10 Rules for Success From the Founder of Hilton Hotels

Conrad Hilton is the founder of the international chain of Hilton Family Hotels, a company that now owns over 500 hotel properties around the world. But it didn’t start that way for Conrad. His way to the top was not that smooth.

He started in the beginning of the 20th century with no money, through the Great Depression, and lost everything that he ever built. After that, he created a multi-billion dollar company.

Conrad Hilton’s 10 rules of success from his biography Be My Guest. The book was published in 1957 and is still relevant today. Here’s a video version as well:

1. Find Your Own Particular Talent

Conrad Hilton was a big believer in the fact that everyone is good at one specific thing and needs to nurture that thing. Take time to explore what you love or think you’d love. You never know where you may end up.

Conrad’s specific talent was his ability to manage hotels down to the dollar, and he showed that by succeeding during the Great Depression.

2. Be Big

Conrad Hilton believed that expanding as far as possible and making yourself appear as large as possible during the process would make you and your business as set up for success as it could possibly be. And what’s a better way to do that than by owning as many hotels as possible?

“I wanted the largest hotel in the world.” – Conrad Hilton 

3. Be Honest

Conrad believed in honesty in all things. The truth eventually always come out, so lying will not help you build an empire! If Conrad used lying to get through life, he might have stolen the money that his friends loaned him when the Depression hit, instead he used it to purchase his first property in Cisco, Texas.

4. Live With Enthusiasm

Conrad Hilton believed that you should live your life laughing, take a hold of the day, and be enthusiastic at all times. This was exactly what he did during his lifetime, becoming one of the greatest managers that ever lived while being loved and appreciated by his employees.

5. Don’t Let Your Possessions Possess You

According to his fifth rule of success, Conrad Hilton didn’t believe much in material things. All his money didn’t take his personality away. Because if you’re preoccupied with material stuff you’ll miss the best things in life, which are free. If you have them, you need to take good care of them, like Conrad did with his hotels.

6. Don’t Worry About Your Problems

Worrying is like a rocking chair, it gives you something to do, but it doesn’t get you anywhere. And worrying will definitely decrease your chances of solving a problem. So don’t spend your energy on worrying, use it wisely and have the grit to overcome the situation, like Conrad did during the 1930s.

“Worrying has never solved anything yet. Prayer, thought, action – yes. Just worrying, no!” – Conrad Hilton

7. Look Up To People When You Can, And Down To No One

This rule goes back to what a lot of successful people have said: it’s important to have mentors, and look down to people only when you want to pick them up. Always try to learn from other people regardless of their position in society.

That’s what Conrad did with his employees. Even a bag carrier at the hotel can be an asset and a partner, and as a matter of fact Conrad Hilton borrowed $300 from one of his hotel’s bell boys during the Great Depression.

8. Don’t Cling To The Past

As a man of action, Conrad Hilton always believed in moving forward and pushing towards the future. He lived by his rules in the present but implemented the lessons he learned from the past. This allowed him to look forward and build the Hilton empire.

9. Assume Your Full Share Of Responsibility In The World

Conrad Hilton, like many other successful people, didn’t believe someone would hand him everything on a silver platter. He believed in working hard for every dollar that he made, and it’s surprising that his grandkids don’t follow through with this rule.

10. Pray Consistently And Confidently

It doesn’t matter if you’re religious or not, but Conrad believed in having a mission, praying to the higher power and doing it consistently. You have to hope for success and expect it as much as you work for it. Conrad Hilton prayed multiple times every single day and went to church every single week.

Which one of Conrad Hilton’s 10 rules of success resonates most with you and why? Let us know below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/10-rules-for-success-from-the-founder-of-hilton-hotels/

71 Classic Zig Ziglar Quotes

Hilary Hinton or better known as “Zig Ziglar” was an American author, salesman, and motivational speaker.

Zig Ziglar is the author of 33 books, including his top selling book “See You At The Top” which sold over 1.7 million copies.

Here are 71 Classic Zig Ziglar Quotes:

1. “Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember ~ the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.” – Zig Ziglar

2. “You were born to win, but to be a winner, you must plan to win, prepare to win, and expect to win.” – Zig Ziglar

3. “I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can’t truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles.” – Zig Ziglar

4. “Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be. If we do our best, we are a success.” – Zig Ziglar

5. “There is little you can learn from doing nothing.” – Zig Ziglar

6. “Motivation gets you going and habit gets you there.” – Zig Ziglar

7. “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.” – Zig Ziglar

8. “The way you see people is the way you treat them.” – Zig Ziglar

9. “Among the things you can give and still keep are your word, a smile, and a grateful heart.” – Zig Ziglar

10. “Do it, and then you will feel motivated to do it.” – Zig Ziglar

11. “Outstanding people have one thing in common: an absolute sense of mission” – Zig Ziglar

12. “If you can dream it, then you can achieve it.” – Zig Ziglar

13. “You can succeed at almost anything for which you have unbridled enthusiasm.” – Zig Ziglar

14. “Ask yourself a question: Is my attitude worth catching?” – Zig Ziglar

15. “The greatest of all mistakes is to do nothing because you think you can only do a little.” – Zig Ziglar

16. “There are no traffic jams on the extra mile.” – Zig Ziglar

17. “Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” – Zig Ziglar

18. “Rich people have small TVs and big libraries, and poor people have small libraries and big TVs.” – Zig Ziglar

19. “You are what you are and you are where you are because of what has gone into your mind. You change what you are and you change where you are by changing what goes into your mind.” – Zig Ziglar

20th Zig Ziglar Quote – “You never know when a moment and a few sincere words can have an impact on a life.” – Zig Ziglar

21. “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily.” – Zig Ziglar

22. “The more you are grateful for what you have the more you will have to be grateful for” – Zig Ziglar

23. “Lack of direction, not lack of time, is the problem. We all have twenty-four hour days.” – Zig Ziglar

24. “If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner.” – Zig Ziglar

25. “Failure is an event not a person.” – Zig Ziglar

26. “Every success is built on the ability to do better than good enough.” – Zig Ziglar

27. “Make today worth remembering.” – Zig Ziglar

28. “Every choice you make has an end result.” – Zig Ziglar

 

 

29. “Life is too short to spend your precious time trying to convince a person who wants to live in gloom and doom otherwise. Give lifting that person your best shot, but don’t hang around long enough for his or her bad attitude to pull you down. Instead, surround yourself with optimistic people.” – Zig Ziglar

30. “The chief cause of failure and unhappiness is trading what you want most for what you want right now” – Zig Ziglar

31. “Success is not a destination, it’s a journey.” – Zig Ziglar

32. “It’s not what happens to you that determines how far you will go in life; it is how you handle what happens to you.” – Zig Ziglar

33. “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar

34. “Every obnoxious act is a cry for help.” – Zig Ziglar

35. “The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.” – Zig Ziglar

36. “Be helpful. When you see a person without a smile, give them yours.” – Zig Ziglar

37. “Happiness is not pleasure, it is victory.” – Zig Ziglar

38. “If standard of living is your major objective, quality of life almost never improves, but if quality of life is your number one objective, your standard of living almost always improves.” – Zig Ziglar

39. “If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.” – Zig Ziglar

40th Zig Ziglar Quote – “If you’re sincere, praise is effective. If you’re insincere, it’s manipulative.” – Zig Ziglar

