About Success

Reach Your Goals - Never Settle For What You Can Currently Imagine

Thu, 3 Aug 2006 20:25:00 -0700

Never settle for what you can currently imagine

You are a captive of your own imagination. In other words, your wildest dreams form the outer limit of what you believe to be achievable. However, there are many people who are living lives, doing things, and creating realities that are so far beyond what you could ever imagine that it will simply never occur to you to think about it - unless you consciously make the effort to suspend all disbelief in furtherance of your ideal life.

At one time, the running a 4-minute mile was thought by the top physical scientists of the day to be beyond the farthest bounds of what a human body could do - the physiology quite simply could not withstand the stresses needed to break this barrier. All their research supported these ideas and proved them to be true over and over again.

Too bad for them it wasn't true. When Roger Bannister beat the 4-minute mile in 1954, he was almost immediately followed by another, and then another and then hundreds of "anothers", all running miles in under 4 minutes, until the point was reached where a 4-minute mile was less a wild success and more of a minimal time to beat as a measure of competitive racing base talent. What happened? It's simple. Bannister went to the edge of everyone's wildest dreams about how fast a runner could go and he used that point as a starting block, rather than a finish line. And you can do the same.

What are your wildest dreams surrounding your goal? Consider relocating your starting point to that accomplishment as the least you are willing to accomplish, rather than setting it up as a destination you one day hope to claw and drag your poor, worn carcass up to. Dream big, then run your race from the finish line onward.

Reach Your Goals - Step Into Your Own Truth

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 19:46:00 -0700

Create a truth and step into it

There is a saying in self-help circles that states, "Your mind can't take a joke." What this means is that whatever you believe to be true is true, at least as far as your mind is concerned. One dramatic example of this is what most people refer to as psychosomatic illnesses. There are many examples of this, such as false pregnancies and allergies that trigger severe, life-threatening reactions when the person believes (incorrectly) they have come into contact with the allergen. On a more psychological note, people who constantly repeat negative beliefs in their mind (I'm too ugly to attract men, my boss hates me, I will never be successful) create a reality where what they think is what they experience, unfortunately reinforcing the very belief that created the problem in the first place.

Although this can create problems for the people who suffer from the negative aspects of the phenomenon, you can harness the positive side of this extraordinary power for your own use by creating a truth and then stepping into it. For example, creating a powerful and professional website, complete with all the whiz-bang features of the big boys, creates a truth in the mind of your customers that you are one of the big boys and they will treat you as such, encouraging you to respond in kind.

Set yourself up with the trappings of success as it relates to your goal, behave as you would expect a successful person to behave and speak and think of your success in the present tense rather than future tense - and almost imperceptibly, you will step into the truth that you have created. Before you know it, you will be what you behave yourself to be, because your mind (which, let's face it, creates your reality as you know it on a very tangible level) can't tell the difference between, as it were, a Hollywood set and a real house. Make that ability work for you.

Reach Your Goals - Create A Nurturing Environment

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 02:05:00 -0700

Create an environment that is so inspiring and nurturing that it does half the work for you

When your work and living space are cluttered and dirty, when dishes are piled up in the sink or when your wardrobe is uninspiring, energy that you need to meet your goals will be bled out of you like a battery being run down by a forgotten dome light. You need all of the energy you currently have just to run your life, and you need to generate more to reach your goals. Do so by ensuring that your environment doesn't just meet your needs (organizing, cleaning, maintaining, restocking, etc.) but goes the extra step to ensure that it actually creates energy by anticipating your needs and providing you with a reserve. How? Simple - overcompensation.

For example, if you feel better in bright colors, don't just throw out your "blahs" and pick up a few nice colored pieces - recreate your wardrobe starting with a few basic neutrals and then fill the rest of the closet with a handful of the brightest, most flatteringly-colored and styled clothes you can afford. This way, you will not only feel fantastic when you wear them, but when you look into your closet, you will feel inspired and energized by everything that is in there and not dragged down by having to fight your way through another "How can I throw together something decent out of this mess" battle.

If your problem is clutter and mess, organizing and maintaining is a great way to keep it under control, but having a "stuff audit" - where you toss out everything (furniture included) that you don't absolutely love or absolutely need, and that doesn't fit your perfect life ideal - ends up giving you less that you have to clean or organize, more room and more emotional energy to apply to other activities, plus the space to move in some choice, consciously chosen items that inspire you and move you forward, such as great art, a truly wonderful sectional set or that professional kitchen knife set you've always wanted (and never bought because your drawer was already full of inferior, but reasonably serviceable, knives).

