Why I Do What I Do...

I first discovered "Think and Grow Rich" by Napoleon Hill on vinyl in 1984! You've probably heard of it (no pun intended!) Since then I have purchased Napoleon Hill's great book on CD and in paperback form. I still refer to it often.

From that moment on I was intrigued by this life-enhancing process, and wanted to use it in my own life to become a success. Now before you think oh here's another one of those millionaire types about to pitch me something, let me tell you it hasn't all been plain sailing and I am by no means a millionaire - far from it, although I am still working on the illusive financial independence - ask my ever patient wife!

Earlier I wrote a post called The Motivation Myth which makes a case for all motivation coming from within, and that external motivation doesn't last. However, it was that last part which got me thinking that perhaps I was giving the impression I was attempting to position myself as some kind of motivator, (the external type) blogging about motivation which, by my own admission, seldom lasts. Bear with me.

School; hardly what you might call education

I then started thinking about school and how 'information' was hurled at us at breakneck speed with hardly a moment to digest it, let alone read/understand fully what was being written! Hardly what you might call being 'educated.' In fact, by the end of regular school, higher education seemed furthest from our minds, yet leaving school should mark the beginning of one's education, not the end!

Instead, I intend to position myself more as a guide, pointing the way to resources which have stood the test of time. The Bible immediately sprang to mind as I wrote those words (thank you Lord!) I like to think my 30+ year journey into self development has been worthwhile. And if I can save you just a little bit of time or money, or worry by pointing to a book, an article, someone else's blog post, a program (you get the picture) which has helped me in some way, it may help you too.

My mission

I value integrity as you do, so you won't find me endorsing products I haven't used myself, or any type of get-rich-quick type of program. My mission is to help people succeed because I know from experience how difficult it can be to cut through the clutter and get to what works. By helping others I am in fact helping myself in that I am learning so much more by giving back.

To that end I wish you well, and trust this has given you some insight into why I do what I do. It's like a bit of a lengthy bio, and I thank you for reading this far!

May I wish you all the success and achievement you deserve. As always, I welcome your comments, worries, challenges, hopes , fears, wishes - you get the picture!

Speak to you soon!

The Motivation Myth

Why motivation myth? I'm referring to our understanding of what motivation really means. Motivation is more akin to doing what you want when you want! It's the realisation that no-one can motivate you to achieve anything long-term. Have you ever noticed its effect in your own life? Think of those times when you've been 'too tired' to do something planned but undesirable, yet as soon as something with personal appeal surfaces, so does your enthusiasm and energy!

Your Internal Integrity
Motivation is much more than that though. There's an honesty to it in relation to your commitment, and keeping your word. So few people underestimate the power of truth within themselves.

It's what you do when no-one's looking that defines who we really are - that's where your real motivation lies.We have to want to make the change, or the motivation won't work. Why? Because most motivation is external - someone or something trying to get us to 'do' something. And I say 'trying' because all external motivation is temporary. It may influence us to see things differently for a while (even enthusiastically), but the effect cannot be long-lasting.

They say fear of loss is one of life's greatest motivators because it often implies the taking away of something we already have at our present level - read 'comfort zone!'

It's How The Human Brain Works
We need to understand how we've learned everything we've learned up this point in our lives. Gradually. Over time, often with repetition (remember school?) It's how the human brain works. This is why, in the human brain, it's impossible for momentary external motivation to create permanent change. It's also why so many hopeful attendees at motivational talks get pumped up, given a new lease of life ready to conquer the world, then slow down or revert back to their old selves within a matter of days, weeks or even hours after the talk is over.

Encourage, Encourage, Encourage!
External motivation cannot make the change for us. It's up to us to motivate ourselves towards our goals and objectives. And for that we need a lot of internal encouragement! Remember, you're the horse in the race! Give yourself a growing list of reasons why you can achieve your goals. Reward yourself at every sign of progress that you're headed in the right direction, and before you know it, you'll have authentic confidence in your ability to achieve.

No-one is Going To Do The Work For You
No one is going to do the work for us. We are responsible. This realisation tends to dawn on us as the years progress. Don't leave it too long before you realise you really have to do something! The external coach or motivator who encourages, demands even, and paints pictures of reward is great until they've gone. As soon as they leave, so does the support, the encouragement and our internal pictures of possibility. The coach was your motivation!

Don't get me wrong, some motivation works, it's just that about 95 percent of it doesn't. That's a big percentage. The key is to start asking yourself some tough questions about where you're headed in life. If you really enjoy what you're doing, you need little in the way of motivation to make progress, and time seems to stand still. Ever felt like that? This is representative of your true calling and what you were put on this earth to do.

On the flip side, if you've ever met up with any of delegates a few weeks after a motivational rally, you'll notice how little has changed. Now you know why. Its not their fault. At least you now know why it's best to become your own personal cheer leader!

Mirror of Self Reflection

Age creeps up on us all slowly, stripping away our youth, then one day we look into the mirror and the body does not seem to match the sparkle in the eyes anymore. Then we begin to look over our shoulder at our past and think I wonder what would have happened, or what if I had taken this path?
 
The concept of there only being one life and a limited amount of time to live it, is to most people like someone saying there is no Santa Claus. We simply want to believe in forever just like we wanted to believe in happily ever after as children.

You may think I am advocating quitting your job and going trekking in Africa, but no that is not where this is going. Living is an art in itself, it is not about time management or fit as much in as I can. It is about passion, depth, vision, love and much more.

I wish I could remember the taste of a meal long after I have eaten it. I wish I could see my partner's face long after they have left. I wish I could feel my friends hug as she embraced me long after she had let go. I wish I could picture the one time my Mother said I love you long after she is gone. I wish I was so in tune with life, so aware, so enlightened that every moment was my greatest and I could feel it, taste it, and truly live it.

