Do you put off doing the things that matter most?

Procrastination paralyzes good people.

It is a self-induced distraction where we crazily waste precious time while opportunity slips through our fingers.

The good news is there are several simple, yet effective, strategies we can use to beat procrastination.

If you want to learn effective ways to overcome this debilitating habit so you can accomplish more, then please read on.

Simple Ways to Conquer Procrastination

Let’s face it, we all procrastinate from time-to-time.  We put off doing the things we need to get done.

We stall.  We avoid.  We postpone.  We defer.  We daydream.  We rationalize.

We do everything except what we should be doing.

Unfortunately, while we squander our time, life passes us by.

The next time you find yourself procrastinating, try one of these techniques to free yourself from the chains that bind.

1.  Eat That Frog

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And If it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”

~ Mark Twain

The idea here is to do the task you dread most first thing in the morning before you have a chance to build it up in your mind.

Plus, you’ll get a boost from knowing that you knocked out a difficult task.  This is empowering.

Once you’ve completed your toughest task for the day – you’ve eaten your frog – everything else you have to do will seem easy.

2.  Stop Worrying About the Finish Line

“The best way to get something done is to begin.” 

~Author Unknown

Often we fail to start because we don’t think we’ll have time to finish.  This kills productivity.

Stop worrying about the finish line.  You’ll never reach it unless you cross the starting line first.

You can accomplish more than you think in 15 minutes or sometimes even just 5 minutes.

Get started and do as much as you can without concern for finishing.  I promise, you’ll be amazed at how much more you’ll get done by following this simple guideline.

3.  Give Yourself Permission to Be Crappy

“Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people.”

~ Anne Lamott, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life

Sometimes we procrastinate because we fear our results will be crappy.  To avoid crappy results, we tell ourselves things like, “I don’t even know where to start.”

As David Kadavy, author of Design for Hackers, says, “It’s okay to suck, it’s necessary to suck.”

We all learn as we go.  You had to crawl before you could walk and when you did start walking, you were pretty crappy at it.  However, I bet you’ve gotten a lot better now because you never stopped trying.

Give yourself permission to be crappy at first.  It eliminates a big obstacle to getting started.

4.  Change Your Internal Self-Talk

“Our anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strengths.”

~ Charles Spurgeon

You cannot bully yourself into getting important tasks done.  When you pressure yourself, you increase your anxiety and anxiety empties you of your strength.

I’ve realized, from my own struggles with procrastination, words have power.  When I use words like, “should”, “need to”, and “have to” to try to force myself to do tasks, my internal resistance increases.

To combat this, give yourself some room and monitor your internal self-talk.  Instead of saying, “I have to get this done,” say, “I want to do this.”  It really does make a difference.

5.  Realize Not All Procrastination Is Bad

“The work you do while you procrastinate is probably the work you should be doing for the rest of your life.”

~ Jessica Hische

I’ve come to realize that procrastination is not all bad.  Therefore, one way to beat it is to just give in to it.

In some instances, it is better to put off a task until you truly feel up to it.

In the meantime, engage in something where you can learn, grow and be creative.  You may generate some of your most brilliant ideas while you are distracting yourself from what you “should” be doing.

Stop Struggling With Procrastination

“The really happy people are those who have broken the chains of procrastination, those who find satisfaction in doing the job at hand. They’re full of eagerness, zest, productivity. You can be, too.”

~ Norman Vincent Peale

Habitual procrastination is debilitating.  However, it can be overcome.  The tips above will help you become a happier, more productive person.

You cannot afford to put this off any longer!

Fear can propel you forward or suffocate you.

It is a powerful motivator.

You want to listen to it when it’s warning you of danger, but sometimes you still need to turn down the volume.

Risk is dangerous, and if you want to propel yourself forward, you’re going to have to take risks.

Decide If Fear Is Holding You Back

Is it possible that fear is suffocating your dreams?

Here’s a quiz to evaluate if fear is holding you back from the realization of your dreams:

1. Do you fear failure?
2. Do you fear what people think (or looking stupid)?
3. Do you fear moving forward due to financial concerns?
4. Does thinking about attacking the tasks to start your dream make you feel tired, depressed, or defeated?
5. Do you enjoy the comfort of “playing it safe”?

Of course, my quiz isn’t scientific. We’ve all felt these fears. On some level, most of us face fears 1 and 2 on an almost daily basis.

If you answered yes to most of the questions above, fear is probably suffocating your dreams.

How To Overcome Your Fear and Realize Your Dream

Here’s what you can do to overcome your fear:

1. Identify the Fear

Dig down to specifically what you’re afraid of. Is it the disapproval of a particular person? (Will they truly care anyhow?)

Is it the self-criticism that comes from within?

Is it a fear of falling flat on your face?

2. Evaluate If It’s Real

Take a long hard look at your fear. Is it external or internal to you?

For example, fearing the loss of money or of injury is valid and real. You’ve got to take a look and decide if what you want to try is something you’re prepared for.

Is what you fear internal? Self-fabricated? These feelings and thoughts aren’t invalid or unreal. You certainly are experiencing them. But if they aren’t external to you, they don’t pose a real threat except to control you from taking a stab at your dream.

“Fear is only as deep as the mind allows.”

~ Japanese Proverb

3. Exposure

In order to give your fear a knock-out kick to the face, you can’t run from it. You must face and it and expose yourself to it.