Don't settle for less than what you want out of life - but less can be more if your new environment supports, encourages and energizes you.

Reach Your Goals - A Higher Purpose

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 01:19:00 -0700

Find a higher reason to reach your goal than just the goal itself

I need to be mentally sharp, physically and emotionally alert, and spiritually on top of things in order to do a good job for my clients. Knowing that none of these are possible without good physical fitness, when I feel like skipping or cutting a workout short, I repeat my mantra "Strong body, strong mind, strong spirit," and picture all of the people counting on me to help them. This is a far more effective motivator than simply visualizing a fit body (which doesn't cut it for me after about 15 minutes on the rowing machine!) and reminds me of the higher purposes for getting fit.

Figure out for yourself how you can expand your perspective on reaching your goal - what things will it bring into your life besides the obvious, immediate benefits? Who else will benefit and how might that inspire you to greater effort? For example, a goal of getting up an hour earlier to have time for meditation might be hard to maintain on its own merits if you're not a morning person. But if you focus on how the calmer mindset and less rushed schedule will make you a better parent, spouse or employee, you may find that the higher benefits outweigh your immediate resistance.

Reach Your Goals - Using Eastern Wisdom

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 20:14:00 -0700

Take a page from Eastern wisdom

Meditation, martial arts that focus on disciplining the mind as well as the body, and chi-releasing massage and yoga can all help you reach your goals by clearing your mind, teaching you how to block out distractions, and showing you how to deal effectively with obstacles. The disciplines of Eastern mind-body arts are a great help when stress or outside influences threaten your progress, and the meditative mindset helps keep the link between the sub-conscious and conscious mind open, streamlining the flow of creativity and flexibility and promoting the intelligent use of internal resources - and, not incidentally, short circuiting some of the resistance and negative self-talk that often create failure where there was none before.

Following a regimen of meditation and mind-body-spirit exercises also has a tendency to bring up old, suppressed issues and emotions that could be blocking forward movement without you even realizing it. Just think of these issues as psychological and emotional computer viruses lurking in your "hard drive", quietly and invisibly throwing all sorts of otherwise normal functions off kilter, sometimes dangerously, and even protecting themselves by creating negative thought patterns which not only prevent you from removing them, but which prevent you from even seeing them in the first place. Yoga, meditation, deep prayer, hypnotic chants and other reflective practices are sort of like virus scanners that can root out such problems, bring them to the surface and isolate them more or less safely in a "quarantine" of conscious awareness where you can study them and their effects, and then get rid of them, in your own time.

Reach Your Goals - The Fine Art Of The End Run

Sun, 18 Jun 2006 20:18:00 -0700

Perfect the fine art of the end run

From time to time, the path to your goals is going to run smack into someone else's version of reality, which they may not be happy to have you "play through." In these cases, shift your direction of movement off-road and work around, rather than through, the problem. There are two important points to remember when doing an end run:

Win-win is always better than win-lose, even if you have to work harder. Burnt bridges can come back to haunt you later.

Creating your own version of reality, which is non-negotiable, is vital to a successful end run.

Example: You need a day off from your day job to make a goal-related trip or get some work done. You can either ask "Can I have a day off?" (?to which we can all guess the likely answer), or you can do an end run around their arguments and objections by simply stating "I've got to go out of town next month. Which is better for you, Wednesdays or Thursdays?" This creates the new reality (you will be out of town one day next month), but leaves those in charge still feeling in charge (win-win) by getting to pick the best day for you to do so. If they say that neither is good, then you counter with a set span of days by which you have to have this done ("I have to have this out of the way no later than the fifth") and let them deal with that.

Similar end-run approaches to different goals are definitely achievable. If you need a permit to open a business and the town council says that there are no such permits available, end-run solutions would include building outside the city limits or running a local campaign (backed by other city businesses) to change the laws. An end run around a college that doesn't offer your preferred major would be to create an independent study course in that field or to use a distance-learning college to flesh out the core classes you're taking on campus.

Does this always work? Of course, nothing in life is ever guaranteed. But with this new reality framework, your odds are way better than with simple "yes or no" questions, which have a base 50% chance of "no" right off the bat. To be effective, you must instill your actions with a mature approach that puts you on the same level as the person you're talking to.

Reach Your Goals - Start A Round Robin

Sat, 17 Jun 2006 22:24:00 -0700

Start a "round robin" goal letter with others who need a little motivation and accountability

If you know a few people who are working on projects of their own (and lets face it, how many people do you know who aren't) ask them if they'd be interested in starting a "success round robin." Participants do not have to be aiming for the same goals for this to work.

