Today I want to talk about a concept that will help you understand life.  It’s a concept based on the realization that life is a lot like “planting corn seeds.”  If you can understand this concept, then you can certainly understand life.

You see, there are four things that happen when you plant corn seeds:

Number 1: You get corn (not potatoes)
Number 2: You get the corn later than you planted it
Number 3: You get more corn than you planted
Number 4: You get the corn in proportion to how much corn you planted.

So let’s see how this relates to life…

Number 1: You get corn

This is to say that the results that you’re getting in your life are the results that you’ve planted seeds for.  This is why you should never complain about your life.  You’re the one who created it.  You, and you alone, are the creator of your life.

Wouldn’t it be something if you saw an artist complaining about his latest painting; blaming others for how it came out, blaming his mother, “If only she had been more talented, then I would be a better artist.”

…At some point you have to grow-up and take responsibility for your life!

You are the creator of your results, you are reaping the sweet or bitter fruits from the seeds that you’ve planted. 

If you don’t like corn, quit planting corn seeds!

Number 2: You get the corn later than you planted it

In other words, it takes time to see results.  I’ve said it a thousand times, and I’ll say it a thousand more, there are no overnight successes, so quit looking for something in exchange for nothing. 

You’re not going to plant corn seeds today, and enjoy corn-on-the-cob tomorrow.  You work now, you get the results later.  You must sow, before you can reap. 

But rest assured, whatever you plant, will produce a harvest.  It will take time, it won’t happen tomorrow, but it will happen.

Number 3: You get more corn than you planted

What’s the lesson?  Be careful what you plant, because you will receive more than you planted.  This is a reminder that you shouldn’t go around planting “bad” seeds, because you’re going to reap more bad than you bargained for.

Sow good seeds, treat your neighbor as you would have them treat you, and you will surely bring in a wonderful harvest, a harvest fit for a king.

Number 4: You get the corn in proportion to how much corn you planted

Planting two corn seeds will not yield the same results as planting 10,000 corn seeds.  A little work equals little results; a lot of work equals lots of results. 

How many seeds are you planting, are you planting enough seeds to receive the harvest that you desire? 

Remember you will only receive a harvest in proportion to what you’ve sown for.  So sow “big,” sow plenty, sow well, and your harvest will surely satisfy your soul with sweet fruit.

Thank you for reading, please stumble or tweet (see below)!

Please Read: A special thanks to the over 1000 individuals who have signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

What’s stopping your success?  …

It’s your failure to grow!  In any area of your life, if you’re not succeeding, it’s because you’re not growing.

Growth is the only way to success!  The faster you grow, the faster you will succeed. 

Real Success

Why is growth so important to success?  Because real success comes from helping others, and you can only help others by growing!  People are attracted to people who are “growing.”  I’ll explain this in a little bit, but for now, let me reiterate that the key to success is to grow up and to “be” the example. 

You see, if I’m living in a shack, how can I help you get a mansion?  Two people stuck in quick sand can’t help each other.  One of us has to grow up and get out of the circumstance (in order to help the other).

Don’t Be Stupid!

Not that I’ve arrived, but I’ve certainly learned some things.  I’m making my mistakes early in life, so that I’m not stupid my entire life.

What’s the lesson?  Don’t be stupid!   It’s okay to be stupid for a little while, but god-dog-it, don’t be stupid the rest of your life! 

Quit doing what you’ve been doing, it’s time to change, it’s time to grow up! 

The Sign of Growth

You may think you’re growing…but the sign of growth is change.  How do you really know if you’re growing?  Look around…are things changing?

If things are changing for the better, than you are growing, if things are not changing, than …you’re not growing; it’s that simple!

Your Purpose

Your purpose in life isn’t just to exist; you are supposed to be growing up into something, not just an “old” human.  There are gifts, purposes, and seeds on the inside of you, which came here to grow. 

You were planted on the earth as a seed to grow up.  Are you growing up?  Are you becoming who you are?  Are you becoming what you are?  Or, do you merely exist, just getting by with an average life.

A Quick Story

I was having lunch with a couple of friends the other day, who happen to be in great shape.  These are friends who I look-up to because of the way they diet, and because of how they take care of their bodies.  However, this time when it came time to order lunch, they looked to me for advice on what to order. 

Over the course of this year I’ve been working hard to get into the best shape of my life, and in the process, people who I was “following” began to follow me.  This is what will happen to you when you grow up.  The people who you use to look up to, will look up to you!

Recently my wife sent out some pictures to our family and friends from our trip to Hawaii.  Some of the pictures showed me on the beach without my shirt on.  Since that time, I’ve been getting phone calls and e-mails asking me for advice.  Now, I don’t say this to brag, but I say it to prove my earlier point, that when you grow up, people will be attracted to you.  Why?  Because people want someone to look up to, they want someone to be the leader.  Why not you?

Grow Up

It’s time to grow up; it’s time to raise the standard, so to speak.  If you don’t grow, you will eventually become obsolete. 

Let’s face it, you’re learning too much not to grow!

So grow, and grow, and grow until you break through a barrier.  Grow until you do what others said you couldn’t do; grow until you become what others said you couldn’t become.

Grow up!

In Closing

I was at the theater a few months ago, and a “movie preview” was on, I don’t remember the movie, but they said these words, and the words rang in my thoughts, I heard, “Are you ready to become who you are?” 

So I ask you “Are you ready to become who you are? Are you ready to grow up?”

Thank you for reading, please stumble or tweet (see below)!

Please Read: A special thanks to the over 1000 individuals who have signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

Today I want to continue talking about “5 Critical Lessons In Success.” In this article I will cover lessons three through five. 

These critical success lessons will continue to reveal things that I’ve learned over the course of my life.

On yesterday I talked about how to make important decisions, and the realization that your decisions decide your destiny (see: “5 Critical Lessons in Success – Part I”). 

Today we’re going to continue this series with lessons three through five, so let’s get right to it.

5 Critical Lessons in Success – Part II:

Success Lesson Number 3: Don’t Feed the Beast

“Man at his best, is but a beast.”  

There is a beast nature in all of us, and that beast nature will sabotage our success if we allow it to. 

We all have “beastly tendencies,” and if we give ourselves over to them, if we feed them, they will surely flourish and take over our lives.  It’s critical that we starve these tendencies, and feed our talents and our gifts.

When you feed the beast, when you give attention to the beast nature, the beast nature flourishes; the beast will eventually destroy you.  It may be a beast of anger, of greed, of overeating, of lust, of lying; whatever the beast, don’t feed it.

Spend your energy, focus your thoughts, and make the decision to consciously ponder on thoughts of peace, love and pleasantness.  Slay the beast by changing your thoughts, and you’ll never have to worry about the beast, slaying you.

Success Lesson Number 4:  Manage the Lows

If you can “manage the lows,” you can achieve almost any goal.  Anyone can work towards their goals when things are going great.  We can all get things done when there are no obstacles blocking us, but the key to success is to get the things done especially when there are things blocking you.  

The power of the successful lies in their ability to maneuver around difficult situations, to master the lows.  The lows cause the successful to grow stronger, instead of growing weaker.  The successful shine, when others are collapsing.

If you can manage the lows, if you can be strong when you should be weak, you will succeed; you will be a leader.

