There are lots of ways to lose weight, and everywhere you turn, someone is trying to sell you a new one. Fortunately, the best way to lose weight is free and involves no extra materials. Here are seven reasons why you should run to lose weight. Running Can Be Done Anywhere One of the biggest […]
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Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos are two of the biggest entrepreneurial names in the business world. But while both have had wildly successful careers and developed two of the most valuable brands to this day, Bezos’ and Musk’s leadership styles differ greatly.
It’s no surprise that being a successful entrepreneur takes the perfect storm of attributes. And while there isn’t a one-size-fits-all method to entrepreneurial success, there are comparable patterns that many successful entrepreneurs such as Bezos and Musk follow.
Whether you’re just starting your career or are looking to hone your entrepreneurial skills, cultivating the right attributes and implementing the following strategies will help you further your career without risking your sanity.
Self-promotion is a tricky thing. Do it too much and you run the risk of coming off as braggy, pompous, or salesy. Do it too little and you run the risk of missing out on valuable connections and opportunities.
Mastering the art of self-promotion is without a doubt tricky, but if you don’t self-promote, who will? Ultimately, self-promotion is the best way to tell your story — after all, no one else knows your story like you do. You are the expert when it comes to knowing yourself.
If you’re looking to up your self-promotion game, there’s lots you can do. From something as simple as consistently posting to your social media platforms, to fostering your social influence skills, self-promotion takes many forms. For more ideas, Bruce Kasanoff wrote a great article on 40 ways to self-promote without being a jerk and artist.
“I’ve said it before, and by gosh, I’ll say it again — don’t be afraid to toot your own horn.” – Emlyn Chand
You know the age-old saying: “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail.” For entrepreneurs, this statement couldn’t be truer. No matter how great your ideas, connections, and resume are, entrepreneurial success relies on proper planning. Failing to plan makes it difficult to have the laser-focus necessary to avoid trying to appeal to anyone and everyone, and can cost you sales as a result.
Unfortunately, many entrepreneurs focus on the end goal of executing their product or service more than they focus on planning because they consider planning too time consuming. While writing your business plan isn’t something you can tackle on your 30-minute lunch break, it’s important to put in the hours necessary to get it done. Realizing that planning is a must-have, not just a nice-to-have, is so important for entrepreneurial success.
With proper planning and establishing processes for all aspects of your operations, your startup can avoid losing sales, especially if you run an online business. It may take some trial and error and adjustments to your original plan to figure out the right task system for you, but it’s important to do so.
Not sure where to start? Set some time aside to read about successful businesses and the entrepreneurs who built them. During your research, be sure to take notes and outline a rough draft of your business plan along with task systems and processes that make sense for you.
In the end, taking the time to devise a plan and establish a task system will help you concentrate on your goals, track your progress, identify risks in advance, and understand failures and how to remedy them.
If there’s one attribute all successful entrepreneurs share it’s that they are open to change. Change isn’t always easy — especially for those who prefer to be in control — but being open to change and learning to adapt isn’t just a success skill, it’s a survival skill.
Sure, being passionate about what you do is a necessary attribute of all entrepreneurs, but being stubborn isn’t. Entrepreneurial ventures are uncertain by nature and being inflexible about client or market needs will lead to failure.
As an entrepreneur, you’ll likely find that the path you originally envisioned in your head is totally different than how your product or service is executed. As a result, you may have to change your product or service to adapt to your unique situation. Entrepreneurs who embrace change find that it’s easier to keep moving forward. It’s important to remember that change doesn’t symbolize failure, but symbolizes growth.
Of course, change can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. Successful entrepreneurs know that their venture is not just about doing what they believe is good, but also making a thriving business out of it.
You can embrace change in lots of ways — by welcoming suggestions from others, checking your ego at the door, and learning how to fail correctly.
“The measure of intelligence is the ability to change.” – Albert Einstein
The journey to becoming a successful entrepreneur isn’t as easy as going from Point A to B. Throughout your career, you’ll be challenged, tested, and thrown curveballs. But by cultivating the right attributes like learning the art of self-promotion, planning, and being open to change, it’ll make the journey much more enjoyable.
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
A day doesn’t seem to fart on by without someone telling me that I should have done X when I was younger. It’s like if you haven’t done such and such by a certain age, you are a retard with no friends.
I question everything that society says we should do and you should too. Learn to ask why!
When you ask why you realize that many of the things society values are total crap. Most people can’t tell you why they do stuff which is a worry in itself.
The reason we value the below list I’m about to talk about is because that’s what we’ve always done. It may have made sense fifty years ago when we didn’t know what we know now, but it makes bugger all sense in the 21st Century.
I haven’t found the right woman yet. Marrying the first girl or guy who’s nice to you because society says you have to is BS.
Do it when you find the right person or don’t do it at all. Divorce is expensive shit and I couldn’t be fucked with the drama of seeing my life fall to pieces around me because I didn’t wait for the right partner.
See point one. I’m not married and last time I checked you needed a woman to have sex and create babies. But hey, I could be wrong with all this cutting edge science shit. Maybe you think about sex these days and get a woman pregnant.
Doesn’t sound like the way I’d do it but hey, whatever floats your boat, right?
Kids will happen when you are ready for them to happen – assuming you use protection everybody.
Okay, so I lied. I have kind of done this one although I stopped this habit a long time ago.
Almost every investment book you’ve ever read says don’t buy a luxury car. I’ve had high-end cars and normal cars.