People who are afraid of public speaking will need to expose themselves to it. People who are afraid of flying have to get in an airplane. Sure, there are other steps along the way, but never attempting, never facing something will never afford you the opportunity to fully process out what you fear.

“Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.”

~ Francis Chan

4. Make a Plan

People that have the utmost confidence of fulfilling their dreams are those that meticulously plan and prepare.

When you face fears, it’s easy to run. That’s usually more comfortable than staring them in the face.

However, often, that’s what we must do.

You don’t scream. You don’t shout. You think. You prepare. And you plan. If you want to face and overcome fear, this is what you have to do.

“The amateur believes he must first overcome his fear; then he can do his work. The professional knows that fear can never be overcome. He knows there is no such thing as a fearless warrior or a dread-free artist.”

~ Steven Pressfield

About the Author

This is a guest post written by Todd. He’s the co-founder and content manager at Fearless Men, a men’s blog on Manliness that inspires men to grow strong, get fit, be wise, kick fear in the face and become a better man. Check out what else he’s written on Overcoming Fear.

Photo by: Nicholas Hammond

This is a guest post by Jessica Ruane.

Contentment cannot be achieved through a paycheck or a weight loss supplement.

Genuine happiness is a conscious mindset that everyone must create for themselves.

Fortunately, cultivating a sense of serenity and happiness might be easier than you think.

Happiness Hacks You Can Use for Instant Joy

Next time you’re feeling down, try one of these easy, instant, mood-lifting tricks.

They really work!

1) Get Dressed Up

That tired old cliché, “When you look good, you feel good,” is actually true. If you wake up feeling kind of down for no particular reason, putting on your favorite outfit can help you walk out the door feeling a lot more confident. Plus, the people in your life who see you on a daily basis will surely take notice and let you know how great you look. It’s hard to stay in a bad mood when you’re receiving compliments all day!

2) Stretch and Breathe

I’m certainly a true believer in the healing power of yoga. But you don’t have to be in a studio to receive the feel-good effects of a stretching session. Anytime you want to calm your nerves and get a boost of endorphins, all you have to do is take a moment to stretch and breathe deeply for at least five minutes. You will feel calmer, centered, and ready to take on the world. It definitely works!

3) Make a Gratitude List

When you start feeling overwhelmed, stressed out, and overcome with the feeling that your life is completely unfair, an easy way to regain perspective is to make a list of everything you’re grateful for. The list can include basic freedoms, small luxuries, and of course, the people who matter most to you. It may sound like a cheesy personal growth exercise, but it forces your mind out of the negative and into the positive.

4) Smell Something Wonderful

This may feel like a silly parlor trick, but the sense of smell is a powerful way to tap into your positive memories. When I’m exposed to something that smells like my mom’s cooking, or my dad’s cologne, I’m immediately transported back to how I felt as a little girl—happy, and carefree. A pleasant smell is enough to take you out of the present moment, and sometimes that’s all you need.

5) Indulge in a Little Escape

Occasionally, you just need a minute to yourself. When life gets overwhelming, step away, and shut your mind down. I always like to have places that I can go to unwind for a minute. Sometimes it’s a power nap in the car. Other times, it’s the empty coffee shop down the street. Don’t feel like you have to suit up and show up for every minute of the day. Allow yourself time to slip away, relax, and recharge. Then, you can turn a rested mind back to your duties.

6) Call Someone Who Makes You Feel Safe

Connecting with someone who you truly feel comfortable with can certainly boost your mood if you’re feeling down. Just a quick pep talk from a special someone you trust can dramatically improve any situation. Chose the most supportive person you can think of. It could be your mom, a close friend, or a significant other. Conversely, make sure to stay away from toxic people when you’re feeling vulnerable. Not everyone is a healer. Know in advance who you can turn to in a crisis.

7) Get Some Sun

When sunlight hits your skin, it triggers the production of Vitamin D. Some scientists speculate that a percentage of the population depends on Vitamin D to stay emotionally balanced. Several studies have shown that a deficient amount of Vitamin D is directly related to a dip in mood for certain people. So slap on some sunscreen and catch some healing rays for an instant boost of energy! If spending time in the sun is not an option, you can always give light therapy a try! Just sitting under a full-spectrum light for an hour a day has been shown to relieve symptoms of depression in some studies.

8) Eat a Healthy Snack

It’s no secret that the food you eat affects how you feel. Although most people might crave junk food when they’re feeling low or stressed out, a healthier option (like an orange) can make you feel better in the long run.

P.S. If you just can’t fight the craving for something sweet, opt for a piece of dark chocolate. This delicious dessert is high in magnesium, a mineral that reduces anxiety. Dark chocolate also has tryptophan, which can help reduce symptoms of depression.

9) Hang With a Furry Friend

Petting an animal releases all sorts of feel-good hormones like serotonin, prolactin, and oxytocin, and lowers the stress hormone cortisol. Even if you don’t own a pet yourself, you can always go for walk in your neighborhood dog park. Exercise + dogs= total happiness.

Even better, volunteer at your local shelter. Volunteering is another great proven path to happiness. According to Mark Snyder, a psychologist and head of the Center for the Study of the Individual and Society at the University of Minnesota. “People who volunteer tend to have higher self-esteem, psychological well-being, and happiness.” This is especially true for folks that volunteer with animals.

