5 Signs You Can Turn Your Life Around Even if It Seems Impossible

Take a quick reality check right now. You could simply look around you, or assess what’s going on in the aspects of your life you care about most such as your relationships, finances, or physical health.

It shouldn’t take long to realize something needs to change, or—your life needs a 180-degree turn. It doesn’t matter whether you’ve been plugging away for too long or your stress levels are off the charts or, perhaps the worst, nothing seems to be changing for the better. You’re not seeing any results, every day, during this time you’re expecting some sort of redemption.

Whatever the case, here are five signs you can still turn your life around, even though you think it’s impossible:

1. You’re learning there’s something wrong with your habits, behaviors, or attitude

Like many others, you started thinking, “Why is nothing happening?” But for the most part, you’ve only been looking at the end result. At this point you realize doing so is a recipe for disaster. You understand that to produce better results, you have to fix the system in which you operate. You begin looking at the everyday activities and habits taking over you since who-knows-when.

It becomes apparent that you need some sort of self-discipline—of course not necessarily like the Navy SEALs have—but you start sticking to a routine that you know will make you more productive.

Perhaps you’ve been focusing on the hardships rather than the small victories. Pause for a moment and acknowledge the latter.

An accomplishment—however small—is something, and should be celebrated. Maybe you’ve been looking for shortcuts. You know exactly how to reach a goal, but you’re averse to the inevitable hard work. Maybe you’re bearing the victim mentality. It’s easy to resort to these kinds of thinking especially when you haven’t seen results yet.

2. You’re realizing you’re living or hanging out with the wrong people

It’s indisputable that wherever you go, there you are. But it’s also undeniable that you are heavily influenced by the people in your immediate proximity—the people you’re with every single day.

As the months or years go on, you realize these people are indirectly stunting your growth. Sometimes it hurts when it’s your family or close friends. Sometimes you won’t even notice it at face value because petty office politics is convenient just like that.

You find that most of them complain a lot, talk about other people in hushed voices, or surround their life mainly by work that they abandon other people and things just as important.

Because of those people, you start to take advice selectively. You become cautious because you don’t want to live a life based on whims. You start looking for people and experiences that will make your life more meaningful.

“When you are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.” – Epictetus

3. You’re not doing what you’re meant to be doing

It hits you that after all these years, after you’ve done the supposed “preliminary requirements for life,” you’re still not doing things that bring out your talents, skills, and passion. In other words, things that bring out the best in you.

For so long you’ve only been looking at pictures and videos. At best you can only say you’re the perfect enthusiast. Perhaps a decade has already passed but the moment of actually doing it is still yet to come.

As a result, an internal conflict has grown very strong. You feel there’s no harmony between yourself and your daily routine. There’s a rebellion. And you’re not doing the best work you can. Another way to look at this is by asking yourself, “What would I rather NOT be doing or experiencing?” It’s a negative kind of motivation but points you in a better direction.

4. You’re recognizing the lie your world has become

Following the three signs above, this one shouldn’t come as a surprise. One of the worst perpetrators of this illusion is the media. When you find something as flashy or glamorous or easy as what the media is bombarding you with, take a moment to step back and think.

Collectively, the media —TV, radio, magazines—has always been the same. They sell you stuff that are supposed to make you happy, hoping you’ll be unable to know the difference between real happiness and the shallow, superficial one.

Then, social media came to make it even worse. Sure, you idolize those famous people, but are they the ones you genuinely should be listening to or basing your life decisions on? Of course you know that not all media is bad. But you start to notice the “unpopular” things in life like hard work, failures, and self-discipline.

You think they’re unpopular for one reason: they’re not easy. And you begin to ask more questions while being enlightened by the fact that you’ve only been enjoying the facade—the lie. You’ve been rejecting the reality of what it takes to reach success.

“I can control my destiny, but not my fate. Destiny means there are opportunities to turn right or left, but fate is a one-way street. I believe we all have the choice as to whether we fulfil our destiny, but our fate is sealed.” – Paulo Coelho

5. You know you can take a small step—right now

Despite the overwhelming feeling—perhaps of shame—to which you’ve unfortunately grown accustomed to, you realize you can do something about your situation, even with a small step. I’m going out on a limb here—no matter how hard life may seem, deep inside you can’t deny you can do something.

“Embarrass” yourself by living with your parents for a while? Wake up earlier and sleep later than you used to? Apply for that temporary job while figuring things out? You realize you really have no excuses not to pursue the life you want.

You feel the inferno that’s about to devour that internal conflict once and for all. To know you can pick just one among the many options you’re being presented with—and start doing it—is the most powerful sign.

Watch out for these signs

Turning your life around is largely about self-knowledge. You align yourself with the reality around you. Most of the time, however, the reality is simply the status quo, and most probably, the reason you’re in a dire situation is that you haven’t challenged it, ever.

On the other hand, if these signs have been teasing you for a while now, then you should be on the right track in starting your life anew. Is it going to be easy? Probably not. But sometimes a simple decision is all it takes to stop living without intention, passion, and meaning—and start going after the prize that fulfills your soul.

What’s the sign that resonated with you the most? I would love to hear about it in the comments!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/5-signs-you-can-turn-your-life-around-even-if-it-seems-impossible/

The One Strategy That Can Help Make You a Successful Entrepreneur

I receive thousands of emails and messages every day because of the line of work I’m in. I like to call myself a budding entrepreneur because I still don’t feel like I’ve become one completely. There are a few of my friends who tend to think that being an entrepreneur is like being your own boss, where you’d have no one you need to answer to.

While that is true, they don’t understand the fact that I am answerable to myself. It’s not always possible for me to have the same work schedule as everyone else. I work crazy hours and I get little to no time for myself. Just a few weeks ago, I was so absorbed in driving better growth for my company that I started neglecting my health and my social circle as well.

The outcome?

I became ill and had no one to reach out to. I would say to myself, “It’s okay, it’s part of the process.” But, the reality is that it wasn’t. In order to become a successful entrepreneur, there are a number of things that one needs to keep into consideration. Sometimes, it is important to take a break and rejuvenate your mind if you want to keep going with the journey.

As Robert Tew said, “Sometimes you gotta take a break from all the noise to appreciate the beauty of silence.” If the title is leaving you intrigued as to what we are talking about, we are discussing about Digital Detox. Statistics say that we spend around half of our day on electrical and digital devices, be it for work or for personal usage.

While you might not realize the severity of it now, the same is not at all favourable for someone who is stepping their foot into the world of entrepreneurship.

What is a Digital Detox?

If the term itself wasn’t self-explanatory, a digital detox is the phase of time a person spends staying away from any form of digital devices; be it their phones, laptops or even tablets. While the same might not make a lot of sense, it’s actually very beneficial for entrepreneurs who are dreaming of making it big in the world. Nothing comes easy and concentration and focus need a lot of nurturing which comes from self-care.

It’s very important to ensure you opt for ways around to get your hands on the basics and know what needs to be done to execute the same religiously. You can’t really make a decision of doing it one day and then back out from the same the next day. That is not how it works.

It is necessary you take inspiration from someone who’s already done this and has gained amazing results from it in their niche of work. Entrepreneurship is not easy and demands a lot of patience and dedication which is often deterred because of the constant digital intervention in our lives.

