How I RE-ENGINEERED My Life: This Will Help You.

What Motivates the World’s Richest Man, Jeff Bezos?

Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com, founder of Blue Origin aerospace company, owner of The Washington Post, and currently the richest man in the world, has reached heights of unparalleled success. But what goes on in the mind behind this super human level of success? How does the way he thinks set him apart?

The following 8 quotes from Jeff Bezos himself can shed light into the psyche of his entrepreneurial mind:

1. “Big things start small. The biggest oak starts from an acorn.”

Even the most gigantic of empires start as just a whisper in the mind of one person. Before starting Amazon.com, Bezos was working at a quantitative hedge fund. He left the comfort of a high paying job to start a small online company originally selling books out of his garage. He chose the whisper of dream over the life he was content with. He chose the great over the good. He had a vision.

2. “Do something you’re very passionate about and don’t try to chase what is the hot passion of the day.”  

Listen to that passion inside you. Let that be the guiding force. Trends are a flash in the pan, but deep passion is long lasting. Legacy is built from sustained output into the world over the long haul. A love for what you do is the fuel to create something that lasts. Chasing others will only make you an imitator. Follow that calling inside you and be the originator.

3. “You can have a job, or you can have a career, or you can have a calling. And the best thing is to have a calling. If you find your passion, you’ll have that and all your work won’t feel like work to you.”

Find that thing that has juice in it for you. What gives you life when you think about it? Find those things in your life that bring you intensely positive emotion. At the end of your life, you will never regret taking the chance on that one big idea that you had.

4. “The mission and vision of Amazon.com is: ‘Our vision is to be earth’s most customer-centric company; to build a place where people can come to find and discover anything they might want to buy online.”

Jeff Bezos built his entire Amazon empire around this simple mission statement. Boiling down a clear vision of your destination that you can burn into your subconscious will allow you to build a solid basis for your trajectory. When that destination is immensely clear in your mind, noticing you are not moving towards it, will create a negative emotion that will compel you to get on track.

5. “I’ve made billions of dollars of failures at Amazon.com. Literally billions… They don’t matter.” “A few big successes compensate for dozens and dozens of things that didn’t work.”

It’s important to at least take aim, even if you miss wildly with your first shot, you will gain valuable knowledge with each subsequent shot that will help you get closer to your mark. You cannot let the failures get the best of you, instead celebrate your successes, let those be your main driving force.

6. “If you absolutely cannot tolerate critics, don’t do anything new or interesting. Then think how wonderful your life will be.”

Jeff Bezos jokingly remarks about the importance of taking the critical words of others light-heartedly. There is always going to be someone that doesn’t see eye to eye with you regarding your vision and what you are trying to do. Breaking through walls attracts all kinds of attention, both positive and negative. Whenever you measure yourself by the opinions of others, you make yourself vulnerable because they are not objective in their views. Peoples’ perspectives are based on where they are at, not where you are at. Do what calls you and leave others’ opinions completely aside.

7. “In the end, we are our choices. Build yourself a great story.”

The story we allow to play out and reinforce in our minds will inspire the actions we take. Having a destination mapped out beforehand allows making choices in that direction seamless and logical. The story we narrate in our minds and continually reinforce creates the foundation for every choice we make. Write yourself a good one.

8. “When I’m happy at work I come home more energized. I’m a better husband. A better Dad. And when I’m happy at home I come in a better boss and a better colleague.”

Happiness is a vital piece for improving your relationships at home, vastly enhancing your work life, and increasing your energy overall. Happiness at home will allow you to uplift those loved ones in your life and to fully appreciate them- Bezos sees that. Happiness creates clarity, patience, flexibility, and vitality. Not to mention, happy people are much more pleasant to be around. The real juice of life is the happiness found along the road to success.

There’s no difference between you and someone that’s super successful other than the way you think. A few small changes today over the long haul can make gigantic positive shifts in your life. If you can install the same mental framework as someone you admire and want to be like, you will experience the identical results. You’re always your greatest investment, make it count.

What do you think of Jeff Bezos? Comment below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/what-motivates-the-worlds-richest-man-jeff-bezos/

8 Reasons You Should Join a Meetup Group Today

How do you spend your time when you’re not at work? Do you look for ways to improve yourself, develop your skills or expand your network by attending talks, events and gatherings? What if I told you there was a way that you could, with a small time investment and the cost of a few cups of coffee a month, build a close-knit group of friends, develop new leadership skills, find a deeper purpose in life and grow more confident?