41. “You cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way you see yourself.” – Zig Ziglar

42. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” – Zig Ziglar

43. “When you are tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitely easier on you.” – Zig Ziglar

44. “Everybody says they want to be free. Take the train off the tracks and it’s free-but it can’t go anywhere.” – Zig Ziglar

45. “Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.” – Zig Ziglar

46. “Money isn’t the most important thing in life, but it’s reasonably close to oxygen on the “gotta have it” scale.” – Zig Ziglar

47. “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.” – Zig Ziglar

48. “Duty makes us do things well, but love makes us do them beautifully.” – Zig Ziglar

 

 

49. “Sometimes adversity is what you need to face in order to become successful.” – Zig Ziglar

50. “A goal properly set is halfway reached.” – Zig Ziglar

51. “If you want to reach a goal, you must ‘see the reaching’ in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.” – Zig Ziglar

52. “Your business is never really good or bad ‘out there.’ Your business is either good or bad right between your own two ears.” – Zig Ziglar

53. “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.” – Zig Ziglar

54. “Every sale has five basic obstacles: no need, no money, no hurry, no desire, no trust.” – Zig Ziglar

55. “If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.” – Zig Ziglar

56. “When obstacles arise, you change your direction to reach your goal; you do not change your decision to get there.” – Zig Ziglar

57. “Building a better you is the first step to building a better America.” – Zig Ziglar

58. “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” – Zig Ziglar

59. “Failure is a detour, not a dead-end street.” – Zig Ziglar

60th Zig Ziglar Quote –“Many marriages would be better if the husband and the wife clearly understood that they are on the same side.” – Zig Ziglar

61. “You cannot climb the ladder of success dressed in the costume of failure.” – Zig Ziglar

62. “Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” – Zig Ziglar

63. “Success is the maximum utilization of the ability that you have.” – Zig Ziglar

64. “It is true that integrity alone won’t make you a leader, but without integrity you will never be one.” – Zig Ziglar

65. “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.” – Zig Ziglar

66. “It was character that got us out of bed, commitment that moved us into action, and discipline that enabled us to follow through.” – Zig Ziglar

67. “Try to look at your weakness and convert it into your strength. That’s success.” – Zig Ziglar

68. “Problem-solving becomes a very important part of our makeup as we grow into maturity or move up the corporate ladder.” – Zig Ziglar

69. “Dreams grow if you grow.” – Zig Ziglar

70. “He climbs highest who helps another up.” – Zig Ziglar

71. “Yesterday ended last night. Today is a brand-new day.” – Zig Ziglar

What’s your favorite Zig Ziglar Quote? Share your favorite quote in the comment section below.

from
https://addicted2success.com/quotes/71-classic-zig-ziglar-quotes/

How to Face Failures and Feel Confident Before Becoming Successful

You follow successful people online. You feel inspired to see their growth, achievements, and accomplishments. But sometimes, you may feel intimidated when you look into your own life. You follow their morning rituals, daily habits, nighttime routines, and so on but you don’t get the same results as they do. Then you may doubt yourself, feel unworthy or hopeless about your own life situation.

You wonder  what am I missing? What’s the real secret to their success? How do they keep on growing while I keep struggling? The secret to their success is that they are big-time failures. They go through gazillions of failures before they show up as a “success” in front of you. But you’ve probably heard that before. You already know you need to fail more to succeed.

The problem is that we keep associating our failures with being a failure in life. That’s because we take failures personally and our ego doesn’t like failures. But there’s a simple solution to that.

Facing Failures Without The Hurt

When you were a child, you were always in play mode. If you failed, you tried again like nothing happened. You kept on trying without thinking of failure as a shame. Then, school and society conditioned you to avoid failure at all cost. Since then, every time you failed, you felt like a loser.

“Failure is a detour not a dead-end street.” – Zig Ziglar

Let’s break this negative pattern immediately . Stop being so serious. Give yourself permission to fail without feeling dirty. Start playing again and let yourself fall. Remember, your failures don’t define your character. In fact, they build your character. Your failures prepare you for upcoming success. Success may be close or far away - it doesn’t matter, what matters is how you feel on your way to success.

If you spend half of your life trying to succeed in misery and a half of your life enjoying the success, you lose the game. The key is to celebrate each season of your life.

Here are 6 ways to feel confident when you’re on your way to success:

1. Close your eyes and realize how far you’ve come

Drop everything, take a deep breath and realize the difference between where you are now and where you were a few years ago. You will feel a surge of gratitude when you realize all the failures eventually worked in your favor. Even when you’ve not made a lot of progress, you have grown personally, which will help you tackle the future challenges in life.

2. Live by your values to define your own success

When you know your values and live a life true to them, you stop feeling bad about your mistakes. You become the director of your life and feel aligned with every decision of your life. You feel peaceful and happy because there is no place for blames and complaints when you make value-aligned decisions. Your values act as a guide to define what success means to you.

3. Let your burning desire guide you

Although our basic needs remain the same, we all want different things in life. You must know what you desire more than anything because a burning desire can take you to the clouds even when you’re not talented or lucky. The path to your burning desire gives you meaning and fulfillment. But if you do what others expect of you, you won’t go far and you will remain unfulfilled. When you follow your desire, you make sacrifices and overcome all the obstacles with an intense drive within you.

4. Derive fulfillment from different sources

So often, we make the mistake of making our whole life about one goal. Having a laser-focus on a goal is not a bad thing, but it is always a good idea to derive meaning from different sources. When you have different ways to find fulfillment in life, you can remain focused on your bigger goals when the going gets tough. But if you quit other aspects of your life and well-being, you won’t stand the low points of your journey. You got to keep yourself sane to reach your big goals.

“Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.” – Thomas Edison

5. Define your purpose and live it today

A lot of suffering comes from focusing too much on  yourself. Working on yourself and your goals is important, but when you have a greater purpose that shifts your focus on serving others, your drive becomes much stronger. You don’t have to wait to start serving people. You can start today with minimal resources by focusing on one person at a time. A mission bigger than yourself is the secret sauce to life fulfillment.

6. Put on blinders to run your own race

We all know that comparison is the thief of joy, yet, we compare our lives with other’s lives whether or not we realize it. The reason is that humans are wired to form social hierarchies as our ancestors did. You have to rewire your brain to compare yourself only with your past self. We never know the full story behind people’s lives, just like they don’t know ours. Own yourself and your unique challenges to write your epic life story.

Struggling and suffering are two different things. Struggling for your goals leads to success and fulfillment. While suffering is no way to live or stick to your goals. Don’t wait for big successes to feel confident. Find success in your failures until you reach your goals.

When you stop letting failures make you feel like a failure, you allow yourself to open the doors to greater success. You may have been waiting for success to feel good about yourself but you don’t have to wait anymore. Success will come when the time is right. But the time to feel confident is today.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/how-to-face-failures-and-feel-confident-before-becoming-successful/

Why Warren Buffett Embraces Not Knowing Everything and You Should Too

While the new generation of billionaire entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk seem to get involved in everything from space travel to foreign politics, Warren Buffett, the world’s most successful investor and one of the world’s richest men, embraces not knowing everything.