10) Listen to Your Favorite Song

Step away for a minute with your iPod and put your favorite song on. When you need a quick way to space out and shed some stress, going back to basics is sometimes your best bet. Having a go-to song that you listen to when you need a quick burst of energy is a great asset to your happy vault. Putting on your favorite song does more for your mind than you might think. Listening to your favorite melodies and harmonies can trigger the brain to release large amounts of dopamine, a chemical that sends “feel good” signals to the rest of the body and plays a role in both motivation and addiction.

Use a Happiness Hack When You Need a Boost

You don’t have to be a victim of stressful circumstances. These are ten simple happiness hacks you can use virtually anywhere, at anytime. You don’t have to spend a ton of money on a spa day, or take a vacation on the beach to unwind. You have the power to change your mood whenever you want. You would be amazed at how something so simple can have such a dramatic impact on your mind.

What do YOU do when you need a quick pick-me-up?

Let us know in the comments!

About the Author

Jessica Ruane is a personal growth teacher and blogger in San Diego. When she’s not lecturing students, she writes for her company blog.

This is a guest post by Jessica Velasco.

Anyone who has ever tried to lose weight knows there is no easy way to make it happen.

There is no magic pill or miracle product.  You just need to put in the time and do the work.

However, there is a secret weapon many people are ignorant of.  This secret can work miracles and produce amazing results.

Want to know what the secret is?  I’ll tell you; it’s a positive attitude.

Change how you think about food, the progress of your weight loss journey, and your outward appearance.  You’ll see shocking results in no time at all.

Change How You Think About Food

Many weight loss hopefuls come to hate food and the strict diet they must adhere to.  Having a positive outlook on the food you are eating and the effect it is has on your body is the first change you must make.

Eat when you are hungry.  No diet should require you to go into starvation mode.  If you allow yourself to become super hungry, you’re bound to eventually cave to your desires and totally overindulge.  Instead, reach for a healthy snack when hunger pangs strike.  Just make sure you are eating out of hunger, not boredom.  Keep portions in check and stop eating when your hunger has been satisfied.

Eat the foods you crave.  Again, total deprivation is a bad thing.  If you cut your favorite foods from your life, they will start to dominate your thoughts.  You’ll long for those goodies until you can no longer control yourself.  Binges are a dieter’s worst enemy.  Go ahead and allow yourself a treat every once in a while.  Just make sure you keep everything in moderation and be very conscious of the calories you are consuming.

Acknowledge the good things food does for your body.  You may despise every crunch of that carrot.  You may long to mask its bland taste with fattening dips or sauces.  Instead of focusing on the things you don’t like about certain foods, why not think about all the good they are doing?  Carrots can help improve your vision, prevent cancer, battle the appearance of premature aging, prevent infection, restore beautiful skin, prevent heart disease, nourish your teeth and gums, and reduce the chance of stroke.  They aren’t looking too bad now, are they?!

Change How You Evaluate Your Progress

Weight loss is more than just a number on the scale.  It is about looking and feeling better too.  Look for other methods of critiquing your weight loss journey.

Be patient.  Losing weight in a safe, long-lasting, and healthy way is going to take time.

Set attainable goals.  Your big-picture plan – losing weight – is admirable.  However, it is awfully difficult to evaluate such an ambiguous goal.  Set smaller, measurable goals that will get you from one day to the next.  Sit down and map out your plan.  Know where you want to go and how you will accomplish it.

Once you have reached a goal, reward yourself.  Don’t turn to unhealthy foods for your treat though.  Reward yourself with things that will help you reach your next goal.  That might mean a new pair of running shoes or a day at the spa to rejuvenate.

Don’t doubt your efforts.  There are a wide variety of weight loss plans and products on the market these days.  Not all plans are created equally and not all products have the same effect on everyone.  What worked for one person might not work for you.  Don’t measure your success against someone else.

Likewise, try not to jump from one plan to another.  If you try lipotropic injections for one week, Atkins the next, Jenny Craig for a month, and adhere to The South Beach Diet for a few days, you’ll never give any of these options a chance to work.  Pick a plan and give it some time.

Be honest and realistic.  Take a good long look at what you are doing and why you are doing it.  Are your goals realistic?  Have you set your sights too high?  Are you doing more harm than good?  Make sure your goals are attainable; don’t set yourself up for failure.

Do you really want to lose weight right now?  Are you truly committed to this plan?  You might find the reality is you aren’t ready to lose weight or commit to the effort it requires.  Adult beverages with friends and leisurely strolls on the golf course might be more important than low-calorie foods and intense workout sessions.

Be accountable to yourself.  No one else is responsible for your success or failure.  Keep yourself accountable for the foods you eat and how often you exercise.

Likewise, don’t make excuses.  Finding ways to justify your behavior isn’t going to change the outcome.  Accept the fact that you will slip up on occasion.  Learn from those mistakes instead of brushing them under the rug.

Surround yourself with positive people.  Let your friends and family spur you on to your goal.  Stay away from people who have bad habits and will likely encourage you to join them.  If you find a loved one isn’t supportive of your weight loss efforts, have a conversation with them.  See if you can get to the root of the problem.  Likewise, avoid places and situations that will make it more difficult to adhere to your weight loss goals.

Change How You Think About Your Appearance

Everyone is beautiful – no matter what their weight.  Focus your attention on how you feel.  You may not have reached your goal yet, but know that you are making strides to get there.  Appreciate how far you’ve come.