I do not want to wait until someone tells me there are no more moments left. I do not want to feel cheated because a Higher Power took my moments away. I want to be grateful a Higher Power gave me the moment to begin with.

As youth slips away, and it will slowly, I want to be able to look in the mirror and see the happiness of a life lived with depth and passion etched in my face. I want to be able to feel the touch of my lovers hand as it brushed away my tears, not just remember it. But unless I am truly aware truly in the moment at the time allowing myself to feel, letting go of expectations, letting go of the need to hold something back, unless that happens, all I will have is a vague memory. I want more, I want an imprint so strong I can carry it with me and feel it when the moments are at an end.

My wish for you is that you may look in the mirror of self reflection long before youth has disappeared. I hope you will realize life doesn't need to be filled up with things, rather it needs to be soaked up for all it has to offer right now at this very moment. My wish for you is that you may experience, even for a second, a state of total being when everything falls away and time stands still, and you can taste the air you breath, feel the earth pulsate beneath your feet, and hear the whisper of the Angels.

Author BioRobin J, Australian Psychic/Artist/Writer living in Canada. I do reading by donation at my site angelpsychicblessings.com.

Why You Must Think Positively To Get Positive Results

According to leading behavioural researchers from Shad Helmstetter's great book 'What To Say When You Talk To Yourself', as much as 75 percent of everything we think is negative, counterproductive and works against us. Wow. Read that again.

Once you've got over the shock, let me ask you how many self-development books and programs you've bought with the intention of developing a new skill or an empowering habit, only to find they failed to deliver?

So, why so much negative programming? In order to fully understand the answer, we have to understand how our brains work:

- Programming creates beliefs

- Beliefs create attitudes

- Attitudes create feelings

- Feelings determine actions

- Actions create results


The average youngster from an average family, according to Mr Helmstetter, has been told 'No' or what they can't do about 150,000 times by the time they reach 18. I'm sure you can think of a few examples yourself. It's no wonder then that with this kind of negative programming, positive changes seldom happen as quickly or as effectively as we would like.

Identify Your Present Programming

To turn matters around, the first thing we need to do to improve our results is identify our current programming. But what exactly is our programming and how do we change it to make the improvements we seek? Good question. Firstly, identify what you're saying to yourself quietly (even openly) and take note over a few days. This exercise is very revealing and may even surprise you - it did me, and it's very useful!

Listen for how many times you tell yourself you don't have enough time, energy, can't be bothered, hate your job, don't have enough money, skills, the quiet nudges of self-doubt, etc (just become aware of the stories you tell yourself) then ask yourself how badly you really want those goals you've promised yourself which probably contradict what you actually believe you can achieve.  

Once you've identified the negative response(s), every time the negative thought comes up, change the words to an empowering version of your old negative self-talk, like: "I'm really hate my job at the moment" can easily be changed to "I enjoy my work, I understand the problems and get past them (of course if you really hate your job perhaps you should look to make a change).

To be or not to be...

What's really important here, is that for any self-improvement concept to be successful, it has to be simple, easy to use, and it has to work. For evidence of this process in your own life, just look at your present circumstances. If they're not the way you want them, I would suggest it's because of what you've been programmed to believe about yourself up until this point.

"When Shakespeare wrote the words "To be or not be..." he may not have known that he touched the essence of self. To be or not be, that is the question. To become or not to become; to achieve or not to achieve; to do or not to do - the answer to that question is the answer that will determine the future - and the success - of each and every one of us." - Shad Helmstetter.

A Child's View (and spelling!) of Notable Historic Biblical Events - Funny!

This is an extract taken from a newsletter courtesy of St Stephen's Church, Bournemouth, England entitled "Out of the mouths of…"

Pay special attention to the wording and spelling. If you are even remotely familiar with Holy Scripture you’ll find this hilarious. It comes from an elementary school test in which kids were asked questions about the Old and New Testaments. These were some of their answers. They have not been retouched or corrected. Incorrect spelling has been left in.

• In the first book of the Bible, Guinessis, God got tired of creating the world so he took the Sabbath off
  
• Adam and Eve were created form an apple tree. Noah’s wife was Joan of Ark. Noah built and ark and the animals came in pears
• Lot’s wife was a pillar of salt during the day but a ball of fire during the night
• The Jews were a proud people and throughout history they had trouble with unsympathetic genitals
• Sampson was a strong man who let himself be led astray by a Jezebel like Delilah
• Samson slayed the Philistines with the axe of the apostles
• Moses led the Jews to the Red Sea where they made unleavened bread which is bread without any ingredients
• The Egyptians were all drowned in the dessert. Afterwards, Moses went up to Mount Cyanide to get the ten Commandments
• The first Commandment was when Eve told Adam to eat the apple
• The seventh Commandment is that thou shalt not admit adultery

Fantastic stuff indeed!

A Formula That Will Revolutionise Classroom Learning...

khanacademy.org set up by Salman Khan (not to be confused with the Bollywood actor) is probably the world's most revolutionary educational system - all on video! In fact, he currently has around 3000 free educational videos and is considered by Time Magazine the fourth most influencial person in the world.

His aim is to create "the world's first free, world-class virtual school where anyone can learn anything."

Here's what Bill Gates says about Sal Khan...

Khan believes the rigidity of the school's education system is outdated and stiffles a child's natural curiosity. "Aged one to four, kids are excited by anything new, they want to figure it out, then all of a sudden when they turn five you start seeing fewer curious kids, by nine or 10 you see very few with any curiosity, and by 18 it's very much the exception. Curioisty is just stamped out of them...
 