“The normal car I drive now still kicks ass but it doesn’t bleed me dry like the nurse does when I have a blood test”
Also, do you not realize that none of these snobs driving these cars actually own the car? The bank or finance company owns the car.
The poor driver can barely afford to get out of the car and into Starbucks to buy a Grande Frappucino. As a side note, I’ve never been into Starbucks so not sure if that’s on the menu. I’m sure the coffee is just swell.
I’m not convinced a house is an absolute must. I’d rather see our younger generation become entrepreneurs and create a business that can feed them for life. A house can come when you have a family or have the money.
“Traveling the world without the hassle of a house when you’re young feels like wearing pants with no underwear – you feel free in other words”
Free like a fucking bird in the sky (I borrowed that line from some techno song called Beachball). I’m still not quite sure how bricks, cement, a bit of timber and a garage with a remote control door is supposed to completely change my life and make me happy as fucking Larry. Please explain society.
All these Europe photos on your social media accounts don’t make you smarter. You’re not cooler because you have been there and I haven’t. Travel is something you do when you feel like it. We all have breaks in our career and in my experience, that’s the best time to travel.
Like the time I started a business with my brother, nearly lost my mind and quit. That’s a great time to take a long ass vacation to somewhere like Europe and show your pals how freaking good you are. Having said that, make sure you travel at some stage during your life. It will change your reality.
There are lots of peeps dropping the word “MBA” these days. For starters, it’s an acronym so that automatically makes you dumb. Secondly, the name of the university means jack shit to me.
“All that I care about is whether you know how to add value to this world in your own unique way. I have zero business education and I’d still outsell your ass, outwork your ass and out hustle your ass when it come’s to doing a startup. Business has nothing to fucking do with having an MBA”
It’s nice to have, but not fucking essential by any means. If you really need some lame ass letters after your name to sound cool, then you got bigger problems which I can’t help you with. The moment you need an MBA to validate your worth is the moment you start to live a mediocre life.
There’s nothing like learning when you have your own money at stake. Not to mention, the money you need for an MBA would help me start at least three online businesses. Something to think about.
Oh, and no I’m not against university, so you don’t need to send me angry emails at 3 am in the morning when I’m trying to get my beauty sleep from writing you all of this crazy hot advice that changes your life and stuff.
– Where you came from
– Love
– Happiness
– Personal growth
– Fitness
– Energy
– Passion
– Health
– Entrepreneurship (i.e., changing the world)
Now is that list long enough for ya? These are the elements of a kick ass life and this is what society should value. It’s these things ladies and gentlemen that will make your entire life worth it.
Have I missed something? Would someone please explain all of this MBA stuff to me? Will the Real Slim Shady please stand up?
You crave it, the high of success. You’ve become so obsessed it keeps you up until 2:00am, and you do everything in your power to obtain it. You stalk your idols, thinking if you watch them long enough, you’ll be like them. You’re hanging onto their words, like a castaway on an island, waiting for his radio to pick up the slightest frequency of a nearby ship.
Despite your desire to succeed, you feel fed up, your motivation has evaporated and you want to throw in the towel. You can’t help wondering why you aren’t successful after working so hard.
The harsh truth is it takes much more than that because you cannot rely on your desire to succeed. With all the drive in the world, you still need fuel. Your fuel is optimism, and without it, you cannot push when conditions get tough.
Optimism is like your bicep, it can get stronger. Acknowledge that and you’re already optimistic. I know it is an overused analogy, but think about it. Believing you can get better will make you look at the positives in every situation because you know they’re there. Hardships aren’t menacing figures anymore because you know they can be overcome.
This is a great start to adopting optimism, but you can’t rely on this. Your optimism needs to be strong, so below I share with you 6 ways to quadruple your optimism and help you achieve the success you yearn for.
If you can find humor during times of adversity, not only will you propel your optimism, but others will be magnetised towards you. I remember making a mistake in a company I was working with, which led to the owner saying: “Do this again, and our relationship is over.”
To calm my nerves, I went for a walk and ended up cracking my ankle, needing a cast. Then, I ate a combination of meals resulting in food poisoning. My day was going great (see what I did there).
In my weekly meeting with the owner, I joked around asking if he voodooed me as revenge, which he laughingly replied no. He praised my humor, saying any other person would crawl in a ball and hide from the world. Jokes bring laughter, and if you can laugh through your problems, not only you boost your optimism, you inspire others. That, is success in it’s own right.
We tend to dwell on our problems instead of finding solutions. We overlook them, focusing on ‘more important’ matters, and the problem just looms at the back of our mind, stressing us throughout the day.
When it rises, instead of letting it pester you, drop everything and solve it no matter how long it takes. Stick to this mentality and you will spearhead your problems on autopilot without sweating or shaking over them for hours.
“A problem is a chance for you to do your best.” – Duke Ellington
The alternative to slapping your problems is writing about them and saving them for later. You might think this contradicts the above point, but it doesn’t.
Writing your problems down not only makes it easier to find solutions, subconsciously it also removes them from your mind, since you transfer your negative thoughts on paper. As a result, your mind is clearer and your optimism is boosted so keep a notebook handy!
Nothing drains your optimism faster than being overworked without breaks in between. How can you be positive if all you’re looking forward to is work?
You won’t achieve your dreams tomorrow, and you won’t be a failure if you take a breather. Schedule breaks and engage in activities you enjoy. Your optimism will skyrocket as a result. Remember, like a car, you can’t be in sixth gear forever, go down to first, and back up again.