The “Oracle of Omaha” spends 8 hours a day reading, doesn’t use a computer and only invests in companies and industries that he understands. He has generated a 20.9% return on his investments from 1965-2017, more than doubling the average return of the stock market!

In this article, I will look at why Buffet embraces his lack of knowledge of things like tech and complex derivatives and how the average person can apply these 2 pieces of advice to achieve more success!

The most recommended book in silicon valley

“The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEOs and Their Radically Different Blueprint For Success” by William Thorndike is the most recommended book among the Silicon Valley crowd and focuses on unusual CEOs such as Harry Singleton of Teledyne and Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway whose returns for investors trounced their peers.

The book found that all of these CEOs used two rules for making decisions:

1. They view their most important job as the allocation of resources. That sounds a little technical but basically, it means making sure that both financial resources like money, stocks, and bonds and human resources like employees, management, and talent are all being used for their best and most efficient purpose.
2. They think like investors, not managers. While a manager might need to think about the day to day workings of a business (taking up valuable time by having to learn things like astrophysics from youtube videos for example), an investor simply has to be able to evaluate what something is worth and what others are willing to pay for it. Because of that, investors can focus on creating value to raise the overall stock price.

“It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.” – Warren Buffett

Let’s look at two ways you can apply these ideas to your daily life:

1. Resource allocation can make you more successful

When I say resource allocation, what I really mean is being efficient with your money, time and energy. One of the biggest problems we have as humans is inefficiency! We waste time, energy and money by not allocating our resources correctly. Take budgeting for example. Only about 41% of people claim they use a household budget.

How can you know if you’re managing your money correctly if you don’t keep track of where it’s going? You can’t. But the greatest way we waste our resources is through wasting time. Money and energy can be replenished but time is the one resource you will never get back. How are you using your time?

Are you building a better future for yourself and your family or are you wasting it playing video games or re-watching movies you’ve already seen a hundred times? Being more aware of how you allocate your time, money, and energy while focusing on finding the best and highest use for each will help you become more successful.

2. Think like an investor and you can be more successful

A few months ago I read and reviewed the 50-year anniversary of Buffett’s letters to investors. In 50 years of incredibly well-written, funny letters, Buffet boils down his investment theory to 2 points:

1. What is something worth?
2. Does the price reflect value?

In the letters, Buffet revises the old analogy that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush- unless that is he writes you know exactly how many birds are in the bush and how likely they are to come out.

When thinking about all life decisions from whether or not to go back to school or start your own business, you want to think like an investor and ask yourself what is it worth you to and what price are you willing to pay to achieve this?

“It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results.” – Warren Buffett

Nothing in this world is free, everything comes with a price if simply in the opportunity cost of pursuing one option over another. Asking yourself if this is something that is worth it to you and if you are willing to pay the price for pursuing it will help you think like an investor and make better decisions.

The world is full of so much information that we cannot possibly take in and understand it all. Instead of trying to learn everything about everything, Warren Buffett and other superstar outsider CEOs focus on the allocation of resources and thinking like Investors, not managers.

Which one of the principles Warren Buffett uses resonates most with you and why? Let us know your thoughts below!  

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/why-warren-buffett-embraces-not-knowing-everything-and-you-should-too/

Beware of The Trap of Entrepreneurial Success

Building a successful company is what every entrepreneur dreams of and works towards relentlessly. Running a 6 or even 7 figure business is the ultimate goal of countless founders and entrepreneurs; it seems to be the answer to all problems. Yet, during my time working with business owners who’ve “made it,” I observed that entrepreneurial success is extremely glorified. Having clients/customers rolling in and high sales are (surprisingly) not the magic bullet to a fulfilling life, and as effortless as most people picture it.

In fact, it’s probably one of the most stressful and exhausting responsibilities one can ever take on and most entrepreneurs are not prepared for it. Getting a business up and running is one thing, but keeping it up in a sustainable way is a completely different thing. “Starting a business could make you rich. But that doesn’t mean you’ll be satisfied.” Charlie Wells wrote in an article for The Wall Street Journal.

When striving to achieve entrepreneurial success one should keep in mind that every opportunity comes at an opportunity cost. Problems don’t magically disappear, and as your business grows, it’ll come with a whole new set of challenges. Having no one telling you how to manage your time and where to focus means every decision is on you; Decisions that may have major impact on your company, life, and even your employees’ lives.

All of a sudden you have to learn how to lead a high-performing team and implement new systems while trying to keep a cool head to stay productive and balanced. The success of your company is still directly related to your performance as an owner and leader. No wonder burnout, chronic stress, and anxiety are some of the biggest problems accomplished entrepreneurs struggle with.

By building a company, you have to change the way you operate in it to increase the bottom line as well as your personal well being. In business, there is just as much stress with success as there is with failure. Unfortunately, many type-A entrepreneurs don’t want to get or have help.

Here are 6 Steps to getting your life back and finding joy in your work again:

1. Why did you start?

The first and most important question to ask yourself is “Why did I even start?” Oftentimes, when we set out to achieve a goal we lose ourselves in the process. What once felt like fun is now a drag.

Burnout is really the misalignment between your purpose, values, and the daily actions you take. Most entrepreneurs start their companies to create freedom and happiness for themselves, earn a good amount of money, and make an impact in the world.

If you find your life being controlled by your business, working 18 hour days and feeling trapped in a golden cage, examine if it wouldn’t have been easier to take a well-paying job with paid vacation and benefits instead of sacrificing your health, family, and sanity. Reevaluate your priorities and get back to your original intention, why you’re doing what you’re doing and who you’re doing it for.

2. Success addiction

Many entrepreneurs are in some form addicted to the high of accomplishment, to sprinting from goal to goal and achieving milestones they set for themselves. Being a type-A myself, I know how it feels to suffer for the sake of success, not being able to relax and enjoy the journey.

When your self-worth is tied to your achievements, you experience constant pressure and are very hard on yourself. Ironically, your goals don’t usually create emotional fulfillment in the way you expected. Finding purpose in achievement is what got you here, yet it’s emotionally draining and will eventually burn you out.

When you care more about how your life looks like than how it feels, you’re missing the point of true success. The second step of detaching yourself from your business and getting your life back is to explore what drives you. Realize that the accomplishment of goals is not success but how much you expand and who you become in the process.

“As entrepreneurs, we’re achievers! Every time we achieve something, we systematically move the goal post even further. What we don’t do is stop and celebrate our wins and acknowledge our accomplishments.” – Tony Robbins

3. Balance and Self Care

When your company grows fast, your life changes just as quickly and you may not have the time to figure out how to take care of yourself. Maximizing your mental and physical potential and making yourself a priority is crucial to your level of success as an owner and leader.

Practicing meditation, spending time by yourself to reflect and moving your body are essential components to a well-balanced life and sustainable business. Level up emotional intelligence and change your perspective towards stress in order to increase your resilience and ability to handle setbacks.

Connor Beaton, founder and CEO of Man Talks emphasises on the importance of living a balanced life “The key to feeling fulfilled is to approach your life from a broader, wholesome perspective. If professional success is your sole focus, other departments of your life – like relationships and personal development – will suffer.”

4. The Sweet Spot

Having meaningful impact, finding personal happiness and freedom and making great money are the three main components of a fulfilling business. Most entrepreneurs are thriving in one or two of these areas, while lacking in the third one, wondering why they feel frustrated, burnt out and unhappy.