... kids are herded together, the bell rings, you're reqwarded for passivity, you're rewared with compliance, that's what keeps you moving through the system. Because kids are not enabled to reach their full potential, society remains at a status quo. Private school education makes little difference, and most do not show a discernable difference in results. Khan says "If you're able to learn the material that your child's learning, then they have an awesome tutor at home." He's right.

"I think the potential for society is not just five or 10 per cent better, but an order of magnitude better. GDP would grow, people would be happy."

What do you think?

What It Really Means To Take Responsibility...

Why does there always seem to be so much fuss made about responsibility? If we're more "responsible" we can do this and we can that.

If you're a bit like me however, being "responsible" somehow seemed to be a bad word. We've all heard it said one way or another that we should take responsibility for our lives if we're to enjoy the kind of lifestyle we ultimately want. We reap what we sow; we become what we think about; our attitude is reflection of inner thinking and so on.

But when the word "responsibility" is mentioned, it always seems to be used in such a way that it is connected with somebody doing something wrong: "Who's responsible for this?" Similarly, "Can't you take more responsbility for yourself?" results in feelings of being "less than" you really are.

Personal responsibility however, is something much more important, so important in fact that I'd like to quote one of the most respected behavioural researchers of our time, Shad Helmstetter:

"Personal responsibility is at the root of evertything we think, do, conceive, fail at, or achieve in our lives. Personal responsibility is the bedrock of all individual action. Responsibility does not mean "duty" or "burden." It is not the measure of our liability or our accountability: it is the basis of our individual determination to accept life and to fulfill ourselves within it...

... No one will ever breathe one breath for us. No one will ever think one thought that is ours. No one will ever stand in our bodies, experience what happens to us, feel our fears, dream our dreams, or cry our tears. We are born, live, and leave this life entirely on our own. That "self" and the divine spirit which drives it, are what we have. No one else can ever live a single moment of our lives for us. That we must do for ourselves. That is responsibility."

This extract was taken from Shad Helmstetter's great book What to Say When You Talk to Your Self [ Yourself ]and is a great place to start to programme your potential for success.

The Million Pound Question... or is it?

The Million Pound Question by Sunil Bali, 19-08-12.
Most people have dreams and make plans. It's an easy thing to do. But few people execute their plans because they lack the self-discipline to do so. If you're procrastinating or unable to get an important task done, ask yourself the million pound question:

If you were given a million pounds to complete the task within 24 hours, could you do it?

If your answer is yes, it means that it's possible for you to complete the task. If you subsequently don't complete the task, then any reason you give for not completing the task is simply an excuse for not being disciplined, and you can't be serious about what you want to achieve.

As Larry Page the co-founder of Google says, "Inspiration isn't enough. Success is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration."

PS. When it comes to my kids getting great exam grades at the end of the year, I've found the iPhone question very successful.

"Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task" - William James of Harvard.

"Procrastination is opportunity's assassin" - Victor Kiam.

"I wasn't the funniest guy growing up, but I was the guy who worked the hardest on being funny" - Chris Rock (comedian)

About the Author:
Sunil is an expert in human behaviour, and how you can increase both your happiness and income by consistently living your DNA and expressing your authentic self.


You know, when I first read this article I thought it was a great thought provoking piece, and likely to encourage a quick and honest reality check. I realise Sunil was talking about a single task which may indeed be a stumbling block to be overcome with a little extra gusto, but the more I thought about it, the more I began to question the point.

Valid though it undoubtedly is, would you really go all out for your dream if someone magically offered you the financial resources to overcome a task which was holding you back? I doubt it.

For starters, most of us fear our success more than failure, but using someone else's money to achieve your goal would undoubtedly devalue its achievement. We may have the result, but we're not benefiting from the journey and lessons learned to get there. What's more, how many of us would simply spend the money?! Come on, be honest! I remember a story where a start-up successfully made their case to a bank for start-up funds, and promptly spent £30k on office furniture!

So, although the point is sound, and should help us identify valid reasons for what's holding us back, the dream or goal is all the more sweeter if we have won our own battles and grown as individuals along the way - and that doesn't happen overnight. See Larry Page and Chris Rock above - their successes took considerable time and effort in their own words, and yours likely will too.

There are many unscrupulous people out there with their eyes firmly fixed on your wallet telling you otherwise. Take stock by all means. Write out 100 reasons why you will succeed, keep your word around your commitment and watch what happens.

30 Days Says You CAN...

Matt Cutts from TED.com (Technology, Entertainment, Design) gives a brief talk on the power of trying something new for 30 days. Nothing new you might say, but after viewing this brief video your mind will be chalking up fresh ideas by the truckload! Why? Because 30 days is a period most of us can 'see' easily as opposed to say, 5 year goals.

In addition, it gets YOU thinking of possibilities instead of goalsetting being a process whereby most of us feel it's someone else's idea to make us become more than we comfortably feel we can become.

This concept is all the more doable because the period of 30 days means we won't have to stretch ourselves too far, adding to the likelihood that we'll give it a try - something missing from most other goal setting processes.

In addition, you can set another goal the following month without too much emphasis being placed on the preceding 30 days. Encouragement indeed if any were needed.

What I like most about this idea is that its appeal is widespread. Even if you haven't achieved anything you might describe as significant in your life to date, this gets the creative juices flowing! You might also discover during this process, that once you achieve your first 30 day goal, you might get to like the process so much that you extend both the time period and the size of the goal!

After all, as Matt explains, small steps are what count.

If you ever watched the great movie 'Contact' with Jodie Foster, she reaches a distant planet through much turmoil to be met by a superior being resembling the familiar face of her deceased father, who says that 'small moves' are the way forward.

Small steps accumulate leading any one of us to the destination of our choice. This process gets you thinking of destinations and helps cultivate a 'can do' attitude which has to be good. This simple idea is therfore so much more than a 30 day test. It can change our entire lives!

