No Nonsense Guide to Success

Success means different things to different people. Some feel that if they drive a new car, they are successful. Some feel that if they finish college, they are successful. This article will interpret it and give you a no - nonsense way to achieve it

• What is Success?
• Integrity.
• Hard work
• Stick to it
• Help others be successful
• Enjoy but do not boast

1. The dictionary describes success as; "the favorable or prosperous termination of attempts or endeavors; the accomplishment of one's goals." While that is an accurate description, it does not quite define success. An eighty-year-old woman completes college and everyone says she is a success. A twenty - five year old girl does the same thing and she is a success. It means different things to different people.
2. Integrity is one of the necessary ingredients of success. You may own a thriving business, but if you do not have integrity, your success will be short - lived and cause sleepless nights.
3. Nothing will ever take the place of good, old-fashioned, hard work. King Solomon summed it up this way; "Don't be too fond of sleep; you'll end up in the poorhouse. Wake up and get up; then there'll be food on the table." I am not advocating you ignore your family, or that you work 16 hours a day. I am just saying, "when you snooze, you lose." Do not work harder, work smarter, but work!
4. You may call it persistence, but I say just stick to it! Do not give up - the stories are endless about people dying on the doorstep of their house in a blizzard. My favorite for quotes is Yogi Berra; "It ain't over 'til it's over." You are not successful until you succeed - just keep at it until you cannot only smell the roses, but you can pick 'em.
5. Zig Zigler said it well; "You can have everything in life that you want if you will just help other people get what they want." Still true today that success is not a lone wolf theory and no man is an island. We need other people to help us, and we want to help other people be successful.
6. Once you have succeeded and feel you are a success, enjoy every minute of it, but do not boast about it. Let others praise you. You do not need to wear a sign saying, "I am a success." People can spot a fake a mile away.

"A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." David Brinkley. It is true that when you are a winner, some people will be jealous; however, I like a statement I heard once; "When the big dog goes by, the little dogs bark." You will always have yappers at your heels. Just keep on trucking and you will be a success.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_T._White

The 5 Steps That Successful People Are Taking

Among all the people I've read success stories from, as well as the successful people I've interviewed myself, I have found a common thread. They all had a very specific goal in mind along with a vision. Here are the 5 detailed steps that successful people have taken and still taking to get where they are.

They Have a Goal

If you don't have a specific goal of what you want to accomplish, it will be very difficult for you to actually get it. Wishful thinking is definitely not enough to accomplish something of importance that will be life changing for you. You need to have a specific goal.

They Have a List

It's a good idea to make a list of the steps that you need to take to go from point A to point B. Your list could be starting from very short term, like what you want to accomplish by next week, or next month, to long term such as where you want to be in one, 5 or 10 years from now.

Just remember that the more specific your list, the faster the results.

They Use a Vision Board

A Vision board does the same job a list does (in a way), but it's obviously indented to put a visual form of your goal in front of you. Make your vision board very specific too. Add pictures, quotes, goal statements. Everything you may want to add is fine.

Just make sure you look at your board each day and reflect on it. It will keep your vision fresh in mind. The board is NOT your vision; it's a helper for your vision to be in front of you at all time.

They Use Positive Affirmations

Now, I'm not going to lie to you like some so called coaches have done and still do, by telling you that positive affirmations work like miracles. They don't! The reason why affirmations don't work for a lot of people is because they don't match their current beliefs.

What do I mean by that?

I mean that if you are complete broke and recite all day long that you are a millionaire it's not going to work for you, because you would be lying to yourself. Instead of actually getting richer, you'd be getting more frustrated and desperate wondering why this is not working for you.

Your positive affirmations need to make sense to YOU "subconsciously" in order to work. This is usually the big misunderstanding about positive affirmations.

They Take Action

Once you have a goal, a list of events to be unfolded, a vision board helping you with your vision, and positive affirmations that make sense to your subconscious mind, you'll have all the foundations for success. However, it doesn't mean that it's all you have to do.

Taking proper actions along with all the above will be vital for your success as well. The difference is that if you do follow this recipe for success along with your actions you will hit your target faster, and stronger.

Make sure you apply these 5 steps to success and you'll be on your way for a better life.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sylviane_Nuccio

How to Send Procrastination Down the River - For Good

You can gain great power simply by making a decision-and by aligning your actions with the decision you've made.

Not making a decision when you know you have a choice to make, or failing to act in accordance with the decision once you've made it, drains your energy-and by that I don't mean it drives up your electric bill. We're talking about your precious life energy here, so it's really important that you understand what's behind procrastination before you can send it down the river for good.

Why is it that we create these demons for ourselves when our lives would be so much easier and happier if we would take the advice-of a sneaker company, of all things-and "just do it"?

My take on procrastination is that it's largely related to the fear of failure. Among the fears Leo Babauta lists, there are a few that relate directly to the big goals we'd like to accomplish-after, of course, we heed Facebook's siren call: 

• Fear of overwhelm. You have so much to do, you don't know where to start. You think you have to have it all figured out before you even start and you're afraid of tackling so much.
• Fear of too much work. When you know that a task is going to be very difficult, it's understandable that you would feel resistance, and you'll often put it off forever.
• Fear it will take too much time. You anticipate that the time you'll need to focus or be productive will be great-and you dread it or worry that you can't spare that much time.

One of Eckart Tolle's most powerful lessons is that the greatest freedom is to live in the realization that all problems are created in the mind and that there are no problems when you are fully centered in the present moment.

I think a great tool for "anchoring" in the present moment is "EFT" and you might find this meditation particularly helpful while doing it:

Even though I'm busy and stressed, and I don't see any way out of it, I choose to be present in this moment. Even though I'm so busy with _______ (work deadlines/business/family/traveling/social commitments etc.), I deeply and completely accept myself in this moment.

After you achieve some calm, try these steps, and you'll find that your fear-driven procrastination won't stop you as often. 