Thinking of work from the crack of dawn won’t make you succeed faster and will crush your optimism. Beat up your mind, and it will beat you back. Instead, nurture it. Have a shower, exercise, read a book, have breakfast. Give yourself a few hours of preparation before you dive into work. Your mind will reward you with limitless optimism and you’ll accomplish all your tasks for the day, since your morning routine has primed you for success.
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive; to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius
Surrounding yourself with optimists is great at the start, but when you get used to optimism, pessimism hits you harder. I remember meeting someone after a long time. We greeted, followed by monologue of him complaining about everything negative in his life. This shocked my system, so I just clocked out, waiting for the encounter to end.
This is a bad approach. You can’t just lock yourself away, protected by the optimists bubble. You need thicken your skin and realize the world isn’t filled with optimists, so surrounding yourself with them may make you frail.
Instead, help other individuals improve their mindset instead of pushing them away. Be the optimist they need. Challenging pessimism will only strengthen your optimism because optimism is the backbone of your success so don’t neglect it.
Acknowledge that optimism can be trained and slowly improve it in a way that suits you. Don’t let my list intimidate you, pick one habit at a time and master it. Stick to this and you will be an unstoppable force. You will develop unbreakable focus and infinite hunger to succeed, your positivity will shine through adversity, but most importantly:
You will be successful so what are you waiting for? Train your optimism and go, feast like never before because the world is your oyster.
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
The most valuable thing an experience person has is their experience. People make mistakes, learn from them, and adapt their life around them to become better people. Those people would then tell tales to others to help teach those lessons so that others would not have to make the same mistakes. Speeches articulate a wonderful […]
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Being successful at work is never easy, but it’s definitely much harder if you’re constantly distracted and aggravated. In other words, whenever you have a problem at home, you won’t be able to do your best at the office. Therefore, you need to organize your personal life first and only then can you expect your […]
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“How can I trigger a state of happiness after all of this pain?” said my inner voice. This was a reoccurring thought of mine for the last year.
Back in the early part of 2017 — when everyone was trading cryptocurrency big time, enjoying the demise of Twitter and watching Star Wars — I was going through a challenging period in my life. I’d hit rock bottom because of multiple, consecutive, breakups.
Due to my side hustle of blogging and personal development, thankfully, I had the tools to get out of this dark place. I’ve recovered now and I’m conscious that not everybody does though.
During one of my lunch breaks on a sunny Friday afternoon in Melbourne, I decide to buy some socks. Normally I like to buy an ordinary black pair and I usually go with the brand Pussyfoot. Okay, it’s a really wimpy name for a manly man looking for some socks, but what the heck.
Next to the black socks I usually buy was a rainbow pair. My mind went back to that recurring inner voice that was looking for quick ways to trigger happiness.
On the front of the socks was a simple sentence that read:
“Happy Socks”
Could happiness be so simple?
Could I really trust a sock company with my happiness and to help be part of the reason I get out of this very dark place? I’m a dreamer, so I pondered that thought for a while.
I looked at those socks and imagined all the happiness I was missing out on. The colors took me to another place far, far away from all the so-called problems I thought I had. In that brief moment, I gave myself permission to dream again, to be happy.
I then looked at the time and I realized I had to get back to the office. I grabbed the Rainbow Socks and paid for them without thinking another moment. I had no idea what I’d just done.
So there they were…All shiny and new with their bright fluro colors waiting for me to put them on and wear them to work so bravely.
I wore those socks proudly, all the way to work. On the walk, I remembered something I had read in a book about a psychology term known as “pattern interrupts.” In layman’s terms, it means to stop a negative thought pattern with something that triggers a different state of mind.
The beauty of these pattern interrupts is that they are often very simple. The simpler, the better. I’d used them before and they had worked a treat. Then I thought to myself triumphantly:
“I’m going to use these Rainbow Socks to interrupt my negative thoughts and change my life”
It was clear to me that focusing on all the dark times of the last twelve months was not going to get me where I wanted to go.
My goal with these Rainbow Socks was to trigger states of happiness whenever I needed them.
These socks reminded me that even the most basic thing could make me happy. Happiness doesn’t require lots of money or hard to reach goals. We can train our brains to be happy with something that is meaningful to us, and only us.
For me, that was Rainbow Socks. For you, it might be a rainbow smoothie or a double mocha frappuccino. The method in which you interrupt your negative thought patterns and trigger states of happiness can be anything.
To the outside world, I looked like a clown with Rainbow Socks; to me, I felt happy.
The bright colors made me feel good. Each color represented something different.
Slowly but surely, each time I wore my Rainbow Socks I remembered to be happy. People commented on them and the majority seemed to get the same happy feeling. The minority made fun of my Rainbow Socks and that’s okay. Not everyone is supposed to understand my way of happiness.
Each of our paths in life are different yet they’re exactly the same. Our life challenges are no different. While the flavor of our challenges varies, the overarching recipe is the same.
All any of us wants is to be happy. My question to you is “Why does that need to be so hard?”
Why can’t something as silly as a pair of rainbow socks remind you to be happy and remind you of the good times?
Now that you have read this post, I want you to do one thing for me; find what your little happiness hack is and start using it regularly. If you don’t know what yours is, experiment. Go back to when you were a kid and you didn’t care what people thought of your socks.
In this little happiness hack I’ve shared with you, lies a strategy for you to change your life. Ponder that idea for a while. Through all of the darkness, you have the ability to be happy inside of you already. Unleash it for the world to see.
Isn’t it strange how mundane things can bring back really vivid memories? As the burnt toast hit the trash, I remembered how burn out meant my first online business ended up on the scrapheap (nearly taking me with it).