I'd very much to hear your comments and achievements as a result of this one idea. Please do leave your comments.

What's in an Attitude?

Why is it some days we feel happy and others well, not necessarily 'down', but in neutral, more likely to react to the day's events positively or negatively instead of being in control and determining how we go through each day?

Have there been or are there external forces at play which strip us of our inner peace and happiness one minute, and restore it the next? Maybe. But I think it has more to do with our overall outlook on life (our own personal 'big picture'), that sets up our attitudes and corresponding feelings one moment to the next.

I mean, if you're thinking about something positive and worthwhile most of the time, you're more likely to have the corresponding feelings of joy and happiness that go hand in hand with your thoughts and objectives/big picture/goals. And whenever you get those moments of distraction which make you feel 'less than', you're better equipped to make them more fleeting. Furthermore, if you monitor your feelings on a daily basis, you're more likely to spot the peeks and troughs and be more prepared to tackle them.

I once made up a chart which lasted a month, and at the top I wrote the days of the month, and running down the left side I wrote descriptions of feelings ie. feeling great, feeling average, feeling bad (you get the picture), and each day I put a cross against the corresponding feeling. At the end of the month I drew a line connecting all the crosses to determine my average feelings on a daily basis. It made for interesting reading! And simply because I was paying attention to my feelings, over the course of a few months my overall 'good' feelings improved.

It's a useful test. You should try it. It works! And of course you can apply this method to any area you want to monitor and improve.

So, what does all this have to do with attitude? EVERYTHING!

Your attitudes create your feelings, your feelings determine your actions, and your actions, well, they speak for themselves! Ultimately, what we believe determines our attitudes and if we have a worthwhile, achievable goal, we're more likely to believe we can achieve it. And of course we choose what we want to believe, and there you have it.

Anytime you want to improve yourself in any way, to improve your results, you can do so at any time you choose. YOU choose your...

... attitudes
... feelings
... actions
... and therefore your results.

Personal Development Defined

Recently I was having a conversation with my family and my caring (read concerned!) mother, asked me what I was up to these days. When my response included 'personal development' she asked me for clarification and what I meant. I thought for a moment and realised this was indeed a good question, especially as personal development can and does cover so many areas.

I thought the best way to describe it (and the way I have understood personal development to be for the last 25 years or so) is from the great George Zalucki, and I quote:

"If you do not take responsibility for being alive,
if you do not take responsibility for developing the gifts that
you have, if you do not take responsibility for contributing
to the rest of humanity, in each of those areas to the degree
you don't take responsibility, to that degree you shall
trade off the quality of your life."

That for me encompasses everything we need to take on board as part of our dynamic personalities, if we are indeed to live our lives to the full. Everything else which makes up our unique personalities that we place under the heading of personal development, all relates to that statement; confidence, goal setting, living life at cause, responsibility, health, wealth, it's all there. In fact the list is endless. 

Anything that makes us think about whether we are doing our best at any given moment, not only for ourselves and our families, but for humanity also, is worth analysis and course adjustment where necessary. For the question I thank my mother, and for the enduring answer I thank Mr Zalucki. 

The Purpose of a Plan, No-one Else's Plan, YOUR Plan!

Now, if someone pointed out that the purpose of a plan was to make something a reality, you'd probably laugh at them for being so obvious. In fact, it sounds silly doesn't it. Yet how many of us have mistaken planning for the actual 'work?' I know I have.

I can recall personal development seminars and trainings where delegates were often asked to write things down they wanted to achieve, together with all the steps and processes involved to make whatever a reality. We all went away feeling we'd partly achieved our objectives. And then... nothing. Nada. Zip.

I even recall spending hours, days, even weeks of precious time (ask my wife!) working on all sorts of strategies to achieve a particular goal, filling note pads with scribble, completing endless research, then doing nothing with the results! Big oops! 

So, of course this got me thinking (these sorts of things usually do!) Then it struck me. There was never any real emphasis placed on the action steps beyond the planning process. How to bring the goal to life. And often times my notes and plans were so complex I was never likely to take action from them, because the whole project looked like a cross-section of an Encyclopedia Britannica - and I knew it! Hands up those who have done the same!

Another 'a-ha' moment followed shortly after: unless the goal you set as part of your planning is achievable AND inspirational, you won't take action to achieve it. And there you have it. Lots of plans, but not a single 'workable' one to begin the process with the likelihood of success. And because of this rather large factor ie. success not much of a probability, the project was shelved and yet more research sought. Don't make the same mistake!

I find it much simpler now to have one big plan, but to be working on much smaller, more achievable steps or goals which make up the whole. Again, sounds obvious (and I'm sure many people have encouraged this approach) but I'm sure it wasn't the folks from the seminars and trainings!

So, as we're all on our own personal journeys of discovery ie. finding out what works for us as individuals, I thought I'd share this with you so it might save you some time. It has worked for me (and continues to do so). Perhaps you'd like to share what has worked for you?

The Power of Belief. Now that IS Power

I always tend to think about the power of belief whenever I see England play football! And the simple reason is because there always seems to be so little of it. Now don't get me wrong, I would love to see 'our lads' go all the way and reach the final, and (Heaven forbid) win it? Na, that's going a little too far surely (you did see Spain vs France last night, right?)

Many notable authors have described belief in such a way that us mere mortals could understand it, and more importantly apply it, but I prefer the law of belief which states quite simply 

"Whatever you believe, with conviction, becomes your reality." 

Amazing. In fact, absolutely incredible. Please read that again just to be sure it makes the kind of impact it deserves.