1. Set Your Timer for a 15-Minute Sprint.This is how I accomplish almost everything. I define the task, set the timer and Go. For 15 minutes. You know what's great about setting the timer for 15 minutes? Your brain finds it a totally doable amount of time to fully commit to a task without distractions. Any longer and you'll find yourself thinking about whether you've got an email, or that you have to start the dishwasher.
2. Get Accountability.Tell a friend or announce on Facebook (oh, the irony!) that you're about to tackle your closets or prep for your big meeting next month. It's a fascinating fact about human nature: we're more likely to keep the promises we make to others rather than just to ourselves.
3. Ban Distractions.Whether you're setting a timer for 15 minutes or an hour or an entire afternoon (keeping in mind that what you think you can manage and what your attention span can actually manage may be two different things), remember you're in a race against time and avoid distractions. In fact, half an hour spent eliminating distractions (answering e-mails, starting the dishwasher, etc.) plus half an hour of intensive work is probably worth more to you than a full hour spent working while fighting the urge to address all the other things you have to do.
4. Celebrate!
5. There are actually two distinct personality types: those who are motivated by the avoidance of pain and those who are motivated by the pursuit of pleasure. You should be honest about what truly motivates you and work with it, but I think everyone should give themselves a small treat for a job well done. Iris Murdoch said it best, "One of the secrets of a happy life is continuous small treats."

Procrastination interferes with problem solving and creates a lot of sadness and anxiety. We can learn to identify and challenge our inaccurate beliefs about a task or project by examining them, and we can consider alternative ways of understanding the situation. If we are willing to learn techniques for coping with the stress and learn different strategies for tackling a project, we will have sent procrastination down the river for good.

What are your techniques for dealing with procrastination? What works for you?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stacey_Curnow

Three Tips For Feeling More Powerful

Do you ever feel powerless in your life?

OK, maybe not over your whole life, but have you ever lost control of your day?

It happens to all of us at one time or another. For some, this feeling of powerlessness can carry on for decades.

But rather than going too deep, I want to give you just three quick tips that allow you to feel like you are in control of your day.

The most prevalent reason we stumble into the self-deception of powerlessness is that we're afraid of what other people would do or say or feel if we were to act as we wanted

1. Stop multi-tasking - First of all, multi-tasking does not get you anywhere. All it does is keep you distracted from getting the job done. I mean really, are you at your best if you are running around doing some chore while trying to cook supper and take care of a crying baby all at the same time? No, of course not, and I can guarantee that you are not happy either. So, stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Being a farm girl, I have seen that happen, and trust me it's not a pretty site. It's not a productive state to be in. So stop.

2. Be still and be structured - What I mean by this is that you need to take the time to plan your day, and focus on just one thing at a time. A good friend of mine, Melissa, gave me a tip that I will share with you: get a timer from the dollar store and set it for 55 minutes. Decide ahead of time what you are going to be doing, do that one thing and one thing only. When the timer goes off take a 5 minute break, get a drink of water, go to the bathroom. And if you're not finished with your task, after your break, set the timer again for another 55 minutes. And keep repeating the process until the job is done. You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish in one day.

3. Talk nicely to yourself - Just like you would to a good friend. If you make a mistake, by all means acknowledge it, but do not beat yourself up about it. Forgive yourself and move forward. Compliment yourself on a job well done and all the effort it took to do it.

Power is built on daily decisions. Power = strength over time. ~ Crystal Andrus

Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Pfeffer

Learn How to Accept Yourself - The First Step to Success

Realize that everybody is different from each other. Everyone has special features and character respectively. This implies that we have an advantage that is not owned by anyone else, but we also have a deficiency compared with others. Such awareness will help us to feel safe and relaxed in accepting our situation indeed. We will not feel worried with the advantage of others. And this will help foster a sense of trust in ourselves.

Physically, we know ourselves very well. For example, our height and weight, the colors of our skin and hair, or the shape of our eyes. We also know for certain our place and date of birth, where we live, and what we do for living. But this does not mean we know ourselves enough. More than that, We are required to recognize our own nature, character, habits, and personality. These qualities actually form our self-worth.

Everybody is born with weaknesses and shortcomings. But do not even regret it. Do not compare excessively our deficiencies with others' advantages. We also have advantages. And do not let us go through 'short-cut' to transform ourselves. It is better to find our superior qualities to cover our own flaws.

Think positive about ourselves. Regardless our deficiencies, we cannot hate and evaluate negatively ourselves. If we are always overshadowed by our own limits, we will find it is difficult to accept and appreciate ourselves. It starts with ourselves. If we do not value our own selves, why should others do?

Be confident that we are able to accept ourselves in all situations and under any circumstances. This allows us to be ourselves. This is because we have personal pride for ourselves. But of course, we are not satisfied with confidence alone. More then that, we must continue to seek and enhance the antecedents that can increase the sense of confidence in us.

We must realize that we may not be able to match others, in physical appearance, know-how or success all the time. We are also able to achieve success, but not the success that others achieve. Remember, regardless of the state of ourselves, we should accept and appreciate ourselves as a person who has all the disadvantages and advantages. Importantly, we can find our own advantage without looking at the advantages of others. Thus, we will be a strong and unpretentious personality.

In conclusion, being able to accept ourselves for who we are is really the very first step in charting our route to success.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Farhi_Razali

The Power Of Proper Priorities

Many state that they are striving for success, yet they often fail to address their personal priorities, and the potential impacts and ramifications of these. The reality is quite often that each of us must prioritize getting their personal priorities straight and meaningful! Personal success is not merely about making more money, or gaining more personal powers, but for it be meaningful and sustainable must address: 1. emphasizing the greater good; 2. making the creation and implementation of value a priority; and; 3. maintaining the pursuit of excellence. Without focusing on one's real needs and priorities, no one can ever achieve true internal happiness, and without that, no matter how one might else wise succeed, he will never truly be a success!

