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Posts Tagged ‘success’

When you look at your future do you see an exciting life worth pursuing? Please tell me you have a vision of the life you desire. The edge you can give yourself immediately in order to live the life you desire is to have a clear vision of it. Without a clear vision of the future you’ll never know where you’ll end up.

Arguably one of history’s greatest achievement experts, Zig Ziglar, put it this way: He says he can take the world’s most accurate archer and within only a few minutes, anybody he’d train could be shooting arrows with much greater accuracy than the archer. Of course, he would put a blinfold on the archer and turn him around three or four times so he’d have no idea where the target was located.

The point Ziglar is making is nobody can strike a target which they’re not able to see? If you’re hoping to get more out of life but do not have a clear vision of what it is you want, how in the world do you expect to get there?

Some will refer to it as goal setting while others might their big dream. However you reference it, it is critical to your achievement that you have a clear goal in mind.

Once you do have a clear vision of where you’d like to be, the next thing would be to reverse engineer the steps necessary to get there. The most efficient means of achieving your vision is to determine where you’re expecting to be and work backwards on what it will take to achieve it.

Allow me to offer you an easy to understand example. I can remember watching the 2008 Olympics. The event being covered was the women’s marathon. It’s a 26 mile run which concluds in the main track and field arena. After running 25.75 miles the runners entered the arena, did a complete lap around the track prior to crossing the finish line. The goal is to cross that finish line which marked the end of a 26 mile race.

Did the person responsible for establishing the marathon route randomly pick a distant point to start the race from the stadium hoping that the starting point chosen would’ve worked out to 26 miles? Or, do you suppose they started at the finish line inside the arena, which included a single lap around the track, and worked their way backwards to find their precise starting point?

Obviously , mapping out a 26 mile marathon would’ve been impossible unless the Olympic committee started at the end and worked their way backwards to find the starting point. Do you see how this can serve as an example of how you can reach your goals?

It’s also important to remind you that taking action to reach your desired destination is critical. Start today, take action immediately. What good is having your vision and reverse engineering the steps necessary to get there if those steps aren’t actually taken.

Here are seven life changing words to help you with achieving your goals. With the end in mind, start now. Take action today. If you do so right here, right now with your big goal in mind then you will have no choice but to achieve the life you desire and deserve. This I can promise you.

You can succeed with developing your dream vision, it is not a difficult thing to do. You can save time and effort in reaching your goals simply by reading the right books. For a limited time you can download the new empowering book A Plum In The Syrup absolutely free. Simply visit APlumInTheSyruup dot com for immediate access.

As a motivational speaker and consultant, (during my inspirational speeches) I often ask: How often do you become conscious of the side of your own nose? And, for those who wear specs, how frequently do you notice the frames? I would guess that your answer to both questions is “not very often”. Am I accurate?

This observation is actually surprising when you consider that both your nose and glasses are within your visual field. (My motivational speaker and consulting audience members are by and large very surprised.) Which begs the issue, in view of the fact that they impinge upon your field of view, how come your nose and glasses don’t become a visual distraction? Here’s the answer: It’s because your brain blocks them out.

In reality, only a small percentage of the enormous amount of sensory information detected by your senses ever impinges on your awareness. Trying to assimilate all this sensory input would be totally unachievable. Filtering out all the ‘unimportant’ stuff, (and that includes your nose and glasses), is a extremely important brain activity.

How come – as a motivational speaker - did I think it was essential to bring this wierd visual phenomenon to your attention? Answer: Simply because (in basic terms) it raises a crucial issue. By limiting your visual field, does your brain also hamstring your growth? It seems numerous characteristics of our brain filter have a unequivocal effect on our personal growth. For example, it directs our attention towards our expectations. In this article I’m going to discuss a important element of the brain sieve, how it focuses on the pessimistic.