If you're a football fan (of sorts) and you've seen any of the (now playing) Euro 2012, you may have seen Ronaldo playing for Portugal. He gave such a convincing performance and the impression that he would go on running all over the pitch until he scored. His 'belief' was such that he KNEW he or his team were going to score, and more importantly win. And so far he's been right.

Was any of that 'belief' evident in ANY of England's games? If it was, I sure as hell missed it, and yet I feel the entire British nation wants our squad to burst upon the football pitch with conviction and play to win. And it's not just been this tournament. The media even have it on good authority from Gerrard that the England squad will be present and give a performance as if a performance was not given during any of their previous games (not many would argue!)

So, why am I having a rant here? Italy vs England tonight. 7pm. 

Jesus said "According to your faith be it unto you." 

So, just how do we get 'more' belief? Apparently all beliefs are learned according to Josh Billings who says "It ain't what a man knows what hurts him, it's what he knows what ain't true." 

So perhaps in the case of our beloved England squad, there's such a huge expectation to repeat the 1966 World Cup Final win every time we enter a tournament. The entire British nation is always looking for that next sign that we're going to pull it off in every contest England enters. In reality however, the squad 'knows' it can't pull it off. Several long gone world cup tournaments later without a win must be right? And there you have it - a self-fulfilling prophecy.

William James puts it this way "Belief creates the actual fact."

So, until we win, we won't believe we can win. But surely belief in winning must come AFTER the fact? And haven't England been winning up to this point? True. But there are larger more difficult hurdles to overcome just around the corner. But as England's new manager Roy Hodgson points out, he's only concentrating on the game in hand - and well done to him. One win at a time builds that all important belief.

So, come on England, believe in yourself (the nation does really) and let's get through this round to the next for that (always) epic battle against Germany. I for one can't wait.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Make it count

Recently I read a sad but interesting story about how so many people go to their graves with their music still in them. In other words they never realised their full potential or developed their unique gifts to contribute and share with the world. And it got me thinking. To begin with, if I were to look back over my schooling (and I'm not attributing blame here), discussing and preparing for life ahead never got a mention.

I accept schooling prepares students by following a certain curriculum, to prepare for further education. But somewhere in between these two places decisions need to be made to form a direction in life.

For some, a clear path is immediately evident, but for others (the majority) more thought is required. Again at no particular point was the subject of one's future discussed, or any of the milestones along the way come to that, like marriage, children, savings (heaven forbid!), a pension, career advancement or increasing one's value (by the way, I recommend Earl Nightingale's program 'Lead The Field' which will save you years of work.)

Who Needs Experience

To make matters worse and to provide some form of evidence here, we often hear about the increasing numbers of young people who leave further education with few chances of work. The often fall prey to any old job which pays because they don't have the experience for the job they really want. The paradox is one where the job in question requires the applicant to have experience where no experience is possible without the job.

It might be a better idea to decide what one wants from life first. Then develop a plan around how best to achieve it. Again, doesn't get a mention. What we see all too often are talented young people with desire and aspiration who settle for any job to gain 'experience' even though the 'job' often doesn't match their God given talents or aspirations. It's right here that the soft furrow of a future rut develops! 

How Many Careers Have You Had So Far?

It's common for most of us to pass through at least seven (yes, seven) different careers during our working lives - not jobs, careers! Is this a good sign do you think? I mean, we do change over time - our goals, our aspirations. Are we then a square peg in a round hole for most of our working lives? (refer back to my first point at the beginning of this article) And what do we do? We complain. How do I know all this? Because this was me.

How Happy Are You

Let me ask you a question; How many people do you know or at least think there are, who are unhappy in their work? Let me put it another way; how many people do you know who are happy in their work? I can't think of more than a few. Can you? 

Maybe this accounts for the startling results from a recent Harris Poll which states that 72% of American households are considering starting a home based business.

For more on this click on this link and watch this short video which explains why we should be pursuing a career which brings us joy.
 
Nowadays it's easy to set our sights a little low, especially with today's social pressures, unemployment etc, as it appears to be easier than holding out for the work we want right? But what about those God given talents each of us possess - you know, the ones which keep reminding us gently in the background about what we should be doing. 

Responsibility - That Word Again

Isn't it about time we sat up and took notice and responsibility for the results which are now our lives? Allow me to quote the great George Zalucki:

"If you do not take responsibility for being alive, if you do not take responsibility for developing the gifts that you have, if you do not take responsibility for contributing to the rest of humanity, in each of those areas to the degree that you do not take responsibility, to that degree you shall trade off the quality of your life." 

Wow. Read that again just to be sure you've got it. Now if we take a good, hard look at our own lives we find, in some cases, that we have indeed sold ourselves short and aimed far below that which we should have. But there is a silver lining to this story.

Are You One of The 224 Million?

If we go back to the 72% of Americans looking to start their own business survey, let's look in more detail at those numbers; it shows us that from a population of over 311 million (July 2011), approx 224 million people are unhappy with their current work. Wow. More importantly, that same number want to do something about it - and that's just the USA! That's the good news. People are waking up and saying "Enough is enough, I want to make a difference and develop the gifts that I have and reap the benefits of the seeds I have sown." Amen to that. 

Like-Minded People Support

But what do you do if you happen to be one of the 224 million looking to start your own work from home business? I've found the best place to start without question is within a community of like-minded individuals supporting each other to succeed. In those early days, a support network is vital - ask any coach. These are people who all started from the same point and learned the skills necessary to build a real business according to their skills, their talents and their abilities - not someone else's idea of success.

Discover the bad news and the good news before you consider any type of home based business to give yourself the best chance of success.

After all, the clock is ticking!

Home / Life Balance Versus New Home-based Business

Your Very Own Home-Based Business. Can You Pull It Off?