1. Inner happiness rarely is solely about succeeding in business or some other endeavor, but rather must include how one truly feels about himself and his life. Each of us never live in a vacuum, and therefore, when we consider how our actions impact others, our ability to feel better about ourselves is enhanced. One of the most important preliminary tasks must be asking the question, "What will I do to prioritize the greater good, and addressing the greater needs of all I come into contact with?" Unless we take the time, look objectively, and focus on screwing our heads on right and embracing how we wish to impact others, there can be no true success.

2. Both providing real value, as well as focusing on how others perceive the value, we become better able and willing to work with others in a cooperative way, to achieve essential goals. Value means a willingness to address needs in a meaningful manner, emphasizing the action and means, rather than solely the rhetoric or stated intent. We must assure that the values we aim to provide align directly with our own goals, maintaining absolute integrity, and persisting in an organized manner toward their achievement.

3. Successfully achieving mediocre goals does not mean that we are truly successful! It is precisely the level and impacts of what we strive for, that is often most indicative of our future relevance. Excellence means never merely settling, and therefore requires lofty goals, ideals and aims. The focus must consistently be on the greater good, because we need to please ourselves by doing the right thing on a regular and consistent basis.

Without having the necessary priorities, how can we feel good about what we do? Achievements without priorities creates aimlessness and inconsistency.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Brody

Life's Ten Vital Ingredients

Do you want to be happy? Content? Have inner peace? Feel joy every day? Well, after reading over 100 spiritual books during the past two years including the Bible (cover to cover) here is what I came up with. I did not put them in any special order as they are all important if you want to spend your remaining years (regardless of your age) on earth with a sense of meaning and value. You can agree or disagree with the list; I am only sharing what I have learned from my study and research.

Love -
When I speak of love I'm not referring to romantic love but a mindset of love. Regardless of your religious or spiritual inclinations or views love is the basic foundation of life. Whether it's self-love or the love of life in general when love is the basis of all of your thoughts, behaviors, decisions and actions you will tend to bring peace, happiness and joy into your life. If you lack love the only other option is fear (since there are only two basic emotions - love and fear) then the ingredients grounded in fear such as; anger, hate, guilt, discouragement, jealousy, resentment, vindication etc. will fill your soul and mind therefore manifesting themselves in one way or another as a fear response to life and its conditions or circumstances.

Love is the foundation of every aspect of life and without it we are unable to enjoy life and feel a sense of gratitude or contentment.

Faith -
I am not referring here to religious faith but that is included in the general mindset of faith. Faith is trusting what you can't see, don't know or is not present. Whether it's faith in yourself, your future, your decisions or life in general people who live with faith are not living in La La Land. They choose to believe what they can't prove or lacks physical evidence or manifestation. Faith is a vital part of life whether it's faith that your efforts will eventually produce positive effects or benefits or faith in God and all He has done, is doing and will do for you. People who lack faith tend to be negative and pessimistic. If you can't see it or prove it - it ain't so.

So much happens each minute in your life whether physically (every heartbeat) or the driver that doesn't ram into the trunk of your car. Most of life's happenings happen without our conscious awareness. I'm not talking here about miracles but just so many little synchronistic actions that you couldn't see coming - yes some can be perceived as bad stuff while others can be interpreted as good stuff. But, in the end, it's all happening for a reason. If we choose to interpret what is happening only from a "present" perspective you are missing so much that could end up being a positive.

Faith is seeing all that happens in your life as eventually good even though it might seem like chaos at the moment.

Gratitude -
Most people on a routine basis focus on what they want or is missing in their life. When they lose a job, a loved one or their car keys their attention seems to gravitate towards what is wrong or absent in their life. Think about it - regardless of what you have lost, and I'm not being insensitive if you have lost someone dear to you, what do you still have?

Whether it's health, friends, family, talent or some other thing to feel gratitude for, I am positive you have more left than you have lost.

Why do so many people focus on what is missing? Is it taking so much in life for granted or just pure arrogance or pride? Or is it something else?

Let me ask you a question - the last time you lost something in your life was your immediate reaction one of gratitude for what you still have or did you concentrate on your loss? Yes you need to grieve and feel the pain of loss whether a job or some aspect of your health but I would ask you to consider - how many blessings do you still have?

Growth -
If you are not growing you are falling behind. Whether it's some area of your career, your relationship skills or just general wisdom and life experience, it is critical that you keep learning. I'm not suggesting you spend hours at your computer searching for more information than you will ever need but the simple trait of having a "life learning mindset" where you are always open to new ideas, skills, approaches or attitudes.

One of the common traits that many people develop as their years pass is one of uselessness, they no longer feel valuable or relevant. When this attitude prevails in your life you will tend to see yourself as a victim and spend a great deal of time in self-pity or low self-esteem neither of which will add value to the adventure of your life.

What is your life-long learning approach? Do you read on a regular basis? Do you meet new people and share and learn new insights? Do you reach out to develop new skills or talents? It's simple folks - grow or start dying and life doesn't care how old you are. I know people in their eighties who are great students in life and I know a number of people in their twenties that think they know it all. And you approach is...

Service to others -
Life is about giving not getting. Ever watched the smile on another's face when you did something for them or gave them a special gift? Joy was experienced by you as well but the interesting thing is that your joy is greater than theirs no matter the gift or act of service. Why is this? Why do we get more pleasure out of giving than getting? Simple - giving that has value says you care, you are thoughtful, you are compassionate and you are unselfish. Service to others can be simply holding a door open for someone or spending months or years as a missionary but the result is always the same - you get more than they do and trust me they get a lot.

Surrender -
Surrender is simply about letting go - of self-absorption, control, ego needs or for more common themes like power, influence or even wealth. A great book by Ortberg is "It's All Going Back in the Box." Read it. Surrender is not giving up or giving in it's just letting go of your need to know what is coming next or to try and influence what is next and not getting discouraged or mired in self-pity when things don't go as you planned, wanted or expected. Life happens. People who refuse to give up control of things that they can't control live with a great deal of pain, stress, guilt and even remorse. All you have is one moment at a time. The previous minute is gone and you may not get the next one so relax and just be - now and not stuck in the past with all of its failures,
disappointments, mistakes and even positive memories.