Juggling a full-time job, family, volunteering and running an online business left me physically, emotionally and psychologically exhausted. Just like toast, the burn creeps in slowly and when complete, you’re left unable to nourish yourself or anything else.
You may have already heard run-of-the-mill advice like taking regular breaks to prevent burn out. But what’s the point of stepping away from work only to be stressed that things will fall apart?
Having no systems (or the wrong systems) is a recipe for disaster. Unfortunately, systems get a bad rap because they can be seen as snooze fests. Who’s ever heard of a sexy system? I sure haven’t!
To make matters worse, traditional systems have a sterile and stuffy image that can make some entrepreneurs feel boxed into something that’s unsuitable for their needs.
The key to making systems work for your business is to design them with flexibility, so your creativity isn’t stifled. Systems that curb burn out are those that account for the ‘secret sauce’ of how you do business. This ensures authenticity, even when your business grows. I call these flexible and personalized systems ‘productivity recipes.’ Because, just like normal recipes, you have the core ingredients and you can make tweaks to suit your business taste.
We’re all different, so there’s no one-size-fits-all business system. Productivity recipes focus on the human side of systems. They bring order to repetitive tasks while taking into account the quirks that make your business unique.
Productivity recipes stop burn out by preventing you from biting off more than you can chew, especially when your business is growing.
Automation is another way to hand over repetitive and stressful work. Services like IFTTT and Zapier connect the apps you use to automate your workflow. In other words, they get rid of the biggest time sucks in your business.
Part of creating productivity recipes is to spot tasks you can automate. This will help your business run like a well-oiled machine and save you money when outsourcing.
Start out automating everyday tasks, like social media and email management, by finding out how the apps can ‘talk’ to each other.
Do yourself (and your health) a favour and start to create productivity recipes to see what you can automate. The aim is to drop repetitive tasks like a hot potato to reduce the risk of burnt out. Get your apps communicating to free up time to chat with friends and family.
“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” – Bill Gates
Outsourcing should be done when you already have productivity recipes in place. It’s tempting to hand over parts of your business to a VA or freelancer and forget about it, but this approach could land you in hot water.
With productivity recipes, anyone you hire will have the blueprint of how you expect things to be done. You’ll also save time getting new hires up to speed. Most importantly, your clients won’t get any nasty surprises or unwelcome changes when you grow your team.
You’ll be able to take time out to recharge your batteries, having all the confidence that your business will continue to function properly in your absence.
Being part of a supportive group is crucial to making yourself burn out proof. Informal groups, like Facebook communities, are helpful networks that can prevent you going down the burn out road.
If you’ve been working non-stop and your brain feels as limp as the lettuce in the sandwich you’ve been too busy to eat, connect with people who can identify with where you are and encourage you to take a step back.
The best groups are those that aren’t strictly business. Look for a group with dedicated days for sharing things like inspirational quotes and jokes to lighten things up a little.
Feeling like you’re the only one who experiences overwhelm can be a lonely place. Being part of a community where people share their struggles helps to provide perspective that you can achieve your goals without compromising your health.
“Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.” – Misty Copeland
When you’re passionate about your work, it seems like you can work day and night without ever feeling tired. Of course, it’s advisable to make time for proper rest. I’ve found that, the more I enjoy work, the more I look after myself to reduce the risks of becoming ill. I’m passionate about helping entrepreneurs be more productive to avoid burn out. I’m also a huge foodie. That’s why I incorporate food and drink analogies in my work because being fed and watered is something we can all relate to.
Injecting your personality into your work makes everything easier. It’s very draining pretending to be someone you’re not. If you’re already pursuing your passion, add a splash of your personality to reduce the chance of burn out.
Suffering from burn out is a serious setback to your health and business. It’s a relief to know that, unlike the burnt toast that ends up in the trash, you can make a full recovery from burn out. But why take the risk in the first place? Put in place practical measures to avoid getting burnt when the heat is turned up in your business.
It’s good to share. What do you put in place to make sure you don’t burn out? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
Someone close to me is not doing so well. She’s dealing with fear, anxiety and depression all at the same time. Her predicament is my inspiration.
It’s my duty not to sit back and ignore someone who really needs help. That help can’t always be given directly though. Sometimes that help needs to come in a different form. Sometimes the words that need to be said can’t be said in person.
We can’t sit back and ignore people who are going through a rough time (that’s how suicide can occur).
Instead, we need to be the light in someone else’s darkness. That’s why this blog post is for this very special person, who has no idea who she has already inspired and will continue to inspire. I’ve had my own fair share of struggles over the last year and so I know exactly how she is feeling.
It’s so easy to disappear and hide in the shadows when you’re not doing so well. Your bed feels so warm and coffee tastes amazing. Hiding won’t help the horrible feelings you are going through. By avoiding the pain you are feeling, you only create more for yourself.
This process becomes a vicious cycle that you feel like you can’t escape. The very thing you need during these tough times are your friends, family and work colleagues. Tell them how you are feeling. Don’t bottle it up. The more your inner circle knows of your struggle, the more they can help.
You’ve done the same for them so now it’s time to let them help with your healing process. Start by being honest about where you are at. Talk the issues through with people you trust. You’ll find through this process that most of what is going on in your head is based on fear.
“Your fear is there to protect you from danger, but not to help you rediscover yourself. It’s okay not to be okay. Embrace that truth and let it set you free”
Through these challenging times every day can feel kind of meaningless. The worst thing you can have happen to your life is to lose your sense of meaning. Your meaning is what keeps you moving forward and it’s what will be the antidote to your pain.
