Think about it, instead of lazying around in a comfy couch on a Sunday afternoon, we lock ourselves in a room and we’re leading our battalion (usually compired of 1 person, us…shhh) into the battlefield…battling  some unknown. On occasions when we do decide to socialize with our family members, we’re usually furiously typing away on our blackberries or even the laptop. No wonder we drive our families and ourselves insane…

Ever tried getting some work done in the TV room while watching a movie with your family? You were probably more stressed coming out of that than a surprise phone call with an angry investor…

And there’s a reason you’re stressed..its because your family is probably right.

You see, the people around us are usually much better at measuring our stress level than us.. So the next time they ask you to calm down and stop working, you should stop yourself and check to see if you’re at the “Crazy entrepreneur” stage yet…

Here’s 3 tell tale signs to look for:

1. You don’t remember a thing: Lock your keys in the car once – it happens, twice – you’re stressed, three times – you need a break.

2. Everything around you is a mess: Alright, your business is doing great. You’re signing deals left and right but if there’s no room to step inside your house or if you’ve to raid the basement to find something clean to wear- you need a break.

3. Your brain’s in a overdrive: An increase in concentration and ideas never hurt anybody but remember, every heightened stage should be followed by a downtime. Close your eyes and think about someone you love a lot, if your brain is still running around like crazy- you need a break.

Have any other tell tale signs? Leave a comment and let me know…

Here are some of the things you will learn:

1. How to figure out what motivates you

2. 2 Simple things you can do to manage your time better

3. How to create the “Achievement” mindset.

4. And you will learn how to achieve your goals in record time. (Around the 30 minute mark of the 1 hour interview)

I think you’ll love it

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/paullawrencevann/2010/08/17/rigdha-shares-my-time-now-program-with-listeners-t

You know Rigdha, life is so complicated these days. I remember when we were little kids and we didn’t have to worry about anything at all. Heck, the most stressful thing was — How do I hide the coke stain on the carpet from my mother! But life is just so complicated now, you’ve got money issues, dead end jobs, career goals, relationships. Its just always one thing after the other.

Now, my friend is one of those talented, high achievers who obviously likes to keep on top of things. And I know you are too if you are reading this blog….

I also know that its so easy to get into the “rut” and feel overworked and stressed… and honestly stress has become the norm in our society. Everywhere I turn I see people complaining about stress…and it really isn’t their fault at all!

Anyway, going back to the topic on hand…is life really complicated?

I think that depends a lot on who you ask. And, life can be as complicated as you like it.

• Life can be complicated if you are running a multibillion dollar company or just working in a simple summer job.
• Life can be complicated with or without family.
• Some people think technology complicates life but life can be complicated with or without technology (you either have a limitation or information overload).
• Life can be complicated with or without money. I know some really miserable millionaires and some really happy “Average Joe’s”

All of this means that its not the things that we have in our life that complicate life…its more of how we look at life and what we do with the things we have that complicate our lives.

So does that mean we need to simplify our lives?

I definitely think so. We need to simplify our lives not just because it reduces our stress (which by itself is a major advantage) but also because in the complicated stage, we experience very little growth and very little things going our way.

To put it simply, simplifying life helps us reduce stress and also helps become more successful.

So how exactly do we simplify our lives?

Well, that’s more of a process than a one-off thing. And, we are starting a monthly feature here at Get Your Success Now to help you simplify your life one step at a time, one month at a time. Plus, I think you will be quite busy doing the suggested steps each month until they become a habit so let’s start it off nice and slow…

1. Be honest

Being honest saves you from so much drama and unneeded headache. Honestly, I think this is the most important step in uncomplicating your life. You need to be honest with yourself and with others. Be honest about what you can and cannot do and your opinions. Keeping track of lies takes a lot of time and headache…and being honest saves you from all those. Besides, you go to bed with a much better self image.

2. Turn off the phone and the computer

Yes, there is something called quality family time even in a smartphone world. Take some time out for yourself and your family by going tech-free. You will get back much more energized and excited to get back to your emails and your contacts.