In recent years, the number of meetup groups and clubs that focus on personal development, entrepreneurship and self-improvement has exploded. In fact, a quick search on Meetup.com found 10,947 meetups focused on personal development, with over 3.2 million registered members. Most of these events are free or charge a small fee, while other, more formal clubs and groups charge anything from $5-6 per meeting to upwards of several thousand dollars per year for more exclusive members-only societies.

While meeting structure, club values and incentives for joining these groups vary greatly depending on what the focus is, there are certain benefits of joining a club that are typically universal across the wider network.

Here are 8 reasons you should join a club:

1. You immediately expand your network

This is perhaps the most obvious reason for joining a club. When you join a group of like-minded individuals that share your interest or passion in a certain topic, you are able to more quickly make a connection with them. At the same time, many of these individuals will come from diverse backgrounds and share a variety of other interests. In this way, you will expand your network and your sphere of influence to touch people in various industries, parts of the world, and socioeconomic backgrounds that you would never have interacted with before.

“Effective networking isn’t a result of luck – it requires hard work and persistence.” – Lewis Howes

2. You develop new skills

Most clubs that meet regularly tend to focus on developing skills and sharing ideas around a specific topic or area of interest. One great example of a club that focuses on developing skills around a specific area of interest is Toastmasters International, a club designed to teach and improve people’s ability to speak publicly. Other clubs that focus on certain areas of interest, such as various tech meetups in nearly every large city around the world, focus on developments in technology and software. No matter what your interest, chances are that there is a club that meets regularly that matches your specific topic.

3. You build self confidence and self esteem

Interacting with new people can often be a frustrating or nerve-racking experience. People that lack self confidence or high self esteem often find it a struggle to put themselves in situations that are outside of their comfort zones in this way. Fortunately, most clubs have club officials that are trained to recognise when someone is feeling uncomfortable and are able to support them in the introduction process.

4. You are given new opportunities

By joining a club, you not only have the ability to expand your own network and build your own skills, you can interact with people within the club on a variety of topics related to (and not related to) club business. Joining a club can lead to being given great opportunities to experience new things and build lasting, long-term relationships with new friends and business partners. You may visit a friend you’ve made in a club back in their home country, or you might meet your future girlfriend/boyfriend. You may even make a friendship the leads to a future business deal or career change.

5. You learn to manage your time more effectively

We are all busy. It has become a badge of honor to talk about how few hours of sleep we get per night, how long we work each week, or how ‘stressed’ we are about what we have going on. But learning to manage your time more effectively to do things you want to do is a sure way of improving your general outlook on life and making sure you work more efficiently when you do need to get stuff done. Joining a club makes you reassess your priorities and stresses the importance of planning ahead to ensure you make time for your extracurricular activities.

6. You learn to become a leader

Joining a club often comes with the opportunity to take on leadership roles. You may be asked to lead a meeting, train a group on a certain topic, or even become part of the club’s executive board. The longer you remain part of a club, the more you will be able to take on leadership roles and expand your skill set as someone that knows how to lead others.

“Learning networking basics is only a gateway to career growth and exploration.” – Tae Yoo

7. You build a support network

When you join a club, you effectively become a member of a type of fraternity/sorority. You learn the value of being able to rely on those around you for support. Not only that, you can count on others for understanding in times of stress. Likewise, you have the responsibility to give support to others within this close-knit network in times of need. By joining a club, you effectively build another support network you can rely upon which goes beyond your current support network of friends, colleagues and family.

8. You learn to give back by mentoring and providing advice

One of the most important reasons to join a club is because it gives you the chance to learn to give back by mentoring and providing advice to those in need. In many clubs that focus on skills-based learning, you are in a position to take on mentorship roles to help those less advanced than you.

The true value that comes from joining an international or local club with a specific interest or skill-based focus that meets regularly is that it helps support habit formation and the structure required to develop strong life-long skills. But without taking that first step into the unknown and attending that first meeting, you won’t know what to really expect. It’s with that in mind that I urge you to go out and pick a club to attend on a guest basis sometime in the next few weeks.

How do you best network? Comment below! 

from
https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/8-reasons-you-should-join-a-meetup-group-today/

7 Ways Successful People Deal With Their Weaknesses

Nobody is perfect; even the wisest people have weaknesses. We sit back and assume that successful people have it easy, but that’s not true, they have struggled and kept going until they reached that position. What’s different about them is not their traits or money or opportunities, it’s how they see life and how they do things differently.