Learn to focus your attention on “the lows!”  Look for the lows, master the lows, and you will master success.

Success Lesson Number 5: Recognize the Power of Monthly Goals

Are you using monthly goals?  What are your goals for this month?  If you can’t tell me your goals in explicit detail for this month, I’d say you’re not even slightly interested in succeeding.

Every year you should have a primary goal.  That primary goal should be supported by 12 monthly goals.  The 12 monthly goals are the 12 pillars that support the realization of the primary goal, without the pillars supporting the primary goal; the primary goal will crumble under the pressure of life.  Instead of the goal being realized, it will remain in a dream state.

Every month you should have a goal that stretches you towards your primary goal.  If you happen to reach the goal, stretch your next month’s goal a little further.  Keep stretching until your maximizing your potential.  When you begin to maximize your potential, that’s when you’re on the road to success.

The key is to live each month like it’s your last, and in time success will be yours!

That concludes this series on five critical lessons in success; hopefully you will put all of these principles into action!

Thank you for reading, please “share” this article (see below)!

Please Read: A special thanks to the over 1000 individuals who have signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

Today I want to talk about five critical lessons in success.  These lessons reveal things that I’ve learned over the past few years. 

I probably could have written an entire article about each of them, but I’ve decided to condense these five success lessons into two articles.  Enjoy!

5 Critical Lessons in Success:

Success Lesson Number 1: How to Make Important Decisions

I was in the mall not too long ago and someone came up to me and asked if I was a model, and I said no, then they asked if I would be interested in trying out for a show in New York, and I said no; I didn’t think about it, I didn’t ponder it for a second, I just said no and I walked away.  The person seemed a little taken back by my response, but that’s okay.

Was this a real opportunity for me to become a model?  I don’t know, but more importantly, I don’t care! Why?  Because there is one thing that I do know, and that’s how to make a decision.

You see, I know where I’m headed, and a modeling agency in New York is not the place.  What good would it do to make a stop “on the journey of life” in a direction that it is almost completely opposite of where I’m headed.

If my goal is to get from London to Los Angeles as quickly as possible, it is not in my best interest to stop in Thailand for a week to enjoy the beautiful scenery.  Thailand is not my goal, and a trip to Thailand does not support my goal.  So if someone asked me to go to Thailand while I’m on my way to Los Angeles, there would be no hesitation, my answer would be no.

When you’re faced with a difficult decision, you must always ask yourself, which decision best supports my long-term goals.  Which decision builds on where I’m trying to go?  It’s like good debt versus bad debt.  Debt that is good is debt that can produce for your future, things like stocks and bonds.  A good decision will produce good results in your future. 

A bad decision is like bad debt, long after the decision is made, or the money is spent, it can still cause problems…

So critical success lesson number one is to make decisions that support your long-term goals.  Someone asked me the other day to help them make a decision, I said you have to make a decision based on the final result that you want to have.  Everyday should be lived as to build on something, and then eventually you will have built a solid life.

How do you know if you’re spending your time well?  If it’s building on what you’re trying to accomplish.

Success Lesson Number 2: Realize That Decisions Decide Destinies

“Decisions decide health, decisions decide wealth.” – Mike Murdock

It’s not the family you grew up in that’s holding you back, it’s not life’s situations.  It’s your decisions.  That’s it!  Your decisions are deciding your wealth, and your decisions are deciding your health.  Your decisions are deciding your success, and your decisions are deciding your happiness!

Your decisions are deciding your destiny.  Your decisions!  Your decision to go to college, your decision of where you work, your decision of who you marry, your decision to follow your passion, your decision of what you read, your decision to write a book, your decision of what to eat, your decision to never give up.  More than any other factor, your decisions are deciding exactly where you end up in life.  Changing your decisions will change you life!

It’s true; your destiny is in your hand, because you are in control of your decisions. 

How simple, yet how profound… Your decisions will determine if you become rich or poor, happy or depressed, healthy or sick, thick or thin…

You are in control, never forget that…

So success lessons number two is to recognize that your decisions are deciding your destiny.  That concludes this article, be sure to check out tomorrow’s article: “5 Critical Lessons in Success – Part II”

Thank you for reading, please stumble or tweet (see below)!

Please Read: A special thanks to the over 1000 individuals who have signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

Someone asked me the other day (after reading my article: How to Get More Money) “Why do we sometimes give and not receive?”  They asked “What is the science behind the concept: Give and you shall receive.” 

I personally think that these are two great questions, so I will briefly answer these questions today.

The science behind giving and receiving

Most of us have been taught that if we give we will receive.  But why is this true?  What are some practical examples of people giving and actually receiving?

In my article How to Get More Money I discussed the concept that if you give of yourself “to others” you will receive.  I went on to say that if you give to a large number of people, you will receive a large harvest, and if you give to a small number of people, then you will receive a small harvest.

A practical example

When you go to work and “give” your employer your time, you “receive” wages.

If your job requires that you give value to a lot of people (e.g. you’re the CEO of a large company), you will receive a large harvest. 

If your job requires that you give value to a few people (e.g. you’re a cashier at your local grocery store), then you will receive a relatively smaller harvest.

What about giving money?

Someone may ask, “If I give money will I receive money?”  If so, why is this true?  First let me define giving…

If you give only to receive, then that’s not giving at all.  I believe the Webster dictionary would more accurately define that type of transaction as bartering.  Real giving means to offer, to present, to bestow, from a heart that wants nothing more than to give.  When you give, you’re not giving to get, you’re giving…to give.

So the question remains, “If I give money, will I receive money?” 

If you’re truly “giving” money, and not bartering the money in exchange for more money, I believe your giving creates an avenue for you to receive more money, but only if you give believing that there is no lack; only if you give from an “abundance mindset.”  

Why?  

Because giving from an “abundance mindset” puts in place a timeless principle that causes you to receive.  Please tell me more…

Giving from an “abundance mindset” provides factual confirmation to your subconscious mind that there is no lack.  Giving from an “abundance mindset” authenticates the belief in your subconscious mind that you can afford to give because there is an unlimited supply to give from. 

When you really believe that there’s an unlimited supply to give from, you can then act on receiving from that same unlimited supply (and you’re happy to give).

Put it another way, giving from an “abundance mindset” unconsciously stretches your ability to receive.  It expands your capacity to believe, and from this new altered mindset, you can receive.

The right way to give

What’s the right way to give?  The right way to give is to give freely.  Jesus said, “When you give, don’t let your right hand know, what your left hand is doing.”  In other words, a part of you knows that giving induces receiving, but your giving shouldn’t come from that place; your giving should come from a pure heart that just wants to give… 

Your giving should come from an uncontaminated heart, a heart that is untainted by greed.  When you give from this pure heart, your subconscious opens the door for you to receive, if you believe that you will receive. 

The harvest

But there’s still additional work on your part. 

If I give to the ground “seed,” I will receive a harvest in relative proportion to the seed that I’ve planted.  But that’s not enough, what good is it to have a field full of plants ripe for the picking, if I don’t go out and bring in the harvest through the sweat of my brow. 

You may be giving to others with your right hand, …that’s planting the seed, but now it’s time to reap the harvest with your left hand.  Are you following me?  It’s not enough to plant, it’s not enough to sow, you must take the harvest from the field, and you must bring it “inside.”