Hope -
Hope is all we have sometimes. When life seems at its worst and you think things can't get worse and they suddenly do - BAM - where did this one come from? Hope is a spiritual mindset that focuses on the positives. Now this doesn't mean that all you hope for will materialize but at least you are not letting despair or anxiety rule your present moments and you have decided to hope for the best. Planning for the worst while hoping for the best is a wonderful life approach.

Effort -
Nothing is ever accomplished without effort, nothing. There are lots of ways to define effort. There is physical effort and emotional or mental effort. It doesn't matter which form it takes life requires that if you want better outcomes or positive results you have to act, but yes acting in a mature, responsible and timely manner will help the outcome a great deal. Know anyone who wants something better but just sits there waiting for it to happen? There is no guarantee that your effort will produce the results or outcomes you want but you have a better chance of achieving them if you act rather than just sit idly by waiting because you deserve it.

Responsibility -
The world owes you nothing and that includes; you're parents, the government, your spouse and anyone else who crosses your path. What you achieve or fail to achieve is in your hands. As long as you choose to point your finger at anyone else you will always feel disappointed and often like a victim. Responsibility is more than a choice it is a responsibility, I know - doesn't make sense but think about it. Whatever you achieve, whatever your circumstances and whatever your outcomes you will sooner or later have to bring them all back to the source - you.

Humility -
The opposite of humility is pride. We all have degrees of pride and this is normal and natural but the problem begins when you lose your humility because of your pride. Humility is the quality of being modest and respectful - the opposite is arrogance. People who are humble have nothing to prove and don't require your approval or acceptance of them. They are who they are and they don't spend their life trying to impress others but here's the interesting thing - most of the great leaders of the past were driven by humility. Can you think of any?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Connor

Caged Hearts - In the Search of Sunshine

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies. Overwhelmed by the grief and hopelessness. Sometime it is the ravages of inflation. It is a feeling of being trapped in a particular life situation for which you see no choices. Hope is what comes in the dark of the night and whispers 'It will all be alright. '

The life is bitter as the truth is. One finds different types of people and situations. Some learns the lesson, heal wounds from the past, & reach for the future and some just let them go on and thus don't want to bring a durable change in their life and remains hopeless. It leads to helplessness where we no longer feel capable of making decisions to grow or change. Sometimes in life the person who tries to make everyone happy turns out to be the lonely one. It feels like hollow hearts and shallow feelings, spending days without aiming it.

As some see a hopeless end, while others see an endless hope. There are many reasons for being hopeless like emotionally dumped i. e. betrayed by their boyfriends or their beloved once, cheated and thus broken;finds no way out. Some people don't find jobs, destitute, pressure of studies, financially instability. These are the reasons that they use excessive of recreational drugs and/or alcohol that creates a great change in the mood and affects the mind.

Some finds their life with no any reason. Hopelessness is contagious. So many tangles in life are ultimately hopeless that we have no appropriate sword other than laughter but there are some people who forget to laugh and lost the desire to live. Feeling of being lost, discouraged, depressed all are the signs of hopelessness. Many people adjust well, particularly with appropriate support after trauma, stress, grief, loss or bereavement. Unfortunately, for complex reasons, others do not. They have shabby condition.

Broken hearts and perished souls have the secrets kept in their eyes thus wraps the truth inside the lies. We all see such people in our surroundings but we pass through them without noticing. They have arid eyes and buried feelings.

As far as I believe they can be fine by treating them with love, care and affection. Giving some attention and spending some time with them can heal their wounds. Thus, a little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious. There would be hunky-dory effect in their lives. Don't take life too seriously. Punch it in the face when it needs a good hit. Laugh at it because it is the key to caged hearts.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sakina_Bukhari

Creating Powerful Intentions

We have a tendency to use intentions as a type of goal, as something concrete that we need to achieve or some action that needs to be completed - or at least I used to.

I would often "set" intentions like: "My intention is to hike around the Guelph Lake today." or "My intention today is to eat healthy." or "My intention is to have fun." Hiking, eating healthy, having fun - not easy actions to achieve on a daily basis by simply setting a goal or an intention!

While this type of intention or goal is fairly quick and easy to set, they are not very powerful. For me, when I used to set this type of intention, I tended to become distracted somewhere between setting the intention and actually fulfilling it. Then when I didn't fulfill the intention or complete the goal, I would become frustrated with myself. I would become disillusioned, disheartened, negative and would often abandon the lifestyle change I was trying to accomplish. If I didn't achieve my goal of eating only healthy food today or completing a specific physical activity, I would be less likely to try again the next day until eventually I gave up completely. Sound familiar?

Recently I discovered a slightly different way to set more powerful intentions and actually achieve awesome goals.

When I align my intention with one of my personal core values and then align that with a specific goal, I become a very powerful manifester.

Let me re-work that first intention I set above to show you how this works:

Assuming that one of my core values is "Wellness" and I define wellness, in part, as being physically active and enjoying life. One of my daily powerful intentions that is aligned to this core value becomes "to enjoy being physically active". I set my wellness goal for today as "to hike around the Guelph Lake".

So far so good. My intention, my core value, and my goal are all in alignment.

Suppose I meet a friend while I am hiking around the Guelph Lake and we end up having fun talking and hiking. My friend suggests that we go kayaking on the Lake rather than continue hiking as they are finding the hike to be challenging. What do I do?

I can continue to fulfill my goal of hiking around Guelph Lake, but I am enjoying spending time with my friend and will miss this enjoyment if I continue on by myself. So although I have achieved my goal for the day by continuing on with my hike, I have not remained in alignment with my intention or my core value. By focusing solely on my goal I would have missed an opportunity that would have created a much better outcome.

Or I can honour my core value (Wellness) and my intention (to enjoy being physically active) but shift my goal to take advantage of an unexpected opportunity and spend time with my friend kayaking on Guelph Lake rather than setting off on my own to hike around the Lake.