They are aware of their weaknesses, but they rather focus on their strengths and work towards improving them. Don’t believe it yet? Well, take the most successful people you know, and think about them. You only know them for their best skills and talents, not their weaknesses right? Well, neither do they. This is the exact mindset we should all adopt.

Here are 7 ways in which successful people deal with their weaknesses.

1. Concentrate On What Interests You

If you are running behind something that does not interest you but you are just doing it for the sake of it, then your performance would be mediocre. It will only reflect as your weakness, as your mind cannot perform well at that task. Instead, look at what makes you feel better. When you work hard towards achieving something you are passionate about, success will follow your path.

“It is better to fail in originality than to succeed in imitation.” – Herman Melville

2. Managing Time

We often try to get too many things done at once, or nothing at all. And neither is good. You need to analyze how much needs to be done and how much you can do. Organization and time management are two skills you need to be efficient at if you want to become successful. Just by being more responsible with time, people can get more work done in less time.

3. Enhancing Key Skills

Don’t we all have certain skills that we are exceptionally good at? And it’s just easier for us to do well at it. As discussed above, people who are smart, focus their time and energy on improving what they are already good at, which only sharpens those strengths even more. When you excel in what you are best at, nobody will even notice what your weaknesses are.

4. A Set Goal and a Plan

Making a concrete plan can give you proper focus towards where you are headed. Without focus, we tend to lose our way, and it only delays the journey towards success. Figure out what you want and how you plan on achieving it. Even someone who are successful today had to make a plan, and struggle all the way up.

5. The Will to Take Risks

Anything that is challenging won’t come without risks. The uncertainty is a part of success, only the will to keep going through it all will keep you active in the game. One of the biggest fears we all face is the fear of losing. This stops us from even taking a chance or going the extra mile. What makes successful people different is their will to take a risk.

6. Not Letting Failure Stop You

There are small failures that await you along the way, and that’s the truth. Even successful people have faced failures in life, but they struck back. Don’t let one single failure dictate your life; it’s only one weak moment. But fight the weakness with your strengths. We all fall, more than once, but unless we learn to get up and gear up, we would never be able to succeed.

“Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” – Chris Grosser

7. Surrounding Yourself With Positivity

The worst enemy to any mind is negativity – it can easily drag you down. By steering clear of negativity around you and having a clear perspective, you can follow your goal with no distractions. Successful people get a lot of negative vibes, but they always have their guard up. If you let it get to you, it will only make you deviate from your path.  

There is not much difference between someone who is successful and someone who is not – it’s just their approach to life. They may be doing the same things as we are, but they do it differently with more focus and direction, and with a fire that keeps their passion burning. Let the stories of others inspire you to forget your weaknesses and be successful.

How do you overcome your own weaknesses? Comment below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/7-ways-successful-people-deal-with-their-weaknesses/

8 Ways to Create a Trustworthy Brand Online

Trust is a vital element to business. Potential customers need to feel they can trust the company they are doing business with, and this factor gives companies the edge over their peers. When researching a service provider, a company may trawl through ten or twenty businesses online who all essentially offer the same service or product.

If your company can convey the impression of a trustworthy brand, it is statistically more likely to be chosen. It is said that if a customer has a bad experience with a company they will tell 10 people about it. If they have a good experience they are likely to tell one. Due to this, making your company stand out as a trustworthy brand can avoid negative feedback and a bad customer perception.

Here are 8 things you can do to make your online business look legit and trustworthy:

1. Don’t use generic templates for your website

It is important to keep a unique edge to your brand in order to stand out. When meeting a person, we make a judgement on them within three seconds. Imagine this is the same philosophy when someone views your website. It needs to stand out, for all the right reasons.

If you use a generic template, it shows a lack of imagination and effort. Developing a unique style that is memorable is a useful way to keep your name in the forefront of a customer’s mind. This doesn’t mean a site full of plug-ins and gimmicks, but one that gives concise and helpful information to a customer in a unique and user friendly way.

2. Provide social proof via testimonials

People believe people. They may distrust your business by default as there are professions that people are unfairly prejudiced against. If you can provide authentic customer reviews which convey the trustworthiness of your brand, as well as excellent product provision, it will give reassurance and confidence to the potential customer.

3. Create a helpful, rich and value-based content resource

You want people to buy your products or services. That is essentially why you have a website, as a shop window to your business. You also need to give a deep insight into what you are offering the customer, and this does not just mean the product or service. This means selling your online brand not just as a product, but as a brand.