“My mind is constantly going. For me to completely relax, I gotta get rid of my cell phone.” – Kenny Chesney

Why do a digital detox?

When I first heard of this term, my first reaction was, “I can’t do this.” Given the fact that I’m hooked to my phone hours upon hours because of work or entertainment, I didn’t know how I would accomplish this or what kind of outcomes would come if I accomplish this.

Nevertheless, I was ready to give this a try and see the fuss all for myself. It is very crucial in your mind to know why you should do a digital detox. Nobody can force or persuade you to do this because every last bit of it is dependent on you.

If you are here wondering about the WHY, it is mainly to detach yourself from the constant urge to reach out for the phone or to document every moment that you spend differently. Being addicted to social media is one of the factors that can bring down your success rates of being an entrepreneur.

Doing a digital detox ensures that you get to explore your inner self without having to capture, document or ascertain them with digital means. We often find ourselves binge-watching the number of likes we have gotten from social media and if this attribute is something instilled within you, chances are that the same is going to affect your career prospects.

It is important that we don’t become so dependent on digital means, that surviving without it becomes impossible for us. I learned this the hard way, but the outcomes have been nothing but rewarding for me.

How to do a digital detox?

Now that we have touched bases with the WHATs and WHYs, it’s time we focus on how one can do the same. This is possibly the most important part of the entire prospect altogether.

Here are 2 ways you can do a digital detox:

1. Disconnect

The very first step is to go away to some place that’s not just unfamiliar for you but also someplace that would bring you peace of mind. Book a resort or a cabin on an island or anyplace that’s away from the mainstream places that the majority of the tourists would binge upon. Going to such places and encompassed with nature around is actually quite effective in getting this process done successfully.

“Relax! Life is beautiful!” – David L. Wolper

2. Have a routine

Being an entrepreneur means you need to stay in touch with clients, investors, and your employees too. However, this doesn’t mean you need to rely on your devices as if your life depends on it. Instead of clinging onto these devices all throughout, try and find ways to cut them to the minimum. Use them when necessary and ensure that you don’t depend on it with blind eyes.

It’s true what Fat Joe said, “I’d rather hustle 24/7 than slave away from 9-to-5.” This is what the majority of entrepreneurs think and if you want to weave the maximum results from the journey, you sometimes need to detach to return back with double the energy than before.

What do you think makes a successful entrepreneur? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/the-one-strategy-that-can-help-make-you-a-successful-entrepreneur/

The Case For Being A Weekend Warrior

The Two Ways of Growing: Filling and Leaping

The deeper I went into personal development and different schools of thoughts, the more I realized that all of them are right. That made me crazy. Because I was trying to find definite answers to the questions that don’t have one, I just went in circles, never finding the answers I was seeking.

But then, it all came to me in a single moment. It’s not about what is right, it’s about what’s right in that specific moment. It’s just like mental models—  they’re not right or wrong, but the situation where you use them makes it so.

One of those answers I looked for was whether you change yourself incrementally, day by day, and by slowly changing your habits, or if you have to make massive leaps forward where that one moment just propels you forward. I had both of these and they’re both true but only when applied in the right situation.

Below you’ll understand how you will recognize those situations to make the most of them:

1. The First Way of Growing: Filling

Imagine the filling as a progress (experience) bar of your character. You are on level one and your experience bar tells you the number 0/745. Your job at this point is to fill the bar all the way up to 745/745. You do this by slowly gaining experience from doing quests in the game. In real life, you do this by stacking habits and slowly changing your day to day operations.

Simply going to the gym once won’t make you healthy (it’s just 3 experience’s in your experience bar). But if you go 120 times this year (three times a week), you will become fit (360 experience’s in your experience bar). The same thing applies to running, reading books, and writing. It’s about incrementally changing the way you run your day to day operations and you do that by changing your habits.

I did this in my life by reading 20 pages of a book a day (45 books per year), writing 500 words a day (over 400,000 written), going to the gym three times a week and starting my own business.

When you fill the experience bar, and you’re at 745/745, that doesn’t mean you’ll automatically hit the next level. You’ll need something different to hit the next level and it’s leaping.

“Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Rohn

2. The Second Way of Growing: Leaping

This way of growing is less available than the filling one. It only activates itself once the experience bar is full and you need to get to the next level. So what happens here?  

When the experience bar is full, your body and mind unlock a special mode of insights where a single spark, a glitch, can make you experience what the old Eastern people used to call Satori moments.

Satori moments are moments of deep insight where you feel one with everything. Time stops for you and suddenly you have clarity of mind, thought, and action. Everything in your life makes complete sense and if it doesn’t, you look at those things as something foolish which you can easily discard.

The best way to give you an earthly example of this is when a person stops smoking because they just witnessed the birth of their first child or saw the lungs of a hardcore smoker. They do it in an instant because the strength of the moment changed them.

Their old self died to give place for a new self to grow. This is how you get to the next level. After the moment passes and you take away everything that you can from it, it’s time to get back to the first way of growing: filling. You leaped forward to the next level only to find yourself at 0/890 experience bar. It’s time to fill it back up.

To do this, you’ll have to apply different habits. You analyze and see what this experience bar requires from you. Because what got you here won’t get you there. So you take a different set of habits and apply them until you fill the bar again. Once you do, the satori moment kicks in and you are at level 3.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle

Growth is a Circle

There is no growth without the eagle’s perspective, which is the holistic approach toward life, where you suddenly have an insight because you saw the forest. But also, there is no growth without the worm’s perspective where you see the day to day operations and tend to them. Growth requires both and it comes in circles.

What do you need to do to grow to the next level? Is it filling or leaping? Comment below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-two-ways-of-growing-filling-and-leaping/

Don’t Wait for Permission to Chase Your Dreams

Would a race feel fair if there were no starting gun? Imagine you are crouched at the starting line of a race along with all the other runners, and you are all expected to just begin the race whenever you feel like it. That is the world you are in right at this very moment.

Childhood has a way of framing things that makes adulthood rather confusing. When you are a child, there are always beginnings and endings. Each school year begins in September, and ends in May or June. Math class begins at 11:00 am and ends at 12:00 pm, whereupon you go to lunch. The human mind is designed to learn patterns, and learn to expect them. Thus, it comes as something of a shock when, as an adult, one learns that the world is no longer working according to those patterns; there is no starting gun in the race you now run.

You mustn’t wait for the starting gun, you mustn’t wait for permission, you mustn’t wait for the tide to come in or the weather to be perfect, because if you do, you will be waiting forever.

Stop waiting for your turn

One reason so many jerks get ahead is they don’t wait in line. It’s not that being a jerk is a way to become successful; it’s that not waiting for permission is one of the behaviors jerks happen to share with successful people, and thus, often jerks can wind up becoming successful.

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill

Move out from your comfort zones

Many of the best students at the top universities don’t go anywhere because they adapted perfectly for an environment full of mentorship, structure, and clearly defined goals where everyone wants them to succeed. In the real world, the goalposts are always moving, the field of battle is always covered in fog, and no one will spit on you even if you are on fire.