According to a recent Harris poll, 72% of American households are thinking about starting a home-based business. But... have you ever stopped to think about the impact this might have on your home / life balance? Now I'm not suggesting for a moment that you shelve your plans, but have you ever wondered how all those successful folks pull it off? I know I have. 

As someone on my own voyage of discovery and betterment, I have all my good reasons for making my home-based business a success - I'm sure you have too. But what about the cost to you and your family? It takes time to build a business, especially from home - don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

How Long Will It Take

I think it's worth preparing you here for the sheer amount of time it's likely to take. Now there are plenty of less than scrupulous folks out there who will tell you (should read 'sell you') that success can be yours more or less overnight with their 'system.' Ask any successful home-based business owner, and they will likely tell you the real cost in terms of time and commitment - and one factor will be to be a realistic goal right from the start.

So what does it take to succeed working from home? Well, apart from your regular home-based business (whatever it may be for you), the following is by no means an exhaustive list of some of the things to consider before you start. Simply add your ideas as they spring to mind because your life and commitments will be unique to you of course:

Full-time or Part-time

Do you intend to continue your full-time job until you can replace your full-time income with your work-from-home business? (this is most common, and a factor often overlooked as the prospect of working from home can be an exciting one). As a result, decide what proportion of your free time you will allocate to your new business (your free time away from your present full-time job).

Skills 

Do you need to learn new skills to succeed with your work-from-home business? Bear in mind you probably spent several years in education before embarking on your present career.

What Does It Mean To Work Two Jobs?

A home-based business means time spent away from your family / children / husband / wife. Never underestimate the amount of time it takes to work two jobs - especially if the work from home business is designed to replace your full-time income. Chances are you've spent many years getting to your present position (and income), and you're unlikely to supersede this in a matter of months. Set realistic time frames and discuss them with your partner. More importantly agree on your time commitments and plan family activities around them.

Set Realistic Goals

Be realitic about how long it will take to supersede your full-time income. I know someone who was still working her full-time job whilst earning over $50,000 a month from her 'part-time' job! (wouldn't we all love to be in that position!).

Learn To Be Flexible

Learn to be flexible and factor in the need to improve. Remember as you improve, so do your results. The better you get the better it gets! Be prepared to amend your performance, expectations, and goals and discipline yourself to follow-through.

Commitment

If I could send you out into the world and research this one word, you would get an education beyond all educations as to why you need to hang in there when your mind tells you to quit. But this article is not about your reasons to succeed - we could easily get off track which brings me to my next point...

Make Best Use Of Your Available Time

Mobile phones, emails, social media, telephone calls, visits, household chores and numerous other distractions are simply that, distractions. Minimise them and remind yourself why you're spending valuable time working at home. It's to build a better life for you, your family and your loved ones. Facebook and ebay can wait.

Evauate Your Progress And Be Honest

Monitor and evaluate even on a daily or task by task basis. Knowing where you are is the best indicator of performance against targets. If you've been working your home-based business for six months and you're barely making an income, ask yourself honestly why:

• have you chosen a good business model to follow? 
• are you putting in the time you allocated yourself? 
• are you spending your valuable time productively?
• are you disciplining yourself to take action towards your goals?
  
  Only you know the answers.
• Do you need another plan?

Reward Your Successes

Even a simple reward can do wonders for your self-esteem and motivation. Remember to reward yourself with every successful step taken towards your work-from-home targets. The time you've spent will seem like less of a bind if you can see some progress. Remember Rome wasn't built in a day! And it makes you feel good. Remember the cycle of success: discipline, results, enthusiasm.

Follow The Signs Life Presents Uniquely To You Every Day

Today I was reminded of a story of a man who believed a miracle would save him whilst ignoring signs all around him that would lead him to safety.

The man was a faithful devotee of God and believed that He would help him in times of trouble. The man lived in a small village which was about to be overwhelmed by a great flood.

Firstly, the man was warned by neighbours of the impending flood; "Leave your home they urged, and find higher ground for you will surely drown if you stay where you are."

The man refused saying; "God will not abandon me, I will stay in my home and be spared."

Not long after, the water began to rise forcing the man to the upper floor of his home, whereupon a man in a passing boat offered him safe passage to dry land. The man refused declaring once again that God would save him.

As the waters continued to rise, the man was forced onto the roof of his home wherupon a helicopter appeared and offered to winch the man to safety. Again the man refused believing that God would save him. The waters continued to rise and the man was swept away and drowned.

When the soul of the drowned man appeared before God in Heaven, he complained that inspite of his faith, God did not help him. Then God smilingly asked the soul “Who said I did not help you? I tried to help you thrice by first offering you the warning, then the man in the boat, then the helicopter. But you foolishly refused it all. What else could I do but let you drown?”

People usually believe that if they pray to God everything will be given to them (emphasis on the 'given'). This is not entirely true. God will help only those who are willing to help themselves. In other words, we must put in our own effort in order to help ourselves. It's like the man who sat in front of the stove and said "Give me heat, then I'll add the wood."

If we find ourselves in a situation (often of our own making), and do nothing but believe that God will miraculously get us out of it, we are bound to meet with frustration. In fact the miracle we seek in this type of situation will seldom come, if at all.


Think of the times each day when you receive or become aware of a sign or a course of action which would move you forward, but you choose to ignore it. Each one of us receives these signs every day. They might come in the form of a hunch, or a gut feeling but you'll know it when it happens. I have a single friend who is always telling me about all these attractive women he sees, but never does anything about. Do you think he might have a similar conversation with God like the man who drowned?!

Whatever your goals in life, be willing and vigilant to look for the signs which will direct you towards that which you seek. Rest assured they are there. Pay attention, recognise them when they present themselves, and more importantly, follow them. They will accumulate, miraculously so, to raise you to your own piece of higher ground from which to enjoy a view of your own making.