Use your imagination.  Visualize your body and the life you really want.  You might even want to find a motivational photograph if the mental image isn’t enough to sustain you.  Find a picture of yourself from your glory days or look to someone else for inspiration.  Let that be an encouragement, not an obsession.  Don’t worry, you’ll get there eventually!

Set a self-fulfilling prophecy.  If you think you are overweight or unhealthy, you will stay that way.  There are zero benefits of negative thinking.  Instead, tell yourself you are attractive and making great strides towards your goal.

Take pride in you appearance.  Throw the sweats in the hamper.  Take the time to freshen up, fix your hair, and shave.  Put on your favorite outfit.  If you look good, you’ll feel good.  If you feel good, you’re much more likely to put in the effort necessary to make yourself look even better.

Staying Positive Will Help You Lose Weight

Losing weight, eating healthy, and getting fit are admirable goals.  You definitely won’t have an easy time making it happen though.  However, you can greatly increase the likelihood of reaching your goal if you have a positive attitude.  Shed all your negative thoughts right along with those unwanted pounds.

 About the Author

Jessica Velasco is a health and fitness writer.  She often has to remind herself to be positive about her own fitness efforts.  Staying in shape is difficult when you spend half the day in front of the computer!

Want an amazing life?

“Let every man or woman here, if you never hear me again, remember this, that if you wish to be great at all, you must begin where you are and with what you are, in Philadelphia, now.”

The words above were offered by Russell Conwell in his classic lecture called Acres of Diamonds.

We think to have a great life, we need to uproot our lives.

We tend toward the old adage, “The grass is always greener on the other side.”

This traps us in a quagmire of inaction. The hill of change is too great so we cave.

We remain stuck living a life of mediocrity because we think a truly great life can only be found in a new place with new people doing a new thing.  Nothing could be further from the truth.

Get the Great Life Right Where You Are

Stop just dreaming about a great life.  You are wasting valuable time that you can’t get back.

The timing, the circumstances, the plan will never be perfect.  If you keep waiting for the stars to align or for your opportunity to suddenly ripen to perfection, you will forever be stuck in a life of quiet desperation.

Conwell’s message is that you shouldn’t fall for the trap that all great success is found somewhere else.  He challenges you to realize that there are acres of diamonds in your own backyard.

In other words, you can be successful, prosperous and happy right where you are – in your present circumstances.

You just have to quit overlooking all the opportunity that is right before you.

Begin where you are, with what you have and with who you are.  The good fortune before you is just waiting for you to see it and make something of it.

The Key to Success Right Where You Are

“He that can be a blessing to the community in which he lives tonight will be great anywhere, but he who cannot be a blessing where he now lives will never be great anywhere on the face of God’s earth.”

~ Russell H. Conwell, Acres of Diamonds

The level of success you enjoy is directly related to your ability to find a way to serve the needs of others.

Those that are highly successful understand this.

They find a way – right where they are – to serve and be a blessing.

When you are a blessing, when you serve a useful purpose, people become willing to give you money.  The money they give could be in the form of a salary, a donation or possibly to purchase your product or services.

The greater your service, the greater they give.

I don’t want you to miss what Conwell says in the quote above.  Those that are great, discover a way to serve right where they are, in the community they live in tonight.

That little phrase, “in the community they live in tonight,” implies a lot.  It says that those that create a great life for themselves find a way to be great beginning right where they are, with what they have and with who they are.

How do you do this?

I think you begin by embracing this attitude:

“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as Michelangelo painted, or Beethoven played music, or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” 

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

Find a way to be a blessing and do that thing with the utmost of excellence.

People spend too much time in our culture today trying to be clever.

In reality, greatness is found by starting right where you are and delivering astounding service.  It is a simple recipe, but one that works and that is available to everyone.

The path to greatness lies directly in front of you.  There are acres of diamonds before you.  Do you see them?

Once you do, you will be on your way to an amazing life!

This is a guest post by Hilary Overcash.

Do you want more focus in your life?

To multitask or not to multitask…that seems to be the question.

As a chronic multitasker myself, I have always looked up to those that are able to juggle multiple tasks with ease.

However, I have discovered, over the years, that as a result of jumping from one thing to another not only do I fail to develop a complete skill set in one area; I’m also not giving tasks the attention they deserve.

In the long run, I have found that small bouts of concentrated effort and focus have a greater impact and spare my brain chaos.

The Case Against Multitasking

Could multitasking actually be causing a drop in productivity?

Multitasking can make it much more difficult to tune out distractions. According to some research, productivity is decreased by as much as 40% when one tries to do more than one thing at a time.

Performing multiple tasks or even constantly switching back and forth between tasks may actually slow cognitive processing.

Bosco Tjan, Associate Professor of Psychology put it this way:

“Most of the time multitasking is an illusion. You think you are multitasking, but in reality you’re actually wasting time switching from one task to another.”

But, all hope is not lost!

How to Recover from a Multitasking Addiction

Here are some ways to kick the habit of multitasking, focus in, and get more done…

Schedule Tasks

An excellent way to improve focus is to decide on a schedule or time slot for each task and stick to it. Now, I’m not talking about having to sit down and do a major overhaul of your schedule. I’m talking about deciding how long a task will take and breaking it down into chunks.