A Pessimistic Outlook

The cerebral sieve lets the pessimistic aspects of a situation dominate your attention. Need proof? If so, have a bash at this straightforward task. (Incidentally I routinely suggest this experiment in my inspirational health care speeches.)

Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper. Then, each time you have a upbeat thought, draw a tick on one side of the line. But, each and every time you have a negative thought, mark a cross on the other side. Try this test and find out which half of the paper you cover first. Most test subjects cover the negative side of the pad of paper much faster than the positive.

Psychologists have suggested that what we could do with is a broader viewpoint. It’s most important we be taught how to evaluate the positive and pessimistic characteristics of a situation. How come? Because an optimistic perspective is prognostic of prosperity in many areas from sales to sports.

A Motivational Speaker’s Solution…

The next time a negative thought pops into your brain, try these straightforward action steps:

Tip 1: Bring to mind your brain filter

Tip 2: Then, look at your circumstances from various points of view.

Tip 3: Ask yourself straightforward questions. Such as: How bad is this irritation really? Will I still care about it in three years time?

In summary, being knowledgeable about your brain filter will help you to get control of your emotions. Take control of your thinking and observe what occurs. Take it from a motivational speaker, you’ll be shocked!

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote a very simple, but profound
statement that literally began a change in me that has led to my extraordinary success in life. The little quip that began my life-long journey to success was, “Nothing great was ever
achieved without enthusiasm”.
What stirred the passions in my heart and my commitment to self-improvement was the thought that I too could achieve greatness in my life if I had the enthusiasm and commitment to go after the extraordinary. That high school American Literature class that I really did not want to take became the catalyst for my success. If I had not read Emerson, Thoreau and other great American authors
and thinkers, I may not be writing this to you today.
You see, I believe everything that happens to us happens by Infinite design. And sometimes, a high school English class can change your life. You know, one thing leads to another; good or bad.
Do not dwell on the negative; look for the positives in every situation. So instead of locking yourself up in your cage of fears and crying over
past heartaches, embarrassment and failures, treat them as your teachers and they will become your tools in both self-improvement and success.
Do you remember the movie Patch Adams starring Robin Williams? Its one of the great films that will help motivate you to improve yourself. Patch Adams is a medical student who failed to make it through the board exams. After months of suffering in melancholy, depression and suicidal attempts he decided to seek medical attention and voluntarily admitted himself into a psychiatric ward.
His months of stay in this mental hospital led him to meet many different kinds of mentally ill people. He met a catatonic, a mentally challenged, a schizophrenic and so on. Patch found ways of treating his own ailment and finally realized he had to get back on track. He woke up one morning realizing that after all the failure and pains he has gone
through, he still wanted to become the a doctor.
He carries with himself a positive attitude that brought him self improvement and success. He not only improved himself, but also helped the lives of the
people around him. He improved their quality of life. Did he succeed? Some say he became the best doctor this country has ever known.
So, when does self improvement become synonymous with success? How do you go from ordinary success to extraordinary achievement?
Let me share some thoughts with you that will get you on the road to abundant living and success.
See Your Future
The first thing you have to do is stop thinking and feeling as if you are a failure, no matter what your life experiences have been up to now. You have to begin with clean slate. As motivational speaker, Zig Ziglar, says, “You must change your stinkin’ thinkin’ today”. Start focusing on where you want to be. Now put all of your energy into achieving that goal.
Look forward and only use the past as a motivation to drive yourself to new victories. Many people expend far too much energy looking back at their failures and shorcomings. Look for new opportunities to stretch and grow.
Help Others
If you really want to help yourself, then start helping others. That’s right, when you help other people who feel so down and low about themselves, as their outlook improves you too will begin to rise up with them. Your confidence will soar and so will your results. Quoting my good friend Zig Ziglar again, “You can get everything you want in life if you help enough other people get what they want.”
Keep Learning
While it has been many years since I attended elementary school, I do remember vividly how I looked forward to each new day of school. Yes, I was
one of those kids who actually liked school. I loved being with my friends. I loved recess. I loved those special occasions where we would have parties
in the classroom. What I really loved was coming to school each day to learn something new.
It was so exciting to learn how to read and write; add and subtract; learning was a passion for me. I wanted to grow and expand my mind, but then
something strange happened. I became an adult and I looked at learning differently. It became a burden. I had too many other responsibilities to worry
about to learn more seemingly useless things.
It was at this same time that I found myself no longer enjoying life with the same enthusiasm as I did as a child. My point is simply this; if you commit yourself to a lifetime of learning you will find that you will rekindle the passion for living
an abundant life. Abundant living leads to extraordinary achievement!
Do The Little Things Too
Self improvement means doing the little things that most people will not do. So many times we get focused on the big, monumental goals and activities
that we forget the smaller fundamental steps that success requires. Warren Buffett grew his financial empire by paying close attention to the details of
each individual business. By doing the little things right, Buffett is now one of the richest men in the world despite starting with only one-thousand dollars
of his own money.
Embrace Change
If you are committed to self-improvement and living an extraordinary life, you must embrace change. You will find that you are constantly evolving in your
knowledge and beliefs so accepting change will be mandatory. In this fast-paced world of technological advancement, if you are not ready accept change,
then your success journey will be short-lived.
Self-improvement is an on-going process. There is no such thing as an “overnight success”. There is an ancient proverb that says, When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
Are you a student that is ready for extraordinary achievement?
If so, your teachers are here for you. They appear daily for you as parents, employers, co-workers, ministers, neighbors, friends, relatives and people from every walk in life. When we open our doors and our hearts for self improvement, we increase our chances of success on the road of life.

