we have limited ourselves to earn. We could easily earn 5, 10, 20 times more if we did not limit ourselves through the thoughts we maintain.

Don't believe that's true? Surely you know people who earn much more than you who don't have your education, your skills, or your intelligence. So why do they earn more than you?

I love the story of George Dantzig that Cynthia Kersey wrote about in Unstoppable. As a college student, George studied very hard and always late into the night; so late that he overslept one morning, arriving 20 minutes late for class. He quickly copied the two math problems on the board, assuming they were the homework assignment. It took him several days to work through the two problems, but finally he had a breakthrough and dropped the homework on the professor's desk the next day.

Later, on a Sunday morning, George was awakened at 6 a.m. by his excited professor. Since George was late for class, he hadn't heard the professor announce that the two unsolvable equations on the board were mathematical mind teasers that even Einstein hadn't been able to answer. But George Dantzig, working without any thoughts of limitation, had solved not one, but two problems that had stumped mathematicians for thousands of years.

Simply put, George solved the problems because he didn't know he couldn't.

Bob Proctor tells us to "keep reminding yourself that you have tremendous reservoirs of potential within you, and therefore you are quite capable of doing anything you set your mind to. All you must do is figure out how you can do it, not whether or not you can. And once you have made your mind up to do it, it's amazing how your mind begins to figure out how."

And that's worth thinking about.

[by Vic Johnson, excerpted from Day by Day with James Allen]

Setbacks are Lessons

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 20:03:16 PDT

"Slow and steady wins the race." It's not glamorous, but it's true. The tragedy is that most people never even get in the race, and many of those who do hope that success comes easily and swiftly.

When it doesn't, they're out of the race, before it really begins. What they don't realize is that the decision to be unstoppable is never made just once. It is made moment by moment, again and again.

Setbacks are inevitable. In fact, they're evidence that we're doing something. The more mistakes we make, the greater our chance of success. Failures indicate a willingness to experiment and take risks.

Unstoppable women and men have learned that each failure brings wisdom and insight that will take them one step closer to achieving their dreams. When we focus on one unstoppable moment at a time and stay the course, the end result will take care of itself.

It's important to remind ourselves that failure is an event, not a person. If you don't achieve your 30-day goal, does that make you a failure? If you don't get a promotion at work, does that make you a failure? If you get married and then divorced, does that make you a failure? Of course not!

Failure doesn't characterize who you are. It is simply an event that happens to you. And when you continue to move forward, despite difficult experiences, you have already won!

Action: Find the gift in the setback

The next time the outcome you had hoped for doesn't transpire, look for the gift. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. What can I learn from what happened?
2. What am I grateful for about this experience?
3. What are the potential benefits of this experience?
4. What is the best way for me to move forward?

Commit to finding the gift in any setback. And in advance, tell yourself that you will never, never, never quit. If you don't give up, you simply cannot fail. Not only will you achieve your dreams, but the combination of your commitment, courage, and faith will rise as the greatest triumph of all.

[Source: yoursuccessstore.com, by Cynthia Kersey]

The Greatest Salesman in the World

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 08:54:44 PDT

by Og Mandino

Only principles endure and these I now possess, for the laws that will lead me to greatness are contained in the words of these scrolls.

Principle #1 – Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.

Keep it always in mind and you will overcome seemingly impossible obstacles that are certain to confront you as they do everyone with ambition. Never feel shame for trying and failing for he who has never failed is he who has never tried.

Principle #2 – I will form good habits and become their slave.

If I must be a slave to habit let me be a slave to good habits.
My bad habits must be destroyed and new furrows prepared for good seed.
Each principle in these scrolls will drive a bad habit from my life and replace it with one which brings me closer to success.
For it is another of nature’s laws that only a habit can subdue another habit.
As I repeat the words daily contained in these scrolls they will soon become a part of my active mind.
Eventually I will find myself reacting to all situations which confront me as I was commanded in the scrolls to react.
Thus a new and good habit is born.

Principle #3 – I will greet this day with love in my heart.

Love is the greatest secret of success in all ventures.
I will laud my enemies and they will become my friends; I will encourage my friends and they will become my brothers.
Always will I dig for reasons to applaud; never will I scratch for excuses to gossip.
I will love all manners of men for each has qualities to be admired even though they be hidden.
But how will I react to the adversity of others? With love.
For just as love is my weapon to open the hearts of men, love is also my shield to repulse the arrows of hate and the spears of anger.

Principle #4 – I will persist until I succeed.