What Is The Power To Create Wealth From Nothing?

Written by Paul Counsel, self-made millionaire and author of The Infinite Wealth Trilogy at  http://www.paulcounsel.com.au

One thing you must always keep in mind is that learning is a process of discovering the new. It’s getting access to things you don’t know you don’t know.

Because most people demonstrate they have learned the skills of financial underachievement, it stands to reason that they are capable of learning skills. Skills can only be learned over time and they can only be learned with repetition. No skill that I know of can be instantly learnt. All skills require time and practice. If people can learn the skills of financial underachievement, it must also be possible to learn the skills of being wealthy.

What You Need

All you need is some useful information, someone to mentor you in its application, time and practice.

If you put all these together, and you apply all that you learn, you will become wealthy. It's the Law of Cause and Effect. True learning works from unenlightenment to enlightenment. It doesn’t work the other way around. The trouble with most people is that they stop learning very early in their lives and get stuck with blueprints of struggle and lack.

To be successful on your wealth journey, you must employ the principle of total responsibility. If you are not prepared to take total responsibility for your present economic circumstances, and quit the blaming process, there is no need to read any further because you won’t find anything in these pages that will help you. As soon as you quit the blaming process and employ the principle of total responsibility, you move from a position of being out of control to a position of being in control of your financial destiny.

Where Wealth Creation Starts

The starting place for all wealth creation begins with protecting what you’ve already got and reclaiming the power of what you already earn. Most people start their wealth creation strategies from the wrong assumption. A popular one is that you must have money to make money. This is incorrect. If it were correct then there could be no stories about people who start from nothing and become multimillionaires in relatively few years. My story is one of these and I’ll share some of it with you.

Basically I started with zero $’s and zero assets. What I did have was an absolute belief in myself, a passion for learning, a commitment to succeed and a determination never to go back to the lifestyle I was living. When I started off, one of the best things I did was give myself permission to be wrong. As soon as I gave myself permission to be wrong, I no longer had to do what everybody else was doing. I no longer had to think what they were thinking. I no longer had to believe what they believed and I no longer had to behave the way they behaved. As a result it only took me four years to make my first million dollars.

Focus On Solving The Right Problem

As I said, the starting point for wealth creation is the protection of what you already have and the protection of what you already earn. You must protect yourself from people who want to lighten your economic load and not offer you knowledge and a commensurate learning experience in return. Most people attempt to solve the wrong problem and that’s the lack of money in their lives. In other words, they focus on the result and not the cause.

Most people fail to solve the problem because in order to solve it you must use information and knowledge you don’t presently have. Without this knowledge you can’t solve the puzzle and you end up running around in circles and using the same money habits that are presently causing the results you’re achieving.

To Change, You Need Different Knowledge

If you want to be successful, somewhere along the line there must be some intervention strategies. You must change the way you think about wealth and to do this you need access to different knowledge.

As mentioned above, most people start from the wrong place. Your starting point must be, "how can I reclaim the power of what I already earn?" Most of the 100% you already earn has no power. If you’re like most Australians you'll currently be spending around 115% of what you earn. If you’re like most Americans, you’ll be spending 125% of what you earn and you’ll be surviving on credit to make up the shortfall. This is simply not sustainable over the long-term. If you want financial success, this strategy, despite its popularity, will not work for you.

Ask Better Questions

If I ask you to reclaim 50% of the power of the money you already earn, you might say, "that’s all very well for you, but how do I live?" My response is, "that’s a better question than how do I get more income." It’s also a more appropriate problem to solve. Solve the problem of how you’ll live off 50% of the income you already receive and then use the surplus for your investment needs.

There are many ways to solve this problem and, if you allow me, I’ll teach them to you. All you have to do is begin asking questions. There are many ways to solve this problem and of course we’ll teach them to you. All you have to do is begin asking questions.

============================================

Side Note:

I explained in detail how to solve the biggest problem people face on their journey to wealth. You can find it in the first book of the Infinite Wealth Trilogy at

http://www.paulcounsel.com.au

============================================

You must begin by reclaiming all those dollars that automatically leave your pay packet each fortnight/month. You must stop giving away your dollars to the wealth creation funds of others. Over a lifetime, most people are happy to drink a fortune, smoke a fortune, wear a fortune, drive a fortune, and entertain a fortune. It’s these fortunes that you must reclaim.

And when you do, you can begin to use their power to create real wealth.

Written by Paul Counsel, self-made millionaire and author of The Infinite Wealth Trilogy, http://www.paulcounsel.com.au

Self Improvement: 10 Ways To Fail In Life Almost Guaranteed

So you want to be successful in life? Is that what you want? Then you better stop failing and become aware of these 10 ways to fail in life. You see, I've been asked many times how to achieve success and weirdly enough, it seems like nobody is taking my advice seriously! Then I realized one thing; most people are ALREADY failing before they even got started!

The article I wrote below is slightly controversial compared to the normal goodie-type personal development advice because this is the TRUTH. If I want to keep everyone happy and write about the colorful rainbow, birds chirping, flowers blooming, etc then I should just open up a nursing home and take care of children. I  want to tell you the truth straight to your face because I've been there and heard the garbage and lies thrown everywhere.

Avoid these and you'll automatically be on the right track (provided you want to be successful)...

1. Mixing With Losers
It's a guaranteed way to fail in life with this. Whatever you like to do, losers will just tell you it won't work and after some time, you will also become a loser. High five, welcome to the losers' club. Something about losers you should know: they like to 'recruit' new people and are very comfortable in their shoes. They don't welcome change. So when you see someone with any of these two characteristics, you know what you should do. 

