I’ve heard it said countless times that simply thinking positive thoughts isn’t enough. In fact, I’ve heard it so many times — I liken it to a broken record. So now, rather then argue the point I prefer to refer to the wise words of Zig Ziglar who said, “positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” In other words, even if it only helps a little — those who strive to put positive thinking to work in their lives are better off then those who don’t. Think about it — a little bit of extra effort in exchange for what could very well lead to a whole lot of gain!

And that is worth thinking about don’t you agree?

It’s Your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

PS. Grab your copy my motivational CD, Why Perfect Timing is a Myth

Fear can keep you from living up to your full potential if you allow it to. That said, make no mistake — it requires your participation in order for it to be able to hold you back.

Friend, if you can overcome the fear and move forward in spite of your doubts you can achieve anything you’re willing to go after and fully commit to.

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!

Josh Hinds

Resolutions or goals — what’s the difference you ask?

Admittedly, a small distinction in wording, but it isn’t actually as small a difference as you might think.

Here’s what I’m suggesting. The very wording “new year resolution” gives one the wiggle room to stop the thing completely, should they lose interest in it, or happen to have a few days where they neglect to do what is needed to stay on track. Plus, there’s always that idea that if they fall off the wagon — there is always next year — it’s as though it is easier to give yourself permission to just quit and pick up next January (which of course rarely happens).

Using the term goals, rather then new years resolutions, while a tiny distinction in wording in fact can make all the difference for several reasons.

* You go into the goal setting experience understanding that it is not something that has to be completed totally uninterrupted, and should you find that you end up taking a break from your goal it is perfectly acceptable to come back to it at the very moment when you are reminded that you wish to do so.

In other words when you use the term goals versus new years resolutions you go into it with an understanding that you will stick with them until they are completed and will come back to them in the event that you end up losing focus on what you need to be working on for a brief period of time.

Consistency is critical in goal setting

There is no shortage of ways to go about setting goals. Rather then focus on specific techniques I’m going to discuss how important consistency is with regards to achieving what you set out to accomplish.

Friend, more often than not the difference between seeing your goal through and falling short gets down to your ability to remain engaged in the activity.

Make no mistake — consistency is vitally important. I would offer the following suggestion to help ensure you reach more of your goals. Develop the habit of writing out your goals each and every day. It’s repetitive for sure, but that repetition is precisely what makes it work. Keep a journal or 3×5 index cards, whatever is most convenient and rewrite those goals every day. Doing so will do wonders for keeping you involved in what’s required of you to achieve what you have set for yourself.

Your ability to practice consistency in your goal setting will ensure you accomplish far more of the things you set out to do. Make that commitment and you will find that it makes all the difference.

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

PS. If you would like to have me speak to your group or organization drop me a note or give me a call. I look forward to inspiring your group!

Rise above those who attempt to convince you that forces outside yourself are keeping you from your full potential.

Sadly, more and more often I’m seeing way too many people falling in line with the idea that sources outside themselves are somehow responsible for keeping them down. Keeping them from opportunities. Keeping them from better jobs. Holding them back from earning more money. Keeping them from a better education. The list goes on and on.

Friend, you can adopt that philosophy if you wish. You’re completely entitled. You can buy into what the people who are pushing this line of thinking are selling if you wish. I’ll even concede that on the surface, accepting such ideas — that ultimately you are not really responsible for your life, or whether or not you fully live up to and cultivate your full potential is enticing. It’s certainly an easier road to take.

To accept things “as they are” doesn’t require the uncomfortableness that goes along with questioning what people who are peddling this belief system to you really have in mind. Make no mistake, if enough people get to the point where they sincerely believe they are not capable of lifting themselves up no matter what place in life they may find themselves currently, then there is a real opportunity for those who believe in the idea that personal responsibility and rugged individualism doesn’t work.

It’s also that much easier to put people into groups such as the “haves and have nots”. It’s a dangerous direction to move in, where more and more people are losing faith in their own ability to fully achieve their greatness. To live as BIG as they possibly can.

The reality is, there’s just as much opportunity for everyone, from the seemingly poorest among us all the way up to the wealthiest. Every single day countless people across this world of ours from all corners of the earth are going from extreme poverty, to extreme prosperity, and just about every social class in between. We should be celebrating every single time this happens, and friend, I can tell you it happens all the time. I see it every single day in the work I do.

The challenge is that in order to be open to seeing it, and making real change in ones life, a person has to accept that they are responsible for their life. If a greater education is required, then they have got to tap into the resources, get the help, whatever is required in order to gain that extra education. If they determine to go into business for themselves, they have to be willing to start small (countless people all across the world do just that) and have the sincere willingness to persevere until they begin to see the fruits of their labor take hold.

Friend, make no mistake — opportunity abounds. It always has. Just like the phoenix which rises from the ashes, there will be countless businesses which will have been started during the current difficult economic times and will go on to grow beyond anyone’s wildest imaginations. This has always been the case, it was the case during the great depression, and friend, it will be the case in the future. The difference, is as it has always been whether or not you decide to take the road that some are espousing, or if you instead decide to celebrate your own unique talents and GOD given gifts. Knowing full well that you can craft an amazing existence provided you are willing to set out to make it so.

Remember….

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

If you want to reach your goals, be they in business or your personal life, consider that you have two basic choices.

One, you can either respond as things popup through out your day, week, or on the fly — or you can make the decision to plan, and to the best of your ability work the plan you have laid out for yourself.