I was not delivered into this world in defeat, nor does failure course through my veins.
I am not a sheep waiting to be led to the slaughter.
I am a lion and I refuse to talk, to walk, to sleep with the sheep.
I will remember the ancient law of averages and I will bend it to my good.
I will persist with knowledge that each failure to sell will increase my chance for success at the next attempt.

Principle #5 – I will increase my knowledge of the world.

Within me burns a flame which has been passed from generations uncounted and its heat is a constant irritation to my spirit to become better than I am, and I will.
I will increase my knowledge of mankind, myself, and the goods I sell, thus my sales will multiply.
I will practice, and improve, and polish the words I utter to sell my goods, for this is the foundation on which I will build my career… Also I will seek constantly to improve my manners and graces, for they are the sugar to which all are attracted.
I have been given eyes to see and a mind to think and now I know a great secret of life for I perceive, at last, that all my problems are in truth great opportunities in disguise.

Principle #6 – I will live this day as if it is my last.

Yesterday is buried forever and I will think of it no more.
Forgetting yesterday neither will I think of tomorrow.
Should I torment myself with problems that may never come to pass? No!
I will avoid with fury the killers of time.
Procrastination I will destroy with action; doubt I will bury under faith; fear I will dismember with confidence.
The duties of today I shall fulfill today. I will maketh every hour count and each minute I will trade only for something of value.
And if this day is not my last, I shall fall to my knees and give thanks.

Principle #7 – Today I will be master of my emotions.

All nature is a cycle of moods and I am a part of nature and so, like the tides, my moods will rise; my moods will fall.
If I bring joy and enthusiasm and brightness and laughter to my customers they will react with joy and enthusiasm and brightness and
laughter and my weather will produce a harvest of sales and a granary of gold for me.
Weak is he who permits his emotions to control his actions; strong is he who forces his actions to control his emotions.

If I feel sad I will laugh.
If I fear I will plunge ahead.
If I feel poverty I will think of wealth to come.
If I become overconfident I will recall my failures.
If I feel complacency I will remember my competition.

I will master my moods through positive action and when I master my moods I will control my destiny.

Principle #8 – I will laugh at the world.

I will chuckle and my burdens will be lightened; I will laugh and my life will be lengthened for this is the great secret of long life.
And most of all, I will laugh at myself for man is most comical when he takes himself too seriously.
Four words I will train myself to say until they become a habit so strong that immediately they will appear in my mind whenever good humor threatens to depart from me.
These four words are: This too shall pass.
And with my laughter all things will be reduced to their proper size.
I will laugh at my failures and they will vanish in clouds of new dreams; I will laugh at my successes and they will shrink to their true value.

Principle #9 – Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.

And how will I accomplish this? First I will set goals for the day, the week, the month, the year, and my life.
Just as the rain must fall before the wheat will crack its shell and sprout, so must I have objectives before my life will crystallize.
The height of my goals will not hold me in awe.
If I stumble I will rise and my falls will not concern me for all men must stumble often to reach the hearth.
I will always announce my goals to the world.
I will always raise my goals as soon as they are attained.
Yet, never will I proclaim my accomplishments.
Let the world instead, approach me with praise and may I have the wisdom to receive it in humility.

Principle #10 – I will act now.

My dreams are worthless, my plans are dust, my goals are impossible.
All are of no value unless they are followed by action.
I will act now.
I will act now.
I will act now.

Henceforth, I will repeat these words again and again each day until the words become as much a habit as my breathing and the actions which follow become as instinctive as the blinking of my eyelids.
Only action determines my value in the market place and to multiply my value I will multiply my actions.
I will walk where the failure fears to walk.
I will work when the failure seeks rest. Success will not wait. If I delay she will become betrothed to another.

Stop Thinking "If Only"

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 20:08:07 PDT

"If only I could get a better break."
"If only I had some money."
"If only I would've married the right person."
"If only I worked for the right company."
"If only I had the right parents."

Do you pull back from taking full personal responsibility for yourself? Many of us do. We think that a parent, a teacher, a friend, a boss, a spouse, the company we worked for, or some governmental program should shoulder our burden for turning our lives into what we want them to be.

This approach can't get the job done. Other people and organizations have too many pressing challenges and priorities of their own.

What does this mean? That you'll always be disappointed when you depend on others for the things you must do for yourself.

It's so easy to justify the temptations of freeloading, to slide into being a follower, to fail to see the hidden price tag in the handout. Unless you take complete control of your life and assume full personal responsibility for yourself, who will? No one will.

Every dollar you earn is worth ten given to you. Earned money creates the self-image of self-reliance; given money creates the self-image of other-dependence. This is why some families stay on welfare for generations.

Hangers-on and free-loaders are the most frustrated people on earth because they have created their own frustrations. You can't be successful and happy until you earn the respect of the toughest, hardest to fool, and most important judge in the world: yourself.