You must discover a way to eat from the fruit of your labor.  You must work to receive the reward from your giving, and you do this by providing value to others, and by creating a way to receive from that value. 

When you provide value to others with the proper mindset that there is no lack, you strategically position yourself to bring in the harvest…

And the harvest that you bring in is a harvest that you would not have been able to perceive, had you not given of your time, your money, and your resources. 

Giving from this “abundance mindset” opens the window of receiving.

Should you want to receive from your giving?

A part of you should desire to receive from your giving; in receiving from your giving you complete the “giving cycle,” thus giving you more to give! 

When you complete the “giving cycle,” not only will you have more to give to others, you’ll have more to give to yourself. 

Even giving to yourself is a form of giving that can radically change your life, but I’ll save that thought for another article.

In closing

…Give from the right heart, give from an “abundance mindset,” work to receive your harvest, …don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing, and your giving will change your life, and your world.

Thank you for reading, please stumble or tweet (see below)!

Please Read: A special thanks to the over 1000 individuals who have signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

I was talking with my editor the other day and she mentioned that your priorities should always be “people first, money second, and things last.”  After thinking about that concept for a brief moment I said, “You know what, it has to work that way,” this concept of “people first, money second, and things last” is not just some grand suggestion, it is the way it must work in order for you to succeed.

I thought, “If you don’t take care of people, you won’t have any money, and if you don’t care of your money, you won’t be able to buy any things.”

So today I want to discuss how to properly take care of people, so that you can get the money to buy the things that you desire.

You may be thinking, “Money and things aren’t all that important!  Life is about love and joy and peace.”  And while I’m not discounting love and joy and peace, I’m also not talking about those things today.  This particular article is about money.  And while money isn’t everything, it is an extremely important element to your life…you need to have it.

If I have a Rolls Royce, I can take “one” wheel off of the vehicle and it won’t function properly; I don’t have to “blow-up” the entire car.  Money is “one” thing that you need in order for your life to function properly. 

Don’t run from money, embrace it.  Study money, study what causes it to ebb and flow, if you do, the amount of money you have will multiply.

People

Solomon wrote, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”  And I agree with that, but I think it’s also worth noting that, where there are no people, the vision will perish.  If your life is to function properly, if your vision is to be fulfilled, you are going to need people.

Why do you need people? 

Because you need someone to give to; you can’t receive, if you don’t give.  People are the soil that your gifts and talents must be planted into, if you ever want to receive a “harvest.”  To the degree that you plant into people, will be to the degree that you receive a “harvest.”

If you give little of yourself to people, then you will receive a little “harvest,” if you give much to people, then you will receive a big “harvest.”  If you plant value into people, then you will receive a valuable “harvest.”

The Harvest

“Money” is the harvest in which I am referring to here, and how much money you have is in direct proportion to the number of people you are giving solutions to.  People pay for solutions; people support the vision of those who provide them with solutions.  You really don’t need more money, what you really need are more solutions.

If you provide solutions to a large number of people, then you will make large sums of money, if you provide solutions to a few, then you will make little money.

Money is the reward for solving problems for your fellow man.  Whose problems are you solving?  Who needs you?  Who are you planting seeds into?

If you plant good seeds, then you will receive a good harvest?  If you plant bad seeds into society, then you will reap a bad harvest.  So don’t try to rob your fellow man, those seeds won’t yield a beneficial harvest.  In other words, nothing can come from corn, but corn, nothing from apples but apples.

The Conclusion

If you’re not happy with the amount of money that you currently have, the answer is simple; you must find a way to solve more problems for more people. 

It will serve you well to solve the problems in which you are best fitted to solve.  This is why it’s important that you discover your passion, and use it in serving others.  Use your creativity to find a way to solve problems for people, and they will gladly pay you in return.

When you take care of people, the money and things will follow!  However, never forget the avenues in which money and things flow into your life, and keep the cycle going; keep serving people.

Its “people” who constantly need to be serviced, so serve people the way you would want to be served.  Serve them faithfully, and if you serve enough people, you will have all the money you desire.  If you serve people well, they will ensure you never want.  If you serve them well, they will love you.

Thank you for reading, please stumble or tweet!

Please Read: A special thanks to the over 1000 individuals who have signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

There are no opportunities out there that will offer you immediate success.

Don’t think: “If I had only joined that business on the ‘ground level,’ then I would be rich,” or “If had only purchased a thousand shares of Microsoft, then I would be living the life of my dreams right now.”

The reality is, you didn’t purchase that stock for a reason, and it’s because at that time in your life you hadn’t grown up into the person who makes those types of purchases.  So you need not regret that decision.

No Low Hanging Fruit

There’s no “secret diet” that will give you the body of your dreams.  You already know what you’re supposed to be eating.

There’s no spouse that will allow you to have an amazing marriage filled with bliss…  In order to have a great marriage, “you” will have to become the “type of person” who has a great marriage.  You have to mature and ripen enough to handle that level of relationship.

There are no secrets, easy solutions, or quick fixes.  It’s all you!  You have to change, if your life is ever going to change. 

In other words, you have to change your thinking!

You may say … “You always say I have to change my thinking, this is redundant.”  Well the question is, “Have you changed your thinking yet?” 

You don’t get to go to the 4^th grade until you passed the 3^rd grade.  The truth is everything begins and ends with your thinking.  Your life is formed, shaped and created from your thoughts.

Thoughts

When your thoughts change, you will change.  You only grow to the degree that your thoughts change.  When your thoughts become the thoughts of a “Level 10 Person,” a “Level 7 Problem” will seem like child’s play to you.  You’ll wonder how you struggled for as long as you did.  You’ll think, “I can’t believe I use to eat that way, or I can’t believe I couldn’t come up with a creative way to make more money.”

When your thinking matures, your life will mature!

Decisions

We can’t talk about change without talking about your decisions.  The saying is true, “your decisions decide your life,” but a more important truth is that you decide your decisions.  And you’re making those decisions, which are deciding your life, based on the person that you are “on the inside,” and if the person on the inside doesn’t change, then your life can never change!

Change

You think you’re upset now because you missed some great opportunities in life, but if you don’t change your thinking, you’re going to miss the next opportunity, and the next one, and guess what, yes, the next one.  Success only occurs when you grow up and make it occur.  It’s not about waiting for the right opportunity. 

You have to grow up and say “Enough is enough, I’m tired of being sick, I’m tired of being broke, I’m tired of being overweight, I’m tired of things not changing, I’m tired of going around this same mountain every year.”  You have to say, “I am going to change!  I can’t blame my mother anymore, I can’t blame my neighborhood anymore, and I can’t blame my spouse anymore.  I’m responsible for my life; I alone am the creator of my results.”

And the only way to change my results is to change me.  And the only way to change me is to change my thinking.  You have to commit that nothing is more important than seeing and saying what you will become, to the exclusion of everything else.  You have to begin to say who you want to be, and you have to declare how you’re going to get there.  You have to speak and see your life the way you want it.  You have to change your thinking, by first changing your words.

Words

You have to talk to yourself. Tell yourself what you should be thinking.  There’s nothing wrong with that!

You don’t mind letting the television talk to you; you let the media talk to you, and the news; why don’t you talk to yourself!