Try reconnecting with what inspires you and what has gotten you to where you are today. Maybe that’s your religion, your graphic design ability, your love of art or even your thirst for travel. Don’t ever forget why you are put on this Earth because that very thought can potentially end all of your happiness.
I’ve questioned the meaning of my life on many occasions and it always comes back to the same thing: I’m here to inspire people – like everyone reading this article – to think differently and question their own thoughts.
I’m here to tell you that it’s all going to be okay and our problems are the same for all of us. These problems just show up in the form of different flavors, but they are all part of the same soup.
What you need to do is get out into this beautiful world. The trouble is that when you’re not doing so well, you forget where you are right now at this point in time. Let me remind you in case you’ve forgotten. You are living on the most beautiful planet in the entire solar system.
You were chosen to come to life out of thousands of little sperm. You live in a place where there is glorious sun, phenomenal winters full of snow and during a time when technology has taken our lives to a new level. You can literally be whoever you want to be at this moment.
Get back on the horse and try again. All anyone ever wanted for you is to be happy, it’s just that you don’t know that. Live like a kid again and take pride in the small things that you once didn’t notice. Smell the flowers in the park, jump in the puddles, pull a stupid face and have a warm cup of tea.
“The suffering begins when you think you’re alone. You’re not”
Someone, somewhere cares about you. Heck, I care about you and that’s why I wrote this article. No one wants you to go through hard times, but it’s during these moments that you get a chance to reflect. You get an opportunity to rebuild your life and find something new.
Don’t lie to yourself because you and I know that you’re not alone. You don’t live on Mars, in some dark hole, where life is mostly inhabitable. You’re here on Earth surrounded by people that care about you even though they may not all tell you.
It’s simple to overcome this dilemma though. Just ask these people if they care about you and you’ll see that I am right.
You thought you weren’t doing so well yet you made it through this article. And guess what? You made it through today as well. It was not easy, but you did it. So if you can make it through today then why can’t you make it through tomorrow as well?
The answer is you can. You can make it through every single day when you take the focus off your suffering and get out there and help people in some meaningful way. That’s what we’re all good at after all. We are all excellent at being of service, so why not do that as a part of the healing process.
Even though you may have felt sad today, the sun still came up. Your friends still sent you flowers, messages and comforted you. Don’t become dependent on these gifts, but use them. As you get through enough of these days, you build muscle you never thought you’d have.
This muscle can be used next time the dark clouds in your life appear. Better yet, this new muscle can be put to good use and given to someone in your life who may need it when you’re all better again.
Don’t forget that today was a good day for the only reason that you made it through it. You survived. We’re all survivors and we can get through today if we put all of our focus on doing so. Take it one day at a time and each day will be just a little bit easier.
Repeat after me “Today was a good day. Tomorrow’s going to be even better.”
Say it again. Repeat over and over until you know this phrase to be true. Best of luck soldier. My thoughts are with you and you’ll get through these difficult times.
Even the most motivated among us gets demotivated at times and look for ways to get our motivation back again. We look for different ways to get motivated, like opening search engine and typing “motivation.” By doing so, we come across numerous articles and infinite motivational quotes that are quoted by successful people. When we […]
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Each of us thrives on being successful and in doing so we often forget the difficulties lying in the path to success. We set targets and want to achieve them right away, but we are humans and may fall short on those goals. Failure at the start can lead to frustration, and it shatters the self-confidence you had at the beginning. You might consider giving up on your dreams because you don’t feel like you can ever succeed in life.
Success, despite the popular belief, isn’t a one-way path or a straight line. It is a muddled road with various ups and downs, and you should navigate it with popular care. You might fall or get lost in your way. But if you keep going, you will eventually reach your destination.
Have you ever wondered how some prominent personalities achieved great heights of success? What did those individuals do that set them apart from the rest of us? How did they stay positive, when faced with failure? Undoubtedly, they must have some secret ingredient that helped them throughout their journey. How can we get our hands on that special ingredient?
Everyone knows the great Muhammad Ali, and when asked if he liked his training he replied: “I hated every minute of training, but I said to myself, ‘Don’t quit, suffer now, and live the rest of your life as a champion.’”
He ended up preparing for his fights, by pushing himself to the limit, he refused to quit when things got hard for him, and that made him the champion he is known today.
The author of Harry Potter series, J. K. Rowling, is another example of success. The manuscript of the first book was rejected by 12 publishers before Bloomsbury took it. Here’s what she has to say about her failure; “Failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged.”
It seems to me that, they kept on going, remained persistent, and their perseverance helped them reach the peak of the mountain.
“When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.”
Perseverance: Steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. Perseverance is an essential element when you need to achieve a high level of success. It is a great tool to use, and it doesn’t require any college education or training. It comes naturally and requires a strong will.
It doesn’t matter what your goal is or how long it takes you to reach that goal. The chances of your success depend largely on your willingness to persist and persevere. Because perseverance breeds success and without it, you can’t possibly reach the sky.
Perseverance means, to go on no matter what is in the way, to remain steadfast in accomplishing the difficult task. It requires a higher level of patience to develop perseverance in you.
Perseverance has more benefits than to help you master the skill of patience. Here are some of the perks of perseverance.
Trustworthiness: Someone who practices perseverance is more trustworthy than the rest, people know you are not going to quit, no matter how hard the situation gets. You will hold your ground.
