7 Techniques to Turn Your Fears Into Learning Opportunities

Experiencing fear is good. It shows that you’re human and that your natural survival instincts are working just fine. Imagine a fearless person about to swim across a river full of crocodiles and you’ll know what I mean. Perhaps more than any other emotion, fear enabled humans to remain a thriving species for hundreds of thousands of years. If not for fear, we would all have been dinner, roadkill, or worse. In short, we’d all be extinct had fear not been hardwired into our DNA.

But yielding to fear without any good reason is just being a scaredy cat. And allowing irrational fear to paralyze us into inaction easily turns us into a miserable pansy. After all, encountering a clan of ravenous hyenas is far different from meeting your hot crush who had you slinking into the nearest corner, speechless and short of breath for weeks on end. And yes, taking the first step to build a business is not as life-threatening as walking at the edge of a steep, thousand-foot cliff.       

In the digital age, nearly all fear is irrational, a construct of our wild imagination and the negative stuff we tend to focus on. You fear approaching the manager to ask for a raise. You’re afraid that following your passion will leave you without the security of a 9-to-5 job. You like to learn some techy stuff but you feel you just don’t have it in you to write computer codes. You’re aching to build your own blog but you dread the workload. In the end, a lot of us just stay put without even trying.  

Overcoming fear is both a lesson from history and a unanimous verdict of people who have learned to manage their own crippling fears. Following a traumatic watery experience, Tim Ferriss came to dread swimming so much that he never learned to swim until he was in his 30s.

Despite excelling in mixed martial arts, bouldering, wrestling, motorcycle racing, competition tango and other sports, Ferriss would have sunk like a stone had you casually pushed him into a pool. But once he questioned and conquered his fear, he learned how to swim faster than you can say dolphin! In fact, he was able to swim a one-kilometer stretch out on the open sea after just a few weeks of training.  

Here are 7 techniques you can adopt to conquer your fear:

1. Understand the factors that trigger your fear – Is your fear reasonable or irrational? Reasonable fear is, well — reasonable. Take appropriate action if that’s the case. On the other hand, obliterate any fear that is irrational. Irrational fears are unnecessary weight dragging you down.
2. Unless the situation is life-threatening, let the bout of fear play out – You’ll eventually realize that your emotions stressed you out more intensely than the object of your fear itself.
3. Take control of something when fear takes hold – Without the semblance of control, fear escalates into panic. Start with your breathing. Fight the urge to hyperventilate. Consciously inhale and exhale slowly and realize that you can control aspects of yourself even amidst fear. Conquer more territory by controlling other aspects of your body.
4. Use physiology to fight fear – Adopt a confident posture and body language. Don’t slouch and look crestfallen. Physically appear in control even when you have yet to gain it.
5. Follow up with psychology – Focus on positive thoughts. Focus on good intentions, excellent achievements, noble goals. Visualize beautiful things. Fight the evil of irrational fear with good.
6. Speak confidently and positively – When mentally talking to yourself, elevate the conversation. Do the same when actually speaking to people.
7. Turn fear-busting into a well-ingrained habit until it becomes instinctive – Bust fear the moment you feel it! It might take you time, but keep practicing over and over time you’ll develop a new positive habit.

It’s amazing how something so imaginary can trigger real impact in people’s lives. Irrational fear holds back millions of people from growth and achieving success. To win, face fear and use it to become a better person. As Tim Ferriss said, “fear is your friend.” And as he has done over and over, you can learn anything — from the complex nuances of a foreign language to the exquisite choreography of tango — simply by mastering your fear.

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/7-techniques-to-turn-your-fears-into-learning-opportunities/

32 Motivational Quotes to Help You Make the Most of Your Life

Most people would say they want to live a life full of love and prosperity when it comes to their finances, family, friends, fitness, and work. However, there are times where life gets the best of us, and we become uninspired and unmotivated.

We’ve all been unmotivated at one point or another. For example, I typically hear people say “I’ll start my diet tomorrow,” or “I’ll just finish that later.” However, why not just start now and motivate yourself to unlock your inner greatness.