Why don’t you say who you are, why don’t you say where you’re going.  Why don’t you prophecy your own future.  Don’t let statistics and the results of your friends and family dictate where you go.  Go where you want to go, do what you want to do, become who you want to become.

And you do this by deciding to change the way you speak and the way you think. 

In Closing

Be the person who commits to changing their thoughts; don’t miss this opportunity right now to decide to change your thinking.

If you miss this opportunity, the next great opportunity won’t matter, because you won’t see it. 

Don’t think, “I’ve heard this before.”  To hear and not do doesn’t profit you anything.  Only those who execute what they know get results.  You can have the best plan in the world, but if it’s not executed, then it doesn’t matter.

Don’t learn all of this stuff and not do it.  Don’t be so close to the truth and yet unable to arrive because you’re too lazy to put the truth into action.

This day, decide to change your thinking, because it’s the only way to change your life.  Decide that your life will never be the same.  Decide to speak your life into existence, if you do, your life will never, ever, ever be the same.

Thank you for reading, please stumble or tweet!

Please Read: A special thanks to the over 1000 individuals who have signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

Today I want to talk about seven success principles that cause success; this is the “formula for success,” so you may want to save this page.

As I like to say, success does not belong to an elite minority; success belongs to the person who decides to succeed. Success is not the possession of an influential group, but it is the tenure of the person who commits to follow the principles of success.

If any person commits to follow the principles of success, they will shatter the shackles which appear to hold them captive. If a person decides to succeed, they will press forward towards success; never looking back.

The Formula for Success – In 7 Steps:

 1. Decide to Succeed

 “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.”

–Abraham Lincoln

To decide to succeed means to cut-off any other alternative other than success. When you decide to succeed, you don’t mind burning the bridges of mediocrity behind you, because you know you will never cross them again. A decision is not a wish. A decision is a knowing that you will get to your intended destination, because you will not relent until you arrive; its full confidence in what you’re about to achieve.

 2. Get into Action

 “Action is the foundational key to all success.”

–Pablo Picasso

After you make the decision to succeed, you will feel the urge to get into action. Action is the only way to success! If you’re not taking massive action, you’re not on the path to success. There is a direct correlation between the degree of action you take and your success. You cannot progress without an incredible amount of action. Don’t sit around waiting for your big break, get into action, and make your own break.

The successful person is a “busy person;” the successful person acts every day, and every action takes them closer to their goal.

3. Persist

“Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.”

–Dale Carnegie

To succeed requires persistence, tenacity, and an unrelenting attitude. Are you persistent?

You have to be like the postage stamp, they say the entire worth of the postage stamp consist in its ability to stick to something until it arrives at the intended destination.

Whatever your goal, you must stick to it until you arrive. A large part of success is hanging on while others are letting go.

 4. Fail

“In order to succeed you must fail, so that you know what not to do the next time.”

–Anthony J. D’Angelo

It’s okay to fail, in fact failure is necessary. You will find that the people who have the greatest successes often have the greatest failures. Why is this? Because people with great successes take risk, they take chances; they get out of their comfort zone. Sometimes when you stretch yourself you fail, but that’s okay, because it’s not really a failure if you’ve learned something valuable.

5. Fail Again

“I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.”

–Michael Jordan

To succeed, you must fail, and fail, and fail. Failure is the path to success. Edison failed 10,000 times, but he didn’t see it as failure, he saw it as the path to success. When you’re trying to reach your goal, you will often come short. Don’t see these short-comings as failures; see them as steps in the right direction towards your goal.

6. Quit

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it.”

–W. C. Fields

Sometimes you have to quit in order to succeed! Maybe your plan wasn’t a good one, don’t stick with something that’s clearly not working; quit, re-adjust, and start again. Maybe you’re failing because you’re not passionate about your goal. Look inside of yourself and ensure your motives are right; ensure you’re driven by an inner passion. Success is birth from your passion; it’s okay to quit until you unlock your passion.

7. Find Something You Truly Believe in and Finally Succeed

“In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure.”

–Bill Cosby

When you find something that you really believe in, you will finally be able to succeed. Your passion will carry you through the late nights, your love for what you’re doing will cause you to be your very best.

This time you will surely succeed, and your success will be the result of your decision to succeed, your consistent action, your unrelenting persistence, and your failure again and again.

What you thought was a waste of time, was your preparation period, what you thought was to your detriment, will have become the foundation of your success.

Thank you for reading, please stumble or tweet!

Please Read: A special thanks to the over 1000 individuals who have signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

Napoleon Hill was one of the earliest creators of self-development literature.  He is considered by many to be one of the great writers on success.  His classic work, “Think and Grow Rich,” is one of the best-selling books of all time.

How it all began:

Andrew Carnegie, the industrialist and one of the most powerful men in the world in Hill’s day, believed that success could be explained by a simple formula (although Carnegie wasn’t sure what that formula was). 

One day Andrew Carnegie was interviewed by Napoleon Hill; Carnegie was so impressed with Hill that he asked him to interview (or analyze) 500 (+) men and women to discover this secret formula to success.  Hill accepted the assignment; this would eventually be the turning point in Hill’s life.

As part of his research, Hill interviewed many of the most famous people of the time, including Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, George Eastman, Henry Ford, Elmer Gates, John D. Rockefeller, Sr., Charles M. Schwab, F.W. Woolworth, William Wrigley Jr., John Wanamaker, William Jennings Bryan, Theodore Roosevelt, William H. Taft and Jennings Randolph.

The results from this assignment yielded one of the greatest success workbooks ever written, it was called “The Law of Success.”  It happens to be one of my favorite audiobooks.

In the “Law of Success” workbook, Hill taught how success occurs, as well as the formulas behind success.  Hill made success quite simple for the average “Joe” to understand.

After the completion of the “Law of Success assignment,” Hill went on to have tremendous success personally, writing “Think and Grow Rich,” and eventually becoming the person we consider the father of modern self development.

“What the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve” is one of Hill’s most famous sayings. 

10 Powerful Prosperity Lessons from Napoleon Hill

1. The Imagination is Powerful

“All the breaks you need in life wait within your imagination; Imagination is the workshop of your mind, capable of turning mind energy into accomplishment and wealth.”

You need not sit around waiting for your big break.  In between your ears lie all the power you will ever need.  Are you using it?  Are you using the priceless gift of your imagination to create the life of your dreams? 

Do you ponder on your visions both night and day?  Napoleon Hill said, “Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.”

2. Repetition of Thought is Required

“Any idea, plan, or purpose may be placed in the mind through repetition of thought.”

The best way to plant an idea into your mind is through repetition of thought.  The best way to create repetition of thought is to repeatedly say the thought you want planted in your mind. 

You are the door keeper of your mind, don’t let the media plant thoughts into your mind, don’t let day time television plant thoughts into your mind, there’s no telling what that harvest will yield.  You take responsibility for your mind, and you plant the thoughts that you desire to see manifested, based on your dreams and desires.

3. Hard Work is Mandatory

“Big pay and little responsibility are circumstances seldom found together.”

Napoleon Hill said, “Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness.”  Everybody wants something for nothing, but unfortunately life doesn’t work that way.  Great achievement requires great labor and great sacrifice. 