3. Learn to forgive others and yourself

Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.
- Gandhi

Forgive yourself when you don’t achieve a goal or if you end up making a complete fool of yourself. You know what? Life’s too short to be too serious. Go ahead and make mistakes…that’s how you know you’re growing as a person. And, the same thing goes for other people in your life. Allow them to make mistakes and give them the benefit of doubt. It simplifies your life and allows them to make their own mistakes and learn their own lessons.

When you dress for success, you actually make a bold statement about your individuality. More importantly, how you look IS a subconscious manifestation of your innermost thoughts and feelings. Compare, for example, how you feel when you have a sharply tailored double-breasted blazer on and when you are just wearing faded jeans and a pullover that has seen better days.

Being Judged By Appearances

We often judge others at the outset by their physical appearance. Perceptions, however, can be quite deceptive as they are based on our own personal biases. For instance, when meeting someone for the first very time, you will most likely render an ‘opinion’ about him or her based solely on the person’s personal grooming, physical attributes, or the clothes he or she wears within the first few minutes.

Let’s face it, our confidence in partners, friends, and business colleagues are often based initially on subjective experience rather than on objective information. It is only when you get to know the ‘real’ person beyond the facade that your personal opinion changes. You may even have rendered judgments on people without ever having met them. Consider for a moment how you regard media celebrities or even politicians for that matter.

The lesson here is this: with very little objective information to go on at the outset, visual impressions ARE our initial criterion for rendering personal judgments on any individual.

If this is the case, what should we do about it?

Be Confident

People do appear confident and attract attention if they dress for success and are impeccably groomed.  They move about the room with a spirited gait, survey their surroundings with bright-eyed curiosity, and speak in a voice that is warm and engaging. These people easily stand out in a crowd.

First impressions really do count. Why else would successful organizations put well-dressed, enthusiastic, and sharp persons on their reception desks? All the money spent on corporate branding and clever advertising would go down the drain if a prospective client’s first encounter with these companies were with a bedraggled, nondescript person! Just as people generally avoid doing business with organizations that radiate a flat and lifeless image, they also tend to shy away from individuals who do not give off favorable first impressions.

So what impression do you create when you meet someone for the first time?

Dress for Success

The key to dressing for success is to find a style that works for you and the way you live your life. If needed, find out what type of wardrobe suits you best by engaging the services of a personal image consultant, conferring with style-savvy friends, or catching up with the latest fashion trends through magazines. The key here is tasteful simplicity.

Purchase outfits that fit the shape of your body as it is right now – today – not some future image of yourself. Choose clothes that accentuate your best features and minimize those that are less flattering. Pick classic styles with clean, simple lines that flatter your body rather than fight it. Find out which palette is best for your skin color and stick to a restrictive range of colors that highlight your best features.

Shop Smart

Choosing comfortable clothes that attract success isn’t very difficult once you know what suits you best, and you don’t need to spend large amounts to upgrade your wardrobe. Here are some useful tips to ensure smart wardrobe shopping:

1. Buy outfits in a size that fits you well rather than clothes you pray you can only get into after slimming down.

• Begin wearing clothes that are tailor-fitted to hug the contours of your own body. You only need one or two essential pieces, which can then be accessorized and matched with your other clothes so the cost remains low and reasonable.

2. Consider your body type:

• For rectangular-shaped bodies, sharply tailored jackets like double-breasted blazers that do not fit too tightly are best. Do not affix eye-catching details at your jacket’s widest point.
• If you have an apple-shape figure, avoid a very structured look because this will not complement the curves of your body. Less well-shaped designs with shawl collars in soft fabrics like cotton or linen are best for this body type.
• To balance a pear-shaped body, it is necessary to draw attention towards the top half of the body and away from the bottom half. Jackets in vibrant colors with busy patterns or detailed and intricate necklines can achieve this effect. For a flattering look, pair attention-grabbing jackets with darker colored trousers or skirts. Stay away from long jackets that clasp the hips and short jackets that end at the waist, as these tend to make the lower half of your body look even larger. Jackets that end slightly below the hips are more suited for pear-shaped figures because they tend to diminish the hips.
• If you have a long body, go for jackets that give the illusion of raising your waistline and shortening your midsection. Good jacket choices include those trimmed with wraps or belts or jackets with horizontally striped patterns.