You may want to give yourself just 20 minutes to check emails and social media sites. 50-minute increments are a good rule of thumb for longer tasks. Larger projects that will take hours to complete can be broken down into 45-50 minute segments with a 10-15 minute break in between segments.

Try these suggestions and find the time frames that work best for you.  Your goal is to work in small spurts where you can achieve laser focus.

Commit to working on only the task at hand during the segment. Let everyone know ahead of time, if need be, that you have set the time aside free of distractions. This way you can avoid being interrupted aside from emergencies.

Try using a timer like the Pomodora App that gives you 25 minutes to work on a task at a time. This way you are not distracted by looking at a clock.

Take Breaks

Earlier, I mentioned taking 10-15 minute breaks for every 50 minutes of work. This may sound like a waste of time, but improves focus and productivity in the long run.

“Mental concentration is similar to a muscle,” says John P. Trougakos, an assistant management professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough and the Rotman School of Management.  “It becomes fatigued after sustained use and needs a rest period before it can recover – much as a weight lifter needs rest before doing a second round of repetitions at the gym,” he explains.  (via New York Times 6/17/2012)

Something as simple as taking a walk can make all the difference in your concentration. Stepping away from the computer screen and catching some fresh air, revives the brain. If you cannot get outside, just doing something different for a few minutes can help. Stretch your muscles, doodle on a notepad, get up and circle your desk, anything to give yourself a break.

Be In The Moment

Learning to be in the moment, to feel what you feel and experience all you can experience, takes practice.

All the moments in our lives have significance all their own. When we are constantly bouncing between tasks we miss out on the little moments that are making up our lives. Think about it, have your ever had a “light bulb” moment that changed the way you thought or lived your life in an instant?

When we live in the here and now, we give our hearts and minds a chance to speak to us. We open ourselves to special experiences that might otherwise be missed.

Take time to just stop and focus in on your surroundings. Close your eyes and be still. What sounds do you hear? The patter of feet, the ticking of a clock, the rush of traffic in the distance…

What do you feel? Is the room warm or cool? Do you have any sensations in your body? Do you feel tense, relaxed, happy, or sad? Don’t judge what you feel, just be present with it for a moment.

As you learn to do this, your heartbeat slows and mind calms. You learn to let go and be fully present with yourself. You train your brain to focus on what you choose. With this your heart and mind will thank you. There is no time but the present.

Stop Multitasking and Start Being Productive

Schedule your tasks, take breaks, and be in the moment as you watch your productivity soar!

About the Author

Hilary Overcash is a blue eyed, brunette living at the equator with a passion for helping people live their best lives! As a proud member of the Empower community my blog can be found here at http://www.empowernetwork.com/hilaryen/.  I invite you to pay it a visit.

Do you want to be a peak performer?

I’m never sure if it’s a good idea or not to start an article off with a confession.

While I would like you to believe that I’m an expert in my field, I feel compelled to confess that most of my expertise is born out of messing things up. Well, more than messing things up, I would describe it more like trying to wish away reality. That pesky word…reality.

I think there’s even a psychological term for the stress we feel from the gap that exists between how we think the world should be and how it really is; how we think people should behave versus how they really do, etc.

I can’t remember what that term is right now. And if there isn’t such a term, there probably should be.

The Reality Gap that Weakens Our Performance

But I digress. We all feel it to varying degrees and at different times. But we all feel it nonetheless.

If you ever say any of these following things to yourself, then you too suffer from this unnamed condition:

“I wish you could count on people to keep their word.”

“My work/life balance is so blurry.”

“I hope the future becomes a little more secure.”

“We need to put less pressure on ourselves.”

“Corporate America is so unfair.”

Or just plug in the word “unfair” in a number of different scenarios.

You get the idea.

I’m describing those times when you simply feel frustrated, upset, or stressed out at reality. Not reality exactly but that gap between reality and how we wish things were.

Embrace Reality to Achieve Peak Performance

In my experience, this is one of the most insidious conditions that keeps us from performing at our best, from being our best.

We use a tremendous amount of mental energy wishing things were different.

This is energy that could be used working on ourselves, acquiring new skills, building relationships, or enjoying our lives. But no, we insist on wasting it.

I would have to say that learning to embrace reality had a more dramatic impact on my own performance than anything else I’ve done. It actually lead to the creation of our business philosophy, which is “optimistic realism”.

The great entrepreneur, Ray Dalio, wrote an eBook called Principles. It’s his 160 (or so) principles for success. Guess what #1 is? Be hyper-real.

So, I’ve compiled what I believe are 12 of the most important realities to embrace if you want to reach your best.

1. We Need to Learn More Skills

Too many of us haven’t really updated our skills or attitudes since school. We somehow create this weird illusion that we know enough, that we don’t need to always be learning. Wrong, wrong, and wrong. As we progress, there are new complexities and demands. There are new situations. The knowledge that got us “here” won’t get us “there”. The most successful people I know are life long learners.

2. Acknowledge Fear and Uncertainty Exist

I know a lot of people that wish they didn’t have to experience fear and doubt as regularly as they do. But the truth is, if you’re not experiencing any doubt or anxiety, you’re not really up to anything important. Our brain is hardwired to look for everything that could go wrong, that is, fear. That doesn’t mean we should ever allow fear to consume us or halt our progress. We simply need to face the reality that sometimes feeling fear is part of the human experience.