But I will say this, in the long-term, the price of success is less than the price of failure, in the end it will cost you less to succeed.  If you suffer now, you can reign later.

4. A Plan Is Necessary

“Create a definite plan for carrying out your desire and begin at once, whether you are ready or not, to put this plan into action.”

As I like to say, “If you don’t have a plan, you will fail, and you can quote me.”  You need a definite plan, it should be written down, and it should dictate, with military precision, the moves that you will be taking.  Napoleon Hill said, “First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality.”

5. You Have to Make a Move

“It is always your next move.”

Quit waiting and start moving, it’s your move!  And then after you make that move; it’s your move again, and again, and again.  The ball is always in your court, get into action and stay into action until you arrive at your intended destination.

6. Never Let Failure Discourage You

“Edison failed 10,000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times.”

If at first you don’t succeed, then please don’t be surprised.  If Edison failed 10,000 times, no offense, but you will probably have your own set of failures as well.  But be of good cheer, those who have achieved greatness have usually failed greatly as well.

7. Defeat is a Sign

“When defeat comes, accept it as a signal that your plans are not sound, rebuild those plans, and set sail once more toward your coveted goal.”

Everything sends a message, if you are failing, then that’s a “message” that your current plan isn’t working very well.  No need to give up; just adjust your plan.  Use “messages,” to make adjustments.  Keep on making adjustments until your plan produces the results you desire.

8. Ideas Are How You Manifest Prosperity

“Just as our eyes need light in order to see, our minds need ideas in order to conceive.”

Randy Gage said, “You don’t have a money shortage, you have an idea shortage.”  He said, “Ideas my friend, are how you manifest prosperity in the physical world.”  If you are to give birth to wealth, you must first become pregnant from an idea.  You “need ideas in order to conceive.”

9. You Must Have a Definite Purpose

“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowledge of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”

You must know what you want, and you must have a burning desire to get it.  That’s pretty simple!  Do you know what you want?  Do you know “exactly” what you want?  Do you have a “burning” desire to get it?  …Not do you “kinda” want it, …not it would be nice to have.  Do you have a “white hot burning desire” to possess it? 

That’s what you need to have, and here’s how you get it.  Hill said, “Hold a picture of yourself long and steadily enough in your mind’s eye and you will be drawn toward it.”

You have “superhuman powers,” make sure you use them!

This concludes this article on “10 Powerful Prosperity Lessons from Napoleon Hill,” be sure to bookmark this page, and refer to it as necessary.

Thank you for reading, and please pass this article along.

Please Read: A special thanks to the over 1000 individuals who have signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

I was in Hawaii a few weeks ago, and I was lying in my chair on Waikiki beach when I made this interesting observation.

My observation was: People are surprisingly comfortable walking around with virtually no clothes on, including me.  I thought, if we were in a different setting, this would be totally inappropriate.  Most of these people would run for cover, if they had been forced to where what they’re currently wearing to their local mall.

What’s the difference?  The atmosphere…

Another example: People go to “clubs,” and they’re bouncing and shaking and twisting and grinding and everything else with complete strangers, then they come to work and act in a very professional manner with everyone in whom they come in contact.

Why the change, what’s the difference?  The atmosphere…

Do people pick oranges in desserts, or plant cactuses in Iceland?  No, why not…the atmosphere…

Your atmosphere is critical to your success!  Why? Because your atmosphere is a large contributor to your actions; you will only succeed in an atmosphere that is conducive for success.  So it’s imperative that you create an environment, or an atmosphere, or a climate where you can flourish.

3 Ways to Create an Atmosphere Where You Can Flourish

1. Hang with friends who are going where you want to go.

I can predict your future by looking at your friends, where they are, is where you’re headed.  Your friends are a prophecy of your future.  If you want to remove negative prophecies from your life, you can do so by removing negative people from your life.

If you want to position yourself to live a more purposeful life, find friends who are doing what you want to do.  Find friends who are going where you want to go, and you all can go there together.

It’s an amazing concept: You can alter your future by altering your friends.

2. Give your attention to information that is uplifting and encouraging.

Thoughts have a presence.  I can walk into a room and feel anger, I can walk into a room and feel confusion, I can walk into a room and feel peace.  When you fill your mind with negativity from the news, or the media, that information negatively influences your thoughts.  Those thoughts are now a part of your environment.  You’ve taken that negativity from news and now you’re carrying it with you.  That negativity is silently contributing to your actions and to your results.

If you want to create an environment where you can flourish, feast your mind on motivational, uplifting, and encouraging information.

The thoughts from positive information, strategically positions you to succeed.

3. Listen to music that inspires you.

It’s amazing how music can completely alter your mood.  Try to avoid music that’s not uplifting!   I was walking in the park the other day and I heard someone listening to a song, I’m pretty sure the lyrics were “Die, die, die,” probably not the best choice of music, in my very humble opinion.

You should use music as a tool to help control your environment.  Play songs that put you in the mood you want to be in.  Program-up, leave depressing songs, for people who want to be depressed, but not you.

Music is a huge component in creating your environment, so play music that inspires you; music that makes you feel like you can conquer the world.

In Closing

Hopefully this article will help you take a closer look at the atmosphere that you create around you.  Hopefully you will use this information to better position yourself to succeed.

Thank you for reading, and please pass this article along.

Please Read: A special thanks to everyone who has signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

Today I want to talk about a success principle that you must apply in order to succeed; this principle makes all the difference.  It truly separates the men from boys, the haves from the have nots; the victors from the victims.

But first, a quick story:  My wife and I often play tennis, we’re not very good, but that’s not really relevant to my point, so as I was saying, we often play tennis.  When we play, we play each other (we don’t compete with another couple, or anything like that).

Before each tennis match begins, …we practice.

We’ll practice for about 10 or 15 minutes, hitting the ball back and forth, getting our muscles loose, and making sure we’re ready to play.  After the practice time elapses, one of us always asks the other, “Are you ready to ‘play’… for real?”

The truth is, you can “play tennis,” or you can “play tennis for real.”  They sound similar, but that’s about all, when you’re playing “for real,” it’s an entirely different sport.

You move quicker, when you’re playing for real.  You’re more agile, you’re more intense, and you’re more accurate.  You play like something’s on-the-line, because something is on-the-line.

When you play for real, you leave everything on the court, when you play for real, you put everything out there….and that’s what makes the difference.

Some people are playing life, and some people are playing life “for real.”

To succeed in life, you have to play “for real!”

Playing For Real

One of my favorite quotes is by Van Crouch, he says, “When they back the ‘hearse’ up to the front door, they are not making a practice run.”

In other words, life is happening right now, this is the “real” deal, this isn’t practice.  You don’t get to try life out for 30 or 40 years.  In the words of Michael Jackson, this is it!

You only get one bite at the apple, are you playing for real?

Playing for real includes letting go of petty bickering, strife, and “foolishness,” because these things will surely hold you back.  Playing for real is the decision to push towards your destiny at all cost.  When you’re playing for real, you’re going for the “gold” medal, “bronze” just won’t do.

When you’re playing for real, you may not always know what to do, but you’re doing all you know.  You’re “fully” utilizing the wisdom and information that you have; you’re giving your all.  When you’re playing for real, you don’t leave anything on the table.