Friend, certainly there will be times where life throws unexpected challenges your way which may take you off your plan, but even in such instances where this occurs you will be much better off if you’ve taken the time to put into place a plan to bring you back to where you need to be then without one.

Make no mistake — having a plan, and the commitment to work that plan is essential if you wish to succeed in your endeavors.

PS. if you enjoyed the ideas above checkout my motivational CD, ‘Why Perfect Timing is a Myth’

“If you do your best, stay in the game, learn along the way, and adapt as best you can, life has an incredible way of filling in the details for you.” — Josh Hinds

I’m guessing if you’re really honest with yourself you can recount a time or two (or more!) in your life where the quote above held true for you. If you’re in a place in your life where you find it easy to discount the idea above then stop, and grab a piece of paper. Write down all the past “successes” and positive experiences you can recall through our your life (yes, the big & seemingly small ones too. All of them!). Don’t cheat yourself here either. Don’t let that little voice inside you win out (you know, the one that attempts to say that a particular achievement you’re about to write down is small or inconsequential… don’t listen! Just write it down).

Now look over that list you’ve got now. Friend, you can’t argue with the truth. You may be in a hard place right now, but you’ve experienced good in your life (heck the proof is written down before your own eyes), maybe, it appears to be distant, but just the same, you’ve been there before, and as such, if you’ll continue to hang on you will experience a positive shift in your life. Make the habit of reconnecting with times in your life where the “wins” have been plentiful and you will begin to notice that life will begin to pull you in that very direction.

Always remember…

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

* Btw. your thoughts and feedback are always welcome and appreciated in the comments below

I hope you find the following quote inspiring…

“Your presence is a gift to this world. Don’t underestimate yourself or your abilities — truly, you were made for greatness.” — Josh Hinds

Friend, good intentions, no matter how well meaning they may be are simply not enough to get you to a place of achievement. Certainly, it is a good first step, but make no mistake, it is just that… a first step in the right direction.

Most people have very little problem with this part of the achievement process. They take the time to ponder and carefully think out what it is they want to achieve. Some even go as far as to layout a clear understanding of why they truly want to accomplish whatever it is that they have deemed to be a worthwhile undertaking. Sadly, however, far fewer move past this phase into what’s truly the critical component — real honest to goodness action.

Action is the “doing” — think of a beautiful boat just sitting in the harbor. Its got an incredibly powerful motor with more then enough horsepower to get it swiftly from point A to point B — but without the necessary fuel to actually power the boat, it is as useless as a bump on a log. And no matter how pretty the boat may be (or well-intentioned its designer may have been) without the fuel (i.e. in our example, the action component) the boat isn’t going to do much of anything except sit their and take up space.

The same is true of your goals and dreams. You are a magnificent person, blessed with untold talents and gifts, but unless you choose to put your blessings to work in your life you very likely are not going to benefit from them. Consider that a diamond un-mined sitting underground is still very much a diamond, but until it is brought out of the ground, polished, and crafted into some form of desirable form it’s very much like our example above of the powerful boat which lacks the necessary fuel to “bring it to life.”

Understanding this, the key then is to bridge the gap from your initial intention to do a thing and the time in which it takes you to actually get started and involved in the particular activity.

In short, your ability to develop actual action steps which will move you closer to your larger goal, and equally essential, your willingness to get started will be the differentiating factor as to whether or not you get to experience the sense of fulfilment for having achieved your given endeavor.

No matter what you want to accomplish there is always an action plan which can be mapped out to get you to where you want to go. That’s not to say it will be obvious, nor that at this point in your journey that you necessarily have the skill sets or experience to make them all work exactly right — still, take heart because you can learn, borrow, or acquire whatever skills or resources you might need.

The point to keep in mind is that life has an incredible way of filling in the details for the person who shows the fortitude to set out in pursuit of their dreams. You will most certainly find this to be the case as you become a person of action as well.

As you begin each day take a moment to reconnect with what you want to achieve. Literally envision in your mind what it will feel like to accomplish what you are working towards. See yourself, to the best of your ability doing whatever it is that is required of you. Play out in your minds eye how it will feel to achieve what you are working so hard to accomplish.

After you have played your “mental movie” of the what, why, and how you wish to achieve, take a moment to bring things together by looking over and if necessary writing/rewriting out the concrete actions steps you need to be taking in order to get to the place you want to go.

Used in tandem the components mentioned above are very effective. Leave out either one and you may find that you’re spinning your wheels unnecessarily. Leave out the action component and you’re unlikely to see any real progress at all. Everyday make a point to lead with action, fully knowing that as you do so you are moving ever closer towards your intended destination.

In summary, commit to being a person who takes action on what you deem to be truly worthwhile and you will find that, more often then not, you will meet with success along your life’s journey.

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

I hope you find inspiration in the following quote…

Quote reads:

“You have infinite ability, but you must grow into it. Therefore, it is essential that you develop the habit of saying yes to new opportunities when they present themselves. Remember… It’s your life, LIVE BIG!”
– Josh Hinds

This is a video clip from a presentation I gave to a group made up of mostly entrepreneurs, small business owners and those in the sales profession. In the following clip I discuss the importance of taking action — as well as how critical it is that you believe in your greatness.

I hope you find the presentation inspiring and if you would like to share your thoughts on it please do so in the comments below…

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!

Josh Hinds