Everything that happens to us happens on purpose. And most times, one thing leads to another. Instead of locking yourself up in your cage of fears and crying over past heartaches, embarrassment and failures treat them as your teachers and they will become your tools in both self improvement and success.
Say this to yourself … better yet, print it out and post it in a place where you will see it throughout your daily routine:
I Never See Failure As Failure But Only As:
- A learning experience!
- The negative feedback I need to change the course of my direction!
- The opportunity to develop my sense of humor!
- The opportunity to practice my technique and improve my performance!
- THE GAME I MUST PLAY TO WIN!
I remember watching Patch Adams. It’s a great film that will help you improve yourself. Hunter “Patch” Adams is a medical student who failed to make it through the board exams. After months of suffering in melancholy, depression and suicidal attempts – he decided to seek medical attention and voluntarily admitted himself in a psychiatric ward.
His months of stay in the hospital led him to meeting different kinds of people. He met a catatonic, a mentally retarded person, a schizophrenic and so on. Patch found ways of treating his own ailment and finally realizes he has to get back on track. He woke up one morning realizing that after all the failure and pains he has gone through, he still wants to become a doctor.
He carries with himself a positive attitude that brought him self improvement and success. He didn’t only improved himself, but also the lives of the people around him and the quality of life in general. Did he succeed? Absolutely!
So, when does self improvement become synonymous with success? Where do we start?
*Stop thinking and feeling as if you’re a failure, because you’re not. How can others accept you if you can’t accept yourself?
*When you see gorgeous models on TV, think more of self improvement, not self pity. That isn’t reality anyway! Self acceptance is not just about having nice slender legs, or great abs. Concentrate on inner beauty.
*When people feel down and low about themselves, help them move up. Don’t go down with them. They’ll pull you down further and both of you will end up feeling inferior.
*Mistakes are a great way to learn lessons. Don’t feel stupid and doomed forever just because you failed on your attempt to achieve something. There’s always a next time. Make room for self improvement.
*Take things one at a time. Don’t expect a black sheep to be renewed in the snap of a finger. Self improvement is a one day at a time process.
*Self improvement results in inner stability, personality development and SUCCESS. It comes from self confidence, self appreciation, self esteem and hard work.
* Set meaningful and achievable goals. If your goals are too far out of whack you will never reach them! Setting attainable goals is one of the keys to success.
*Little things to us may mean BIG things to other people. Sometimes, we don’t realize that the little things that we do like a pat on the back, saying “hi” or “hello”, greeting someone “good day” or telling Mr. Smith something like “hey, I love your tie!” are simple things that mean so much to other people. When we’re being appreciative about beautiful things around us and other people, we also become beautiful to them.
*When you’re willing to accept change and go through the process of self improvement, it doesn’t mean that everyone else is doing the same thing. The world is filled with people of different values and attitudes. Sometimes, even if you think you and your best friend always like to do the same thing together at the same time, he/she may decline an invitation for self improvement.
You should always remember that there’s no such thing as “over night success.” If it was easy, wouldn’t everyone be doing it? It’s a wonderful feeling to hold on to the things that you already have in your possession, but realize that those are just some of the things you once wished for.
A very nice quote says that “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.” We are all here to learn our lessons. Our parents, school teachers, friends, colleagues, officemates, neighbors … they are our teachers. When we open our doors for self improvement, we increase our chances on the road of success.