Below are 32 motivational quotes to help you make the most of your life:

1. “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.” – Tim Notke

2. “When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you’ll be successful.” – Eric Thomas

3. “Success… seems to be connected with action. Successful people keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don’t quit.” – Conrad Hilton

4. “Action is the foundational key to all success.” – Pablo Picasso

5. “The ones who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Unknown

6. “Little minds are tamed and subdued by misfortune; but great minds rise above it.” – Washington Irving

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

8. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” – Neale Donald Walsh

9. “Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” – John Wooden

10. “Expect problems and eat them for breakfast.” – Alfred A. Montapert

11. “Opportunities don’t happen, you create them.” – Chris Grosser

12. “Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck.” – Dalai Lama

13. “There are two types of people who will tell you that you cannot make a difference in this world: those who are afraid to try and those who are afraid you will succeed.” – Ray Goforth

14. “Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” – Sam Levenson

15. “You got a dream, you gotta protect it. People can’t do something themselves, they wanna tell you, you can’t do it. If you want something, go get it. Period.” – Will Smith

16. “Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so.  For glory gives herself only to those who have always dreamed of her.” – Charles De Gaulle

17. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” – George Addair

18. “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S. Lewis

19. “Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs

20. “I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it, but by working for it.” – Estée Lauder

21. “You can waste your lives drawing lines. Or you can live your life crossing them.” – Shonda Rhimes

22. “I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done.” – Lucille Ball

23. “Beware of monotony; it’s the mother of all the deadly sins.” – Edith Wharton

24. “Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning.” – Robert Kiyosaki

25. “Without hustle, talent will only carry you so far.” – Gary Vaynerchuk

26. “Done is better than perfect.” – Sheryl Sandberg

27. “I am deliberate and afraid of nothing.” – Audre Lorde

28. “Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.” – Steve Jobs

29. “Never let go of that fiery sadness called desire.’ – Patti Smith

30. “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?” – Sheryl Sandberg

31. “I don’t count my sit-ups; I only start counting when it starts hurting because they’re the only ones that count.” – Muhammad Ali

32. “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

Which one of these quotes motivates you the most to go out and make something amazing out of your life?

from
https://addicted2success.com/quotes/32-motivational-quotes-to-help-you-make-the-most-of-your-life/

How to Positively Persuade Anyone

Why should someone grant you something you desire of them if you yourself do not think you deserve it? People give to those who are emotionally and mentally ready to receive. The mindset of receptivity is something that can be cultivated and expanded upon to an unlimited degree. You are the window through which others can glimpse a future they want to be part of.

Embody your the future you want solidly in your own mind, because with a compelling enough vision you can persuade anyone, regardless of their previous outlook.

The way you feel about yourself will ultimately determine how others treat you. They will subconsciously sense what you feel worthy of.

Invariably, people will play the same role even if they move from one set of peers to another. They find themselves inhabiting the same status and the same role as in their previous clique. Even though this new group may not know them at all, they can nonetheless feel the inner status in their psychology.

If they change their inner status that will be their new standard. If you begin to truly appreciate yourself and who you are as a person, people in your life will reflect that. This change will be a lifelong transformation that you can keep with you always.

The inner status of receiving is a process that is cultivated from positive emotions towards self. It’s increasing your inner worthiness to a feeling of deserving anything you desire.

How does one cultivate this coveted inner status of receiving? The answer lies in forming positive emotions toward self. This act will enhance your inner worthiness and allow you to feel deserving of anything and everything you desire with an open and sincere heart.

“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection” – Buddha

You begin this process by guiding yourself into a very positive state and confirming your inner worthiness. Through repetition of self-affirming self-talk, you begin to push a boulder over the critical tipping point.

You can make yourself a sentry at the gate of your mind allowing in only thoughts that reinforce positive ideals of self. The definitions and labels you have placed on yourself regarding your self-worth will come at you from all angles.

Because of this, instead of solely aiming to eliminate the old ones, you must replace them with empowering ones. Affirm your confidence and understand that you are worthy of what you want. You deserve to have the most phenomenal life possible.

Change How You Feel, Change Your Relationship

Positive emotions elicit positive responses. The greatest influence you have on any relationship is about how you feel about the other person. Relationships including friendships, family, and business associates are not based on logic, they are based on emotions.

When you love, appreciate and admire people, because they can feel it. There is a natural drawing together; a certain magnetic chemistry that happens. By sitting down and deliberately searching for aspects to appreciate, you can dramatically change any relationship for the better.