Surround yourself with hustlers

Another fetter that could be holding you back is the sort of people with whom you surround yourself. Here’s an easy test: Bring some aspect of your creative work to your friends for a critique. If their first instinct is to offer help for making it the best version of what it is, then you have some good friends.

If their first instinct is to disengage with what you actually created, essentially saying what they would have created were they you, then they aren’t really being helpful to you. They’re using your endeavor for them to be creative by proxy. Telling someone their lemonade stand should be an app startup isn’t helpful.

Some of this sort of negativity goes to the pattern recognition circuitry in our brains, designed to memorize what leopards look like in tall grass, and make us paranoid because the paranoid tends to survive. Not your problem. When friends’ negativity becomes your problem, spend less time with them.

You need friends who will buoy you, not sink you. If old friends of yours are negative people, fine. Know that there is a trade off in time spent with them and your ability to pull it together to chase your dreams.

The best time to start is now

Perhaps, in order to get that dream job, you need a specialized degree that will mean years of additional schooling. Let’s say you’re 25 right now. If you start now, you might finish when you are 28. If that seems like a long time, consider how it will feel if you finally pick up your new degree when you are 28, or 33, or 42. The sooner you embrace your dreams, the sooner they will happen, and you’ll spend less time in regret.

Do not fear

Perhaps you fear failure, or more specifically, you fear a kind of failure. If you dream of being a skater, know that all ice skaters fall, both in practice and in the Olympics. The greatest baseball players in history miss 7 out of 10 times they swing the bat. Failure is fine. Failure is part of learning. They have a saying in Silicon Valley: fail fast. The faster you fail, the sooner you will know how to succeed.

Be mentored

Would it feel better if you had a guide? Of course, it would. Know mentors may not be who you expect, or come when you want them to. Some wrangle a mentor early on, but more often than not, people don’t have mentors in the beginning.

You may wonder how your mentor will find you. This is an answer you have to find for yourself, but one thing is clear, they will not find you if you are sitting at home twiddling your thumbs. Baseball scouts find the talented kids who end up in the draft because those kids join teams and play baseball.

Hollywood agents find actors because the actors find their way onto the stage or the screen, and keep coming back until one night, the agent is in the audience. If you don’t do it, and no one sees it, then no one wants it. Your mentor will find you when you have shown you are worth throwing one’s weight behind.

“A mentor is someone who allows you to see the higher part of yourself when sometimes it becomes hidden to your own view.” – Oprah

You should be able to see by now that there’s really nothing between you and setting off in search of your dreams. Remember these steps: Decide what you need to accomplish your dream, and start with the first thing on the list. If the people around you deride your efforts in any way, stop spending time with them.

Get out the door and act on your dream, even on a small scale, even if you aren’t sure it will work. The way you fail will teach you how to succeed. If you succeed enough, a mentor will appear to guide you. From there, you will have much smoother sailing on your way to your life’s dreams. Just don’t ask for permission.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/dont-wait-for-permission-to-chase-your-dreams/

How to Breathe Life Into Your 10-Year Vision by Joel Brown

In just 8 years, Joel Brown went from snake wrangler to music industry salesman to founder of megabrand Addicted2Success, a motivation blog with 162 million hits and 3.1 million podcast plays.

Joel credits his success to committing to a 10-year vision. He says that it’s a game changer because it holds you accountable to your higher dreams and purpose. He shares these 5 tips to seize your 10-year vision now on the Success Resources Podcast.

1. In mapping your vision, start off with the skeleton – Identify what you want in the six areas of your life: finance, career, fun and leisure, romance, self-development, and health and fitness. After working on this, add in the skin and meat. The more detailed and crystal clear it is, the more straightforward it is for you to go and grab it and turn it into reality, right?

2. Joel says it takes blood, sweat and tears to achieve your vision. His advice is to throw yourself into your vision and commit. Draw a line in the cement, not just sand.

3. In pursuing your vision, it’s all about testing without getting attached to the outcome. It’s not about being perfect but working towards excellence.

4. Negotiate with your mind. Our mind will always try to bring us back to our comfort zone. If you’re faced with something challenging, think that there’s something for you to learn and that there is a reward after you’ve passed it.

5. A lot of people talk about the law of attraction but Joel is more about the law of intention which he describes as “set it and get it.” He believes in living every day with direction and intention, and clarity and focus. Living with intention disciplines you and holds you accountable for your actions so you’re not basing your decisions on feelings.

These tips are pulled from Joel Brown’s interview on the Success Resources Podcast. Click here to listen to the interview.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/how-to-breathe-life-into-your-10-year-vision-with-joel-brown/

5 Ways Successful People Stay Healthy

In the modern world, we have two forms of people: successful people and unsuccessful people. The latter are desperate to become the former, while the former do everything they can to avoid becoming the latter. However, there are often a few major differences in the kind of lifestyle led by each kind of person.

If you want to be a successful person, then here are some of the most important tips to consider as this is what the most successful people do to try and stay healthy:

1. They get up earlier in the morning

The early bird catches the worm, as they say, and it’s no different in human society. If you are going to get things done in a good amount of time, then you need to get up earlier and attack the day with a greater sense of urgency. That’s become very common in the life of all successful people, and is a major driving force in their ability to succeed in this world.

You will find that you will be able to get more done if you get up earlier. Getting up earlier allows you to conquer that inner laziness that stops you from being better disciplined. It also helps you to make sure that you are always ready to attack the day. When you get up late, you are much more likely to have to defend yourself from issues. If you get up early, you often take the initiative on everything to come.

“Go to bed early and wake up early. The morning hours are good.” – Jeff Bezos

2. They have more robust eating habits

One of the most important parts of being successful stems from eating properly and caring for your body. This means that you should look to make sure that you have a more scheduled eating plan in your life. If you eat well, you will do well. You should look to cut out things like quick snacks or, worse, fueling your body with sugar and caffeine.

The most successful people are ahead of the curve as they look after their body properly and care for their inner systems. You’ll find much more positives about yourself if you get into the frame of mind of eating on a scheduled basis, avoiding peaks and troughs throughout the day. The secret to having consistent energy levels is to spend more time making a consistent schedule of what and when to eat.

3. They know what’s important

These people who are often the most successful are driven by their own success, and their own ability to achieve and do great things in life. They know the world is an ever-evolving location, meaning they are more than happy to appreciate change and to not stand still. Instead of thinking they have ‘made it’, successful people know that their success is never truly permanent. So, they keep going to ensure it remains permanent.

4. They remain physically active

Another key trait of the successful is that they are much more intelligent when it comes to exercise. While getting older means that your exercise is less effective, regular bouts of walking and light exercise will help you to keep your body feeling fresh and productive.

You will be much more likely to get things done with regular walking and general physical activity tied in with eating well on a regular basis. If you are serious about improving yourself and becoming more successful, then you need to commit more time to consistently staying active. However, don’t try and commit to a set in stone workout regime: commit to doing what you can every day.

If you have an extremely busy day, then it’s still important to do a little bit of exercise. Don’t allow yourself to get into the frame of mind of avoiding exercise as it’s too much to fit into your working day. Even if it’s just a small walk, the most successful people always find the time for some exercise.

“Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.” – Thomas Jefferson

5. They allow themselves to rest

Lastly, the most successful people in this world are not hard on themselves enough to never allow themselves to rest. If you are going to be successful, then you will do so from a perspective of physical improvement. Don’t give up vital sleeping hours because you feel like you don’t have the time to sleep. You need your rest if you want to get the very maximum out of your body day-in, day-out.

Techniques such as meditation can be a good way to help rest and recover a little if you feel drained and fatigued during the day. The most successful people know their limits, and know when – or when not – to push themselves to the limit. If you can get used to avoiding overdoing it, you will be more successful.

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/5-ways-successful-people-stay-healthy/

Your Gut Feeling Is More Important Than You Think

Have you ever played with Runes, Tarot Cards or consulted the I Ching to get an answer to a major life question? I have. When I don’t like the answer, I “fish” again until I am satisfied with the outcome. Interpretation is everything. In fact, in my book Follow Your Bliss, Not Your Blisters, I teach a technique for learning how to tap into “happy” at any time. Understanding the role interpretation plays in our lives is fundamental to how much we can rise above negativity and be in control of our thoughts and emotions.

Intuition is the divine guidance we have been given to successfully navigate our lives. At times of indecision, we are very likely to dismiss our gut feeling as just another voice in our head, but it is not. Gut feelings are the “how to” book of your life. Very often we “know” what to do about a situation, but we have so many “reasons” for why we don’t take right action that we go astray.

I was working for Hilton Hotels and was transferred to Atlanta. Prior to that transfer, I had dated a colleague in Florida who had worked in Atlanta and called him for his advice about where to live. When he told me his old address, I went there to find a place. As fate would have it, the ground floor apartment they showed me was his exact old haunt. There was a ditch outside which I envisioned would be a lake one day with a swan on it, the town was cute, so I said, “OK, I’m in.”

Except for one thing. My whole being knew I shouldn’t live there. It felt “dangerous,” but the neighbors seemed nice enough and there was a lovely pool. I called friends and family and inquired if they ever felt bad vibes walking into a place, public or private. I really didn’t need their answers. I knew I shouldn’t be there. Cut to the chase. The day the movers arrived, I went to the apartment only to find a sign HANGING ON MY DOOR warning that there had been personal attacks in the complex and to be careful.

“Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next.” – Jonas Salk

Ignoring my fear that was now confirmed by the note on the door, I moved in. Three days later, my house was broken into while I was asleep and I was, indeed, attacked. One thing I will add is that as the attacker held me with a knife in my neck telling me he was going to kill me, I tried to resist like any 5’2, 101-pound person might. Immediately, I heard a loud voice in my head saying: “Don’t resist.” I followed the sudden intuition screaming at me and that is why I am here to tell the story.

Medical science says our “gut” is in constant and direct communication with our brain and vice-versa. We even use the idiom “my gut tells me” when we want to affirm something. Usually though, when we are not sure what action we should take, we tune into our thoughts. Our thoughts are so very rarely clear. Logic is not perfect and is anti-intuitive. Pros and cons can’t be balanced, but you can count on the feeling in your gut.

The exercise you need to try

Here’s what you do. Let’s say you are offered a job that excites you but requires you to move 3,000 miles away from your friends, family, and the cute doctor you are dating. “What to do, oh my.”

Sit quietly, be mindful of the question, and as you are doing so, sense what is going on physically in your gut. You will either feel expansion – a sense of lightness and excitement, or a sense of dread. It will be clear. It is intuitive. Anything you do after that is up to you, but we all have this guiding light built in. The person you are dating may be smart, funny, and generous but what’s with all those slurs about your weight, your hair color, your family.  Hmmmm, think again. Rather, gut again!

I think even the word intuition is interesting. We pay institutions tuition to get essential knowledge and growth but the path our journey takes us on is an inside job. To follow your intuition is to follow your bliss in the name of positive experience and brilliant expansion.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/your-gut-feeling-is-more-important-than-you-think/

Affirmations: The Key to Training Your Mind for Greater Success

The notion of talking to yourself, that is affirmations, have been around for as long as the personal development industry. If you’re not familiar, an affirmation is a positive declaration usually beginning with the word “I”. It is meant to bring into the present some future behavior or condition that you would like to see occur now. The power of affirmation is that they can control your thinking, but you control the affirmation. So, the more affirmations that you recite, the more you are focusing on what is truly important to you.

Most of you are familiar with the psychological notion of affirmation, and I will explain that in more detail, but I doubt you are familiar with theological and metaphysical reasons why affirmations work. Thus, you will find three paths theological, psychological, and metaphysical to the same end.

Please keep in mind, the goal here is to get you to use affirmations! So here it goes:

The theological argument for using affirmations

There is an old saying in Judeo-Christian thought that God helps those who help themselves. If we are in a fugue, or mentally debilitating state, the theory goes that if we begin moving out of that state God will multiply our efforts. But it is up to us to begin the process. Notice, when Jesus said, “Ask and you shall receive”, that the onus is on us to initiate the process.

Before we can receive, we must ask. Thus, the use of affirmations begins the process of us asking for divine assistance. Many religions use affirmations as a way of invoking greater aid from the divine source.

The psychological argument for affirmations

Since we consciously develop affirmations and repeat them over and over, it is assumed that our subconscious mind will absorb them and tag them as true. While the conscious mind has power of cognition, the subconscious mind has the power of accomplishment. And, the subconscious mind will begin to perform in accordance with what our conscious mind tells us is proper.

By repeating affirmations consistently, we are programming our subconscious mind for greater success and whatever else the affirmations contain. Most personal development programs use this argument for the use of affirmations, and it is very well researched and documented that this is a very dynamic process in rewiring our thinking.

“Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.” – Jim Rohn

The metaphysical argument for affirmations

By careful reading, you will find that the personal development and success industry over the last 60 years or so is based upon much of the metaphysical writing from the mid-19th century to the first quarter of the 20th century. This movement, called, “The New Thought” movement can be mapped directly to the aforementioned industry.

The underlying belief is that positive affirmations generate a higher level of vibration than simply allowing our mind to wander and perhaps entangle into negative thinking. Since higher-level vibrations always absorb or destroy lower-level vibrations, it is assumed that by consciously directing our mind we will attain a higher level of vibration.

So, there you have it, three different arguments as to why you should use affirmations. Over the past three decades I have found that many people have tried them and, unfortunately have stopped using them because they simply didn’t work for them.

Below, is a system that I have taught for a number of decades to firmly install the use of affirmations, and, more importantly to see their results. Give this a try before completely crossing out affirmations off your list.

1. Here are seven broad areas of your life: physical, mental, spiritual, social, family, career, and personal development. Choose an area of your life that you are presently having some difficulty in. It doesn’t matter which one it is, and you need to absolve yourself of any of the vestiges of guilt for choosing one over the other. For example, if you are having family issues, but feel as though you are a physical wreck, and you want to work on that first, do it!
2. What would you like to see changed in the particular area of your life that you chose? For example, if you chose physical, and you are overweight, what you might like to see is perhaps 30 less pounds. You might also like to see a firmer, more built-up muscular system. That’s fine. It’s your life. The choice is up to you.
3. Develop the affirmations that make sense to you and that excite you. For example, to simply say, “I will lose 30 pounds.” is about as exciting as an old gym sock. Try, “I am 30 pounds lighter and fit into pants two sizes smaller, and I look great!” Do you see the difference?
4. Dig down deep into the emotion of why you want the change in your life. Not just the change, but why you want to change. Then, on the front of an index card write the affirmation as you will say it, and on the back of the index card the reason you want that change to occur.
5. Say your affirmations at least three times a day when you wake up, midday and when you go to bed. But have them with you. So, if you are stuck in traffic instead of cursing at the people in front of you. Use this as vital time to reprogram yourself by stating your affirmations.
6. This point is critical! Don’t just say your affirmations! Feel them! Your conscious mind will utter the words, your subconscious mind will feel the result. It is up to you to infuse the affirmation with emotion.