When you practice, you may “hide your cards” so-to-speak.  You may know to do something, but you may not do it.  That doesn’t work in the “real” game, not if you want to win.

So what’s my point:  Don’t leave anything on the table, there maybe something that you know to do, but you’re not currently doing it, start doing it today.  Over the course of the next five years, that one task could drastically change your life.  One small task like meditating, or writing a page a day for your book (I believe everyone has a book in them), just one thing can completely revolutionalize your entire life.  But you gotta’ play for real.

Why should you play for real?  Because time is passing; years are going by, you are becoming, right now, what you will be.

In Closing

Let me ask you, “The dreams that you had as a child, …are they being fulfilled?”

Don’t die pregnant with potential; don’t die with your dreams still inside of you.  You have time to give birth to them, start today, begin to work towards a better tomorrow, a brighter tomorrow; your best is truly yet to come.

I believe in you, I believe in the person who’s interested in reading such a web site as this one; it says a lot about you.  This web site is not for the faint at heart, or the mundane, this web site is for people who recognize thier potential, it’s for people who know they have the power to make a difference.  It’s for life changers, game winners, difference makers, and world shakers!

So play for real, …your life will never be the same if you do.

Thank you for reading, and please pass this article along, it may make all the difference for someone else!

Please Read: A special thanks to everyone who has signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

The purpose of this Web site is to cause people to succeed in every area of their life by giving them practical life-altering advice. I know the information on this site can alter your life for the better, because it’s altering my life right now.  I’m not only the author of this site, but I’m its biggest fan, and more importantly, I’m putting into practice the lessons advocated on these Web pages.

I want you to know that my life is changing because I’m following the lessons taught here, five years from now, I will be a completely different person because of the information on this site.  You can grow with me, we can succeed together,  …or you can just watch me succeed (…but that’s not much fun).

I invite you along for the journey, not only to be a hearer, but a doer.  I invite you to not only read the articles, but to participate and to become your very best; I invite you to grow.  I invite you to shed off the old, and to put on the new….I want us to grow together, a world-wide army made up of 1000’s of committed individuals who don’t just talk about success, an army that actually succeeds.

I’m sick and tired of self-help, that doesn’t really help!  I’m tired of hearing surface-level information, that doesn’t have the power to change you from the inside-out.  Now, more than ever, I’m committed to providing information that’s life-changing and mind-altering.

Don’t be so close to this site, and yet miss what’s going on.  Don’t be so near, and yet so far.  Change is on the horizon, five years from now, your life should be radically different.  Ten years from now, if you’re committed, you won’t even be able to recognize your current self.  That’s the change that I’m talking about, that’s the purpose of this site; to provoke that level of change.

The information to succeed is being taught here, but it must be put into action.  Don’t know, and not do; don’t let laziness and indifference keep you from maximizing your potential.

The readers of this site must be in action! I am far too busy; I have far too many things that I could do with my life, other then just sitting around writing articles which only entertain people.  My goal is not for others to say that I’m a good writer; if my words are relevant, there relevance will be seen in the lives of the readers of this site.

What am I asking of you?  I’m asking that you take the prescribed steps given in the articles and become a better you; do what you thought couldn’t be done.  Learn how to transform your mind through meditation, and you will transform your life.

I always look forward to hearing the stories of the readers of this site and how they’re life is changing, so keep the stories coming.

In Closing

The world is your oyster, you can do what’s never been done before, you can go where your family has never gone before, you can surpass the limits which formerly held you bound, you can surprise others, you can surprise yourself.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

Please Read: A special thanks to everyone who has signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

This maybe the most important article you ever read!  So give me a few moments to build my case.

You see, a lot of people got married because they thought they got a “great” deal, after a few years they realized they got a “raw” deal, and now they’re looking for a “new” deal. 

After you finish reading this article, you’ll recognize that you don’t need a “new” deal.  You’ll know that you already have what’s necessary for an amazing marriage with your “current” spouse.  This article will give you the secret to bringing out the “best” in them, as well as the “best” in you, that’s why I wrote it.

The Secret to a Happy Marriage

You may be thinking, if I had married John, or Sally, or “so-and-so,” things would be great, because they’re just like me!  But that’s not the answer at all!  Probably the worse thing you can do is to marry somebody just like yourself, you’d probably drive each other crazy.

And another side-point, before we get into the lesson…

Some husbands think that it’s time to divorce they’re wife because their wife has put on an extra 30 pounds.  I want to discuss such topics in this article. 

I also would like to know how that husband’s “six-pack” is coming along.  I hope he’s not walking around looking like he’s “seven-months pregnant,” while giving “weight-loss” advice to his wife.  As the quote goes, be the change you want to see.

Okay, enough side-points, lets get right to it.

The Problem in Marriage

Here’s the problem: When most people get married, they mistakenly think they’ve finished the race.  Little do they know, the “war” has just begun.

What use to excite them about their partner, now bothers them, what they didn’t see before, is now driving them insane! 

One person wants to save, one person wants to spend.  One person wants to eat salad; one person wants to eat cookies.  One person wants it hot, one person wants it cold.  One person wants to go out; one person wants to stay in. 

The differences!

But, these “differences” are for our growth, not for our detriment; contrary to popular opinion and public debate.  If nothing else, we should be growing increasingly patient because of these “differences,” but that’s just the beginning of this growth process.

The Recommendation

How do I recommend you deal with these differences? I think you have to first recognize the purpose of marriage, which is growth and development!  This is why opposites attract.  You were designed by your creator to attract a mate who is opposite of you to help ensure your own growth and development. 

The “differences” that you and your spouse possess should serve to challenge you and make you better.  This is why marriage takes work.

When you got married, you really entered a “relationship” boot camp!  You thought you entered a relationship “paradise,” but you were misinformed, it was really a relationship boot camp that you signed-up for, and you did so even unaware.  But that’s okay, because life is about growth.  

The Boot Camp

There’s good news:  If you learn the rules of the boot camp, the boot camp won’t break you, it will make you superior, it will make you stronger, it will cause you to grow-up into the person that you were created to be.  It will reveal the best in you; this boot camp will provide you the opportunity to have an “amazing marriage,” if you pass its test.

But people don’t like boot camp!  That’s why you hear a lot of married people say, “If I was single again…” they say, “Somehow, if I could be single (through some stroke of luck), I wouldn’t get married again; I’d just date.”  What I hear from this is, “I don’t want to go to boot camp,” I don’t want to face the “demons” in my closet!  I don’t want someone confronting my selfishness and putting “pressure” on me to grow-up.

That’s what marriage is in the beginning, and maybe forever if you never address the issues.  It’s “pressure,” and if you know anything about building a better body, you know that it takes pressure to cause your muscles to develop.  Pressure has the ability to make you stronger, …so quit running away from the pressure.

When problems arise, it’s not time to run out the room; it’s time to deal with the pressure.  I said, “It’s time to deal with the pressure,” if you want to be better, if you want your marriage to be its best, you have to deal with the pressure!  Are you going to pass the test?

You think you need a divorce, what you really need is a good argument.  You need to uncover (quit hiding) the expectations that you have of each other, and deal with them, name them one-by-one.  I’m convinced that the number one problem in marriage is unmet expectations.  So you need to uncover and meet the respective expectations that you both have….  If you do this, your marriage will grow stronger.