Start by writing a letter or email that briefly notes what your goal is and what you have done about reaching it and what tips, techniques and other helpful hints you may have (why not send along a link to this e-book, as well!). Send your letter on to the next person on the list, who then does the same before sending it on to the next person. By the time it gets back to you, not only should you have plenty to write about regarding your own progress (hey, you can't let the guys/gals down, can you), but you should also have plenty of inspiration and ideas to borrow from!

Reach Your Goals - Get Your Act Together

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 21:14:00 -0700

Get your act together

Make sure that you have all the equipment, tools, resources, clothes and attitude you need to successfully reach your goal - before you start in on it. Nothing spoils a motivated mood faster than having to drop everything to find a pair of well-hidden tin snips, or getting to the gym and discovering that the skin-tight leotard you borrowed at the last minute from your sister doesn't meet their more conservative shorts-and-shirts-only dress code.

Before embarking on any venture, always make sure that you know what you'll need. Think like a journalist writing a how-to of your particular goal. Envision each step and look around at your mental image - what are you doing, wearing, using, etc. Watch out in particular for those tricky "hidden" steps that can throw your whole schedule off - like getting halfway through a bread recipe for tonight's potluck and finding the instruction, "Now let dough set overnight in a cool, dry place"!

Reach Your Goals - Temp Your Way To The Top

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 22:20:00 -0700

Temp your way to the top

Want to take the test for a software certification, but feeling a bit rusty? Need to brush up on your mechanic skills before tackling the full rebuild of that gas-and-oil-guzzler staining up your driveway? Or perhaps you need to re-enter the networking circle of your chosen work-from-home career after a few years out of the loop, but don't want to get trapped into the office-bound aspects of it. One visit to your local temporary staffing agency could have you on your way to meeting your goals and getting paid for it at the same time.

Temp agencies are well known for their desire to work with their employee-clients (that's you) on times, shifts, days and skill specifications. If you find out that you and a particular employer don't see eye to eye on what you need, you can just say "no" ("no's" are no big deal - the temp agency would rather find out before you walk out of an employer's office mid-shift and leave them with a PR hassle). By the time you've gotten what you needed out of the bargain, you and the agency have made some extra cash and the local businesses will know your name (and hopefully, that'll be a good thing).

Reach Your Goals - Aim For The Impossible

Sun, 11 Jun 2006 04:34:00 -0700

Choose "impossible" goals

When faced with a hard-to-reach goal, your best strategy may be to shoot even higher. Like aiming a punch or a kick "beyond" the target, aiming impossibly high will at least get you where you need to be, and will quite likely create a vacuum-like momentum that will pull you far beyond what you thought possible.

One of the reasons that this works is that by setting such high goals, you instinctively understand that what has worked before isn't going to work now - which ensures that "the way we've always done things" will be the first item on the chopping block. For example, if no one has ever made more than 30 sales in a month in your showroom, and if you determine that you're going to shoot for 50, it's quite obvious that the thinking and behavior that is normally employed to pursue sales simply isn't going to cut it. You'll have to sit down and figure out what sorts of things a person with 50 sales would have to have done to get them. Harebrained and even absurd possibilities that pop up in such brainstorming sessions suddenly become reasonable achievement strategies. Perhaps the thought comes that maybe there's a better source of clientele than walk-ins - instead of just waiting for customers to come in, maybe you could host a series of classes showing how to get the best out of your product. Or perhaps you might start having sales lunches with old or repeat customers to pick their brains for ways to enhance your sales package. Or maybe researching mass-purchase possibilities by corporate-level buyers is a better option than focusing on the single-purchase buyers that normally generate your commission check.

Of course, despite all your creativity, it might not work. You may never hit 50 sales. But, at the very least, with your new strategies, high-level targeting and newly generated enthusiasm, you're more or less guaranteed to hit the previous ceiling of 30 sales without batting an eye.

Reach Your Goals - Creative Multi-Tasking

Fri, 9 Jun 2006 19:38:00 -0700

Multi-task goal-completion work with everyday, "have to" activities

If you need to lose weight, don't take the dogs for a leisurely stroll - jog or power-walk them. Use the time you spend waiting at various appointments for catching up on trade reading or creating the materials/writing the outline for your next stunning teleclass or seminar. Take the opportunity to practice your character drawing or writing during your subway commute. If you need to do a job that is relatively mindless (weeding, ironing, dishes), use that time to listen to training MP3s/CDs or other goal-related recordings. The possibilities for implementing this tip are only limited by your imagination and lifestyle.