The sole purpose of running a business isn’t to just make a profit but to also contribute positively to society. As Mark Williamson, author of Action for Happiness suggests, “People who have meaning and purpose in their lives are happier, feel more in control and get more out of what they do. They also experience less stress, anxiety and depression.”

Yet, on the other hand, owning and running a company that doesn’t support one’s personal values and only focusing on money and impact can get incredibly exhausting. Too many people are living other people’s definition of success, chasing the paper, but not the dream of freedom and independence.

5. Busyness vs productivity

Busy people multitask. Productive people focus. By the end of every day, ask yourself if you feel a sense of pride or exhaustion. When I started my own business, I fell into the trap of working way too many hours without making much progress. I learned that being busy does not equal productive.

Essentially time works similar to money, the more time is available, the more we spend. Surprisingly, when there is less time to get something done, we accomplish more because we’re forced to prioritize and focus on essentials. Therefore, make it a point to have work hours as well as off time and stick to it.

Taking off weekends and not working before 9 am or after 7 pm might be a schedule that you want to incorporate in your life. Your family and friends will be grateful to you for not using your phone during dinner or scheduling meetings during a weekend trip.

“Focus on being productive instead of being busy.” – Tim Ferriss

6. Leadership and Systems

Now, that you have a team working for you, learn to let go of detail, use your energy more wisely, and build systems that give you freedom. Think about the what, not the how. Structure your company so your systems and team take care of you, instead of you having to babysit every single little task.

“If you want to run a successful business you have to know how to play to your strengths. It’s pretty easy to micromanage everything.” The reason why so many entrepreneurs miss out on atomizing their processes is that they feel like there’s not enough time available to set things up properly. Yet, in the long run, they’d do themselves a favor by taking things off their plate and scaling faster while being less overwhelmed.

Even though entrepreneurial success is what so many dream of, the opportunity comes with a set of new challenges that need to be addressed. Running a successful company has to be learned and is not as easy as many would think. If you’re looking to create sustainability for yourself, your team, and your company, reevaluate the way you operate in the business and maybe even find support in restructuring your schedule, responsibilities, and thinking patterns.

Reaching another level in business requires you to shift your perspective in many aspects to stop working in the business and start working on it instead. You must learn how to work through people as well as setting boundaries for yourself that help you separate your life from your business.

Following these 6 steps is only the beginning of taking back your life. Remember to create freedom for yourself instead of being controlled by your business or you may be missing the point of true success while on the journey.

Have you thought of being an entrepreneur? If so, what do you want to do? Let us know below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/beware-of-the-trap-of-entrepreneurial-success/

You Shouldn’t Buy Anything To Drastically Improve Your Life: Here’s Why.

70 Highly Motivational Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson Quotes

The Power of Persistence in Hard Times – Rise Up and Don’t Give Up

When you start on an endeavour be it business related or a personal one, there are certain expectations you have. But plans don’t always fall neatly into place and often unforeseen circumstances, delays, and setbacks occur. However, strength and persistence get you across in times like these. You realize that hopes and dreams aren’t enough but instead hard work and dedication are the way to achieve success.

This is largely the reason why most people either dread undertaking tasks that require commitment or leave them halfway. Sometimes it feels as if you experience more downs than ups as you are in the early stages. This is when your mindset has to remain optimistic and tough in order to work through the hardships and hope to come out on top.

The statement from Winston Churchill, ”If you’re going through hell, keep going,” is exceptionally apt. When you are swamped by misfortunes, disappointments, and snags, it is tempting to just flounder in wretchedness and surrender. That essentially doesn’t bode well, as Churchill noted. You need to continue moving, arranging your next activities and following up on them with certainty and persistence.

In the event that achievement was anything but difficult to achieve, everyone would be fruitful. You must bear the tempest and stay concentrated on your vision on the off chance that you will make all that you experienced advantageous.

It is heart wrenching to discover that you quit when you were a stage far from creating achievement. This is the reason you should persevere regardless. You don’t want the majority of your meticulous work to go to waste.

“If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run then walk if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward” – Martin Luther King Jr.

Some days it will feel as though you are gaining incredible ground. Other days, it will feel as though you have not cultivated anything. These are the days when you can get effectively demotivated. You simply need to understand that ‘persistent’ activity is superior to no activity.

The energy will continue assembling each day, regardless of how little you do. Having this attitude is extremely practical, as none of us are experts at getting it done each and every day of our lives. The minute you quit pushing forward is the point at which you let the majority of your endeavors go to squander.

Persistence is most often a choice

It’s a matter of believing in oneself and finding a way to reach the end result. If we look throughout the world in every industry, in every culture, there’s one consistent trend among successful individuals, and that trend is the ability to persevere.

Our greatest leaders — Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Colonel Sanders, Mark Victor Hansen, Steve Jobs — are the ones who have persisted beyond the norm, and we should follow them to become influential leaders.

When we hear such examples of overcoming adversity, we ponder in astonishment. We may surmise that effective individuals were brought into the world with gifts we don’t have or that they have assets we can’t get to. This frequently fills in as a reason for us not being as effective ourselves. That is why these leaders stand out as having fought against all odds and accomplishing all that they did purely as a result of their dedication and self-confidence.

The conventional definition of persistence is: “Refusing to give up or let go; persevering obstinately; firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition.” Is it any wonder then, that persistence is the fundamental difference between a successful outcome and a failed one?

“Perseverance, secret of all triumphs.” – Victor Hugo

Giving up isn’t in the vocabulary of effective individuals

Finding another approach to achieve objectives is fine. Searching for backup ways to go to a similar route is okay. Yet, to the challenging and daring of heart, there is no such reality as giving up.

Being persistent is the one thing which isolates the champs from the washouts. At the point when an individual makes up his or her mind to achieve a specific accomplishment and set their concentration toward that path, refusing to be dissuaded, the person in question normally gets what they aspired to achieve.

What we in general disregard is that the majority of extraordinarily effective individuals experienced many troublesome occasions in their lives prior to attaining success, times when achievement was essentially missing. What propped them up was a hope in themselves and in making the best decision. Thus, in essence they remained persistent when times were tough and hence attained success.

How do you find it within yourself to persevere in the face of adversity? Let us know your thoughts below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-power-of-persistence-in-hard-times-rise-up-and-dont-give-up/

7 Mistakes You Need to Avoid Making in Your Startup

Entrepreneurship has been recognized all over the world as a veritable tool for accelerating the development process of nations. In fact, no economy of the world can survive without entrepreneurs. Why then do a high percentage of entrepreneurs go through life as failures? Why do many become obscure and ridiculed for their failed business dream?

As an aspiring entrepreneur or entrepreneur, I know you have stopped to ask yourself this question. Here is the truth; 70% of businesses fail before the end of their second year of establishment and this has been attributed to attitudinal factor.

Yes, it is not the name that makes one a success but the way one conducts his or her business activities. To bear the title “Entrepreneur” does not add a dollar to one’s pocket. If you don’t do what is required of you, it would be virtually impossible for you to succeed in the business world.

Listed below are seven mistakes to avoid in your start-up business:

1. Don’t hire an unskilled family member or friend

There is an old maxim that says, “There is no brother in business.” As you start up your business venture, this must become a well-understood philosophy; an idea, you must carry. If your family member or friend does not have the needed skill, don’t hire him.