3. You Need a Plan

The world is changing so dramatically that planning and prioritizing with so many unknowns is difficult. But this is what makes the need for a plan to improve your life all the more important. Going through each day by the seat of our pants never leads to peak performance. It leads to “more of the same”.

4. There Is More Pressure to Perform

Paying lip service to performance will no longer do (especially if you’re a small business owner). Customers and employers have become more demanding about the level of quality that they’ll accept. Information is easier to come by. People can buy things almost anywhere. Word travels fast through social media. We need to be operating at our best and not just saying we’re the best.

5. Work/Life Balance Is Somewhat a Myth

Yes, I said “somewhat” a myth. What I mean by this is there is a definite need to balance out work, family, and personal time. We require all of these. But sometimes one thing takes priority over another thing. Those of you who are business owners know that for sure. You’ve worked some 80 hour weeks in your day. Let’s not get bent out of shape if, on occasion, you need to miss the rerun of Gilligan’s Island to get some work done. That’s how it goes. It will all balance out in the end.

6. Being a Good Communicator Is the Key to Success

I understand that you’re successful because of your brilliant idea, your flawless execution, your unmatched business acumen, and your unwavering rightness. But, for the rest of us, our success is mostly based on our ability to get other people to buy-in to what we’re doing. We need the support, ideas, friendship, and expertise of other people in order to perform at our best. Being an excellent communicator is a major step in getting that support.

7. There Is No Such Thing as Job Security

At the risk of sounding a bit harsh, career security is a thing of the past. We need to create our own security, which generally means striving to be the best at what we do. Getting to a point where people just can’t live without us is real security.

8. Manage Your Mind, Manage Your Life

One of the biggest areas I’ve seen people neglect in their quest to become a peak performer is mind management. Throughout our day-to-day lives, we are working with a mind that essentially has no desire to be managed. Our ego thinks it’s got it all under control. The truth of the matter is that we spend most of our time trapped in our stories and perceptions and “believe” everything we think. In order to perform at our best, we need to have more control over our thoughts, emotions, and actions.

9. Vision Will Set you Free

I know, you’re way too busy to think about what it is you REALLY want. After all, you have a demanding job, bills to pay, mouths to feed, etc. Vision is for those new-age people with waaaay too much time on their hands, right? Well…no. Not that your vision needs to be extremely grandiose like saving the world or curing cancer (but it doesn’t hurt). What I’m more referring to is making sure that you are engaged in things that have real meaning to you, not just to make a buck. Of all the entrepreneurs I’ve worked with, the ones that are the most clear about what they want out of life achieve the most success. Vision is never a whimsical afterthought. It is the foundation upon which peak performers build.

10. You Need to Be a Producer

Wealth creation in the United States has stalled because we have become more consumers and less producers. I think we need to wake up and create something everyday for our business, our life, our family, our community, or our world. We need to focus more attention on execution and innovation. Peak performers are always searching for a better way. They’re never satisfied with the status-quo. Keep your productive juices flowing at all times.

11. Talent and Confidence Matter

I had an amazing conversation recently with a highly successful Division 1 college basketball coach. I asked her what the single biggest factor was that would tell her if a player was going to be good or not. She said, “that’s easy, it’s confidence”. She said that our own belief in ourselves is the biggest factor in performing well. So, it begs the question, how does one gain confidence? By gaining talent and skill. By working hard and practicing our craft all the time. By actually being better than most others in our field. It becomes a cycle that feeds off of itself. Confidence leads to practice, which leads to skill, which leads to more confidence, and so forth. If you lack belief in yourself, its imperative you find a way to get it.

12. You Need to Keep Score

In order to perform at our best, we need to be working against metrics and measurables, or what I refer to as “performance based measurements”. It’s always amazing to me how many people don’t really know at any given moment how they are performing. Where do you stand in regard to goals? Are you financially where you need to be? Is your career progressing the way it should? I know it’s an obvious question but how can you get any better if you don’t really know how you’re doing in the first place? Keeping score makes us accountable as well. It’s a major component in being a peak performer.

Let’s not be afraid of reality. Let’s embrace it. Let’s accept it. And let’s whip that reality into submission as we become our best selves. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

About the Author

Mike Keiser has been a business owner since 1997 and uses his business knowledge and experience to assist clients in building profitable and valuable companies.  You can reach Mike via his website at Mental Compass: Influencing Peak Performance, Growth, and Productivity.

I never knew that it would get this bad but I can’t say I regret it.

No matter the ailment, I’ll always prescribe yoga. Because it works. Every time. For everything.

It’s like slivovitz, the Eastern European plum brandy cure-all my great-grandmother used before bed for “pain relief.” You could rub it on or drink it – either way worked.

There are actually a lot of similarities to the folk remedy drink (or any kind of mind-altering product) and yoga practice. However, when used to enhance performance, yoga has much more serious (and positive) consequences.

How Yoga Can Seriously Enhance Your Life

Here are three reasons I feel that yoga should become your performance-enhancing drug of choice:

1.  You Will Discover Your Secret Strength

Practicing yoga will give you muscle tone, help you build strength and increase your stamina. That means you’ll be physically stronger, able to perform at optimum levels for longer and you’ll feel better all the while.

The scary part is, you don’t need anything special to get started. You don’t need equipment – the weight of your own body is enough to give you a chiseled, healthy look. Because the barrier to entry is so low, anyone can do it in the comfort and privacy of their own home, which makes it hard to regulate and track.