I have seen this work countless times. And I still use this process myself. Let me know what you think about my affirmation routine below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/affirmations-the-key-to-training-your-mind-for-greater-success/

The Reason Why You Should Let Toxic Leaders Win

Have you ever had to suffer under a toxic leader in a business setting? You know, the one who puts their individual interests ahead of the company or organization they serve? Of course, toxic leaders don’t come equipped with a warning label. They are usually hidden under smiles and friendliness. But it rarely takes long for that feeling in your gut that something isn’t right to be justified.

Oftentimes, you figure this out when what you thought was straightforward turns out not to be, or when you’re told something you later learn was a lie. The problem with toxic leaders isn’t just that they are poisonous to the culture around them, it’s that they are typically very good strategists. Toxic leaders might be bullies, but schoolyard strategies don’t work.

When I was in grade school, I was a scrawny kid. I learned to deal with bullies at an early age. Once, our local newspaper snapped a photo of me in karate class. It was a great photo of a small, skinny kid in full kick. But when the paper ran it, suddenly all the school bullies decided to test their skills on me. At that time, my best strategy was to be fast. I vividly remember a particularly large kid yelling, “Hold still so I can hit you!” Really?

“Don’t let bad people turn you anti-social. Just become anti-jerks.” – Karen Salmansohn

As an adult, it isn’t in me to give in to bullies. When someone is misrepresenting themselves or lying at the expense of others, it ignites every feeling of wanting to create justice in an unjust situation. Initially, when dealing with toxic leaders in my career, I followed the same strategy that has worked as a kid. I worked fast to out-maneuver them.

They lied, I told the truth. They did backdoor campaigning, I immediately spoke openly. They misrepresented facts, my fact checks were rapid and came with backup. They got rid of impediments to their rule, I stood up for people who were being ousted unfairly. The thing is, it’s exhausting. There is great personal cost because it takes all of your energy.

And often when everything was finished, the results were exactly the same as if I had done nothing. Toxic people get to leadership roles because they are good at strategy. And I found that I often underestimated just how far they were willing to go to get what they wanted.

Will you cross your own personal lines to win the game?

Stephen Covey shared in his book, The Speed of Trust: “When keeping your commitment becomes hard, you have two choices: You can change your behavior to match your commitment, or you can lower your values to match your behavior.”

I found that in dealing with toxic leadership, the question I had to ask myself wasn’t: “What happens if they win?” Instead, it was “Who do I want to be?” I could be someone who became consumed with winning, or I could drop the rope and end the game of tug of war.

This willingness to let go is one of the hardest things to do, because you don’t know what will happen to the company, group, or organization you love. Toxic is a synonym for poison, and make no mistake, poison has one function. Perhaps, you stay in too long and get consumed with angst trying to patch up the collateral damage that toxic leaders create in their wake.

So, how do you know when it’s time to drop the rope?

The timing gets clear, when you look inside. There is always a moment when staying will require you to cross a personal line. When you get to the point where the only move is one that will compromise your integrity, you’ll know you’re done.

You wave the white flag and pack your bags. You leave, giving up whatever it is that you’ve built that you’ve been so afraid to lose. It’s the counter-intuitive move to let the toxic leader win that is the very thing which creates positive motion.

And often, there is great personal cost to make that move. But here’s the thing, that’s only in the short term. Toxic leaders always make the same mistake that costs them in the end; and it’s inherent in the nature of the toxicity itself.

Healthy leadership focuses on the people they are leading. They look at the impact of their decisions on others. They build people up, and engender loyalty which results in influence. The focus of toxic leadership is on themselves. They go for ego-based wins not realizing that those short-term wins lose them followers. Leverage gets mistaken for loyalty.

The myopia causes toxic leaders to miss that they don’t have a following. In fact, it often produces deep frustration for them because they don’t understand why their actions don’t create momentum. The surprising reality is that toxic people don’t think they are toxic. Most are genuinely astounded—not to mention defensive—when confronted with their toxicity.

“Over time, you start noticing that some people just aren’t worth it anymore.”

The win you get from letting go

You can’t win the “you’re toxic” argument. Evidence doesn’t work because they won’t believe it. Not only that, but they enjoy the fight because they believe they are fighting a just cause in protecting themselves. You can’t bank on their empathy for those they are leading. It doesn’t exist.

Toxic leaders enjoy the fight, and no amount of strategy will allow you to protect yourself (or your reputation) against someone who doesn’t act with integrity. So don’t. Let the toxic leader win. If you stay too long, your creative energy is drained in the conflict—and often the results are the same as if you’d left earlier. Go use that energy to build something life-giving somewhere else. Besides, you can afford the short-term loss. The win is in protecting your integrity by not playing the game.

How do you deal with toxic people? Share your advice in the comments below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/the-reason-why-you-should-let-toxic-leaders-win/

It’s What You Do On A ‘Bad Day’ That Matters.

3 Ways the Dalai Lama Inspires Radical Self Care in His Daily Routine

The Dalai Lama is best known for his spiritual teachings on peace, joy, mindfulness and serenity. While these teachings are rooted in spirituality, they are also applicable and beneficial to anyone no matter their faith system or beliefs.

There is a common understanding, as a result of studying the western leadership gurus and mentors, that calls for leaders to give focused attention to their daily schedule and more specifically their morning routines. The idea is that when there is a morning routine, with deliberate actions, the day becomes more intentional and increases the likelihood of achieving the desired outcomes.

There are examples of successful leaders throughout the business world maintaining a morning ritual or routine and linking it to their success. Leaders like Jeff Bezos, Arianna Huffington, Bill Gates, Tim Cook and Barack Obama all have one thing in common; they all stick mindfully to a schedule each morning.

The most common activities among these great leaders each morning include: exercising, eating breakfast, praying and meditating, or learning something new and setting the intentions and actions for the day. This mindfulness, as they start the day, will support them as they navigate whatever comes their way on any given day.

The link between a morning routine and self care becomes clear when people accept the intentionality of being proactive in charting the new day. Self care is most often focused on the mind, body and spirit. When all three are a priority in a morning routine they will likely produce a well balanced perspective on the new day.

“Every day as you wake up, think that I am fortunate to be alive. I have a precious human life, and I am not going to waste it. I am going to use all my energies to develop myself, to expand myself out to others; to achieve enlightenment for all beings. I am going to have kind thoughts towards others, I am not going to get angry or think badly about others. I am going to benefit others as much as I can.” – Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama’s Routine

It is important to look at the similarities between the Dalai Lama’s morning routine and the routines outlined by the western leaders. In both routines, there is time set aside for prayer and meditation. Upon waking up in the morning, the first activity for the Dalai Lama is to go into prayer and meditation. He will pray and meditate at least two more times before he retires in the early evening.