Those arguments, debates, heated conversations, what have you, will not cause you to grow apart, if you handle them appropriately and respectfully.  They will become instruments or tools that will bring you together, if you embrace them.

Don’t run from your opportunity to be better, don’t skip the training period!  You want to be married without training; you want to be married without a merging of your two-worlds.  Sometimes you have to rock the boat, if you want to experience “still” waters.  God-dog-it, rock the boat!

The secret to marriage is to “grow-up,” the purpose of marriage, as is the purpose of life, is to grow-up and become what you were designed to become.  Trying to become single after you’re married is just a way of saying “I don’t want to grow-up.”

Some of you are trying to get a new marriage, and you can’t handle the boot camp you’re in right now:  Your spouse has just “two” issues they need to resolve.  You all have worked for ten years to resolve so many issues.  You don’t need a new set of issues; deal with “two” issues you have left.  Don’t run from the test! 

If you run that means you didn’t pass the test!  I said, “If you run, that means you didn’t pass the test!”  You’re going to have to repeat the grade.

The key is to pass the test, face the test for what it is, recognize that this is your training for life and the necessary requirement for a great marriage.  If you can unravel this riddle, then you can have a beautiful marriage, say “I want to pass the test!”  Don’t keep going around the mountain, make up your mind to climb the mountain once and for all.

The Side Note

Okay….I mentioned the weight issue in my opening paragraph, so let me address that here….If you’re so unhappy with your spouse being overweight, then go workout with them.  If you’re that concerned, help them.  Use that opportunity as your training ground to make your family better. 

If you don’t like the way you’re being treated, don’t lash out at the other person, teach them, patiently train them; become better together, don’t run from your training!

The truth is, your spouse isn’t that bad, they married you didn’t they; they can’t be that bad.  You’re not a perfect “10” married to a “2,” if they’re a “2,” you’re probably a “2” as well, otherwise you wouldn’t have attracted them.  Some of you all think you’re a “10” married to a “2,” you crazy; you better be happy with what you got.

Instead of trying to get a new deal, your challenge is to grow together.  If you’re both “5s,” then your challenge in life is to become “10s” together.  You don’t “need” to be single, being single will only suffocate your personal growth.  When you’re single, you don’t have to mature in a lot of areas, you don’t have to be any better, no one is going to question you.  If you feel like eating a carton of ice-cream for dinner, you’re free to do so, but that won’t make you any better, …and you want to be better.

Don’t run away from your development, some people have been running for 30 years from their development, it’s time to develop, it’s time to grow.  Tell your spouse that we’re sticking this thing out together, tell them “I’m not going anywhere, and guess what, you’re not going anywhere either, we’re going to work this thing out.”  We’re going to grow, we’re going to develop, and we’re going to become all that we are destined to become.

The Conclusion

It’s time to become who you are, as it is written, the twain shall be one.  As “one,” you can do so much more; two people on the same page, moving in the right direction, can change the world.  They’ll be that power couple; they’ll be fulfilled, happy, and living on purpose, they’ll be a sign, pointing the way, to what marriage should be.

Thank you for reading, and please pass this article along.

Please Read: A special thanks to everyone who has signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

I often talk about the concept: “change your thinking, change your life,” but most people have never been taught how to effectively change their thinking.  So today I’m going to teach you an easy way to reprogram your mind.

Nothing is more critical to your success than successful thinking!

You will succeed, or will fail based on the thoughts that you consistently entertain.  So I want to discuss a method that will allow you to “insert” thoughts that you want to manifest; this way you can live your life on purpose.

You see, if you don’t change your thinking, no self-development Web site is ever going to be of much benefit; it’s the “changing of your thoughts” that change your actions and produces your success.

To the degree that your thinking is changed will be to the degree that your life changes.  Nothing changes until you change the way you think! 

Your self development will never really work for you unless it transforms your mind. 

Your life will transform, when your thinking transforms, so let’s discuss how you can transform your thinking. 

I have personally gone through this mental transformation process several times in order to manifest things in my life, and once you learn it, I’m sure you’re going to use it as well. 

The Transformation Process

I call this process of re-programming or transforming your mind, “100 Times a Day.”  I call it “100 Times a Day” because I want you to say what you want to manifest 100 times a day, in one sitting (or standing, or walking).  If you keep your phrase short, which I recommend you do, you should be able to say something 100 times in five minutes.

As an example, I have a goal of having 4000 subscribers for this Web site by the end of this year.  So starting on August 1, I will begin saying 100 times a day that: “I have 4000 subscribers.”  (It will take me at about five minutes to make these affirmations everyday.)

These affirmations (made in faith) will transform my mind to the point where 4000 subscribers appear to be perfectly normal to me (and anything else is completely unacceptable). 

When I make these affirmations, I won’t do so it in an “excited state of mind,” because the reality is, if I had 4000 subscribers I would not be excited at all, I would be thinking about 10,000 subscribers. 

Additionally, I find it helpful to walk around sometimes and make my affirmations, I do get excited when I make my affirmations, but not because of the goal, I’m excited because of the creation process.  I’m excited that I can birth things into this world based on the words that I say.  That’s a very powerful concept! 

I’m not saying that it stops with your words alone, but I am saying that your words are probably the most effective way to change your thinking.  Words are like the “bit” in the horse’s mouth, the bit allows the rider to move the horse where the rider wants the horse to go.  Your words will move your life where you want it to go, or if you’re not careful, your words will move your life where you don’t want it to go.

Also, while I’m making these affirmations, I try to simultaneously visualize the goal as complete.  This combination of visualization with affirmation is certain to produce manifestation. 

If you’re consistent, you will birth into this world your desires. 

I also suggest that you give yourself a timeline to manifest your desires.  It’s going to take work to birth any “baby,” and a timeline will help ensure that you’re not on the sideline when you should be in the game.

Signs That Your Transformation Is Taking Place

You know that your mental transformation is taking place when begin to see your goal as extremely realistic.  You will eventually begin to see the goal as simple and anything other than the achievement of the goal as unacceptable. 

These new thoughts will produce the motivation to ensure you make it to the new location your mind has been set to.  This process of saying it “100 times a day” resets your mind, it’s like your homes thermostat, when you change the temperature on the thermostat, “things” start to change, ensuring the new temperature is reached.

Another initial sign that will let you know that your affirmations are working is you will begin to make the affirmations even when you’re not locked away in your room.  You’ll make these affirmations at random because the thought will just come to you, and you will say, “I’m 160 pounds” (as an example).

That’s Hard

You may be thinking “that’s hard!”  Yeah, so is being broke.  Let me say this, if you’re not committed enough to say what you want 100 times a day, you are certainly not committed enough to succeed.  If anything, this is a short-cut to changing your thinking.  If you think this is hard, just give up now…you’ll never make it.  If you’re not committed enough to spend five minutes changing your thinking to transform your life, then you are lost without hope. 

Of course I know none of the readers of this Web site think this is hard.

What If I Miss a Day?

If you miss a day, which you may eventually do, just double-up the next day.  Certainly try to be as consistent as possible, but missing a day is not the end of the world.  I also recommend that you go into a quiet room and play “soft” music (if you have some) to assist in the birthing process.