In a way, yoga is very much an underground, black market commodity. Although there are plenty of places of varying quality where you can go to get your fix, it’s just as easy to create a home-brewed batch with a little Googling, a few cheap household staples and practice.

In addition to physical strength, practicing yoga requires a certain amount of focus, which over time builds resiliency. With these qualities, performance is super-charged to all-time highs.

2.  Your Productivity Will Skyrocket

With focus and physical strength on your side, mental clarity begins to emerge.

This is where yoga really starts to differ from other mind-altering substances. The mental clarity gained from practicing yoga is a different kind of feeling that arises deep within you.

Once this happens, you start to make choices differently, most of the time in line with your values, and you start redirecting more energy toward your dreams rather than daily minutiae.

Productivity all of the sudden becomes more meaningful as the work that must be done is now fun.

Rather than sit around all day like a bum, you rediscover passions, motivation, feelings and emotions. You realize time is running out to solve the world’s biggest problems.

3.  You Will Begin to Welcome Change

Once you’re deep into the consumption of yoga, there’s no turning back.

Your life starts to change in numerous ways; rather than pretending all is well, you welcome changes with open arms, happy to be introduced to a new way of life.

You no longer feel the need to hide your different views – in fact you feel compelled to share your feel-good with others.

When the time comes for you to be outed, disrupted, interrupted or otherwise re-routed from your original plan, you just go with the flow instead of holding on, holding out, holding back or holding grudges.

You start to feel free from the binds of an unknown weight that has been silently wearing you out in the background for years.

You finally realize the error of your old ways, and the path to move forward becomes clear. This is your way of life now.

A Yoga Addiction Will Rehabilitate You

You didn’t even know it, but with yoga you’ve been in rehab all along.

The Yoga Side Effects

The side effects of yoga are fortunately common and powerful.

Yoga will make you high.

This is due to the physiological response of the body receiving more oxygen than it ever has in its life. You may start to experience more joy, smile more often and start laughing jovially at things that really aren’t that funny to anyone else.

Your taste buds may change to favor seasonal fruits and vegetables – processed food with high salt and sugar content will start to taste fake and bland. You may never eat ice cream again but you won’t be bent out of shape over it.

Practicing yoga will make you more likely to feel emotion – the entire spectrum of it. At first this might be frightening, considering most of your life you’ve been taught to express very little, lest you be labeled weak.

Yogini General’s Warning

Yoga is no quick fix. Once you go on it, you’ll probably be on it for life. It’s also highly inconvenient. It can be somewhat mentally and emotionally painful. Many of the yoga poses are uncomfortable. If you can overcome these hindrances (which is the whole point), your life will be changed forever.

Imagine if the world prescribed yoga to enhance performance over steroids, pharmaceuticals, processed chemicals, poisons and environmental toxins?

I think we’d all feel a lot better.

About the Author

Ashley Josephine started supercharging her life when she discovered the practice of yoga. Today, she teaches an integrative style of yoga combining body, mind and soul work to help others reconnect to their true Selves and live life more fully. She blogs, teaches and shares her supercharged life online at AshleyJosephine.com.

Do you need a jump-start?

It is 100% possible to transform a mediocre life into one that is absolutely amazing.

It just takes a little action on your part.

A few steps in the right direction.

Want to know the good news?  There is a clear path you can follow that will lead you out of the doldrums and into a bright, new day – more on this shortly.

First, we need to get you acquainted with the one key ingredient you need to transform your life from good to GREAT!

The Key Ingredient to Revive Your Life

There is one thing a great life cannot go without.

It is the seed from which everything else grows.  It has the power to shift your life from boring to exciting, from mediocre to fulfilling, from good to GREAT!

It is passion.

Passion is that elusive quality that makes you come alive with enthusiasm and joy.

Having a “life passion” provides the same feeling you get when you first fall in love; you are embraced by happy, positive feelings and everything seems brighter and easier.  Your passion is the fuel that motivates you – when you know what it is.

Here are three things I want you to do:

• Imagine waking up feeling energized and enthused almost every single day.
• Imagine being so joyfully engaged that you lose track of time.
• Imagine regularly doing something you find deeply fulfilling.

That’s the way life is when you find your passion.  Don’t you long for this kind of life?

I think everyone does.

Unfortunately, many of us have no idea how to uncover our life passion.  Or, if we do find it, we are too fearful or uncertain to actually embrace it.

Have you found yourself longing for something more?

Do you feel like you are lost and on the wrong path in life?

It is time to give your life a jump-start!  It is time to try something new.

Finally, a Clear Way to Jump-Start Your True Passion

“If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be. Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.”

~ T. Alan Armstrong

I won’t kid you.  Finding and pursuing your passion can be a struggle.  That’s why so many people are stuck feeling bored and unfulfilled.

What would it be worth if I could provide you a guaranteed way to jump-start your life and transform it into what you’ve always wanted it to be?

What if you couldn’t fail?  Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Well, I have an opportunity to offer you that is so good that it is not only guaranteed to help you find your life passion, it is backed with a full 200% guarantee!

Barrie Davenport, a certified Life Passion Coach and author, has created a course that will lead you step-by-step through the process of uncovering your passion, addressing the mental roadblocks and creating a plan to make passion a part of your daily life.

She’s gathered over 25 year’s worth of research, coaching and personal experience into an amazing 4-week online interactive course called:

The Path to Passion   <– (Please check this out!)