The Dalai Lama takes a walk each morning around the grounds of his residence in India or outdoors when he’s traveling and visiting other places. In the event of rain or inclement weather at his residence, he has a treadmill to walk on. It conjures up a unique image to think of the Dalai Lama on a treadmill at 4:00 AM in the morning. While initially it might create some cognitive dissonance to think of the Dalai Lama on a treadmill, in time the idea makes sense when you think of having a contingency plan in place to avoid losing momentum and focus.

The Dalai Lama eats breakfast before another round of prayers and meditation. He is now ready to study and learn more about what is going on in the world by watching the BBC News or reading some books or articles.

After lunch, the Dalai Lama is ready to meet with others to discuss his upcoming events and schedule, or he might even meet with some visitors for a spiritual conversation. In either case, he is always present in the moment with those he is sharing his time with during these meetings.

When the day comes to an end for the Dalai Lama at 7:00PM, he makes sure to pray and meditate before he retires for the evening. He is almost always assured of getting enough rest and sleep before he starts the next day at 3:00AM.

What you can learn when studying The Dalai Lama’s daily routine

There are three key teachings that stand out when studying the Dalai Lama and his daily routine which includes a focus on self care. He is clear about what he says no to when asked a question or a request for his time is made by others. He knows what to stop doing in his life to preserve his routine and self care. He does this because he’s committed to sustaining his lifestyle for the long term.

Saying no to the things that do not feel right nor align with someone’s vision for their life, is a profound way to experience self care. When people listen to what is going on around them, there are many messages that tell them to say no. They also have their observations to rely on when deciding to say no to others. The most important aspect for this is to have the self trust needed to follow the intuitive and sensory messages that prompt a no response.

When people can say no and remain mindful and peaceful, they have demonstrated a high proficiency with self care. Keeping the focus on themselves and avoiding the shame and guilt will enable them to sustain self care for the long term. Organizational cultures will almost always test saying no to things that don’t align with a person’s self care.

“Calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence, so that’s very important for good health.” – Dalai Lama

Many people do things on autopilot and are often not mindful of their own actions. Some people can relate to driving home after a long day only to realize that they blocked out anything that happened while they were en route. This happens when they are in autopilot mode and it’s also a trigger to stop doing things that do not promote self care. There are many other examples of being on autopilot that can unfortunately also bring with them devastating consequences. The key is to do things mindfully.

Sustaining a long term lifestyle that is grounded in self care will bring with it countless benefits for the mind, body and spirit. The daily focus and discipline for the routine that ensures self care must be followed without a cheat day or day off in order to bring about the most beneficial outcomes.

The Dalai Lama shares his spiritual messages with others in an effort to inspire them to live a more mindful life; self care is rooted in mindfulness. The Dalai Lama’s messages and teachings are as applicable and impactful to a spiritual journey as they are to a career path. Self care is universal and everyone can be inspired to sustain their own daily routine to live with it.

Which one of the ways in which the Dalai Lama lives inspires you to be better? Let us know in the comments below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/3-ways-the-dalai-lama-inspires-radical-self-care-in-his-daily-routine/

How to Properly Manage Your Time So You Can Fit More Into Your Day

Time is the only actual resource that matters. Yet, as with the majority of things that people should take care of, most of us run short on time. No matter if you’re a busy entrepreneur trying to get your business tasks organized, programmist who’s working 9-to-5 and tries to get the most out of after-work time or even a university student who strives to harness his schedule.

We all need to organize our work to get things done on time. Without planning, we get lost, which leads to further panicking over our helplessness.

Below, you’ll learn how to properly manage your schedule so you can fit more into your day and be efficient with your time:

Materialize it

First, you have to make it all visible regardless of if it’s creating to-do lists or writing down a simple tasks list. Studies show that you’re much more likely to finish the task when you write it down.

Begin with whatever comes to your mind such as: laundry, grocery shopping, a programming class, or reading a new book. Then, group tasks into appropriate categories. I prefer to use three time-wise categories and five sub-categories for each of the tasks.

The three time-wise categories are: Before work, during work and after work.

Of course, this approach assumes that you’re working 9-to-5 but let’s be honest, most of the people who struggle to organize their time are the people who work standard eight hours a day.

After you’re done with the above, proceed to the next five subcategories: Low-result, manager, creative and learning, fun and health and exercise.

Low-result tasks – Everything that needs to be done but would gladly be outsourced. Things like commuting, shopping, cleaning, etc. Strive to limit the number of low-result tasks to the bare minimum.

Manager tasks – Everything related to planning, organizing, sending, or responding to people. You’ll want to fill it with meetings, replying to emails, and browsing through the inbox.

Creative and learning tasks – All creative, so-called “new tasks” like writing an article or coding. It can be anything from trying to learn a new language as well as doing courses, attending webinars, and reading books.

Fun tasks – What I also tend to call social tasks. It can be anything from a date to going out with friends and watching movies. Treat this time as a moment to relax and – yes – actually have fun.

Health and exercise – Everything from running, gym, eating. Group here everything that directly corresponds to your physical state of being.

At this point, you might be asking “Is it necessary to do all of that listing and grouping?” It might seem like overkill or a futile task, but believe me, there is no reason to plan things out if you’re planning to lose. Always plan to win and put necessary work upfront.

“Make use of time, let not advantage slip.” – William Shakespeare

Materializing and grouping what you want to do is the first step to harness your schedule and get things done on time. The next step, shown below, is to put them in the right place and order:

Map it out

After you’re done with listing your tasks and grouping them into appropriate categories and subcategories, go ahead and proceed to map them out. Here, it’ll be handy to use a task-planning tool like Google Calendar. The main purpose of using such a solution is to get all of the tasks in one place, sorted, and well-arranged.

Also, you’ll get push and email notifications that will help you stay on track with everything you’ve planned. Let’s proceed to the doing part. Start from the top to the bottom, whereas the top is the beginning of the day and bottom is its end.

Grab your “before work” tasks and put them into certain timeframes. At first, it will be a guessing game as you may not know how long  your morning bathroom fun takes. The first week or even a month will be all about tweaking and adjusting your schedule until it will reach its final form.

Now, to visually get a hint of which tasks relate to which subcategory you have to color code them. If you’re using Google Calendar you can right click on a certain event and choose the color.

Of course, you can use any color pattern you want. Just remember which color relates to which category. To save time you can use my framework which goes as follows:

• Low-result – Tomato
• Manager – Tangerine
• Creative and learning – Basil
• Fun tasks – Lavender
• Health and exercise – Grape

No, I’m not making it up. All of the colors in Google Calendar are described as veggies, fruits, and herbs. Thanks to color coding you’ll see how much time you spend on particular tasks. Your goal will be to lower the amount of tomato-red and tangerine-orange. Strive to have a grape-violet time each day as well as the basil-green as the most frequent events.

When you’re done with before work tasks, go ahead and fill the calendar with during work and after work activities. Some of you won’t be able to map out the entire work time due to the character of your job. In such a case, don’t try to come up with imaginary tasks, just plan what you can. Put placeholders if you’re not sure and fill in the gaps when you know what you’re about to do.