Hiring unnecessary hands other than for the sake of skills, is an error in the business world. If you wish to employ your unskilled family member or friend, don’t do it at the infancy phase of the business. Even at the adolescence phase, you still need to train properly your unskilled friend or relative before bringing him in.

“The secret to successful hiring is this: look for the people who want to change the world.“ – Marc Benioff

2. Never see your business venture as a bank

Successful entrepreneurs are those who view their enterprise or venture as a medium for solving problems and not as a bank. They often think of ways to solve one problem or another in the view of putting a smile on the faces of consumers and not how to drain their pockets. This is why they are able to make a success story of their career.

An individual that aspires to be a successful entrepreneur must start to view his business venture as a medium for solving problems. This mindset makes a huge difference in the life of an entrepreneur.

3. Ask questions when necessary

When a problem arises, instead of raising shoulders or being too afraid of showing this vulnerability, an entrepreneur who aspires to be successful simply asks questions from those that were there before him. Of course, these people have made similar mistakes in the past, learned the lessons and now understand it.

According to Confucius, “The man who asked a question is a fool for a minute, the man who does not ask is a fool for life.” Remember the golden rule for every business owner: “Put yourself in your customers’ place.” If you keep customers waiting for too long, they will find the nearest store. In sum, the too-proud-to-ask-attitude does not work in business.

4. Don’t promise what you can’t offer

When customers find out you are not trustworthy, they’d rather die than come back to buy from you. People are like poison when you try to bamboozle them. In fact, they go to any length to make you pay for trying to call them a fool. When a customer discovers you are not honest, he will go about telling anyone who cares to listen how fake you are.

Nothing kills a business venture more than this. Remember, most consumers rely a great deal on the information provided by their family members or friends at the point of purchase. An entrepreneur that wishes to succeed never promises what he does not offer or cannot offer.

5. Don’t mix business with pleasure

No matter how hard you try, you can never get a pleasant result by mixing oil with water. Trying to mix business with pleasure is like trying to mix oil with water. Nothing good comes out of it. A business environment is a place for solving a problem or satisfying a need. It should never be mistaken for a love nest or a beer parlor.

Solving a problem is no child’s play; it demands all of a person. Spending more time and other resources on things that are less important to the growth of the entire business can kick an entrepreneur out of business faster than you can think.

“You shouldn’t focus on why you can’t do something, which is what most people do. You should focus on why perhaps you can, and be one of the exceptions.” – Steve Case

6. Never stop to research and scan through the market for business opportunities

In the face of ever threatening competition, an entrepreneur who aspires to be successful must never stop to research and scan through the market for ideas or business opportunities. Because the moment he stops to do this, his products or way of doing business becomes an old fashion.

An entrepreneur should ensure to always watch the products and advertisements of competitors in order to find the holes and fill them. Implementing new business ideas or improving on the existing ones is the panacea to an entrepreneurs success in today’s fast-moving business climate.

7. Avoid doing things not critical to the development of your enterprise

An entrepreneur who knows what he wants, sets goals and a series of intermediate goals to achieve it. Engaging in too many activities at the same time is an error in the business world. To attain his objectives, his activities must revolve around his set goal.

To avoid doing things not in alignment to the survival and development of his business, he must write down his goals and mark the ones he wants to work on first, second, third, and so on. A technology entrepreneur Elon Musk said, “People work better when they know what the goal is and why.”

If you aspire to be a successful entrepreneur simply act on these instructions.

from
https://addicted2success.com/startups/7-mistakes-you-need-to-avoid-making-in-your-startup/

3 Ways to Make Yourself More Marketable Overnight

In today’s business world, your personal brand is everything. It is the first impression you leave with colleagues, superiors, partners, clients, and friends. It can make or break your opportunities while opening new doors and potentially shutting others. Most importantly, it is one thing that you have the power to control.

Whether you’re on the hunt for a new career, launching down the path of entrepreneurship, or just wanting to make sure that you are prepared for any new opportunity crossing your path, a strong personal brand can set you apart from the crowd.

Making yourself marketable means that you are “findable.” It also makes you definable and gives you something that allows people to understand what you are about.

Ready to make yourself more marketable and attractive? Here are three super easy but highly effective ways to get yourself started:

1. Optimize Your LinkedIn Presence

In today’s digitally-forward business environment, your LinkedIn page is truly your virtual resume. It will often be one of the initial points of contact with a potential employer, of which will certainly check out your past skills and education. So it is important that you take the time to make your profile impressive.

Simply entering in your past jobs and a few skills won’t cut it if you want to stand out. While it seems completely unfair (and maybe impossible) to express all of your best qualities on your LinkedIn page, it is still necessary to do if you are going to make yourself marketable. Take the time to talk about what you really did in all of your past work positions.

What did you learn? What were your main responsibilities? What aspects of those positions are most relevant to the type of work you want to do in the future?

Nicole Strecker, the managing director of a large recruitment agency, put it best when she said, “Most people spend so much time crafting their pitch, they forget about how they appear in a search result. It’s the first thing that recruiters look at.”

This means that it’s super important that you optimize your use of keywords throughout your profile. LinkedIn even offers a guide to help you find the best buzzwords to communicate your qualities and skills to recruiters. Do your research and see what types of skills and keywords are trending on the job market and be sure to incorporate them accordingly.

“The best way to start connecting with everyone is to import your entire contact list and ask them all to connect with you…once you start receiving 10-20 inbound invitations to connect on a daily basis, then you know your doing a good job marketing yourself.” – Lewis Howes

2. Flex Your Strengths

It’s one thing to say what you’re good at, but it’s another thing to show it. While you may consider yourself a great speaker, writer, or leader, it won’t mean much to other people if you don’t have the content proof to back it up.

While it certainly takes time to establish yourself as a thought leader or build up a following on social media that “proves” your expertise, there is no reason why you can’t get started today. You can easily launch a blog to share some of your writing pieces on whatever your strengths are, or you can start a video channel on YouTube.

You can even reach out to niche blog websites and submit content for publication to start building your name’s searchability (a huge part of making yourself more marketable).

Of course, social media plays a huge role in thought leadership and personal branding these days – as those platforms are excellent tools for reaching wide audiences. But, they can also be highly influential in your professional career. In fact, 70% of recruiters admit that they do look into candidate’s social media activity when considering them for a position. Be sure that your social presence is beneficial to your personal brand.

3. Take Industry-Specific Online Courses

Your education shouldn’t stop after you get your diploma. While you certainly don’t need to have an exhaustive list of degrees to succeed as a thought leader or an entrepreneur, the important thing to remember is that you should never stop learning.

There are plenty of online resources that can help you stay up-to-date with the latest technology and advances in your industry or help you discover new areas of interest. You can even check out some informative videos on YouTube to see if anything piques your interest.

If you prefer a more traditional classroom environment, you can contact local universities or community colleges and see if you can sit in on lectures, or ask about free educational workshops they may offer.

An ambitious learner is extremely attractive to recruiters and professionals. Plus, adding a list of certifications and course completions can certainly boost your resume and provide you with even more skills to market yourself with.