3. Resist the urge to buy clothes when rushed for time. Shop for clothes only when you have the time to experiment and refine your choices.

4. Invest your money in the clothing you would most likely wear the most. If you are not a serious partygoer, you will be much better off spending your money on coats and shirts rather than evening apparel.

5. Good quality coats, bags, and shoes are the best approach to looking great. The rest can be simple.

• It is easier to mix and match solids than prints. Prints however, may be used to bridge the gap between two completely different solid colors.
• Classic styles with clean, simple lines are best.

6. Invest in smart accessories including belts, watches, ties/scarves, necklaces, bracelets, earrings, etc.

• Necklaces can enhance the look of your shirt, sweater, or dress by adding color, brightness, and beauty. You can even make your neck and upper body appear thinner with the right necklace. For example, if you have a solid colored shirt or dress with a rounded neckline, wear a necklace of medium length that hangs in a V-shape. The V-shape will make you the neckline appear narrow and will draw attention away from the arms and shoulders.
• When dressing for work, use smart accessories to dress for success. However, make sure your work-related jewelry doesn’t get in the way. For example, rings that are very large or pointy might be a hindrance if you work with your hands often. Choose jewelry for work that is both sensible and fashionable.

7. Check your existing wardrobe before you go shopping for clothes so you can fill in the gaps rather than resort to impulse buying and purchase more of what you already have.

Do try these tips on how to dress for success and let me know how they work out for you. Do you know of other tips on how to dress for success? Let me know! I would love to hear from you.

We often like to define first what we are aiming for at the onset of any activity – the so-called anticipated result of our actions – so the purpose is clear in our minds. Once a goal is set, we can devise action plans, determine the time required to achieve the objective, and decide what resources are needed to bring about the desired end. With the basics in place, we then go about doing the actual work while we monitor our progress against the plan we put into place.

“Easy! Nothing complicated about it!” you might say.

The problem is, if goal setting were as easy as following the prescribed outline found in many personality development books, why do you often find yourself abandoning your goals midstream?

Let me tell you.

The problem lies in the way we define and subsequently treat our goals!

Let me explain.

All too often, we fail to break down our lofty personal goals into more manageable tasks or, conversely, account for what our action plan can actually deliver.

For instance, if your goal were to lose 30 pounds in 5 months – a classic example to illustrate this point – how would you go about achieving this?

If we were to break down this goal into its component parts, this would mean a weight loss of 1.5 lbs during your very first week, right?

Big mistake!

During your first week, in all likelihood, you will be preoccupied with the basics, like:

• purchasing an accurate weighing scale, if you don’t have one yet, so you can regularly monitor your weight
• consulting a doctor or personal trainer to help you assess which exercise regimen is best for you
• acquiring the exercise gear you need
• mapping out your jogging/walking route or enrolling in a gym
• researching which diet plan to follow
• ridding your household of those tempting treats still found in your pantry or refrigerator

Before you know it, the first week is over and you are NOT 1.5 lbs lighter!

Worse yet, after realizing you have failed at the outset and discouragement sets in, you begin to wallow in misery. You look at your plan in disdain and begin to seriously have doubts. You know very well how this story will end, don’t you?

Goal setting done the right way CAN help you achieve what you set out to do. Just be mindful of the following goal setting tips when formulating your own goals:

1. Be Honest

Using the SMART principle (specific, attainable, realistic, time-bound), define your goals truthfully. If you are not the type who responds well to stretched goals, then be more conservative in your approach!

2. Think Things Through

Define your goals clearly. What do you need by way of resources? What steps do you need to take to achieve your objectives? How long should each task take? How would you be able to tell if adjustments are needed?

3. See in Your Mind’s Eye How Your Plan will Progress

Carefully scrutinize you action plan and see  how this will affect your quantifiable targets. Be mindful of what your action plan can actually deliver and set your goals accordingly. Conversely, make sure your action plan can deliver the desired result.

4. Do the Work

Goals are met only when you do the work required work to achieve them. Wishful thinking or divine intervention won’t help you here, so don’t expect something to happen when you haven’t done anything!