When we align our intention with one of our core values and honour this on a daily basis our goals can remain flexible allowing us to take advantage of unexpected opportunities that come along. When we remain in alignment with who we are while taking advantage of opportunities we hadn't even known existed before.

We become very powerful deliberate creators.

The awesome thing about this level of alignment is that it works in our daily life regardless of whether our goals are personal or career oriented.

How often do you set a goal but never achieve it? How many New Year's Resolutions have you made and actually achieved?

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Anne_Bolender

Three Tips For Feeling More Powerful

Do you ever feel powerless in your life?

OK, maybe not over your whole life, but have you ever lost control of your day?

It happens to all of us at one time or another. For some, this feeling of powerlessness can carry on for decades.

But rather than going too deep, I want to give you just three quick tips that allow you to feel like you are in control of your day.

The most prevalent reason we stumble into the self-deception of powerlessness is that we're afraid of what other people would do or say or feel if we were to act as we wanted

1. Stop multi-tasking - First of all, multi-tasking does not get you anywhere. All it does is keep you distracted from getting the job done. I mean really, are you at your best if you are running around doing some chore while trying to cook supper and take care of a crying baby all at the same time? No, of course not, and I can guarantee that you are not happy either. So, stop running around like a chicken with its head cut off. Being a farm girl, I have seen that happen, and trust me it's not a pretty site. It's not a productive state to be in. So stop.

2. Be still and be structured - What I mean by this is that you need to take the time to plan your day, and focus on just one thing at a time. A good friend of mine, Melissa, gave me a tip that I will share with you: get a timer from the dollar store and set it for 55 minutes. Decide ahead of time what you are going to be doing, do that one thing and one thing only. When the timer goes off take a 5 minute break, get a drink of water, go to the bathroom. And if you're not finished with your task, after your break, set the timer again for another 55 minutes. And keep repeating the process until the job is done. You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish in one day.

3. Talk nicely to yourself - Just like you would to a good friend. If you make a mistake, by all means acknowledge it, but do not beat yourself up about it. Forgive yourself and move forward. Compliment yourself on a job well done and all the effort it took to do it.

Power is built on daily decisions. Power = strength over time. ~ Crystal Andrus

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mary_Pfeffer

7 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Pay Heed to What People Talk About You

Most people do not know how to spend time creatively. In fact, they have problem killing the time. So, the best way for them to pass it is to talk it away. And there is no juicier way than discussing the private lives and affairs of the friends and acquaintances.

Someone in the company also makes it a point to convey to the hapless victim the whole proceedings of the party to win their sympathy and good will and also, may be, to provoke them to vent out their angry reactions and thus fuel the fire.

But the problem with most of victims of the slander is that they eagerly, almost greedily listen to such reporters even if they know that what was discussed was pure and simple falsehood and malicious enjoyment at their cost. They also try to forcefully put forth their point of view to negate the charade. The matter, however, does not close after the vigorous denial.

The worse part of the exercise starts thereafter. Instead of ignoring the gossips as the waste of time and energy, they spend hours and hours mulling, ruminating, meditating over it. They almost derive a kind of masochistic delight in fretting and fuming, planning their defence or launching an equally aggressive counter attack. This is the most negative even harmful way of responding to rumours and gossips.

Here are 7 reasons why you should not pay heed to what people talk about you.

1. Do not try to explain your side of the story or justify your stand. The rumour mongers are not interested in your perspective. Your explanation would only provide more substance to creative juices.

2. Your happiness should be your sole concern regardless of what people think

Of course, you should not try to be happy at the cost of others. If your source or pursuit of pleasure does in no way affect others, go ahead and lap it up. Ignore what people say. They probably talk derisively about you because they are jealous of you and do not have the courage to take the kind of step you have taken. There are true stories of kings, princes and princesses who gave up their kingdoms for even the common people they loved.

The example of King Edward VIII of England who fell in love with a married and divorced American lady, Mrs Wallis Simpson and abandoned the British throne is quite well-known. Above all he did not pay any heed to the millions of his British subjects. He lived his life the way he loved.

3. What would have happened if the scientists had heeded to the people's talk about their pursuits? There are examples of several eminent scientists who pursued their interests despite wide-spread ridicule and opposition. Two glaring examples are of Galileo and Robert Goddard.

Galileo, the scientist, physicist, mathematician, astronomer and inventor of telescope, called spy glass in those days, was not only ridiculed, but was accused of heresy and put to trial by inquisition, notorious in those days for ruthless persecution of its victims.

Robert Goddard, known as the visionary and pioneer of the space science and rocketry was widely ridiculed as the "Moon Man".

4. You lose focus on your own life and pursuits

If you pay heed to public opinion, you are most likely to lose focus on a pursuit that is close to your heart. The world would have been deprived of priceless inventions and discoveries if those involved in them wasted their time in listening to the public talk. Heeding public opinion may confuse and distract you from your path

5. True leaders and path-breakers usually swim against the massive tide of public opinion. They are decried, insulted, jeered and hooted and yet they stick to their views and ultimately prove their point.

6. You cannot fight out with everyone

Generally you have to walk a lonely path in pursuit of your interests. People wallow in stories of scandals and character assassinations. They generate rumours which work like epidemic of viral diseases. The more you try to fight them out, the more they work with a vengeance. They are more likely to subside if they are left alone and ignored.

"Doesn't matter what you do, or how you do it, your neighbors are gonna talk about you ANYWAY."- Felder Rushing

7. There is a popular axiom which says that the favourite pastime of the public is to talk. They will talk about you with or without reason. Creative thinking is a painful process which most people loathe. Slanderous and spicy talk is what most common people love. In the words of William Shakespeare, they love to 'stuff the ears of men with false reports'.