Gives you self-confidence: It increases your sense of self-worth and confidence. You start taking full ownership of the goals you have set to achieve. You become a firm believer that your destiny is in your hands. You perceive to control your own fate.
“I am not judged by the number of times I fail, but by the number of times I succeed: and the number of times I succeed is in direct proportion to the number of times I fail and keep trying.” – Tom Hopkins
Perseverance essentially means you’re committed to your goal. But it enhances its value for you and intensifies your motivation level. It leads you to wonderful findings, and broadens your knowledge, about yourself and your goals.
It is a well-established fact by now, that success is not achieved overnight. There is no such thing as get-rich-fast successes in the world. The road to success is a slow and quite precarious journey at times. It takes hard work and time to build up and makes you solely responsible for your progress.
In short, it’s perseverance that’s the key to a successful life. If you keep persevering long enough, you will achieve your true potential. Just remember, you can do anything you set your mind to, but it takes action, persistence, and the courage to face your fears.
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
Are you tired of counting sheep? Does the taste of warm milk make you cringe? Everybody knows a trick or two to fall asleep, but most of them aren’t nearly as effective as they should be. Sleep is one of the most important factors in maintaining your health (and a good mood, too). Don’t leave […]
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When it comes down to deciding which employee is going to get a raise, or who would be most qualified for a particular job, employers look for a specific set of qualities that separate candidates. The goal here is to present yourself in a way that increases the likelihood of the successful acquisition of your goals and desires.
As an example, somebody who presents themselves with an air of calm, cool detachment is going to be seen as self-assertive and in control. There are several methods that can be employed for the purpose of creating a sense of self-image that other people will naturally gravitate to on a psychological level.
In this guide we are going to explore some of the key attributes that lead to a professional self-image that will pay dividends to those who employ it successfully in their day to day life.
This is a very simple but powerful statement, and understanding it can lead to a greater understanding of self awareness. Many people go through life without realizing that their posture, attitude, facial expressions, and mannerisms all lead to an outward appearance that other people take into account on a subconscious level and judge your character based on it, whether they are consciously aware of it or not. Usually this judgement is based on other people with similar attributes that they’ve seen in the past.
Here’s a list of helpful things you can do to greatly impact your personal appearance.
“To this day, I don’t like people walking on stage not looking good. You have to look good. If you feel special about yourself then you’re going to play special.” – Benny Goodman
Taking the steps mentioned above will have a massive impact on your outward appearance. A small amount of effort toward looking and feeling more professional will lead to massive changes in people’s perception of you.
Appearances mean everything with first impressions, and if you sound like you know what you are talking about, people are going to listen. Be confident in yourself and make sure you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, so you can play to your strengths and work on your weaknesses.
A great deal can come from solid planning, and maintaining a schedule book or other methods like keeping a planner or notebook, can help you stay organized and provide you with a predictable path that you can travel with some degree of clarity. Appearance stands for a lot, but having a plan to back it up stands for just as much.
The way you look gets you in the door, and having a solid pitch is what closes the deal. Keep your head up, but don’t lift your chin too high or people will perceive you as being cocky. The main thing is to look ahead like you know where you’re going, no matter where you are. Don’t ever look at the ground. You don’t want to be on the ground.
One of the key factors in people deciding whether or not to conduct business with you is your ability to coherently express your thoughts and opinions. It comes down to practice.
It’s always a great idea to consider writing a 30 second elevator speech. This is basically a few memorized sentences about who you are and what you do. Rehearse it over and over again in the mirror, to yourself- until you can say it flawlessly to other people without a hitch. Things you want to include in your elevator speech:
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein
There are many ways that you can make a name for yourself, but a professional image and having a solid plan of action are absolutely fundamental when it comes to proving your worth to potential clients and employers. There is no time like the present to begin working on your self image, and there’s plenty you can do right now to pursue your dreams, one step at a time.
It’s always a good idea to search online for tips and tricks regarding communication strategies because it can’t hurt to have a base level of understanding when it comes to psychology.
Being aware of body language can help you gear your pitch to produce better results when talking to various people. By mirroring and countering body language you can greatly influence the direction of a conversation and steer it towards mutually beneficial agreements between yourself and your clients. This is all part of communication, and a vital part of your outward self image.
Consider looking these things up on youtube, there are plenty of people who make tutorials and guides on body language, and can provide hundreds of hours of research in a short amount of time.
In a video, it is easy to accurately depict these forms of communication with a short explanation and a visual example. It’s a great idea to look into these videos as they are immensely helpful in steering your body language tendencies into a positive, new direction.
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
The last few weeks I have had some amazing times. If only these experiences could last forever. Or can they?
When we are in the moment of one of those amazing times, we often let it pass us by. It’s so easy not to be conscious of what is happening right now.
A work colleague and friend got married a few weeks ago. He had been single for twenty-eight years and then at the start of the year, he met someone. Within three weeks they were engaged and then a few months later they got married.
Against the odds, my friend wanted to show that even though they hadn’t known each other a long time, they were going to prove all the critics wrong. I’m not sure why, but I was one of the few people that got to attend the wedding. It had been a while since I had attended a wedding, so I had forgotten what it was like.
I had never known this beforehand and it brought a tear to my eye, and everyone listening. The celebrations began and it was time to see the bride and groom dance. Then, the boys did a bit of a dance to celebrate the occasion.
This day was such a happy moment. It was totally unexpected (as happy moments often are) and an experience I will never forget. It was a reminder of what’s important in life.