It is your job to draw the customer in and give them a reason to believe you are a trustworthy brand. Fill them with confidence that you provide an excellent service, are customer focused and that they matter to you.

“There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.” – Sam Walton

4. Make it easy for customers/prospects to reach you

When a customer decides to commit to your brand, they need to be able to reach you in the format they choose. Contact information needs to be displayed clearly and offer a variety of media of contact. You need to offer phone, skype, email, social media and business address. In addition to this, make sure there is a realistic timeframe given on your site as to when the customer will hear back from you. Have phones diverted to mobiles if you are on the move. If there is an online contact form on your site, give a clear impression of when a customer may expect to hear back from you.

You will lose business if customers have the impression that their business is not important enough to them to return a phone call. They will assume that this is your attitude in business as well and this does nothing to building the impression of a trustworthy brand.

5. Regularly update your website

Keeping your website regularly updated is vital as a staid, old fashioned site gives the impression of a staid, old fashioned online brand. Keep the website full of new information. For example, if your industry has big stories in the news, add links or reviews of these stories on a blog. If you have introduced a new product, add it to the site as soon as possible.

Keep an eye on the styling of your website. Create an online brand that is modern, sleek and has the same feeling as your business. Make sure there is no out of date information and remove anything that is no longer relevant.

If a customer can see that you have not updated the site for a while, it does not create a dynamic impression. Creating a trustworthy brand involves making the customer feel that you care about their business, so you will care about them.

6. Stay active on social media platforms

Social media is a massive marketing tool in today’s business world. Get active on as many platforms as you can. Make sure these are regularly updated as well as your site. It will help your online branding if a customer feels you are a presence on social media. Many people use social media many times a day, and you need to fit into the way your customer thinks and works.

If you are in a business that targets 18-30 year-olds for example, you may get most of your business as a result of being seen on Facebook or Twitter. Do not dismiss social media as an add-on, make it a focal point of building your online brand.

7. Show reviews and encourage your customers to post reviews

Make sure you show your customers what you have done and that you have satisfied customers. However, it’s easy for people to assume the reviews might be fake. It’s advisable you offer a way for your customers to submit their feedback/testimony about their experience with your product or service. This reassures your prospects about the authenticity of the reviews and testimonials submitted on your website.

Posting real reviews, with names and locations, pictures constitutes to an effective trust element. Let them read case studies of work in your industry or work you have done and encourage them to give feedback. Make them feel their views are important to the business.

8. Put your audience in the center of the stories you tell

Customers want to feel important. They want to feel that you really care about them and their job as individuals. You need to remember that the customer is at the heart of your business. No customer, no business, no revenue.

“The best customer service is if the customer doesn’t need to call you, doesn’t need to talk to you. It just works.” – Jeff Bezos

Conclusion

In summary, there are simple yet effective ways of establishing a trustworthy online brand. Follow these suggestions, take your focus off the product and how wonderful it is, and put it on your customer. That is the essence of creating a trustworthy online brand.

What do you think is the most critical aspect of a business in today’s world? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/entrepreneur-profile/8-ways-to-create-a-trustworthy-brand-online/

Read This to Change How You Think About Perfectionism

Perfectionism is on the rise, especially among young people. A January study published by the American Psychological Association, found that between 1989 and 2016, self-oriented perfectionism — or the need to be perfect — increased by 10 percent. During the same time period, other-oriented perfectionism — placing higher expectations on others — grew by 16 percent.

So, what’s the solution? Surprisingly, expectation management. Intuition says that letting perfectionists, whether self-oriented or other-oriented, set expectations will lead to unrealistic goals. However, trying to keep them from setting high standards isn’t an option because it’s in their nature.

Below we will see how to show perfectionists at all levels within a company how to use their personality type to their advantage:

1. Employees

Self-oriented perfectionism

While most young people flounder to find a career path, perfectionists know exactly what they want. Their perfectionism can lead to great professional goals, as long as the expectations are managed properly. Arrange mentorships between experienced employees and young professionals to discuss their personal goals.

For instance, let’s say an employee wants to become a manager within three years. The more experienced colleague can then explain what it takes to get there and whether or not that timeline is realistic. With that information, the self-oriented perfectionist can create an actionable plan that meets their expectations.

Other-oriented perfectionism

Before an individual even applies for a job, they create expectations. They do research and form an idea of what it would be like to work there. Once hired, they then expect leaders and co-workers to fit into that vision even though it can lead to them being overly critical of others.