Focus is a key component when it comes to time management. Loss and gain can be achieved when it comes to implementing the use of time management. Many individuals have heard of the “Pareto Principle”. Perhaps you have not heard this term used? It is the same as the “80:20 Rule”. This little rule actually makes a lot of sense when it comes to time management. It states that when an individual puts forth the effort to do something, and it is not managed appropriately in the terms of “time”, 80% of that activity will only produce approximately 20% of the results intended. Then, if you flip the coin, and do something that is managed appropriately in the terms of “time”, then it will produce 80% of the results with only 20% of effort put into it. This rule clearly outlines the fact that time well managed is time that is more productive.
Many individuals fail in the area of time management simply because their perception of this concept is out of line with what is appropriate. These individuals often view time management as a restrictive set of rules that must be adhered to or less negative consequences will arise. When this type of outlook is taken, it often results in failure. While it is important to understand that there are many core essentials when it comes to time management, these are not meant to be negative, but constructive. Some of the core essentials include scheduling time as appropriate and necessary, setting goals that are relative to the outcome that you wish to achieve, creative planning, and being able to prioritize appropriately.
When it comes to being successful in time management, it is important to know and understand that certain skills are required in order to succeed. Not only are these skills important to the success of time management, but they are also important when it comes to growing as an individual. These skills include the following:
- The ability to make decisions
- A high level of emotional intelligence
- Skills in critical thinking
- Multitasking skills
If you have a good grasp on the skills mentioned above, you are more likely to succeed when it comes to time management skills.
Time management can be included in every single aspect of your life. It is important to appropriately balance both your personal and professional life when attempting to manage your time. If you make a point to do this, you will be much more effective in every area. Many do not realize that it is actually necessary to take the time to make sure that there is a delicate balance between their personal time, as well as their professional time. If you manage one, the other will simply fall into place. Just remember, the secret to managing your time does not rest in the ability to stay busy, it rests in the ability to produce results in every single aspect of your life!
There are generally six areas that personal and business coaches focus on when individuals seek professional assistance for time management development. These areas include the following:
1. The Physical
2. Social
3. Career
4. Intellectual
5. Spiritual
6. Emotional
If you are attempting to increase your time management skills, it is important that you focus on these six areas as well. By doing so, you will find that it is relatively easy to accomplish all that you set out to each and every single day.
The following details steps that you can take in order to get a better grasp on your time:
1. First, it is always important to plan in advance. At the bare minimum, it is important that you carefully outline the things that you must do each day, prior to starting your day.
2. When planning your day, it is essential that you prioritize your tasks.
3. If you must, keep a detailed list of the things that you must complete during the day in order to ensure that you do not lose track of your time.
4. Learn to say “no” to commitments that you find will hinder your productivity and time.
If you follow the tips listed here, you will soon find that managing your time is a simple task.