"Strong minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events and weak minds discuss people." • Socrates

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Raj_Rishi

It Tastes So Good

Many people are looking for answers to their prayers about their life purpose and searching for ways to bring more joy into their lives. While there are LOTS of opportunities to feel discouraged, depressed, and disillusioned, it is equally true is that there are EVEN MORE opportunities to experience the many blessings and yumminess that life has to offer. Part of living on purpose and bringing more joy into your life is APPRECIATING what already exists.

Food, shelter, and clothing are just the tip of the iceberg. Appreciate the beautiful colors and scents that nature provides us AT NO COST. Appreciate getting to your destination in one piece. Show gratitude for the driving skills of those on the highway. You may have gotten cut off in the merge lane or flipped a bird for driving the speed limit, but guess what? When hundreds and thousands of cars are surrounding you and all are staying within the white line, you've just experienced a blessing. Show eternal gratitude for the friends and family that you have been blessed with. Even if they get on your very last nerve, they are a testament to the fact that you are indeed connected to someone. And don't get me started on the laughter of children. Ahhh that warms my heart!! I especially enjoy the unconditional love that my two doggie-children shower me with on a daily basis. Love wrapped in fur is the best way I can describe them.

Take a look around you and do an assessment. Name, or even better, write down the plethora of blessings that have been sent your way. Showing gratitude makes it much easier to tap into what makes your heart sing. And when you find what makes your heart sing, you are well on your way to fully realizing your life purpose. Release yourself from the pressure of finding your purpose. Live life from a place of gratitude and your purpose will reveal itself.

Now that I mention revealing, in order to see what you are searching for, it is very important to have a proper perspective and a willingness to experience something new. Growing up, I wasn't very fond of spinach. As I've grown and began to adopt a healthier lifestyle, I began to explore different foods to help balance my diet. I would repeatedly hear how eating plenty of green vegetables was an excellent practice to incorporate into your eating regimen. While broccoli has always had a firm place on the menu, I hadn't given spinach it's just opportunity. Then one day I gave it another try and something changed. Spinach suddenly became delicious and is actually one of my favorite vegetables now. With a myriad of health benefits that spinach offers, I am so very pleased that I allowed my taste palate to evolve!

As with food choices, I encourage you to also allow a change in palate in other areas in your life.

1. Incorporate more exercise into your life.
2. Add regular prayer and meditation into your daily practice.
3. Exercise restraint from speaking out of anger.
4. Take up new hobby.
5. Make NOW a great time to face a life-long fear and conquer it.

Allow the yumminess that life has to offer present you with opportunities to experience an abundant and more fulfilled life.

Peace and Balance,

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tiffany_L_Scott

Start Believing

What has to happen before you actually believe the positive things that others are saying about you? When will you finally listen and take on board what they say? Why is it that so many of us spend most of our lives reinforcing the negative stories that we surround ourselves with rather than the feedback that others give to us freely.

Time and time again I come across this, especially in the world of helping people to speak and communicate better, it's amazing how many people suffer here. We all have been in situations where no matter what you or others say to someone, that person refuses to hear or see the other side of the coin, their positive side, their magnificent self. They cannot possibly be any good or have a voice or story that deserves to be heard and in most cases, more importantly, one that needs to be shared.

I recently worked with a young adult on her speaking skills and confidence, she had a great story to tell, she could be heard very clearly and balanced her stories with serious elements and humour. Overall a very good young speaker and so say all of us - her classmates, peers, teachers and friends all agreed and told her so. She was having none of it, categorically not interested, there was no way that she was any good nor could she ever become any good at speaking and communicating.

How can audience members, friends and contacts see us in such a totally different way to how we see ourselves? Why is our conditioning and self-programming so different to what other people can see? So often I find it is down to the individuals need to be perfect, to score 100% in whatever it is that they do and sadly, in their mind, someone else is always better than them.

When we give others feedback, compliments or critique of their successes and challenges, it's just our thoughts and opinion of what we have seen through our personal filters. So why then does our programming and wiring filter out the good stuff, when it comes from one or multiple sources?

Part of it I believe can be likened to when we listen to the sound of our own voice from a recording, answerphone message or on a video. For most of us when we first hear these recordings we generally hate the sound, and the video is just a whole other story in itself. We hear things very differently inside our heads when compared to what is heard by others. When we see ourselves on video again it is not what we are used to seeing so we tend to be hyper- critical of what we see and hear. That is the point that is who we are, be that physically or audibly, black or blue, short or tall, It's 100% you.

Many business people, be they employees of multinational firms or freelance traders working for themselves, will proactively seek out 360 feedback on themselves. They want to know about the areas where they do well and those that can improved upon. But if they are not ultimately going to take any notice of the feedback they have sought out, why did they bother asking in the first place?

There is of course the other side to this engagement and that is it feels good to pay a compliment to someone, whether it be to give a thumbs up to a new suit, or to tell them that they have done something really well. It feels even nicer when the receiver appears to appreciate the compliment, rather than rebuff it as so many of us Brits have a tendency to do! So, don't be that person. When someone pays you that compliment, say thank you, hold your head up high, feel that warm glow inside and start believing it.

My advice is to absorb feedback and compliments from others and work with a buddy to help make you the best you can be. Your challenge now is to stop FAFFing about ignoring or avoiding your positive feedback and start believing, if you are getting the same feedback on a similar theme maybe now is the right time to fully investigate, listen to others and believe. Time to believe in you!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Pagan

The 5 Steps That Successful People Are Taking

Among all the people I've read success stories from, as well as the successful people I've interviewed myself, I have found a common thread. They all had a very specific goal in mind along with a vision. Here are the 5 detailed steps that successful people have taken and still taking to get where they are.

They Have a Goal

If you don't have a specific goal of what you want to accomplish, it will be very difficult for you to actually get it. Wishful thinking is definitely not enough to accomplish something of importance that will be life changing for you. You need to have a specific goal.

They Have a List

It's a good idea to make a list of the steps that you need to take to go from point A to point B. Your list could be starting from very short term, like what you want to accomplish by next week, or next month, to long term such as where you want to be in one, 5 or 10 years from now.