“Shall I tell you a secret of a true scholar? It is this: every man I meet is my master in some point and in that I learn from him.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

You need to make your personal brand marketable if it is going to attract opportunities, just like you would with a business. Make sure that you are offering a remarkable and memorable first impression with a LinkedIn profile that accurately reflects what you have to offer. Establish your reputation online by making your skills and strengths highly marketable through published content on personal and professional websites. And finally, never stop learning. There are plenty of ways to keep your skillset sharp and learn new things.

Your personal brand could be the vehicle that propels you towards your goals. But you have to remember that success doesn’t just come to those who patiently sit and wait for it; you need to take action.

Do you have any tips on how to build your personal brand? Share them with us below!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

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https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/3-ways-to-make-yourself-more-marketable-overnight/

The 3 Happiness Assassins and What You Can Do to Control Them

We all have those nights when we are suddenly wide awake and thinking about a problem or something we fear may happen. Fear is the ringleader of the gang of three known as the Happiness Assassins: Doubt. Worry. Circumstantial evidence. It is not just in our sleep we must watch out for this group of hoodlums. They lurk around corners waiting to pounce at all hours of the day.

The “assassins” are simply a part of our thought process. It takes some self-awareness to realize that our thoughts are not necessarily the truth, but we go through life mostly presuming what we think is true. Beliefs are nothing more than firmly held opinions born out of a thought – yours or someone else’s.

Unsupervised, our mind is like a big foster home taking in anyone who knocks on the door. I’d like you to consider that not all thoughts deserve our full attention. We have every right to pass on the ones that don’t serve us. Too often, we invite them in way past their usefulness. My rule of thumb is if you don’t play nice, go away.

We are rarely without thought. People who claim to have trouble meditating often refer to the issue as having a “monkey mind.” Meditation is not being without thought. Thoughts are as automatic as breathing or digestion. The idea is to control them when they come knocking.

Before we take those assassins out, one by one, know that there is nothing that is not subject to individual interpretation. A tree doesn’t occur to a painter as it does to an expert on rainforests, or even a firefighter. A squirrel has an entirely different take on the subject. Nevermind art, music, politics, and law. Interpretation is rampant. To recognize it as such is to relax the need to be right on most subjects.

Below are the three happiness assassins:

1. Worry

Worry is a future based version of interpretation. It takes us out of the present moment and is powerful enough to change our moods, cause us to miss out on the present moment, react defensively, and make us sick. It is hope turned inside out. It dresses itself in gloom. Our antidote to worry is to use your imagination. Imagine the best outcome. Or if you can’t let it go, put your mind somewhere else entirely.

“Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment.” – Dale Carnegie

2. Doubt

A common question many of us have asked ourselves at one time or another is “Am I good enough?” That is a question filled with doubt and so unspecific as to be unanswerable. We inherit not trusting ourselves based on other people’s opinions or a past experience. But at some point, we must take control of our lives, our self-talk.

Confidence isn’t a real thing. It’s a stand we take. It’s as easy to take a leap of faith as it is a leap of doubt. Doubt makes us curl inward, not trusting our path or ourselves. Kill off doubt with action. If you doubt something you want to happen will come to pass, do something to make it happen. If I think my boss is going to berate me because of this month’s metrics, I could proactively come up with a plan on how we will excel in the future.

Confidence and proactivity are what moves the needle. How do you become confident?  Act thusly. Ask any actor who is freaking out before walking on stage.

3. Circumstantial Evidence

Also known as acting “out of context,” we jump to conclusions based on partial information.  Some of it is silly and some is very harmful. Silly: I thought the man in the mirror was flirting with me in an exercise class. It turns out his weights were too heavy. He was grimacing.  Harmful: A police officer shoots someone in a red jacket moving quickly away from the scene of a crime because the officer was told the suspect was in a bright color coat.

“As you think, so you become…..Our busy minds are forever jumping to conclusions, manufacturing and interpreting signs that aren’t there.” – Epictetus

If You Are Going to Lie Awake

I hope what keeps you up at night is joyful anticipation. I hope what keeps you up at night is crafting solutions and knowing that you can be freer than you have ever known by being in positive action and showing the assassins the way out before they get in.

How do you overcome constant worry, doubt, and jumping to conclusions? Share your tips with us below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/the-3-happiness-assassins-and-what-you-can-do-to-control-them/

The Anatomy of Genuine Listening From a Traditional Chinese Character

The oxford dictionary defines “listen” as “giving one’s attention to a sound.” While this definition captures an essential part of the definition, it oversimplifies the listening process. Listening involves giving! Giving a lot more than mere attention, but undivided attention.

Listening involves giving our heart, eyes, effort, love and so much more. The process of listening is so complex that no single definition can fully capture what really happens when one listens. As a result, from a single Traditional Chinese character, I will show that “genuine listening” involves more than auditory perception.

(“聽“ pronounced “ting” ) which literally means “listen” is a phono-semantic compound made up of several distinctive parts, each carrying meaning that represents what we actually “give” when involved in the listening process. As can be seen from the character, the word “耳” which means “ear” is just part of a whole. Listening involves more than auditory perception. Genuine listening happens when instead of saying “I am all ears” we say “I am all present.”

Genuine listening means giving our heart (心 – xin)

People come to us, because they need to be understood. Listening to them with empathy could be the greatest gift we will ever give them. Being heard and understood feels good because it is connected to our deepest sense of self-worth. Listening to someone with empathy means caring and acknowledging.

Empathetic listening can’t unfold when we are overwhelmed by worries. The golden rule is to be self-aware and to never get into a conversation when we’re not emotionally prepared. Any attempt to get into a conversation when we don’t feel like it will come across insincere and can’t be concealed.

Listening with empathy gives the other person a chance to unfold as they are and to fully express themselves. This meaning is conveyed by the character (心 pronounced “xin” meaning“Heart”).

“The most basic of human need is to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.”- Ralph Nichols

Genuine listening means maintaining eye-contact (目)

When engaged in a conversation, words represent a fraction of the meaning that is conveyed. A lot more information is transmitted nonverbally. Albert Mehrabian, a pioneer researcher of body language in the 1950’s, found that the total impact of a message is about 7 percent verbal, 38 percent vocal and 55 percent nonverbal. Since then, many researchers have replicated his research and found consistent results.

Respectful eye-contact is the agent that dissolves the boundary between the verbal and nonverbal. It brings a pure quality of receptivity as it opens the window to content and context of the message. Rid yourself of all visual distractions, open the window to your soul to person talking to you. This is the meaning of the “eyes” part of the Chinese character “目”(pronounced “mu”) which literally means “eyes.”

Listening means giving your undivided attention as you would a king (王)

When was the last time you gave your undivided attention to someone you were talking to? The challenge here is to bring our full attention to the person whom we are talking to. Listening with undivided attention means do away with external distractions as well as with internal distractions.

Oftentimes we listen with our attention focused on how we are going to respond or refute what the other person is saying. Genuine listening is different, it involves listening with curiosity, compassion, and with the true purpose of understanding. Imagine being invited to a royal feast. Treat the other person as a king, your guest of honor, because they are. This is what these Chinese characters mean (pronounced “yi” meaning “one,” and 王 pronounced, “wang” meaning “king”).