You can draw out completely different characteristics than those that you have previously been observing. In addition, reinforce and expand upon ones that are already meaningful and most appreciated. You can create deep rapport with people important to you, business or personal.

The key is picturing the relationship as you would prefer it, and as though the outcome is already in hand. The goal is to condition yourself into the feeling state where you are ready to receive your desired outcome.

You can create a list of positive characteristics that you can appreciate about that person, and in time diminish the negative characteristics, thereby tipping the balance toward goodness, gratitude, and benevolence.

“My most brilliant achievement was my ability to be able to persuade my wife to marry me.” – Winston Churchill

Envision the outcome the way you desire it to be, but also actively live in the emotional state of that which is desired. The emotions will thereby become established solidly within you and the effect on all aspects of this relationship will prove profound. By delving deep into yourself and finding your sense of self-worthiness along with encouraging others to do the same, you will see them respond immediately.

Persuasion is about changing the emotional response from another party. Creating a strong positive emotional state will inspire people to continuously give back. Others will readily take cues from you when you start to believe that you are worthy and deserving.

It is human nature to gravitate toward what feels constructive or affirmatory and away from what feels damaging.

If you make it a habit to consistently instill positive emotions in another, that person will have a great positive association with you.

The most powerful tool you have at your disposal is your own positive mindset which encompasses encouraging words and the radiation of good vibes. When you appreciate someone over a short time, they will be influenced to appreciate you.

People will give back in a similar quantity to that which you are willing to give them. This is the secret of persuasion.

Share with us your tips and advice on persuading people!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

from
https://addicted2success.com/success-advice/how-to-positively-persuade-anyone/

There’s Nothing Better Than A Deadline (Literally Nothing!)

The Boundaries of Your Manifestations Are Limited by the Boundaries of Your Imagination

For the vast majority of my life I lived about an 90 minutes due west of New York City. Consequently, I spent a great deal of time in business, management training and consulting. It is very easy to become desensitized to the vertical summits of the city when you are there so much. However, I have always noted with detached amusement the newcomers to the city who stand at the verge of the sidewalk on their tiptoes looking up trying to see the very top of the skyscrapers.

Once, during a very lengthy traffic jam, and observing many of the tourists in the city, it occurred to me that their wide-eyed wonder at the cityscape was caused by the building that they were looking at, but, at one point, those buildings were nothing more than a thought!

Everything is created three times

70 or 80 years ago someone had an idea. That idea was to take an empty lot in downtown Manhattan and turn it into a building using current architectural techniques and to create a skyscraper. The notion of the skyscraper existed mentally and that was all.

Apparently, this real estate entrepreneur secured financing and the construction of the project could begin. During that time, I am sure that the entrepreneur spent much time at the site being emotionally involved as well as logically invested in every decision. Finally, the building was complete and ready for occupancy which created cash flow, allowing the banks and investors to be repaid, and a profit to be earned.

Below is how you create your masterpiece starting with an idea then going to an emotion followed by making it a reality:

1. Starts with an Idea

Everything that has ever existed physically, existed mentally prior. This is your imagination! All of us have ideas. The question is whether we act on them and bring them to physical reality, or simply say to ourselves that that was an interesting thought and do nothing about it.

Let me repeat, anything that exists physically first began as an idea. That idea must propel us into action! Imagination is the starting point.

“When you’re curious, you find lots of interesting things to do.” – Walt Disney

2. Then comes emotion

Think of that real estate entrepreneur a century ago building the building in New York City. He was at the construction site every day speaking to the general contractor along with reporting back to the bank and the investors on the progress that was made.

This person was emotionally involved in the projection of turning his idea into a physical reality. Each time that any of us take an idea and move it forward, the momentum of that idea to fruition is accelerated by emotion. Emotion is the gas pedal that takes our thoughts and creates them for real.

3. Bring your idea into reality

Now it exists. I would bet that after that building was ready for occupancy that the entrepreneur didn’t simply think that that was a job well done and stop working. He now spent the time marketing, selling space, and filling the building with profitable tenants. Once you have manifested your idea into life, the real work begins.