[Source: tomhopkins.com, by Tom Hopkins]

Evaluating Your Goals

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:14:54 PDT

In a sporting event, the players are given a break at the half in order to refresh themselves, look at how they played in the first half, and set strategy for the second half. So as you approach halftime, here are some thoughts.

Do you have a vacation planned in the next two months that will give you the needed break and refreshment? If not, schedule one this week! How did you "play" in the first half of this year?

Have you met your goals that you established at the beginning of the year? Here are a few ideas to evaluate where you are at with your goals as you approach the halfway mark.

Take some time to sit down alone and review your goals. How many are you on mark to make? How many have you not even begun on? How many have you achieved?

For those you haven't even begun, my suggestion would be to reset your goal at 10 percent of the original goal. Obviously this goal hasn't been a priority, for whatever reason, and most likely won't suddenly become so. But you can make some ground. Set a small increase for the remaining six months and get ahead a little in these areas.

For the goals you are on pace to achieve, try to stretch about 10 percent. So, to give it a numerical value, if your original goal was 10 and you have already reached 5 after halfway, stretch yourself to try to achieve 11 by the end of the year. This will give you a good reason to kick into high gear as the year progresses.

For those goals you are on pace to break strongly through, try an increase of 50 percent.

And finally, for the goals you have already reached, try to set the new goal at 100 percent of the original goal.

In all of these remember that it is better to try hard, and even fail at a higher goal, than to take the easy route and attain nothing at all!

Best of luck as you re-evaluate your goals!

You Are Made for Success!

[Source: chriswidener.com, by Chris Widener]

How to Improve Productivity: All Tasks Are Not Created Equal

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:45:31 PDT

If there's one thing you must grasp if you wish to experience an increase in productivity and a strong sense of achievement day to day it's the concept that not every task is created equal.

This is especially true when it comes to those things which when completed will lead to a greater sense of accomplishment & feeling of success and achievement.

Far too many people look at having completed the items on their To Do lists as a sure sign that they're achieving at a great level.

The problem with this line of thinking is that in many cases the items which make it onto our lists are little more than busy work -- items which do require attention, but in the grand scheme of things having completed them doesn't serve us in a greater capacity with respect to our larger, more important goals -- the big things that when completed actually move us closer to our grand vision -- the one we hold for our lives, whether personal or professional.

The challenge is that while you may feel like you're making progress, because after all, you are checking items off during the day -- if you're not taking a careful inventory and ensuring that the things you are working on in the first place will yield your greatest R.O.I.O.T (return on investment of time) then it's likely that you will end up feeling as though the larger life plans you hold for yourself aren't making any headway.

Which by the way you would be correct, they aren't, not because you aren't working, but because you're not working and putting forth the necessary effort into the specific task needed to yield the exact true result you are after.

That's why I say, all tasks aren't created equal. Commit this to memory -- and always be asking the question "If I work on this task, when completed will it yield the greatest overall result and sense of accomplishment for me.

Will having achieved it move me closer to my larger plan?" If the answer you get back is anything but a resounding yes then you need to reschedule what it is you're planning to work on and replace it with a task that will yield you the greatest return on investment of time (R.O.I.O.T). It's that simple.

You and I have a choice as to what we give our time to. We don't have a choice as to how much time we have. No matter how hard we try we're not going to be able to squeeze anymore than 24 hours out of our day. The good news is you don't even have to try IF you'll grasp and put into practice the ongoing habit of asking the question mentioned above, and working on those items which when completed will yield the greatest results.

To clarify here's a make believe To Do list item -- I've made reference to an example which will serve you the best and one which might be more in line with "busy work", which may make you feel good to get them done, but in the grand scheme of things won't serve you had you instead chosen to spend your time on other things.

Example item that might appear on your To Do list...

* Vacuuming the house - while this can certainly be a worthwhile undertaking, is it really as important say if you're larger goal was to "increase your sales for the month"?

No of course it isn't.

A far more effective use of your time would be to schedule this as a lower priority item, or find a way to have someone else do it for you if that's a possibility. While it may feel nice to complete this task, it's not going to yield the same result if you were to replace this task with one such as "give a follow-up call to the people I met at the seminar I attended who showed an interest in my product or service".

As you can see the latter is going to move you closer to what you've identified as your most important goals. Plus, once you've completed the tasks which will have the greatest return on your investment of time then you can go ahead and knock out the other things.

The key thing to remember is that you've got to be vigilant in working on and first completing those items which will give you the greatest return on your time spent.