Next, focus on what you’d like to do during your after-work time. Be realistic, but fill it with tasks that you’d really want to do. Use this time to read a new book you’ve wanted to read or to start the course that would accelerate your career.

“Once you have mastered time, you will understand how true it is that most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year – and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade!” – Tony Robbins

Adjust and upgrade

Equipped with a calendar full of color-coded events is just the beginning of the road to getting things done on time. Now that the hard part is done, you can focus on adjusting the calendar to your actual needs.

As time goes by, you’ll see how much time certain things take you, what can be optimized, and what can be outsourced. Use that feedback to optimize the way you spend your time and upgrade your calendar every week and every month.

Remember that the hardest thing is always to start. Most people avoid doing these two things: Planning their time and goals and taking care of their money.

People simply fear to look into how they actually spend their time and money while these are one of the most important aspects of their lives! Don’t be that guy who doesn’t know where his last three hours had vanished. Take care of your time and use it to achieve your dreams.

How do you make sure you’re managing your time correctly? Do you have any tips for not wasting time? Let us know in the comments below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/how-to-properly-manage-your-time-so-you-can-fit-more-into-your-day/

Why You Need to Push Yourself and Aim High in Everything You Do

You’ve heard of S.M.A.R.T goals, correct? In order not to set yourself up for failure, experts tell us we need to pick goals that are smart, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-oriented. This makes sense, of course. But here is the wrinkle— S.M.A.R.T goals were created as a managerial tool in organizations. On a personal level, easily achievable aspirations are demotivating. “Easy” doesn’t equal “fulfilling.” Often, it doesn’t even give you a temporary burst of happiness.

There is just something about working hard to achieve what you aim for and getting it. Oh, the high you feel. One of the most important (but perhaps somewhat neglected) ingredients for the successful completion of anything we set our minds on is what is known as the Pygmalion effect, or the power of positive expectations.

As the story from Greek mythology goes, a legendary sculptor from Cyprus—Pygmalion— carved a statue of the ideal woman. He worshiping his creation, and he ended up falling in love with her. Then, at a festival for Aphrodite—the Greek Goddess of Love, he prayed that she sends his way a wife exactly like the statue. The Goddess heard his prayers and instead—she brought the sculpture to life. Pygmalion and her lived happily ever after.

The moral of the story is this: Positive reinforcement can lead to favorable outcomes.

“Once you replace negative thoughts with positive ones, you’ll start having positive results.” – Willie Nelson

Fast forward a few hundred centuries—to 1963, social psychologist Robert Rosenthal created a test where he told a group of student lab workers that certain rats in the lab were “maze bright” while others were “maze dull,” when in fact the rats were separated between the groups randomly.

The results confirmed the hypothesis of the test. The students subconsciously treated the smart rats differently. That is, they expected them to behave more intelligently, and guess what they did! They learned the mazes much faster than the “dull” rats.

Similar results were later done with school children. Rather amazingly, teachers’ higher expectations of some students (after being told they had exceptional potential for growth) made the students perform better on tests, when in fact, the test groups were formed at random.

The take-home idea here is this: Expectations can alter reality.

Let’s take this a bit further and on a personal level. Setting big goals and expecting of yourself to achieve them, can give you a much better chance of actually getting there. It’s a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy—by anticipating a certain positive or negative outcome, we may engage in behaviors to either improve or sabotage our chances to get there.

This idea runs contrary to what we’ve been often advised by gurus and such—to not set big goals as we increase our odds of failing. Hairy goals are scary when we think about them in the absolute. They’re even a bit stressful.

But at the same time, in order to do better, we need the scary and we need the discomfort. If all is great and rosy, then why change, right?

The moral of the story is this: You must aim high and set big Empire-state goals.

“Whatever we expect with confidence becomes our own self-fulfilling prophecy.” – Brian Tracy

How you plan for achieving these is a different matter. This is where the common advice comes in—break The Goal into smaller ones—so small that you can’t say “No” to doing it. As in “taking a 5-minute walk, eat one apple a day, write one sentence”—depending on what you set out for yourself.

But here is another catch. Not every tall mountain you want to conquer should be out of reach. You need the tall ones and you need the medium ones too, just so that you can practice and move forward.

So, ideally, you want to have on your list a few Everests or K2s (number one and two highest mountains in the world). That is, the “I-must-be-crazy-dreaming-it’s-possible” kind of goals. But you must also keep some Muztagh Atas or Ismoil Somoni Peaks (number forty-nine and fifty highest mountain)—still challenging but S.M.A.R.T too.

And if something is too effortless, know that it’s not a proper goal. Find a better one. It goes down to this—when you go to the gym, do you want to have a great workout or just a good one? Do you think you will lose weight by having it easy or by breaking a sweat?

You must always remember: The magic happens when you push yourself.

In the end, remember that when you strive for high and you don’t get there, you are still in a good place. You have a better chance to get the closest alternative. Always remember how to be ready for the ups and downs that come with every success trajectory. It’s as simple as the saying: Hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

How do you push yourself when you’re feeling down? Let us know how you get out of the slump. Comment below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/why-you-need-to-push-yourself-and-aim-high-in-everything-you-do/

How Mindfulness Can Improve Your Productivity in 3 Easy Steps

How many times a day do you look at your phone? How much would someone have to pay you to quit Facebook? Has your attention span increased over the last few years or has it decreased? Chances are, you probably looked at your phone less than 10 minutes ago, someone would have to pay you over $100 to quit Facebook right now, and your attention span has likely decreased over the last 2 years.

Today, we live in a world in which technology seems to have seeped into every nook and cranny of our lives. From the time we wake up in the morning to the time we go to bed at night, we’re very rarely more than 2 feet from our phones, and we regularly spend 5+ hours of screen time per day. We are constantly connected, and interconnected to our friends, families, bosses, and colleagues.

Online we can make friends with strangers, build successful businesses, even fall in love, all with a few swipes in the time it might have taken our ancestors to carry water from the nearest well back home for a cold bath. We live in a wonderfully connected and convenient world, and we have fallen in love with it.

But it comes at a cost. The amount of effort that it takes to switch off from Netflix, to turn away from Facebook, and to stop swiping on Tinder means that our ability to stay focused on any one task for longer than a short period of time has been severely diminished. Today, young adults are said to have attention spans slightly less than 7 seconds long, which is less than that of a goldfish!

“Our life is shaped by our mind, for we become what we think.” – Buddha

That’s where mindfulness comes in. While mindfulness continues to carry many hippie and spiritual associations with Buddhism and meditation, it is quickly gaining mainstream acceptance as a practical way to reduce anxiety, develop self confidence, and even get better sleep. Apps like Headspace and Calm have done much to help promote this space as well.

In the spirit of being more productive in your day to day activities and reducing the amount of time you spend being distracted by things like streaming video and Facebook, here’s a 3-step mindfulness practice you can use to deepen your sense of focus. Like any form of exercise, repetition is the best way to see powerful results. A muscle won’t grow unless it is stretched and exerted. So, here we go.

This exercise can be done in 5, 10, or 15 minutes depending on how much free time you have. It should be done in a sitting position with your feet on the ground and your arms at your side or on your lap. You can close your eyes or leave them open, but most people find that by closing their eyes they’re much better able to concentrate.