Please think about that process in your own life. See if you can answer the question of what is the big idea that you would like to move forward. Perhaps it is something physical like a new home or new business. Perhaps it’s something mental like becoming a better executive or salesperson. Perhaps it is something more spiritual. Whatever it is, if your mind can conceive it, you can bring it about.

“There’s a way to do it better—find it.” – Thomas Edison

The very notion of desire means that there is something within you that wants to be created. Use that desire as a way of generating ideas to begin the process of manifestation. Then become emotionally involved in the implementation of your ideas.

Look around you. Everything that you see has existed three times. Once in the form of an idea followed by the emotional involvement of moving that idea into physical reality. Finally, the last step was actually receiving what you asked for and thought of.

Let me end by asking you a question: what big ideas do you have that you want to become emotionally involved with, move to fruition, and engage with for an extended period of time? Got it? Cool! Now, go do it!

Comment on your big ideas below, let other readers assist you with the emotion and implementation!

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/the-boundaries-of-your-manifestations-are-limited-by-the-boundaries-of-your-imagination/

Why You Should Use These 3 Types of Internal Motivation to Achieve Everything You’ve Ever Wanted

It’s no secret that the more motivation you have for your goals, the faster you’ll reach them in addition to achieving substantially more success in the long term. However, the problem is the majority of people have a really hard time waking up early, working harder than everyone else, and reaching their goals much faster.

Understand, these aren’t special skills only the select few are born with. Anyone can get into a routine of getting up at 5am if they really want to. Anyone can go from an average worker to a high performer in a relatively short period of time. The problem is the majority of people don’t have that level of desire to do these difficult things.

The problem of “desire” leads us into the issue of external motivation. External motivation is you working for just money to get a car you’ve dreamed of or any kind of materialistic item you’ve set your heart on.

To clarify, I’m not saying materialism is bad. What I’m saying is it’s not wise to put external motivators as your main source of motivation for this very simple reason, it’s not a good long term source of motivation.

Once you have that car, house or financial income you wanted, then what’s next? Often times it leaves you with a feeling of emptiness because the satisfaction of getting your new car or house only lasts for a very short period of time. Then once you’ve achieved it, it becomes harder and harder to push for something new because there’s little to no inner drive to get up and achieve more.

Internal motivation changes this dynamic because the internal reward of mastery or purpose isn’t tangible. Instead it’s never ending and when something is never ending you just want to keep working more and more.

Below are the 3 different types of internal motivation you can start using today:

1. The Desire to Win

This comes from the legendary Tim Grover in his book Relentless where he talks about the unrelenting and never ending drive of his clients to win such as Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. All these guys wanted to do was win. The millions of dollars they earned were simply a bi product of their constant desire to win.

To work this hard and for this many hours requires much greater motivation than simply money. On top of which, almost every single billionaire including Donald Trump, has said they’re not motivated by the money. Money is just a way of keeping score. It’s not the actual motivator.

“The starting point of all achievement is desire.” – Napoleon Hill

2. Purpose

This one is arguably the most important. Almost every single successful entrepreneur has some kind of bigger purpose motivating them. Take Elon Musk and Steve Jobs for example.

The main difference between these two isn’t just their work ethic but the individual purpose each one of them has to work hard. You could argue these two entrepreneurs have had the biggest impact on the world we live in.

When you find a bigger purpose for your work you’ll surprise yourself at how much you start to enjoy what you’re doing. You may get external things as a result of your success but they’re not the driving force of why you wake up early everyday and get to work.

3. Mastery

The reason mastery of a specific craft or multiple skills is so important is because once again, it’s never ending. There isn’t a point in your journey where you can completely master something because there’s always another level to reach. This is one of the reasons video games are so popular because there’s always a higher level to get to. You don’t want to stop playing until you’ve reached that next level.

With all of the internal motivators especially mastery, it becomes difficult for other people around you to understand why you work so hard. Everyone around you is after the next pay check to buy a house or buy a new watch which they can show off to their friends.

Nonetheless, being motivated this way typically means the person has no real love for what they do because if they did love what they do, the real satisfaction would come from some internal driver like winning, getting better at their craft or working on towards their purpose every single day.