Manage these expectations early by explaining that not every employee contributes to the company in the same way. This person was hired to do a specific job, and their success will look different than a co-worker’s.

Make this clear when acknowledging your employees. When you publicly praise an employee, tie their performance to the company mission. This way, perfectionists will see how everyone fits into the big picture. They’ll then be able to form new expectations that reflect each co-worker’s role in the organization.

“Have no fear of perfection – you’ll never reach it.” – Salvador Dali

2. Managers

Self-oriented perfectionism – Managers who are self-oriented perfectionists face a unique dilemma. They want to succeed, but their success is tied to their team. If their employees falter, managers feel like they’ve failed.

As a leader, you need to adjust their perspective. Have managers list what is under their control and what isn’t. For instance, they can set a goal to meet weekly with each employee to discuss performance. However, they can’t blame themselves if an employee doesn’t take their advice. Once they have their list, have them set expectations for themselves — only themselves. Also, make sure there is a clear way to assess their success.

If they want to improve their communication skills, ask them what this would look like. Would it mean receiving fewer clarification questions from their team or would it mean spending more time listening to employees? This will help them form a clear definition of personal success.

Other-oriented perfectionism

When a manager is an other-oriented perfectionist, they can overwhelm their team with high expectations. Nonetheless, when they properly harness their need for perfection, they can motivate their team.

Remind managers that, as a perfectionist, they have a very clear picture of what employees’ success looks like. The trick is getting their team members to buy into these goals. For example, employees may think it’s unrealistic to increase sales by 25 percent in three months. But a manager who’s an other-oriented perfectionist sees a clear road to that milestone.

To ease employee doubts, encourage managers to break down larger expectations with employees. Have them set smaller goals for each individual and clearly explain the unique role they play in achieving these goals. This will turn an other-oriented perfectionist’s goal from overwhelming to motivating.

“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” – Og Mandino

3. Yourself

Self-oriented perfectionism

Leaders with self-oriented perfectionism tend to spread themselves too thin. They feel they need to be a part of every aspect of the organization, but this inevitably leads to failure.

Instead of trying to be perfect at everything, take stock of your strengths — and be honest. For instance, if you came from a marketing background, don’t create high expectations for yourself when it comes to product development. Instead, surround yourself with colleagues and employees who make up for those weaknesses.

Other-oriented perfectionism

As a leader, you see endless potential, but sometimes, you can push everyone too far. Avoid this by tracking progress toward each goal. Set smaller expectations to satisfy your perfectionist instincts. Every time a small goal is met, celebrate that success with your team.

Most importantly, be sure that the data you’re tracking is objective. One issue perfectionist leaders face is defining great work. You envision one result, while everyone else imagines something different. Numbers are less subjective and help you maintain a realistic perspective.

Has the need for perfectionism improved your life? Let us know your thoughts below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/read-this-to-change-how-you-think-about-perfectionism/

5 Signs You’re Going Down the Wrong Path

Are you on the right path?

Do you know the signs that you’re not?

Do you know what to do about it?

 

Many go about their days distracted or hypnotized

– by the paychecks

– by the instant gratification

– by perceived by label and status

 

We assume these are markers of achievement and success.

I did. For 4.5 years I thought I was when I was in my career managing songwriters and producers.

I was making money. I was partying. I was doing things. My life was popular.

 

I later realized I was:

– becoming materialistic and focused on what people can do for me

– waiting on others to tell me what was next for me to achieve

– imitating other people’s interpretation of success

– doing things for the sake of approval from others

​​​​​​​

I wasn’t truly living MY life. I was living a life driven by the expectations of others.

I wasn’t behind the wheel. I remember reaching a point waking up every morning

with a knot in my stomach…

 

In this video, I share 5 powerful ways I identified I was going down the wrong path, so you can do the same.

 

Some of the Things I Cover In this Video

I had to look deep within to truly know something was not right.

Here are some of the questions I asked myself that helped me to clarity and can help you:

– Are you losing trust in yourself and leaning on the opinion of others?

– Are you uneasy about the things you have to do to be successful?

– Are you constantly feeling anxious with a sense of no control over your life?

– Is your drive fuelled by proving yourself to others?Are you neglecting your own needs?

 

Tomorrow, I’ll share with you ways to identify people that are not compatible with your path.

 

Click this to attend our Master Your Influence event in Bali, Indonesia this July 23rd – 26th

 

from
https://addicted2success.com/weekly-wisdom/5-signs-youre-going-down-the-wrong-path/