[Source: JoshHinds.com, by Josh Hinds]

The Best Gift to Give Yourself and Others

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 21:06:51 PDT

I'm often asked the question, "How can I best help my children, spouse, family member, staff member, friend etc. improve/change?" In fact that might be the most frequently asked question I receive, "How can I help change someone else?"

My answer often comes as a surprise and here it is. The key to helping others is to help yourself first. In other words, the best contribution I can make to someone else is my own personal development.

If I become 10 times wiser, 10 times stronger, think of what that will do for my adventure as a father... as a grandfather... as a business colleague.

The best gift I can give to you, really, is my ongoing personal development. Getting better, getting stronger, becoming wiser. I think parents should pick this valuable philosophy up.

If the parents are okay, the kids have an excellent chance of being okay. Work on your personal development as parents; that's the best gift you can give to your children.

If you have ever ridden in an airplane, then you might have noticed the oxygen compartment located above every seat. There are explicit instructions that say "In case of an emergency, first secure your own oxygen mask and then if you have children with you then secure their masks."

Take care of yourself first... then assist your children. If we use that same philosophy throughout our whole parental life, it would be so valuable.

If I learn to create happiness for myself, my children now have an excellent chance to be happy. If I create a unique lifestyle for myself and my spouse, that will be a great example to serve my children.

Self-development enables you to serve, to be more valuable to those around you; for your child... your business... your colleague... your community... your church.

That's why I teach development skills. If you keep refining all the parts of your character, yourself, your health, etc. so that you become an attractive person to the marketplace - you'll attract opportunity. Opportunity will then begin to seek you out.

Your reputation will begin to precede you and people will want to do business with you. All of that possibility is created by working on the philosophy that success is something you attract by continually working on your own personal development.

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

[Source: jimrohn.com]

8 Secrets of Sucess, a Continuous Journey

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 09:02:38 PDT

by Richard St. John

So, what leads to success?

1. Passion - for Love, not Money
2. Hard Work - Fun
3. Good - Practice, practice, practice
4. Focus - on one thing
5. Push - Shyness, Self-doubt
6. Serve - others of value
7. Ideas - Listen, Observe, be Curious, Problem Solve, make Connection
8. Persist - number one reason for success

Watch the Video:

Why do so many people reach success and then fail?

One way street, then sit back to their comfort zone
It should be a continuous journey!

"Money can't buy happiness"

Watch the video for more details:

Beautiful Words of Wisdom on Life with Beautiful Paris on Background

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:57:50 PDT

by Gabriel García Márquez

“If for an instant God forgot that I am just a puppet, and He gave me one more piece of life, I would take advantage of that time, the best I could.”

I would probably not say everything I think, but definitely think all I say.

I would value things not for what they are worth, but for what they represent.

I would sleep less and dream more. For every minute we close our eyes we lose sixty seconds of light.

I would continue where others have stopped and I would rise when others sleep.

If God allowed me one more piece of life, I would dress simpler, would wallow in the sunlight, leaving uncovered, not only my body but also my soul.

I would prove to men how wrong they are to think that they stop falling in love as they get older, since they actually start getting older as soon as they stop falling in love..

I would give wings to the children, but I would leave the child alone so that he could learn how to fly on his own.

To the old, I would show them how death comes not with the ageing process but with forgetting.

So many things I have learned from you….I have learned that everybody wants to live at the top of the mountain, forgetting that is how we climb is all that matters.

I have learned that when a newborn grabs his father’s thumb, he takes a hold on him forever.

I have learned that a man has the right to look down on somebody, only when he is helping him to get up.

So many things I have learned from all of you.

Always tell, what you feel and do what you think.

If I knew that today it would be the last time that I will see you, I will embrace you strongly to be the guardian of your soul.

If I would know that these would be the last minutes that I will see you, I would say to you “I love you” and wouldn´t assume that you would know it.

There is always morning where life gives us another opportunity to make things good.

Keep always close to you, your dear ones, and tell them how much you need them and love and take care of them. Take time to say, “I am sorry”, “forgive me”, “please,” “thank you” and all the nice and lovely words you know.

Nobody would remember you if you keep your thoughts secret.
Force yourself to express them.

Show your friends and dear ones how much you care about them.

Download the full power point version at Gabriel García Márquez

To Your Happiness,
Live a Beautiful Life

Masterminding Guidelines: Steps to an Effective Mastermind Group

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 00:23:12 PDT

1. The average group works best with two to eight members, no more than 12 - time is the constraint.

2. Meet regularly, weekly if possible. Meet in a nice, preferably inspirational place if possible. Make sure it's a well-lit restaurant, office, home, library, or church, etc.