Just remember that the more specific your list, the faster the results.

They Use a Vision Board

A Vision board does the same job a list does (in a way), but it's obviously indented to put a visual form of your goal in front of you. Make your vision board very specific too. Add pictures, quotes, goal statements. Everything you may want to add is fine.

Just make sure you look at your board each day and reflect on it. It will keep your vision fresh in mind. The board is NOT your vision; it's a helper for your vision to be in front of you at all time.

They Use Positive Affirmations

Now, I'm not going to lie to you like some so called coaches have done and still do, by telling you that positive affirmations work like miracles. They don't! The reason why affirmations don't work for a lot of people is because they don't match their current beliefs.

What do I mean by that?

I mean that if you are complete broke and recite all day long that you are a millionaire it's not going to work for you, because you would be lying to yourself. Instead of actually getting richer, you'd be getting more frustrated and desperate wondering why this is not working for you.

Your positive affirmations need to make sense to YOU "subconsciously" in order to work. This is usually the big misunderstanding about positive affirmations.

They Take Action

Once you have a goal, a list of events to be unfolded, a vision board helping you with your vision, and positive affirmations that make sense to your subconscious mind, you'll have all the foundations for success. However, it doesn't mean that it's all you have to do.

Taking proper actions along with all the above will be vital for your success as well. The difference is that if you do follow this recipe for success along with your actions you will hit your target faster, and stronger.

Make sure you apply these 5 steps to success and you'll be on your way for a better life.

Article Source:  http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sylviane_Nuccio

Personal Development Tips - 7 Tips For Mixing With Positive People

You want to change your life and be more successful but you're living in a world where you are immersed in negativity. Your friends are negative about your desires to succeed and don't support you. You need to find ways to spend more time with positive people who will help you to achieve your goals. Here are a few personal development tips to do just that...

The people you associate with will influence your thoughts and decisions to a great extent. Your future is created in your mind through the decisions you are taking today. Your level of success, your level of income in the future is directly related to the people you mix with today.

If you mix with mainly negative people, or people who pour cold water on your ideas for changing and improving your life, your motivation and drive to make those changes will suffer.

If you want to be more successful then you need to spend more time with supportive people who have already achieved what you want and less time with the naysayers that are already in your life. Try these personal development tips in your life:

1. Stop associating with negative people. There are probably several people in your life who are very negative. If you carry on associating with these people all you are going to get is more negativity every time you meet them. Stop meeting with them.

2. Minimise the impact of people you have to live with. It may not be possible to stop meeting everyone in your life - you may have a very negative boss or a negative life partner for instance. Find ways to minimise the impact of these people.

3. Choose your friends carefully. Look for positive people who have some of the characteristics that you want to acquire. Spend as much time as you can with them, learning how they do what they do, why they do it, what's important to them and how they decide to do what they do.

4. Find a support group that you can join. For example the world of weight loss has many such support groups. Do some research, is there a group that can help you with your goals? A good support group is very effective at immersing you in a positive environment with like minded people.

5. Find a mentor or coach who can become an "unreasonable friend". Someone who will challenge you and keep you on track for your goals and who will always be there with a positive attitude for you.

6. Read books, listen to tapes and watch videos by successful people. You can turn your car into a haven of positive thinking as you drive around by listening to tapes from positive thinkers.

7. Use your imagination. Napoleon Hill, one of the great success experts imagined that he was sitting at a table with 9 wise figures from history - his
"invisible counselors". He did this every night, drawing on their knowledge to develop his own.

With these 7 tips you can choose to change the company that you keep. You can start associating with positive people who are going to help you with your personal development and success. Remember the quote from Zig Ziglar: "You can't fly with the eagles, if you continue to scratch with the turkeys".

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_J._John

Dealing With Baggage

Everything I ever learnt in my life I had to learn the hard way. It isn't like that now but for most of my life it was. Somehow I picked up the idea as a child that life wasn't meant to be easy and so it wasn't. We pick up so many wrong ideas as children. It isn't that our parents and teachers necessarily feed us incorrect data (although of course they aren't as perfect as we thought they were when we were young) but children interpret things differently than adults. Children fail to discriminate between important and trivial data, treating all input in the same way. And they do not understand subtlety. Even things said in jest they tend to take literally. So is it any wonder we grow up with misguided beliefs about a great number of things? We all have "baggage"; it is an inescapable part of life! But we can deal with it and we must if we want to live healthy, happy, productive lives.

So many people keep themselves constantly busy and think that they are happy because they are occupied. But the real reason why they keep busy is because they are afraid of being alone with their own thoughts and even more afraid of listening to their soul. Our brains are capable of holding an enormous amount of data (some say as much as a super computer) but our soul holds infinitely more. It knows the answers to everything if we only take the time to listen to it. Your soul is the real you; our brains are full of clutter and have been moulded by the input of all those who have crossed our paths but our soul knows the truth. Take the time to meditate (or at least do some deep thinking) and get to know your soul and you will find your truth and many of life's problems will fade away into insignificance.

I used to think that I was doing something wrong because I kept getting challenges. But I know now that life is meant to be like that. This is why we are here on earth; to meet our challenges square on and overcome them. But having challenges doesn't have to mean that life is difficult if you deal with them when they first become apparent. They won't go away if you ignore them. The same problems will keep coming back to irritate you and cause you increasing amounts of stress. And if you still continue to ignore them they will end up "smacking you fair in the face" so you are forced to deal with them. So much easier to deal with them when they first appear wouldn't you agree? So when something is bothering you, don't push it aside and keep busy to block it out because if you do that, it will just become a bigger problem. Take the time to be alone and examine it; think about it; meditate on it. If you persist, the solution will come to you. Of course there are times when we need professional help and guidance but that is never enough on its own. In the long run we have to find many of the answers ourselves because no one can ever really know you like you can know yourself. And that's really what life is about - getting to really know our true selves and living in harmony with our souls.