5. Be Flexible

Account for the unexpected. Circumstances change. Be ready to tweak your goals if the situation calls for it but never lose sight of your goals’ underlying essence.

6. Reward Yourself

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done! As you come closer to achieving your goal, celebrate each milestone achieved!

Do you know of other goal setting tips? I would love to hear from you! Just leave me a note and let me know.

If you like to keep up with all the tips I offer on personality development, managing time, and increasing productivity, sign up for my RSS feed or follow me on Twitter! I also offer a free time management course on www.managemytimenow.com!

However, after I had quashed the irritation and anxiety that welled up within me, I realized that the main reason behind these failures was my very own belief system. Because I second guessed myself at every turn and became overly critical of every decision I made, I set myself up for failure from the very beginning.

There are three self-defeating thoughts I regularly grapple with in my battles with failure:

1. “I do not know what to do!”

When confronted with a situation I had not encountered previously, my immediate reaction was to panic! I then quickly found comfort in my ‘tried and tested’ solutions, justifying this instinctive act with the thought, “If it worked in the past, there’s no reason why it shouldn’t now.”

“What’s wrong with that . . .,” you might ask. Well, because I didn’t trust myself, I ignored other solutions that, perhaps, were more feasible, fearing I lacked the knowledge and skill to implement them effectively. I deliberately overlooked certain facts, opting instead to force my stock remedy on the issue at hand. Guess how this ended!

Skill and knowledge come with time and practice. You should never be afraid to explore the unknown. Knowledge and wisdom are acquired through experience. Skills are honed if you put your mind and heart into refining your craft daily. Do not let your fear of the unknown smother your chances of arriving at a better solution. Do your best to cover all bases with solid research. Whatever the outcome, use it as an opportunity to learn. This is the only way you can overcome your own self-doubt.

2. “I am not good enough.”

All too often in the past, whenever I came to a crossroad, I would take the more beaten path because I mistakenly perceived life to be a numbers game. There was safety in numbers, or so I thought, until I chanced upon a documentary featuring stampeding cows blindly following other cows off a cliff!

We are all unique in every respect. No matter what others may say, you ARE good enough and are capable of achieving great things if you believe it to be so. On the other hand, you WILL fail if you think you will. This is perhaps the main cause why people fail.

Be well grounded. Know who you are. Believe in yourself. Winning or being ‘good enough’ comes from within, not from mobs or naysayers.

3. “I am afraid of failure.”

I became petrified with the mere thought of failing at something in the past. As such, I would only act if the outcome were a sure thing. The problem was, recognition, wealth, and praise went to those who took risks and had the battle scars to prove it! I therefore relegated myself to a life blighted with monotony and mediocrity.

The glaring truth is you have not failed until you tried and lost. How would you value victory if you have not even tasted defeat?

Never be fearful of failure. This is yet another reason why people fail in life. If the history of our world is to be the illuminating factor, failure actually means progress! History is replete with men and women who conquered the world DESPITE experiencing failure countless times at some point in their lives.

If you encounter these same thoughts as you tackle your own daily challenges, the key to success is within you. Dig deep and muster the strength to look at yourself in a different light. You already have what it takes to become successful! All you need to do is shift gears. As Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote in his book The Little Prince, “It is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

If you like to keep up with all the tips I offer on personality development, saving time, and increasing productivity, sign up for my RSS feed or follow me on Twitter! I also offer a free time management course on www.managemytimenow.com!

And here’s where you can download your free copy.

Go ahead, give it a shot and let me know what you think.

I’m sure you have noticed how infrequent my blog posts have been and my failed attempts to get back to blog posting and business duties over the last year and half.

And of course the lack of any new products and the lack of emails from me.

So what exactly is the reason? Am I shutting down this website? I thought about it to be honest and I did accidentally did let my other domain expire and I lost a lot of money because of that…Oops! But you can probably tell from that this wasn’t about money at all. It was something deeper..