“Hearing is listening to what is said. Listening is hearing what isn’t said.” – Simon Sinek

Genuine listening assumes everyone is whole (十 )

The evidence of fingerprinting conveys an important truth that seems to elude us most of the time: each of us is unique. There are no “two” individuals with the same fingerprint. If we hold this simple fact upfront, we shall become more tolerant. We shall stop using our perceptual filters to judge others when difference of opinions emerges.

We become fully appreciative of the other, understanding that their uniqueness and wholeness are to be celebrated. This new paradigm shift will allow us to be whole again, and consequently make those around us feel the same. After all, if you see yourself as an individual worthy of being understood for who you are, why not do the same to others? This is the meaning conveyed by the last Chinese character 十 (shi), which means complete.

Imagine a world where everyone felt heard and understood. Wouldn’t you want to live in a such a world? I would! May these simple yet powerfully transformative principles inspire you to help create a culture built around empathy and love.

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/the-anatomy-of-genuine-listening-from-a-traditional-chinese-character/

Don’t Change All Your Habits — Just Change One.

3 Ways You Can Evolve Into Your Bigger and Braver Self

Look at your dog, he or she is the cutest animal ever, always happy, that plays with his squeaky toys, and cries when you come back home. Now, think about a wild wolf. A playful mate for puppies, but ready to transform into a lethal predator. With a look capable of petrifying any other living being who sees it pass by, wolves are intimidating, fierce, and tough as hell.

Not the description of an animal that you can pet near the fireplace, right? This comparison is useful because it gives the opportunity to think about the reason for the substantial difference between a domestic and a wild animal.

Why is that useful to us?

While our dog spends his life playing and sleeping on soft, warm pillows with his belly full, the wolf can be often found starving while trudging in the snow and squinting against the wind, battling the cold, right in the middle of a days-long hunt.

Those experiences forge the mind and the body of the animal. The same thing is also valid for humans. If we live an extremely comfortable life we become the domestic dog, otherwise, if we are exposed to hard situations throughout our lives, we become the wild wolf.

Comfort feels really good in the moment, but it’s terrible in the long term because it doesn’t prepare us to face the difficulties that life inevitably will throw at us. Discomfort forces us to face issues that once seemed too much to bear, and face them with more confidence because we’ve become aware of our ability to endure hard times.

It’s crucial to intentionally choose to withstand daily, minor adversities, without waiting to be caught unprepared by the unplanned ones, because, by doing so, we’re forced to evolve and become more resilient.

“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you.” – Walt Disney

Below are three habits that can help you transform into the biggest and bravest wolf:

1. Exercise

Exercise, if done correctly, is a great way to make yourself tougher. Push through the fatigue and finish that high-intensity session, or get that last rep in. This isn’t about injuring yourself, it’s about becoming aware of where your limits are.

The retired Navy SEAL David Goggins has conceptualized the 40% rule, in which he states that once your mind tells you “you’re done”, you’re really only 40% done. So when you feel that you can’t do that last set of burpees, shake it off, put your hands on the ground, and do it.

2. Have a cold shower

The hot water handle is right there, and it would be easy to turn it and have a nice warm shower, but don’t do it. Stay strong! The feeling of ice cold water running down your spine isn’t a pleasurable sensation, but it’s only that, a sensation, it won’t kill you.

Start with ten seconds and then, slowly, increase the time you spend under the cold water. The cold shower also increases alertness, speeds muscle recovery, relieves depression, and improves circulation.

3. Read stoic philosophy

Stoicism teaches the development of self-control and courage as a means of overcoming destructive emotions and the hardships that life will inevitably throw at us. Reading some books of the most well-known stoic philosophers turns out to be extremely useful to learn how to strengthen our minds.

Can it be done wrong? Of course! We can sustain a lot more struggles than what we think, but there is a limit to the amount of suffering that we can tolerate, and above that, it becomes detrimental.

To avoid this situation, we should operate on that thin edge. We have to discover it with experience, but after we’ve realized where that point is, we need to push ourselves there.

Consider it similar to what happens when we lift weights. Strength improves when you lift enough weight. When you lift too little, you don’t gain anything, and if you lift too much, you risk injuries.

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” – Jim Rohn

And what happens when life strikes?

Naturally, when life hits, it isn’t in our power to decide how strong the punch will be. We simply have to stay strong and keep moving forward through the pain and the struggles.

However, resisting the storm is easier if we’ve toughened our will and trained our bodies during the quiet times. So, consider implementing some form of daily challenge, and use it as preparation for the difficult times that will come.

While the dog, under the rain and the blowing wind, trembles from the cold and shakes from the fear, the wolf puts his head down and continues to walk, knowing to be strong enough to endure, until the sun rises again.

How do you persevere when times are tough? Let us know some of your tips below!

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https://addicted2success.com/life/3-ways-you-can-evolve-into-your-bigger-and-braver-self/

Success is for the Self-Taught

Truman Capote, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Jobs, Nikola Tesla. Those are four names you never thought you’d see in a sentence together. As it happens, these four individuals have more in common than their success, ingenuity, and fame. They were all autodidacts. In other words, they were self-taught learners.

The talents and innovations that skyrocketed them to fame were the products of their own teachings. Make no mistake, this doesn’t mean a formal education is a waste of time. However, it goes to show that success is crafted solely by commitment and focus. While college and traineeships can prepare us for the groundwork of what we pursue, it’s ultimately up to us as individuals to teach ourselves how to refine our knowledge for success.

It’s the self-taught principles that allow us to distinguish our own work from that of others. With the help of the internet, self-taught success is more possible than ever. And there are plenty of ways to reach our inner autodidact.

Elon Musk had science degrees from top Ivy League universities, but he still credits most of his knowledge to the textbooks he allegedly “committed to memory.” Reading is just one way to teach yourself everything you need to know. Aspiring inventors can surely learn a lot by sacrificing some of their leisure time to sit down with a textbook.

For writers and artists, the best study is to just read. Read anything. Inspiration can be derived from poetry, works of fiction, etc. These also help you develop your writing skills, which is an important asset for any aspiring entrepreneur.

“Self-education is, I firmly believe, the only kind of education there is.” – Isaac Asimov

With the help of online Master Classes, Youtube videos, and apps – where online courses developed by some of the top U.S. educational institutions can be accessed remotely – self-taught success is more attainable than ever.

What’s more, we learn through practice. We can publish our own eBooks through Amazon without the publishing house bureaucracy. We can advertise our product, brand, or service through social media savvy without astronomical advertising costs. And as we practice, we learn. We gain feedback from our followers, learn from our mistakes, and do it better the second time around.

Even when you’re teaching yourself, others are always helping. However, you get to decide which lessons are most constructive, and you get to apply them to the real world in real-time.

The Science of Self-Taught

People have a tendency to romanticize the concept of self-taught success. It’s not a solution for laziness, or an excuse for lack of motivation. In many cases, teaching yourself is more work than being taught. The level of accountability rises when you are both teacher and student. Furthermore, it requires more discipline. Without a structured schedule or a guaranteed reward at the end of your efforts, your only hope is your dedication.

Beyond this, however, the only thing stopping most people from teaching themselves is insecurity. Fear of failure and inadequacy halts self-taught learners in their tracks. Especially because with self-teaching, inevitably, comes occasional failure. Unfortunately, the self-taught often feel they have nobody to blame the failure on but themselves – no teachers, mentors, or trainers as scapegoats.