During this intense, interactive online course, you will follow the same steps that Barrie and hundreds of her clients have followed to uncover their own life passions – people whose lives have changed and who are now enjoying their dreams.

If you are ready to take a BIG step on the path to your life passion, I highly recommend you enroll in Barrie’s course.

Do Not Miss Out: It Is 200% Guaranteed!

This opportunity is the jump-start you’ve been waiting for, wanting and needing.

This opportunity will radically alter your life for the better, but the chance to take advantage of it won’t last long.

Enrollment in this incredible course begins today at 9:00 a.m. EDT and is only going to be open for a few days.

Plus, Barrie is accepting only 100 members and notification of her course is going out to over 100,000 people – so if you are interested, this is the time to take action.

Remember, Barrie is so confident she can help you find your life passion that she is offering a 200% guarantee.  You really can’t go wrong.  You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by giving this a shot.

Click Here Now to Learn More About The Path to Passion

Are you serious about wanting a fulfilling, engaging and exciting life?  If so, then this is the jump-start you cannot pass up.

Want a more peaceful, content life?

Learning to keep your mind focused on the present moment is a tremendously positive achievement.

However, it is not easy.

There are all kinds of diversions that continually draw our attention elsewhere.

We fret about the past and we worry about the future.  We strain toward tomorrow and we struggle against yesterday.  Our minds wander like a kid in a candy store who just downed a 5-hour energy drink.

This leads to stress, anxiety and negative emotions.  None of which are good.

We need a way – a trick – to keep our minds calm and centered on the here and now.

The Value of Focusing on the Present Moment

“Life can be found only in the present moment. The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment, we cannot be in touch with life.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

When we allow our attention to continually slip away from the present, we lose touch with real life.  We become consumed with the past or the future.  Neither of which can we control.

The only place where we can make a difference for ourselves and those around us is right here in the present moment.

That’s why it is useless getting yourself worked up and worried over anything else.

When you do, you diminish your effectiveness.  Your traction starts to slip and you lose your momentum.

Keeping yourself grounded in the present moment is crucial for living an effective, successful, fulfilling life.

Yes, you occasionally have to plan for the future, but this too is a present moment activity.  You consciously chose to use this moment to think about and organize your life.  Nothing wrong with that.

What we want to avoid is those periods – which occur too frequently – where our thoughts stray and start generating worry, despair, stress, depression and a whole litany of other detrimental states of mind.

I would argue that almost every negative state of mind is a result of thoughts that are far away from the present moment.  Therefore, if we can learn to stay in the moment, we can increase our overall sense of peace, happiness and contentment.  That’s pretty powerful stuff!

A Trick to Return to the Present Moment

I’ve learned a little trick or technique that really helps me pull myself back into the present moment.

Anytime I start feeling any sort of negative emotion – worry, anxiety, unhappiness, despair – I simply use this little trick to pull my mind back to the present and to calm my runaway emotions down.

When I recognize that I’m being negative, I force myself to run through this exercise.

(pay attention because this is the mental trick I’ve learned to use)

I take a deep breath,  mentally evaluate my present circumstances and start giving thanks for the following:

• Right this minute, my family and I are safe and feel no threats to our safety.
• Right this minute, I am well-fed.
• Right this minute, no one is upset at me.
• Right this minute, I am healthy enough to do what I need and want to do.
• Right this minute, I have enough money to meet my obligations.
• Right this minute, I have everything I need.
• Right this minute, I really have nothing to be upset about.  I am fed.  I am safe.  I am comfortable.  I am healthy.  I have a little money.  None of my loved ones are in serious trouble.  I have everything I need in this moment.  Everything is okay.  Right this minute, everything is fine.

Here are a few application notes to help you understand and apply this trick:

As I stated above (in italics for emphasis), I force myself to do this.  I don’t usually want to (a symptom of my negative state of mind), but I do it anyway because I know it will help.

I do not go through this verbatim every time.  I ad-lib a little in each instance.  Above is just an example, but it gives you a clear idea of how the technique works.

I keep repeating these kinds of positive statements out loud to focus my mind on them until my emotions calm down.  It might take 2 minutes or 5 minutes.

Obviously, you do this in a place where you have some privacy (so no one thinks you’ve completely lost your marbles).

BUT, it works every time.

Here’s why.  It is impossible for your brain to hold on to negative thoughts while you are repeatedly running positive thoughts through it over and over again.

Your emotions are a by-product of your thoughts.  Therefore, this technique not only helps you to appreciate where you are (situationally speaking) in the present moment, but it also helps to cure your blues.

Directing your thoughts back to your actual circumstances in this moment and away from worrying about the future or fretting about the past, you increase your peace, happiness and contentment.

I’ve practiced this for a while now and I’m telling you about it because it has helped me in a significant way.

Live in the Present Moment

“With the past, I have nothing to do; nor with the future.  I live now.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

I can tell you from experience, learning to live in the present moment is powerful.  It is definitely helping me to be happier.

With few exceptions, every negative emotion, state of mind and feeling you experience is a direct result of letting your thoughts dwell on the past or the future for too long.  This is the source of most of your dread, regret and stress.

Learning to use a trick like the one I’ve shown you today to bring yourself back into the present moment is priceless.

Give this technique a try and let me know how it works for you.

If you have something different that works, please share it in the comments on my site so we can all benefit.