“If you want to learn something, read about it. If you want to understand something, write about it. If you want to master something, teach it.” – Yogi Bhajan

It’s very easy to see a very wealthy person and see all the cars, glamour and big houses and think, they’re materialistic. But in almost every single case, these external things were simply a bi product of their success. They weren’t the motivator to be successful in the first place.

Once you change not only your level of desire but also the kind of desire, you completely change the game of success for yourself because now you’re in a position where you actually want to work hard.

You don’t have to feel like working hard or getting up early is a chore and I guarantee once you start to find powerful internal motivators, you’ll be surprised how much and how hard you want to work towards achieving your goals.

How do you motivate yourself? Let us know in the comments below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/motivation/why-you-should-use-these-3-types-of-internal-motivation-to-achieve-everything-youve-ever-wanted/

3 Ways to Keep Your Creative Juices Flowing When You Feel Uninspired

Living in the Age of Information has its pros and cons. On the upside, we have immediate access to what seems like a limitless pool of information about anyone and anything known to mankind. On the downside, we have immediate access to what seems like a limitless pool of information about anyone and anything known to mankind.

For creative entrepreneurs, having this kind of access works well when it ignites a new idea, provokes an innovative thought or it opens up the door to grasp a new perspective. But more often than not, being plugged into the digital realm can feel suffocating when one is attempting to separate themselves from reproducing what is already in circulation.

Creativity is a gift that everyone has access to but not many know how to unwrap. It’s easy to get intimidated when you feel like what you produce is lackluster, even when you get tons of compliments.

It’s a normal feeling to want to be innovative and to want to be the one who introduces the next best thing to the world. Nonetheless, when it doesn’t happen as easily as you expect, you feel burnt out, uninspired, and frustrated.

Well, being creative doesn’t have to feel like just another “thing to do.” There are ways to get excited about your work in away that makes you leap at the opportunity to create something new again and again.

If you feel like you have too many bouts with the bug that steals your creative flow, here are three tips to help you shift your mind from being stifled to flowing so you can create again:

1. Change your environment

For creative entrepreneurs, inspiration is everything. Seeing the same walls or looking out the same window day after day can be a downer. Sometimes your creative mind needs a jumpstart.

You can do this by switching up where you choose to do your work. If you typically spend the majority of your time working from your office, leave your office, and find a local coffee shop to work from for a few hours.

Take in the sounds you hear, the aromas in the air and even people watch for a few moments. People alone are creative beings and you may pull a bit of creative energy just from being in a different room with people you’ve never seen before. The hustle and bustle of having others around you going to and from may keep your mind refreshed. Believe it or not, a little distraction may prove to be exactly what you need.

“All fixed set patterns are incapable of adaptability or pliability. The truth is outside of all fixed patterns.” – Bruce Lee

2. Change your established pattern of work

If you’re used to being a night owl because you think that your best work is done at 2am, try going to bed early and setting an alarm to wake up at 6am. If you’re not a morning person, you don’t have to adopt a new routine, just try shifting your thought process to thinking that you work well at any time of the day or night.

Whatever you tell yourself becomes your reality. Resist the urge to meander through your day hoping that when the moon is high, you’ll get a jolt of inspiration.

Sometimes an interruption in your regularly scheduled work pattern can be the catalyst in bringing forth your nest best project.

3. Change your mindset

One of the biggest blockers of creativity is the desire to be perfect or to outdo what you did the last time you had a creative itch. This desire often morphs into writer’s block and a lack of inspiration.

This desire also turns the pressure on and extinguishes the vibe you need to allow freedom in your work process. When you attempt to work under pressure, you leave little to no room for your mind to download new information into your creative system. So, don’t be too hard on yourself, just aim to produce and get results.

“My dad encouraged us to fail. Growing up, he would ask us what we failed at that week. If we didn’t have something, he would be disappointed. It changed my mindset at an early age that failure is not the outcome, failure is not trying. Don’t be afraid to fail.” – Sara Blakely

No matter if you take a small step or a large leap, any forward movement is progress. Someone once said that doing something new may bring you new results. If you want to get your creative juices flowing, do things you’ve never done. Try at least one of these tips today and see what difference it makes today.

Which one of these creative tips resonated most with you and why? Let us know below!

from
https://addicted2success.com/life/3-ways-to-keep-your-creative-juices-flowing-when-you-feel-uninspired/