3. If you are in different cities, the meeting can be conducted on a conference call. Make certain you engage a really good conference call company (setting up a series of 3-way calls does not work well.) You might save a few pennies but miss a million dollar opportunity through distractions.

4. Start the meetings by reading the MasterMind principles. This is possibly one of the most important points of a call. Every member of the group should read aloud all 7 principles and the dedication and covenant.

5. Each member should be supported visually, verbally and emotionally by the others. For example: someone wants a new home. Other members might say, "I see you driving up to your glorious new home. I see you sunning yourself poolside with your loved ones, friends and me."

The principle is that we can believe for others what they cannot fully believe for themselves. These are not idle words. You must create and project to the MasterMind a clear vision that the words represent.

6. Your MasterMind call should run like a "Swiss watch." Ensure the call is timely. If you have committed to a 60 minute call, keep it within that time frame. MasterMind members are generally extremely busy, time is important - use it wisely. Each group should elect a MasterMind leader to keep everything flowing freely.

The leadership position can rotate from one member to another. The group leader should be prepared to time each person's participation in the call to ensure it is kept on track. Have a watch (with a second hand) or stop watch available. This point is extremely important (do not treat it lightly).

7. Roll Call - The group leader would take a roll call and at that time, would assign each person a number (i.e. if there are 6 people on the call, each person would have a number from 1-6). This numbering system can be used to designate who speaks when and should be rotated with each call to ensure #1 doesn't always speak first.

8. Good News - Starting with whichever number is designated for that particular call; each person would be allowed 1 minute to speak about something very positive. They will share their "win for the week." This will help in creating the right vibration to get the call started in a positive direction.

9. Wants and Needs - Again, starting with whichever number has been designated to begin first, each person would have 4 minutes (the group would decide on the length of time) in which to state their wants and needs and receive their responses. It might sound like, "This is John. This is what I want and this is what I need." Or, "This is John. This is a challenge I'm facing and I would appreciate the help of my MasterMind group."

It's important that everyone understands that the designated amount of time allotted is both to state their want/need and to receive the group's response. Therefore, if someone is not prepared for the call and it takes them 3 ½ minutes to state what they need, it allows the group only a ½ minute to respond.

Each MasterMind member needs to be prepared for the call - to ensure maximum benefit. At the end of the 4 minutes, it would be the team leader's responsibility to say "Time is up," and the discussion would come to halt. The second person would be asked to begin.

10. Depending on the "chosen" length of your call, you may decide to leave room for a "free for all" at the end, at which time anyone and everyone would have a chance to speak.

11. A special MasterMind meeting may be called at any time to MasterMind an exciting new project.

[Source: www.sixminutestosuccess.com, by Bob Proctor]

If you enjoyed the article you just read from Bob Proctor, you'll definitely want to take a moment to learn more about his life-changing program Six Minutes to Success at http://www.sixminutestosuccess.com/

Live a Healthy Life: Fruits and Your Health

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:38:13 PDT

We all think eating fruits means just buying fruits, cutting it and just popping it into our mouths. It ' s not as easy as you think. It's important to know how and when to eat.

What is the correct way of eating fruits? IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUITS AFTER YOUR MEALS! * FRUITS SHOULD BE EATEN ON AN EMPTY STOMACH.

If you eat fruit like that, it will play a major role to detoxify your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and their life activities.

FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.
Let's say you eat two slices of bread and then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it is prevented from doing so.

In the meantime the whole meal rots and ferments and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.

So please eat your fruits on an empty stomach or before your meals! You have heard people complaining - every time I eat water-melon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats up, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet etc - actually all this will not arise if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. The fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas and hence you will bloat!

Graying hair, balding, nervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes all these will not happen if you take fruits on an empty stomach.

There is no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruits become alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruits, you have the Secret of beauty, longevity, health, energy, happiness and normal weight.

When you need to drink fruit juice - drink only fresh fruit juice, NOT from the cans... Don't even drink juice that has been heated up. Don't eat cooked fruits because you don't get the nutrients at all. You only get to taste. Cooking destroys all the vitamins.

But eating a whole fruit is better than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit fast to cleanse your body. Just eat fruits and drink fruit juice throughout the 3 days and you will be surprised when your friends tell you how radiant you look!

KIWI: Tiny but mighty... This is a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber.. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange.

APPLE: An apple a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C thereby helping to lower the risks of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke.

STRAWBERRY: Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals.

ORANGE: Sweetest medicine. Taking 2-4 oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones as well as lessens the risk of colon cancer.

WATERMELON: Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. They are also a key source of lycopene - the cancer fighting oxidant. Other nutrients found in watermelon are vitamin C & Potassium.