2. Don't Know What You Want
The most common goal I hear all of the time is, 'I want to be rich.' I mean it's fine with that generic goal but the problem is, how rich do you want to be? Or how rich is rich? Put it this way - the methods used to make a million and $3,000 are different. No wonder some people couldn't experience breakthroughs in life because they are playing small for big goals. If you want to make a million, you better put in that level of commitment, bucko.

3. You Want Everything
It's nice to have a lot of things but if you go chasing everything, you get nothing. Let me tell you why - you only have 24 hours a day and you've got to focus on your priorities. I know, I know, you can hire others and so on but the fact is, you've got to want 'something' first to lead to another 'something', then to everything. Make sense?

4. Watching 'The Secret' Way Too Much
I'm not here to criticize the Law Of Attraction (LOA) and don't want to receive 'hate' emails! As a matter of fact, I do believe in it and have friends who appeared in The Secret. But it's a surefire way to fail if you keep watching 'The Secret' and doing 'attraction' by sitting down on your floor manifesting 3 hours a day. In my point of view, scientifically, Law of Attraction runs on the concept of 'belief'. When you believe you can achieve your goal, you will take action to actually achieve it but if you don't understand this basic element and think LOA is some sort of miracle remedy, oh boy, you're in for a big surprise for failure.

5. You Don't Truly Know Why You Want Success
Wanting everything is bad enough - but it gets even worse if you don't even know the reason why you're trying to achieve your goal. What's the deal? Without a solid reason, a compelling reason, where are you going to find the motivation and encouragement for you to overcome obstacles? You think it's going to be a fun ride to success? Then you haven't been traveling - it's a rocky road, my friend. Most people failed to achieve their goals because they never completed the journey-- they gave up half way (or at the beginning) because they cannot see the worth of accomplishments.

6. You Don't Remember Your Roots
The thing I get most irritated about is people who achieve success and never felt gratitude towards those who have helped them. Is it very hard to say, 'thank you?' The law of reciprocity is simple – you return favors to those who helped you in the past. And maybe, they'll help you again in the future. Remember this- it takes more than just you to achieve success, so don't be a jerk.

7. You Think You're Smart
The day you stop learning is the day you stop improving yourself. If you don't want to fail in life, make sure you stop acting as though you already know everything. The fact is, all successful people are people who continuously learn to be even more successful. They don't stop. Let me put it in this perspective - you don't know what you don't know, you know?

8. You Listen To The Wrong People
I watched this funny movie called, "He Is Just Not That Into You" and it just reaffirmed what I'm about to tell you. At the beginning of the movie, it shows a clip of a boy pushing a girl in the playground because he somehow doesn't like her. He thinks she smells like dog pooh. She cried and asked her mum why did the boy do that to her. And her mum replied, "It's because boys do that to girls when they like you." Do yourself a favor, don't get wrong advice. It'll stick in your brain and lead you to make stupid interpretations in life.

9. You Think Short Term
You'll hear this happening often in many 'successful' people's stories – make a lot of money only to lose it all. This is probably because they became too comfortable and the other thing is, once you achieve success, you should ride on the wave when the momentum is there. When you think short term, you're only going after the instant pleasure. You must learn to master 'delayed gratification' so that you can enjoy your today's labor.

10. You're Blinded With What Is Important In Life
I believe there are only two things that are important in your life – control of time and experiencing happiness. Money, love, big cars, diamonds, etc are the things that contribute to these 2 benchmarks of success. For instance, if you have money, you don't need to work so that you can have more time to do the things you like. It's not the money that you're trying to get but what the money CAN DO FOR YOU.

I know this topic is bigger than one sentence of explanation but I guess you get the point. You're smart.
So now you know the 10 ways to fail in life. Question is, are you doing any of these? I'll be BS'ng you if I said I don't. I'm human, flesh and blood just like you, and I make mistakes too. But I was fortunate to experience my fair share of success today because I learned powerful lessons from other successful people...

"It's okay to fail, and you should fail as many times as you can. This is how you learn but more importantly, you should never give up – each time you get kick dirt in your face, wash your face and 'fight' back. Don't go crying like a sissy because Mum's not going to come cleaning your face."

Are you ready? Go get your goals.

Patric Chan is the founder of SuccessAndLife.com. You can watch 2 of his Success Formula Videos for free and download 3 bonus ebooks at http://www.successtrace.com.

All Progress Doesn't Have To Be Perfect

If you're like most people, you like to do a good job. We all feel that satisfaction at the end of the day when we know we've made good progress. But what happens when all the pieces don't fall neatly into place? This issue has been raising its head over the last month or so for me, and it got me thinking. Why we react in a certain way towards certain challenges. Is it a question of learning (how we were taught to do things) or because we have a plan to follow and we must keep rigidly to it? In this instance, I have a plan and I like to complete each step in sequence to make measured progress towards my goals. This approach is fine until one or more pieces won't fit in place. Now this can mean one of two things; you either find a way 'round the obstacle and re-visit when you have a workable solution, or you put things on hold (me) and wait until you can resolve the issue. But as we all know putting things on hold is not good. A little unproductive time soon adds up really quickly until motivation has slipped unnoticed out the door!

The solution? Get on with something you can succeed at whilst keeping in mind those unresolved issues which can be fixed later as and when you have the solutions. This way you still make progress on your project as a whole, whilst maintaining your enthusiasm and keeping the bigger picture in mind. Any progress is still progress, right?

Just think for a moment of the number of times you've put an important project on hold because you've come across an obstacle which prevented orderly progress. There are many. With this approach you can still make progress towards your goal(s), and as long as you're still striving towards your objective, you will get there. Bear in mind that an aircraft never flies true to its objective - even on autopilot. it has to constantly make alterations to compensate for external factors. We must do the same - above all keep going!


"I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed." ~ Booker T Washington.