After being agnostic for most of my life, I became a believer just a few years ago and I have been on an amazing spiritual journey ever since. Spirituality is now a way of life for me; it isn't just what I think, it is what I feel. I have been very blessed to have received considerable spiritual wisdom and I want to share it with my fellow souls.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Campbell

Dealing With Negative Thoughts - The Bogeymen of Personal Growth

Every good self-development program teaches the importance of maintaining a positive perspective. But when you first begin to practice focusing on the good that you desire, chances are you'll run smack into a stream of murky thoughts and images rising from some bedeviled corner of your mind. They take the shape of doubts, fears, pictures of future failures, and memories of failures from the past. And like the bogeymen small children see lurking in nighttime shadows, the negative images produce a lot of unfounded fears.

"Am I canceling out all the positive images I'm trying to create?" students will ask. Or they'll say that they just can't maintain their positive thoughts and ask if they're hopeless cases. The happy answer to both questions is a big, resounding 'No!' For many reasons, positive images of the good you desire have enormously more power than your doubts and fears. And the fact that everybody faces the same challenge means the backlash of negative thoughts is normal.

More than that, the backlash is a kind of gift, to be welcomed. What you're actually seeing are patterns of thought and layers of belief that were formerly invisible to you. Instead of fearing or fighting them, realize they're simply showing you aspects of yourself that you have now chosen to change. They're a kind of snapshot of the images that ruled you without your awareness up until now. They aren't you; they're only habits of thought that you can discard now that you see them as the un-serving patterns that they are.

To lessen their appearance requires only two things. First, rather than judging yourself for producing them, just acknowledge their content as thoughts you no longer wish to entertain. Look at them with curiosity and detachment, as if you're looking at an old photo of yourself that you never saw before. If you feel guilty about the content for any reason, forgive yourself with all the love and compassion you can summon. You didn't choose the negative viewpoint; you acquired it. Because you're aware of it now, you're free of its power to unconsciously direct your choices.

Secondly, rather than attempting to analyze the negative thought, belief or image and trying to ferret out its cause, simply refocus on the thoughts you prefer in its place. The more frequently you do this, the faster your preferred thoughts and images will become your new 'normal'--and your new reality.

The process of change is like the process of dying cloth a different color. When you first dip it in the dye bath, the cloth takes on a pale tint of the new shade. But every time you wash it in the new color, more of the new hue remains. Finally, all its fibers are fully and permanently transformed.

Don't be concerned that the colors of your old thoughts bleed through for awhile. Just keep dipping into your new hues. Before you know it, you and your world will be beautifully transformed.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Susan_K_Minarik

How To Break Fears In Life?

"FEAR" is perceived as one of the most powerful negative emotions, but in fact is a very important and survival based emotion - if understood deeply. Fear seems to be/ and is taught as one of the biggest barrier towards 'Peak Performance'.

It is very important for one to understand the origin of FEAR. As in my workshop I say "Everything that one does is to get pleasure or to avoid pain. In short we are governed by these two primary forces - desire to get pleasure and the need to avoid pain". 'Avoiding pain' however is a much stronger force than the desire to experience pleasure as it's a 'survival' force - it's the primitive embedded reaction of fight or flight to avoid pain.

We have so many cases of people hurting others in a 'self-defense' mode once they perceive a threatening situation which could give them pain - the brain does everything to avoid pain even if it means to hurt the other person.

Now, if you have understood this basic nature, it's time to mull over the emotion - FEAR. People say FEAR is imaginary, I would say 'it's real' as an individual is facing it and experiencing it at that time. But the question is - why is the mind imagining it? If I make a statement - "FEAR is an emotion that surfaces up, if the mind anticipates PAIN" would you agree? Think about it. Only if the mind anticipates Pain it gives FEAR - warning you and probably not allowing you to initiate something that would have caused pain in the past!!!! E.g. Let's say, you got burnt with Fire when you were a kid (past), your friends ask you to play with candle flame now, the mind related to the PAST and anticipates (future) injury!!! So, the FEAR is in the 'NOW' but is using the past and anticipating the FUTURE to distort the PRESENT moment. However complicated this might seem now, it important to understand this. Some FEARS are necessary and good - like example of Fire, you bet you don't want to work on this FEAR to play with FIRE!!! Until and unless it's necessary for your growth or you intend to join the FIRE BRIGADE!!!!

Similarly, our past failures and painful memories would be utilized by our mind to anticipate the same and induce a FEAR, this at times might block our potentials and reduce our risk taking ability.

FEAR can be handled in different ways:

1. First list down all the reasons, why would you want to face the Fear- let the list reflect the benefits that you would reap if you face this fear. It could be Fear of 'Expressing'!!! List the possible benefits of expressing - how would it change your Life, what benefits would you get etc. This would give you the energy and bring in strong purpose to take action and take calculated risks. Envisioning the outcome will push you to take Action!!!

2. Evaluate the possible dangers and list it down - this helps us take calculated risks. Use techniques like NLP/ Visualization/Individual Coaching/Self Hypnosis to make the benefits bigger than the problem.

3. Strategy - When you face the FEAR ensure that you have a proper strategy in place. You need to be sure of an existing strategy to break the fear!!! Motivation alone without a strategy may not work. Even though there is no guarantee of success, following these steps increases the probability of succeeding. Make sure you have technique/strategy to handle the challenge!

4. Sometimes the FEAR could be intense and could come from childhood unconscious patterns. These are normally deeply embedded in the subconscious and might require therapeutic intervention. People live with these fears and fail to take support of powerful therapeutic tools like Hypnotherapy, NLP etc to break these Fears. Tools like these definitely work on the subconscious mind to overcome these patterns which help us accelerate our growth in all areas of Life. People are reluctant to ask for help, but if you want 'Accelerated' growth in Life, learn to ask and there are infinite solutions available including online coaching, hypnotherapy, healing and other modalities.

Even a 'Baby Step' is 'Progress' until and unless it's in the right direction.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Harrish_R_Sairaman