In simple words here’s what happened to me. I lost my drive. Yes I know I talk about productivity and chasing your goals and I honestly tried convincing myself to get back…but none of those really helped me. It wasn’t that I didn’t have goals…in fact, I did. I thought about my business almost every day but I just never showed up!

Here’s why:

You see, I had lost my intrinsic motivation. I did sit down and create a couple products. You just never heard of them. I sat down and revised my strategic and marketing plans, changed things here and there but something just didn’t feel right.

And it took me a long while to realize what was going on. I thought it was a “phase” so I waited patiently for my intrinsic motivation to come back because I knew it wasn’t a lack of time, goals, plans, action lists or some “push”. It was a matter of losing that inner motivation that makes you jump out of bed in the morning, excited and ready to do something wonderful.

So what exactly was wrong with me? Here’s the scoop

I was going through something of a conflict between my original vision for my business and what I thought I needed to do to reach my business goals. You see, I began reading all about business growth and such and got really uncomfortable about some of the things I was learning like focusing more on aggressive selling and money being the most important thing in business.

You see, I was learning things that contradicted with my vision and being told that that was the only way to grow my vision.

Phew, that’s a tough one to handle. So I had two choices there, I could grow my business and lose my vision or stay where I was.

Can you guess which one I chose? Yes, I decided to stay and not grow my business (which is why the products I created never saw the light of the day because I was scared of losing something more fundamental…my values if I had to sell them aggressively)

Did my turmoil end there?

Unfortunately it didn’t. There was another side of me who wanted to see her dreams grow and her business grow. Trust me, I did everything in power to silence this one!

So why exactly did I decide to come back?

You see, I had almost given up on my dream to protect my values but I was unhappy because I wasn’t working on my vision. And so I kept tossing and turning and trying to get back…

It took me a good year and a half to realize that I could still work on my vision and keep my values.

How?

Well, I have decided to take the road least taken so to speak. You see, so many businesses fall into this trap of maximizing growth and so on that they completely forget about their vision and their customers.

I have decided that I’m going to take a different approach and first focus on my customers and my business. Yes, my business will probably grow at a slower rate than if I were to use an aggressive “Screw everything but the money” strategy but I will be happy!

So here’s the moral of the story:

1. If you ever have to choose between short term success and your vision and values. Choose your vision and your values. Your vision and your values fuel your desire to achieve your goals and affect your happiness.

2. Sometimes its better to step back, think and do the right thing than doing something (that you don’t believe in) just for the sake of doing something. I know I’d have a really rough time forgiving myself if I had ever gone down the road of just focusing on the money.

So folks, there you go..that’s my year and a half in a page and a half

I’m very excited to be back and I look forward to a wonderful journey ahead.

Here’s how it works:

Just go to http://www.getyoursuccessnow.com from your mobile phone and the site should be able to take care of the rest.

I’ve tested it with a blackberry and it looks amazing (if I do say so myself), let me know how it works on your phone.

P.S. I’d love it if you could check out the website from your phone and let me know how it looks. Just hit the comment button below or catch me on twitter.

The meaning of Kaizen

Kaizen doesn’t just mean improvement. It refers to continuous small scale improvement. And, here’s why it works: it’s small and it’s continuous.

Breaking the improvement process into small parts helps keep us focused while the continuous part ensures consistency.

Here’s some other benefits of Kaizen:

• Since you keep your goals small, you are less likely to get overwhelmed
• It reduces frustration and stress
• Helps you focus on improving a process rather than just an end result
• Keeps you committed to your goals since you’re working on it everyday.
• It takes the pressure off because you don’t have to get it perfect right away

Here’s some little things you can start changing with Kaizen:

1. Try changing one little thing everyday with respect to your attitude – listen more than you speak, focus on others, try to think positive. Just one little step, one day at a time.
2. Try owning up to your mistakes. Say sorry when you make a little mistake
3. Try forgiving someone
4. Improve some part of your business/career – maybe pick up a new hobby
5. Learn something new
6. Let go of drama and excuses

You can apply Kaizen to almost any aspect of life. And, the beautiful thing is there is no pressure or guilt involved. When you get sidetracked or don’t achieve what you want, just get up and tell yourself “I get another chance at it tomorrow”.