What If I Don’t Make My Goal?

That’s certainly a lot better than not having a goal at all.  If you sincerely worked towards your goal, you will have learned valuable lessons that will position you to be much more successful in your next endeavor.

Give me another example of how I can use this “100 Times a Day” transformation process?

I have used this process to help me lose weight by saying 100 times a day, “I weigh 160 pounds.”  By doing this I re-programmed my mind to think that I’m 160 pounds; then the actions came much more naturally.

Make Sure Your Goal is Believable!

Your goal should be believable; you should not be overly impressed with the goal. If you’re overly impressed, then you may have stretched your faith to thin.  Faith is a muscle that must be worked and developed.  You start with small weights, then you work your way to heavier weights.

Tips to Manifesting for beginners:

1. Start with something you have some control over.  For example, you have some control over how many sales you get this month, however, you can’t necessarily control if you’re made the CEO of your company by next year.

2. Visualize at the same time you make your affirmations for quicker re-programming.

3. Start off just taking five minutes a day, locked away in a room, saying in the “present tense” what you are, or what you have.  Such as, “I have 4000 subscribers.”  You can always increase the amount of time as you feel necessary, but be more concerned with your consistency from day-to-day.

4. Only try to manifest one thing at a time initially.

5. Finally, remember that you should not be “overly impressed” with the affirmation.  The affirmation represents the new you, it should feel normal and natural; it should be believable.  So start small and work your way to bigger manifestations, build a history of success!

In Closing

This process will surely bring you success if you work the principle.  The principle works, when you work the principle.  To your success, and to your manifestations!

If you’re serious about this, send me an e-mail and let me know what you’re going to manifest by the end of this year (for some added pressure).  I’ll want to know how you progressed come December 31, and you can follow my progress by checking my subscriber count at the top left hand corner of my Web site.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along to others who are trying to manifest things in their life.

Please Read: A special thanks to everyone who has signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.

Are you wondering why you’re not succeeding?  Are you concerned that you may never achieve success, or that you may never live the life of your dreams? 

Have you tried to visualize, or meditate, or to see yourself as wealthy, and yet you’re not making any progress towards wealth?

If this is you, then I wrote this article for you, so let’s get right to it…. There are many people who have “grand” visions of themselves (as they should), but they are unable to realize those visions, and the reason they are unable to realize those visions, is for the simple reason that the visions are too large for them.

They can’t see themselves going from “broke” today, to a multi-millionaire tomorrow, …but that’s okay.  I said “that’s okay,” because you need not attempt such a great leap of faith in such a short amount of time.

You see, when you’re trying to believe that you’re going to be a “millionaire,” when you’re currently ”broke,” you may create disbelief instead of belief.  You may create fear, when what you really need is faith, and in stretching your faith too thin it collapses moving you further away from your dream.

The secret is in starting small!  You need not conquer the world today.  It’s imperative that you keep your visualizations believable.  So don’t try to see yourself as a millionaire today, if you’re not ready for it; your mental incongruence will only push the realization of your vision further away. If you’re trying to lose weight, maybe your next step isn’t to see yourself at 110 pounds; maybe your next step is to see yourself not eating that next brownie (as an example), maybe it’s seeing yourself just 5 pounds less.  But I digress…

Today I want to talk about the steps that you need to take in order to create wealth.  I want to talk about the small steps that will eventually lead to the “big” results.

Below I’ve listed the six steps that are requisite to manifesting wealth.

Six Steps to Manifesting Wealth:

1. See Yourself as an Expert

If you’re ever going to create wealth, you’re going to have to become an expert at something!  What is your expertise?  Why should people be paying you?  You will only be paid in this lifetime for the value you provide to others.  The greater your expertise, the greater will be your potential to provide value to others. 

That’s why everyday you should work to become more valuable.  You must ”see” yourself as valuable.  Everyday you must say to yourself, “I am valuable, and ‘this’ (whatever ‘this’ is) is the value that I provide to others; it’s a value they can get from nowhere else.  I am an expert, I am valuable.”  Say it until you believe it; say it until it’s true.

2. Become an Expert

Well it’s not enough to just say it, or see it, you must be it.  Whatever you love, whatever your passion, make it your expertise.  Study it, know it, know it better than anyone else, and then create the results to back up what you know. When you become the expert, you will attract people who are interested in your expertise. 

Before you ever even think of creating wealth, you must first think of how you can “genuinely” provide value to others; you must get clear on how your expertise can impact the lives of others.

3. See Yourself Helping the Masses

Before I started this site, I wondered if I could provide value to others, I wondered if someone wanted to hear what I had to say. 

I began to tell myself that I’m a great writer (maybe not grammatically, but in getting my point across).  I told myself this until I believed it.  I got to the point where I believed that I had something valuable to share. 

Do you believe in your expertise, can you see yourself helping the masses?  Can you see people knocking on your door for your wisdom, your knowledge, your understanding, the understanding that has come from years of labor and toil.

4. Help the Masses

Once again, it’s not enough to just see it, you must do it!  It’s one thing to have a plan, its one thing to be clear about that plan; it’s something totally different to execute the plan.  Failure to execute is the number one reason people fail: Failure to execute what they know to do….

You must help the masses!  The more people you help, the more wealth you can create.  It’s that simple, people who are providing value to a lot of people are reaping the rewards of their labor.  People who are only providing value to a few, are also reaping the rewards of their labor.  To the degree that you give to others is to the degree that you will receive!  How many people are you helping?

5. See Yourself Wealthy

If you can’t see it, you can’t have it.  If you can’t imagine it in your head, you will never hold it in your hand.  But before you start imagining yourself as rich… you must first imagine yourself as the expert. 

Don’t try to jump to “Step 5,” when you haven’t mastered “Step 1.”  You’re not ready for “Step 5” until you pass “Step 1.”  It’s a progression, you see yourself as an expert first, then one day, you see yourself helping the masses, then one day, you actually help the masses, and eventually you’ll begin to see how you can become wealthy.  It won’t just be a dream, you will know that wealth is about to become your reality.

6. Manifest Wealth

Once you’re providing your expertise to the masses, once your demand has gone up, you will be able to “see” how you can easily manifest wealth, as the Scripture hath declared, “a laborer is worthy of his hire.” 

When you’ve put in the time to serve others, not from a selfish heart, but from a giving heart, you open the door to receive.  You open the door of yourself and you see that all that you really needed, all the money, all the talents, all the patience, everything you needed was already on the inside of you, and it was waiting to be manifest.  You see that you were born fully equipped on the inside to succeed; it was just a matter of you waking up to your true potential!

And so those are the keys to manifesting your desires, will you lay hold to them, will you turn them into your reality?  If you do, your life will never, ever, ever, be the same.

Thank you for reading and be sure to pass this article along!

Please Read: A special thanks to everyone who has signed up for my weekly motivational e-mails!  I’ve started a series titled 101 success tips.  Every week I will send out one success tip that I’m personally working on, and that you should be working on as well.  I’ll see you at the top!

Thank you for reading mrselfdevelopment.com, where every article expands your mind, increases your faith, and changes your life.

If you’ve enjoyed reading this article please subscribe to my “RSS Feed” or click here to get my articles e-mailed to you for free.  Also feel free to submit this page to your favorite social media site.