Here is the 3 step mindfulness exercise you should start doing today:

1. Develop a clear intention

Define your intention in the moment. Consider what it is you want to accomplish from this exercise. What is the purpose of this activity? Do you have a task you need to be productive for? Is there something you’re putting off that you really should be doing but simply can’t? Consider these thoughts and then carefully choose a clear intention to focus on.

2. Focus on one thing, and one thing alone

This is a very hard request for people not used to focusing their minds very often. Choose what it is you will focus on and stick to it. Remember, this step is distinct from the “Intention” step because it requires focus, rather than intention. During the intention phase your mind may wander while you consider what your intention actually should be, but during the focus phase you must make a concerted effort to stay focused wholeheartedly on one specific thing. This is one of the hardest things to do in meditation and mindfulness, and will most definitely take practice before you get to a point where you can comfortably focus on one thing for more than a few minutes at a time.

“Mindfulness is a way of befriending ourselves and our experience.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

3. Practice sustained effort

As previously mentioned in step 2, focusing on one thing, and one thing alone, can be incredibly challenging. Your mind has been trained over the years to look for distractions. In fact, your primitive brain has become incredibly good at finding and focusing on distractions, as they may represent opportunities for an easy meal or existential threats to one’s safety.

Now, most distractions are opportunities to like someone’s instagram pic or threats of missing out on the latest Amazon flash sale. Seemingly important to our primitive brains, but not important in reality. In step 3, practice holding sustained effort on that one focus area for as long as possible, but don’t beat yourself up if your mind gets pulled in other directions. Just remember to take a step back and realize that that is what’s happening before you bring the mind back into focus.

If you develop this into a regular practice, you will soon notice your ability to concentrate on your tasks becoming easier. Projects will become more enjoyable and you will be more fulfilled in the work that you do. Let me know if this is working for you, and any tips you might have to share with others.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/how-mindfulness-can-improve-your-productivity-in-3-easy-steps/

Here’s How to Achieve the Success You So Desperately Crave

Have you ever wondered what separates successful and unsuccessful people? Many people say success is relative. It may mean one thing to you and something else to the next person. Getting a hold of what defines success for you is an important step toward achieving it. Nobody wants to go through life having not achieved anything they truly desired.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably thinking about how to establish a business, level up in your current career or even build more effective relationships. The most important thing to note is that you are central to what you want to achieve. Success begins with you. You need to possess a sense of purpose, whether that’s in business or your personal life.

If you’re going to succeed in business or other aspects of your life, you have to be intentional. You need to set clear and concise goals. More importantly, you truly have to be committed to achieving them. Even if it means starting from nothing. I can remember just 4 years ago, I had to fight my way to success without a house, a job or income. I was so determined to succeed and feel my family no one could stop me from hitting my goals.

Time is our most valuable asset and life waits for no one. You have to match the desire to succeed with a proper use of your time. Make every moment count.

What Makes You Tick?

What are you passionate about? Knowing the answer to this question is a giant leap to success. It is your passion that gives you an adrenaline rush. It makes you feel so pumped-up and ready to achieve anything. Identifying and understanding your passion creates opportunities for you and others to benefit.

You can have a passion for real estate, investing, acting or sport. Your passion becomes the avenue to achieve that success you crave. Think Serena and tennis, Beethoven and music or Bill Gates and computers. Everyone, including you, possess an innate skill or passion to explore. It’s quite simple to be a success when you love what you do.

If you have many interests, learn your strongest point and give it your best. Also, interests can be developed. You can actively learn valuable lessons from things that interest you. No one was born perfect. Even the best entrepreneurs had to learn a few more skills. Don’t let society put you in a box or define who you are. Spend some time thinking about your passions. As an entrepreneur, you have to be willing to acquire knowledge and new skills.

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.” – Oprah

Start and Stay Positive

Often described as the hardest part for entrepreneurs, beginning takes a lot of courage. You’re never going to know until you try. And until you make an effort to begin, success will remain a pipe dream. Your intentions are just that until you put them in motion. In other words, get moving. While it’s okay to feel apprehensive, you can’t let fear of the unknown hold you back.

Nothing good comes easy. The business empires and flamboyant lifestyles you admire took a beating to get there. Failing is part of the process. You must view it as a learning curve; a fact of life. But in your race to success, you can’t just accept it, it’s only a brick wall. What do you do with brick walls? You either run through them or go around them. Begin your business with a positive mindset. Remember, the end justifies the means.

Get Out of the Mind Trap

It’s okay to think and dream big. What’s not okay is becoming a perpetual dreamer. You’d build finer castles than the Buckingham Palace. Only this time, it’s all in your head. Picture this scenario, you want that house, a car, that business and that firm. You can almost smell the paint and feel the lush lawns.

You imagine your kids playing with their toys and your buzzer blaring as more clients want you. The portfolio is stacking up. You love it all. The good life. Just when it’s getting so much better, you wake up. Again, it’s all in your head.

Nothing kills faster than a regret of what might have been. I got out of this trap, so can you. I refused to stay stuck on thoughts of having it big. I literally picked myself up, focused on a growth mindset and went all in. If you don’t want to keep wishing, ‘I just want to be successful’, double down and apply your dreams.

Work Extra Hard

You’ve probably heard the phrase that says, ‘hard work doesn’t kill’. If you’re looking to attain success in life and business, work hard. It’s that simple. Roll up your sleeves, grab a positive outlook and get to work. Embedded in every success story is a grueling experience of sweat and grind. You’d be amazed at the number of hours entrepreneurs put in to achieve that elusive dream. Success has many factors including opportunity and luck. Working hard is the best way to prepare for that one opportunity that can change your life.

Hardwork is the bedrock of success. There’s no other way I’d be able to hit over 40 real estate deals in my first year as a real estate agent. Neither would I have earned the rookie of the year award in a brand new city with no family, friends, or network. Develop a mindset for hard work and persevere through all the challenges. You need a thick skin and a huge disdain for negativity. Whether that’s from you, life situations or people.

“There is no subsitute for hard work.” – Thomas A. Edison

Consistency is Vital

Some people reach a level of success and stop growing. Like hardwork and perseverance, consistency reflects progress which can only lead to results. As an entrepreneur, you want to keep moving and achieving your business goals. If that takes a giant evolution, embrace it with both hands. Never stop growing or in most cases, looking to grow and expand.

Consistency involves habit and practice. You have to constantly aim to master what sets you apart from the competition. Sometimes our passion for what we love in life and business wear off. That’s not to say we hate it or want to give up. The fact is, we keep going not for the sake of it, but because more often than not, success is just a mile off.

Consistency means value. Value means you’re able to cater to more needs because people trust you to deliver. Again, you have to be committed to the cause. Whether that’s short-term or for the long run. Once you’ve nurtured this mindset, things will fall into place. As an investor and businessman, I’m still interested in habits that made me a success and branching out to other spheres of life keep me grounded and consistent.

Live, eat and breath success. Let everything you imagine spur you to greater heights and achievements. Don’t grab a chair to watch your life play out, take charge.

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/heres-how-to-achieve-the-success-you-so-desperately-crave/