GUAVA & PAPAYA: Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation... Papaya is rich in carotene; this is good for your eyes.

So, have you eaten a fruit today?

To Your Healthy Life,
Live a Beautiful Life

The Happiest Countries on Earth, Subjective Well-being of World Happiness

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 01:22:29 PDT

Who are the happiest people in the world? Are they from the wealthiest country on earth? The richest nations in the universe? Hmmm... it is actually not very much true. USA only ranks 23rd, and most wealthiest nations do not guarantee the happiest citizens of all, based on a survey held.

Adrian G. White, from the University of Leicester’s School of Psychology, has recently done a controversial study with his recent survey on a global projection of subjective well-being (SWB): the world map of happiness. With the data collected from extensive sources, such as UNESCO (education), WHO (health), CIA (poverty), the New Economics Foundation, etc., and was involving 80,000 respondents all over the world, the survey result showed that the most peaceful and beautiful place to live on earth is... DENMARK. Why so? We'll see later on.

[Source: University of Leicester, more details on the study at http://www.le.ac.uk/users/aw57/world/sample.html]

Meanwhile, here is the top 10 list of nations with highest Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS):

DENMARK
Switzerland
Austria
Iceland
Bahamas
Finland
Sweden
Bhutan
Brunei Darussalam
Canada

While the rest are as follows:
17. Malaysia
18. New Zealand
23. USA
26. Australia
35. Germany
41. United Kingdom
53. SINGAPORE
64. INDONESIA
76. Thailand
82. China
90. Japan
102. South Korea
125. India

With the last 5 nations living in suffer, namely:
174. Ukraine
175. Moldova
176. Congo Democratic
177. Zimbabwe
178. Burundi

Malaysia was amazingly in the top 20 list above USA. Not bad for Singaporean and Indonesian to be in the middle of the list, happier than their neighbors in Thailand, China, Japan, Korea, and India. Even Japan, South Korea, and China which are apparently richer and wealthier than Indonesia were quite far below in SWLS ranks.

Happiness here is measured based on the subjective satisfaction of the citizens on the health level (i.e. cheap access to general practitioner, doctor, or hospital), relative wealth, and education accessibility. Healthy nations with affordable living and medical cost, own sufficient wealth and good standard of education are relatively happier.

Another important factor is the life expectancy of the people. The lower it is, the easier that they feel grateful and pleased. Meaning to say that they are very contented with what they have achieved. Whereas the higher the expectation, the more things they want, the more difficult for ones to feel satisfied and happy.

So, why Denmark?

That remains to be answered. Perhaps you should ask the Danish on this... =)
But based on the research, Danish are very blissful people for they always feel contented with their life. Well, they are not as rich as American or Japanese. They do not own private car or super luxurious house, but they have already been thankful with what they have in their life. For Danish, riding bicycle or just simply strolling to go to some places are more enjoyable and relaxing, accompanied with the fresh air outside. There is no need to care for the car maintenance, repair, petrol cost, or even the traffic jam. Isn't it nice to live your life beautifully anyway?

Yes, without a single doubt, success is definitely important. Everyone wants to live better, success in career, and wealthier from day to day. Yet, don't be the slave of it by sacrificing your value of life, family, and friends. Denmark offers free education, medical cost, and retirement funds. The unemployed can live quite nicely in subsidized Denmark. At the same time, the unemployment rate is very low, at about three per cent. All of these can be achieved by the excellent governments of Denmark.

Danish has low expectation level to life. Meaning to say that they work hard and will enjoy whatever they get as the rewards. This makes even a small little success that they achieve has already pleased them. They often can accept every failure and are ready to strive harder to go for the opposite, i.e. SUCCESS.

Most of wealthy nations in the world are probably unhappy because they will not satisfied with whatever they have got. There is the ambition to achieve more and more. Pursuing ambition and dreams are good, as long as happiness is within it. Keep chasing the happiness and you won't ever have the chance to feel and get it.

"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne

Hence lessons to learn from the Denmark as the happiest nations with citizens who:

are always grateful, thankful, and blissful for what they have
will not compare with other people of other nations
have dreams and realistic ambition to pursue
are supported by a good governance.

The Secret to Winning

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 02:34:47 PDT

Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Jack Del Rio shocked the sports world by announcing that they were releasing Byron Leftwich, their starting quarterback, and replacing him with David Garrard.

Coach Del Rio stated that he not only thought Garrard was the better quarterback but that he also brought more positive energy to the position and team -- and "positive energy is something we covet."

Del Rio, like all great leaders and coaches knows an important secret. If you want to win, ironically, you don't focus on winning. You focus on the positive energy and attitude and development of your people and team.