My buddy Joel Brown went on an Australian tour to help people who want to start online businesses. The name of the event was “Millions Online” although the title was purposely deceptive. At the core of the event was a message around mindset, spirituality and personal growth.
Attendees came up on stage and presented their deepest fears. We learned from some awesome mentors and I was lucky enough to be chosen to speak. I shared my blogging journey and tried to get the audience to understand how powerful each one of us is.
I wanted everyone to leave that day knowing that if I can do what I love, so can everybody else. I wanted everyone to understand that we all have phenomenal stories and we should use them to inspire others.
At this moment, I was shocked. Both Joel and I were on very similar paths and had come to almost identical realizations. Our primary struggles were exactly the same. We had taken nearly identical action. What I got to see that night is the man behind all of the success.
We see these social media influencers everywhere and it’s very rare that we get to know the real story. When they’re not making lots of money and doing magazine covers, it’s challenging to see the real person behind all the hype.
As an added bonus, I brought a friend along with me who got to share the experience. It helped me get to know her better and see behind her massive success as well.
The millions online event brought me closer to people who are like me. It helped me see people that also wanted to use online channels to inspire the world.
“For that brief moment in time, I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be”
The day after both of these experiences, I woke up thinking that I wish these moments could last forever. Then, I realized they could. All I need to do is create more of them. Such a simple truth that is so vanilla in its appearance.
The best advice is often that simple. The crux of both of these experiences is the people I was with, not the experience itself. To have more great experiences we need to focus our time on creating more. We can’t wait for these times to come to us.
“Being consciously aware of what we want and then creating it for ourselves is probably the best advice I have ever been given”
So from now on, I am going to bring these incredible people with me wherever I go. I am going to send out more invites for more cool activities.
I am going to try and get the cross-pollination between these incredible people to happen naturally, by putting everyone in the same room together. You create what you want.
Just because the experience is over, doesn’t mean you can’t still bring back the feelings you had on the day. The experience is with you for the rest of your life. We have photos and videos that can allow us to revisit the moment.
I’ve done that already since these two experiences and visualized how I felt on the day. I have used these two experiences to show me what it’s like to be at the peak of my own happiness. There’s no reason that each and every one of us can’t reflect on the happy moments.
Every week, from now on, I am going to spend a few minutes reflecting on the experiences I am grateful for. I am going to force myself to be grateful to experience so much abundance in a world that has a lot of unanswered questions.
We are not meant to know everything. The one thing we should know, though, is how to reflect upon the experiences that defined who we are. It’s in these happy experiences that our destiny is shaped. It’s where we come up with our best business ideas, form true bonds, meet our romantic partners and remember what it’s like to be a human living on this planet.
Your phone tries to tell you what’s important: you need to take back control. I hope everyone can experience what I’ve had the pleasure of being a part of over the last few weeks. Life is fantastic and the good times can last forever.
Once you have decided the name of your startup, it’s the logo that comes next. Choosing a logo also requires a lot of group discussions and brainstorming. While deciding a logo, make sure you realize one important thing – your logo will be the visual representation of what actually your company stands for. The right […]
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Everywhere I go these days I hear so many discussions on greatness. We all have dreams and visions of grandeur. In fact, I have not met a person yet that does not have a deep longing and desire for greatness and success.
Unfortunately, what I have discovered over the years is that most people live their lives in hope but never make it to manifestation. I’ve been privileged to work with people all over the world and empower them to live greater lives.
While we all come from different backgrounds and experiences, the strategies are the same for reaching your greatest potential in life. The journey to greatness will not be an easy journey. However, it will be the greatest adventure of your life and it will bring you the most satisfaction.
I’m sure that you may be a little confused at why I would put this as the first step. However, I want to warn you that the journey to greatness is unconventional. What I have discovered over the years is that everybody wants greatness.
However, not many are willing to walk the path that will produce greatness. When I made the decision many years ago to pursue greatness, I realized that my decision immediately separated me from others.
Some people are great for your present reality but they are not good for your destiny. The moment you take a step toward greatness you will have to take steps away from familiarity. You will learn quickly not everybody wants the same things in life. Also, you will discover that some people are not willing to leave the path of convenience to get on the path to change.
If you are not willing to walk alone, you will abort all the possibilities of what your life can be. You must have the audacity to break away from the status quo if you want to birth significance through your life.
“The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
So many people have asked me for the key to my success. Ultimately, I believe that the development of my mind has been the greatest key to my success. My willingness to uproot toxic thoughts, break negative cycles, confront limitations and reprogram my mind has all been major keys to my success.
More importantly, I had to develop an unshakeable belief system. How did I do that? I learned how to reimagine my world. In other words, I stopped being ruled by the conditions around me and I started ruling through my convictions.
My future became bigger than all my fears. One day I decided that I was going to stop living in the prison of the past and I was going to start living in the possibilities of the promise. That decision shifted me and changed the entire trajectory of my life.
I discovered that you have to believe in yourself even when nobody else believes in you. You can sit around and feel sorry for yourself or you can unleash the force of significance that has been placed on the inside of you. When you unleash the power of your mind you propel manifestation in your world.
What separates the average from the great? Great men are consumed with an uncommon vision. I have been blessed to achieve success in my life. What intrigues me is that nobody is really interested in the process. However, everyone is interested in the product of success.
At one season of my life all I had was a dream. That dream was the driving force in some of the darkest moments in my life. I had an uncommon vision and I was thinking of the day when all that sacrifice would culminate in success and extraordinary achievements. Now my work is recognized around the world and I am a highly respected thought leader.