According to Psychology Today, there is nothing that makes certain people better self-taught learners than others. The only difference is motivation, and willingness to overcome that lingering insecurity. Even the concept of “learning styles” is erroneous, says Psychology Today. While each individual is different, ability to learn is not based on preference, but expertise.

Beginners learn better from examples, while experts learn better by solving problems. This builds yet another case for autodidacts, who are more likely to learn by experience – the most effective method.

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but a lifelong attempt to acquire it.” – Albert Einstein

The Rewards of Being Self-Taught

The fruits of your labor taste sweeter when you’ve taught yourself how to grow them. As such, success is more enjoyable when your self-education has contributed to it. All successful individuals have something in common: they’ve taken the initiative to teach themselves new things, or to supplement their formal education with self-teaching, as well.

Therefore, not all groundbreaking inventors, artists, and philosophers are solely self-taught. However, they’ve still accompanied their college training with their own individual quest for knowledge.

There is a simple reason why autodidacts thrive the most: because they’re always learning. The one mistake people who solely rely on formal education and training make is the mistake of stopping their learning process altogether once it’s over. Not only does this prevent you from being up-to-date on the latest concepts and advancements in your field, but it obstructs your brain’s thirst for mental stimulation.

By constantly learning and teaching ourselves new things, no matter how small or large they might be, we could change the course of our overall health and well-being. Research even shows that mental stimulation (consisting of practicing memorization, learning new things, and improving our skill in existing hobbies) is key to slowing down the development of, and possibly even reversing, Alzheimer’s and dementia.

Motivational speaker and entrepreneur Jim Rohn was noted for saying, “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.” This does not mean you should abandon the pursuit of formal education, as it often serves as the foundation for self-education. But, it does mean we should maintain, cater to, and quench our thirst for knowledge as much as we possibly can.

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/success-is-for-the-self-taught/

80 Albert Einstein Quotes to Inspire You For Life

Albert Einstein is recognized around the world as one of the most iconic and intelligent minds ever.  From his fantastic scientific discoveries, to the hardships he endured during his life; Einstein shared a lot of wisdom and insight on life, people, and the world in general

Here are 80 of Albert Einstein‘s most insightful quotes:

1. “The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.”– Albert Einstein

2. “Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.” – Albert Einstein

3. “Truth is what stands the test of experience.” – Albert Einstein

4. “Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.” – Albert Einstein

5. “The only source of knowledge is experience.” – Albert Einstein

6. “Any man who reads too much and uses his own brain too little falls into lazy habits of thinking.” – Albert Einstein

7. “There comes a time when the mind takes a higher plane of knowledge but can never prove how it got there.” – Albert Einstein

8. “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” – Albert Einstein

9. “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

10. “Human beings must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it.” – Albert Einstein

11. “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” – Albert Einstein

12. “If A is a success in life, then A equals X plus Y plus Z. Work is X; Y is play, and Z is keeping your mouth shut.” – Albert Einstein

13. “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” – Albert Einstein

14. “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein

15. “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

16. “I think and think for months and years. Ninety-nine times, the conclusion is false. The hundredth time I am right.” – Albert Einstein

17. “Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” – Albert Einstein

18. “Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile.” – Albert Einstein

19. “Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life’s coming attractions.” – Albert Einstein

20. “The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible.” – Albert Einstein

21. “To raise new questions, new possibilities, to regard old problems from a new angle, requires creative imagination and marks real advance in science.” – Albert Einstein

22. “Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.” – Albert Einstein

23. “Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.” – Albert Einstein

24. “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” – Albert Einstein

25. “Small is the number of people who see with their eyes and think with their minds.” – Albert Einstein

26. “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.” – Albert Einstein

27. “There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

28. “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.” – Albert Einstein

29. “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science.” – Albert Einstein

30. “The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits.” – Albert Einstein

31. “Information is not knowledge.” – Albert Einstein

32. “No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.” – Albert Einstein

33. “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”– Albert Einstein

34. “Once you stop learning, you start dying.” – Albert Einstein

35. “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” – Albert Einstein

36. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” – Albert Einstein

37. “Without deep reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people.” – Albert Einstein

38. “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein

39. “Nothing truly valuable arises from ambition or from a mere sense of duty; it stems rather from love and devotion towards men and towards objective things.” – Albert Einstein

40. “All that is valuable in human society depends upon the opportunity for development accorded the individual.” – Albert Einstein

41. “No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.” – Albert Einstein

42. “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” – Albert Einstein

43. “You ask me if I keep a notebook to record my great ideas. I’ve only ever had one.” – Albert Einstein

44. “A happy man is too satisfied with the present to dwell too much on the future.” – Albert Einstein

45. “The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination.” – Albert Einstein

46. “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” – Albert Einstein

47. “I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious.” – Albert Einstein

48. “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.” – Albert Einstein

49. “Anger dwells only in the bosom of fools.” – Albert Einstein

50. “The only way to escape the corruptible effect of praise is to go on working.” – Albert Einstein

51. “The monotony and solitude of a quiet life stimulates the creative mind.” – Albert Einstein

52. “Pure mathematics is, in its way, the poetry of logical ideas.” – Albert Einstein

53. “A human being is part of a whole called by us the universe.” – Albert Einstein

54. “Sometimes one pays most for the things one gets for nothing.” – Albert Einstein

55. “A man should look for what is, and not for what he thinks should be.” – Albert Einstein

56. “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein

57. “A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” – Albert Einstein

58. “Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.” – Albert Einstein

59. “In order to form an immaculate member of a flock of sheep one must, above all, be a sheep.” – Albert Einstein

60. “The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.” – Albert Einstein

61. “We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

62. “I never think of the future. It comes soon enough.” – Albert Einstein

63. “The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.”– Albert Einstein

64. “Most teachers waste their time by asking questions that are intended to discover what a pupil does not know, whereas the true art of questioning is to discover what the pupil does know or is capable of knowing.” – Albert Einstein

65. “Few are those who see with their own eyes and feel with their own hearts.” – Albert Einstein

66. “As a human being, one has been endowed with just enough intelligence to be able to see clearly how utterly inadequate that intelligence is when confronted with what exists.” – Albert Einstein

67. “Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them.” – Albert Einstein

68. “I very rarely think in words at all. A thought comes, and I may try to express it in words afterwards.” – Albert Einstein

69. “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” – Albert Einstein

70. “Memory is deceptive because it is colored by today’s events.” – Albert Einstein

71. “Whoever is careless with the truth in small matters cannot be trusted with important matters.” – Albert Einstein

72. “I’d rather be an optimist and a fool than a pessimist and right.”– Albert Einstein

73. “The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”– Albert Einstein

74. “Nothing happens until something moves.”– Albert Einstein

75. “If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales.”– Albert Einstein

76. “I speak to everyone in the same way, whether he is the garbage man or the president of the university.”– Albert Einstein

77. “A table, a chair, a bowl of fruit and a violin; what else does a man need to be happy?”– Albert Einstein

78. “Only those who attempt the absurd can achieve the impossible.”– Albert Einstein

79. “A clever person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it.”– Albert Einstein

80. “A true genius admits that he/she knows nothing.”– Albert Einstein

Which quote resonated with you the most? Comment below!

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