John Wooden, the legendary UCLA Basketball Coach ironically never focused on winning. He focused on developing his players. He focused on improving their fundamentals, skills, character and team work. He focused on people instead of outcomes and as a result he won... a lot.

Of course all successful people and teams have a goal to win. But winning is just a goal and not the focus. Winning is the byproduct of great effort, leadership, coaching, teamwork and positive energy. And just as you can win in sports you can win at work and life by knowing and living this secret.

My friend Skip Tague told me a story about coaching his daughter's basketball team. In the beginning of the year they were like the bad news bears of basketball. They were blown out each game and the girls were dejected.

So instead of having the girls focus on the points on the scoreboard Skip devised a different point system. He gave the girls points every time they took a shot, or made a great pass, or got a rebound or played good defense.

The girls grew more and more excited about this and over time focused more on how many points they could generate individually and collectively with the new point system rather than the scoreboard. "And then a funny thing happened," Skip said.

The girls started to dramatically improve because they were focused on improving their skills rather than the scoreboard -- and they even won their last game. But the best part is that the following year Skip's team was the best in the league.

Whether its football, basketball, work or life, winning doesn't happen by focusing on the points on the scoreboard. It happens when we focus on the people, skills, positive energy and teamwork that generate the points.

Let us focus on these things, create a new scoring system and winning will come easy.
[Source: JonGordon.com, by Jon Gordon]

Michael Jordan "Failure"

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 03:12:23 PDT

Thinking about failure and how it is going to cripple a lot of people in life, I have come across this video on YouTube. This simple yet straightforward video will empower you after reading on the previous posting on success and failure.

Listen to what Michael Jordan has got to say about Failure…
(PS: For those of you who don't know him, Mike was a superstar in NBA basketball league during his time in 90's...)

"I failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why... I succeed..."

How to Recover from Losses in Forex Trading

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 06:31:21 PDT

Joe Ross' Biggest Loss in Forex

(…) You wrote about the experience of losing $45,000 in about twenty minutes, and the fact that with support of your wife, you managed to forgive yourself. How do you think the ability to forgive oneself can help a young trader?

The ability to forgive yourself is incredibly important. Jesus said that you will be forgiven if you forgive others. So it is a two part thing. Many traders have never forgiven someone from their past. (...)

(...) One night in the Bahamas, where I was living at the time, we were sitting with another friend of mine who is a psychologist. We were talking about trading, all relaxed, enjoying a beer. Very subtly, in a way you wouldn’t realize, this psychologist was probing into this trader. He began asking him questions, and it finally came out that when he was a boy, his father kept telling him that he was no good; that he would always be a failure. His father was a completely negative influence. (...)

(...) Most people do not know who they are. They think they know. They believe what other people say about them, but they never really look deeply into what is holding them back. When a trader can not pull the trigger on a trade, there is something there, something very deep that may go way back (quite often to early childhood) that keeps him or her from winning. They have an image of themselves as a failure. A person who has that image is defeated before starting. That person needs either a cure, or to stop trading, or both.

People may have internalized those losses long before they come into the market, but it is the stress and pressure of the market that brings it out. It is usually something they buried a long time ago. They no longer remember it. They need to examine themselves to see why it is they can not win. It might have been a lost fist fight in school that changed their self-image. They may have been betrayed by someone they thought was a friend. They may not remember it, or do not want to remember it. But when they get into the market, the hurt and the pain is brought out. Little crazy stupid things can have such a huge impact on a person’s trading.

It is a remarkable thing how psychology, mindset, and emotions play a part in our success or failure (…)

For the full articles, please refer to Forex Market Masters

For more articles on forex trading, please visit FX Journal

To Your Profitable Trade,

Live a Beautiful Life

When Success is Slow, What Can You Do?

noreply@blogger.com (1d) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 07:36:55 PDT

Pop Quiz: Can success be sped up? Is there an antidote to slow outcomes despite arduous planning and actions taken? What is the secret for seeing huge results right now?!
I get versions of these questions frequently from people who feel frustrated at sluggish progress in their success journey - despite all the know-how and principles they rigorously employ.

First, let's get one thing straight...

When we admire someone's success, or even our own, we often focus on the end result and not so much on the effort (and time) that it took to get there. This can cultivate unrealistic expectations, especially the idea that overnight success can happen through careful strategy and an execution of sound advice.

The truth be told, success typically follows a series of little events and achievements that can seem to take an eternity, that include a few disappointments along the way, and that challenge everything about you to the core - your stamina, courage, integrity, and even your willingness to keep going.