You may feel like you are in the fight of your life. It may seem like the adversity is greater than you can bear. However, when you are fueled by an uncommon vision there is no valley that can defeat you.
Your destination has to become greater than your discomfort. Never forget that there’s an expected end for your life. Never allow adversity to extinguish the dream that is in your heart. Your destiny is always worth fighting for.
“Have a vision. It is the ability to see the invisible. If you can see the invisible, you can achieve the impossible.” – Shiv Khera
It seems excellence has become a buzzword in this era. While many are familiar with the word, few people really know what it takes to produce a life of excellence. Many people hear me speak and read my books and they are immediately fascinated. However, what they do not know is that excellence does not happen in a moment.
Excellence is produced through a decision to bring your best to every moment. Mediocrity may provide you with a comfortable life. However, excellence will produce a world-class life.
My goal was never to be good. After all, nobody remembers the good. I set an intention years ago to be the best in the world at what I do. The price has been greater than you would ever know. However, the reward of uncommon disciplines is unrivaled excellence.
Many people in the world today are fascinated with a future they are unwilling to pay the price for. You do not have to dream about a better life. You can commit to excellence and create a life beyond anything you could have ever imagined. Be willing to do what others won’t and live your wildest dreams!
Image courtesy of Twenty20.com
The Way You Think About Willpower is Hurting You. The idea of ego-depletion arose from a 1990 study done by psychologist Roy Braumeister at Case Western Reserve University. This study, which we’ll call into question here, has been cited over three hundred times.
In the study, researchers placed test subjects in a room with a plate of homemade cookies, a plate of radishes and an unsolvable puzzle. Each group was allowed to snack from only one plate while instructed to solve the puzzle.
The hypothesis was that the radish group would spend less time struggling with the puzzle because they would expend willpower needed to work on the puzzle on resisting the cookies.
According to the study’s findings, their hypothesis was confirmed. The radish-eating group spent only eight minutes working on the puzzle, whereas the cooking-eating group spent nineteen minutes.
The study concluded that the radish-eaters had experienced ego depletion because of additional use of will power used up by resisting the homemade cookies. But is that what really happened?
In 2011, researcher Braumeister and John Tierney wrote the best-selling book Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength, which explained the concept of ego depletion. The take home point was that sugar (glucose) restores willpower, self-control and stamina.
But not everyone was so easily convinced. Upon replicating the study, other scientists determined that Baumeister’s conclusions about ego depletion were not accurate.
Willpower, they found, was not so limited as we thought.
Further research on the subject also did not come to Baumeister’s conclusion. Many scientists now doubt Baumeister’s theory of ego depletion.
Furthermore, the idea that sugar increases willpower has been discredited. Recent discoveries revealed that the brain uses the same number of calories regardless of the task at hand.
So, if sugar is the key to willpower, why are employers not providing their workers with endless sugary treats to increase productivity?
It is now accepted that the original theory of ego-depletion is untrue, and new explanations have arisen, giving a different explanation as to why we lack willpower in certain scenarios.
Carol Dweck, author of the popular book Mindset, recently found that people who believe that willpower can be depleted proved their belief to be right. Those who did not see willpower as having limits did not display ego depletion.
Dweck’s findings reinforced the concept that belief and behavior go hand in hand. Eating sugary foods makes us feel better for a while. This is a placebo effect that gives us the feeling that we can work a bit longer.
It should be noted that perpetuating the idea that willpower can be used up can do real harm. People who are taught this theory will quit when they think that their willpower is gone, rather than believing they simply need to believe their willpower is there for them whenever they need it.
“I have willpower and determination. I am very resilient, like rock.” – Carnie Wilson
This is an exciting time to be alive. If, in fact, we believe that we have the will to push through circumstance, we actually can. It turns out that the old aphorism “If there’s a will, there’s a way” has a kernel of truth.
The best way to think about willpower, then, is that it’s akin to emotion. In the same way that we don’t run out of joy, willpower fluctuates based on what is happening in our lives and how we feel about it.
In the same way that we can keep our emotions under control, willpower can be trained and managed using a variety of mental exercises. If mental energy operates like emotions, it can be managed with the use of self-control. When we need to stay on task, it is healthier to believe that a lack of motivation is merely temporary than to indulge ourselves in sugary foods.
Just as we take cues from our emotions, we should pay attention to what our willpower is telling us. When we experience a chronic lack of mental energy, we should be examining what we are forcing ourselves to spend time doing. If a job requires constant willpower to complete, maybe we are in the wrong job.
By the same token, when we enjoy our work and find it interesting and exciting, willpower does not need to be summonsed. We remain energetic without the artificial and temporary crutch of sugar or other stimulants. We do not put willpower to the test by fighting the temptation to divert our attention to entertainment.
Essentially, we give up on tasks that are not interesting to us. Spending time working on an unsolvable puzzle in a laboratory environment does not spur us on to greater accomplishments. Similarly, boring daily work requires willpower to keep us going.
A better plan is to listen to our struggling willpower telling us that the work at hand is not interesting or satisfying. Our emotions will line up with this message by telling us that there are no enjoyable, exciting feelings when doing the work.
“The achievements of willpower are almost beyond computation. Scarcely anything seems impossible to the man who can will strongly enough and long enough.” – Orison Swett Marden
Calling on willpower until it is strained to the breaking point is a wake-up call that we should a close look at how we are spending our time.
Willpower is sending a harmonizing message to the miserable emotions we are feeling that something is just not right and we should either summons self-control to get the work done or decide it is time to find a different job.