If you focus on what's not working, guess what: You're likely coming from a place of aggravation as your mind wraps around all that is wrong. You may even have negative thoughts like "I'm not good enough," "It will never work," or "Something must be wrong with me." What this mentally does is engender more of these counter-productive feelings.

And given what we know about the Law of Attraction, you attract what you are feeling. So negative experiences, people, and results will beget more negative experience, people, and results. There's not much success in that.

The key, then, is to focus on what IS working. To do so, I recommend two simple practices: journaling and meditation.

Maintaining a journal (I call it an Evidence Log, Results Journal, or Gratitude Journal) is a great way to steer your attention to the positive and continually renew your vision for yourself.

Start each day with reflections on what you are grateful for in your life (list them out!) and end each day with notes on what went right (again, write them down), however small.

Meditation can be a powerful tool for arriving at solutions to problems and shifting your attitude so you can attract success sooner rather than later.

The magic of meditation is its ability to essentially shut down the outer layer of your judgmental, highly-critical brain and allow your unconscious mind to take over. This is where you enter a deeper state of inner peace and joy, tapping into a higher level of creativity that will help usher in the results you want.

Don't know how to meditate? Lots of books and materials are available to guide you in this practice. It's easier than you think.

Okay, let's say you're doing all these things, but you still aren't happy with your results. I'll ask you, are you taking real action?

You may be taking the actions you are used to taking. But therein lies the problem: if you keep doing what you've already done then you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. It's a matter of practicing some new behaviors.
Shake things up a bit and see if you can take new actions or modify existing ones.

Remember the Rule of 5. Every day do five specific things that take you toward your goal. Change up the five actions regularly and be open to feedback so you know when you're off course.

Lastly, I want to remind you about patience. It's natural to underestimate how long a certain goal can take, especially a profound one. When I set a goal to become a millionaire the year was 1983. How long did it take? Eleven years. It took time for Chicken Soup for the Soul to hit the bestseller lists.

You could say our tenure on the New York Times list was more than a decade in the making. That's a lot of patience for someone who initially wanted overnight success.

So, yes, patience is a virtue. But keep at it, and in no time, you'll be only one week, or one day away from your ultimate success.

Remember... be grateful, reflect on what is working and continue to take action!

[Source: thekeytobetterlife.com, by Jack Canfield]

Live a Beautiful LIfe | Tips and Ideas for Better Life | Inspirational Steps and Success Resources for Beautiful Life

Focus on Your Primary Aim

Live a Beautiful Life

How Do You Attract Opportunity Into Your Life?

Personal development - the never-ending chance to improve not only yourself, but also to attract opportunities and affect others.

Live a Beautiful Life

It's A Beautiful Day!

Today is a beautiful day.

Accept it with love.

He Made Him Captain

From the Inside Out

The Right Mental Attitude

Inspiration Can Be Found Anywhere at Anytime

Live a Beautiful Life

On Competition

You are only in competition with yourself.

Live a Beautiful Life

Purpose, Vision And Goals

If you fail to determine your definite purpose, everything else is wrong.

Your purpose in this lifetime is to do the thing that you love.

Accept No Limits

Setbacks are Lessons

The Greatest Salesman in the World

Principle #1 – Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough.

Principle #2 – I will form good habits and become their slave.

Principle #3 – I will greet this day with love in my heart.

Principle #4 – I will persist until I succeed.

Principle #5 – I will increase my knowledge of the world.

Principle #6 – I will live this day as if it is my last.

Principle #7 – Today I will be master of my emotions.

Principle #8 – I will laugh at the world.

Principle #9 – Today I will multiply my value a hundredfold.

Principle #10 – I will act now.

Stop Thinking "If Only"

Evaluating Your Goals

You Are Made for Success!

How to Improve Productivity: All Tasks Are Not Created Equal

The key thing to remember is that you've got to be vigilant in working on and first completing those items which will give you the greatest return on your time spent.

The Best Gift to Give Yourself and Others

8 Secrets of Sucess, a Continuous Journey

So, what leads to success?

Why do so many people reach success and then fail?

"Money can't buy happiness"

Beautiful Words of Wisdom on Life with Beautiful Paris on Background

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Masterminding Guidelines: Steps to an Effective Mastermind Group

Live a Healthy Life: Fruits and Your Health

So, have you eaten a fruit today?

Live a Beautiful Life

The Happiest Countries on Earth, Subjective Well-being of World Happiness

"Happiness is as a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but which if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you." - Nathaniel Hawthorne

The Secret to Winning

Michael Jordan "Failure"

"I failed over and over and over again in my life,﻿ and that is why... I succeed..."

How to Recover from Losses in Forex Trading

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When Success is Slow, What Can You Do?

"I failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why... I succeed..."