Always having something on hand to do that brings you closer to your goals during such "downtimes" not only frees up hours of otherwise lost time for your personal pursuits, but having something interesting and self-improving to do makes your chore time go by quicker, too.

Reach Your Goals - Bring In The Big Guns

Thu, 8 Jun 2006 18:45:00 -0700

Bring in the big guns

People love to be needed, and love to be thought of as a leader in their field even more. If you could use a hand reaching a goal, ask around until you find someone in the field who seems universally respected and on the ball. Call them up and explain that you are trying to break into the field (be sure and choose someone for whom you will not represent up-and-coming competition) and that you've heard that they are the as the go-to person for the inside scoop. Ask them for what's known as an "informational interview", and offer to treat them to lunch so that you don't take up their valuable work time. Pick the nicest place within your budget, or ask where they like to eat - and don't forget your checkbook or credit card (call the restaurant first if you're unfamiliar with the place, to ensure your card or check will be accepted). Have a backup payment option on hand, just in case their credit card swiper is down that day. If your target decides to meet in their office, make sure you don't take up any more of their time than you originally asked for, unless they specifically ask you to stay on - and even then, use good judgment about overstaying your welcome.

Prepare a list of questions beforehand and make sure that you listen carefully to everything they say. Taking notes is nothing if not flattering to the speaker, so feel free to do so. If they start to wander off on a conversational tangent, a good way to bring them back on target is to say something like "Wow, someday I'd really love to hear all about (whatever they're talking about), but since I know you're very busy, I really have to ask you about (your question) before you/I have to leave."

After the interview, write a brief thank you note (on paper, not email) and get it in the mail that day or the very next morning at the latest. Then add that person to your network list!

Reach Your Goals - Get Professional Help

Wed, 7 Jun 2006 18:51:00 -0700

Get professional help

There's no rule that says you have to do it all yourself. There is a whole world of people outside your door (and maybe even in your house) who are capable of tackling parts of your project that you can't handle, or don't have the time for. Take advantage of them if that's what it takes to get the job done! After all, success is the issue, not proving you're Superman or Superwoman.

For example, let's say that your goal is to get your house ready for a move or an open house if you're trying to sell. If finances permit (and even if they don't, it can still be worth it in terms of mental health preserved), call in a maid service for a day to do basic cleaning, hire professional carpet cleaners, take the animals to a kennel and send the kids off with your sister to Chuck E. Cheese. Let the pros handle the crummy stuff while you focus on ensuring the safe transport of Great Aunt Gemma's priceless Ming vase to your new home, or while you get busy filling the house with that scent of baking bread that your realtor swears will close the sale.

Reach Your Goals - Delegate Your Life

Tue, 6 Jun 2006 00:42:00 -0700

Delegate your life

If you're having problems finding the time or energy to handle your everyday activities, let alone getting to your goal, "hire out" the other stuff in your life to clear up mental and physical energy for the sole purpose of reaching your goal. Assign distractions that don't require your personal involvement - like dinner-making, house-cleaning, errand-running and phone-and-door duty - to other family members. Do this until you reach your goal (or for as long as is practical, if doing it all at once isn't), with the understanding that you will reciprocate when it's their turn.

This can even be done in a work setting. If you are trying to study for a new certification, learn a new program to improve the company's database or some other job-enhancement goal, your boss may approve shifting some of your non-essential tasks to other employees (or even outsourcing them, if reaching your goal is important enough to the company). Just be sure and make it clear that reciprocation at a later date is part of the deal, so no one feels dumped on.

You might even consider suggesting that this become a standard company policy. The exchange of individual efforts for the good of the whole could just be the key to enhanced productivity for all!

Reach Your Goals - Progressive Goal Party

Sun, 4 Jun 2006 22:04:00 -0700

Hold a "progressive" goal party

If you have a group of friends with the same goal who live in close proximity (or who can meet up comfortably in a third-party establishment), get them involved in a progressive goal party. The idea is to meet at one location, where you all complete one part of the goal as a group, then move on to the next (carpool or walk) to complete the second part, and so on. This can be extended to include shops and other buildings as well as houses. Be sure to have appropriate snacks, fun activities, etc., at each stop to make it a special day.

A good example would be a Christmas shopping/preparation party: Everybody starts at one house making lists, planning the day's activities and eating a light brunch. Next, hit the malls (or other predetermined shopping areas) together, making sure to help each other hunt down those hard-to-find items - and don't forget to stop by the coffee bar or other dining place to fuel flagging energy and regroup. Afterwards, it's on to the next house to wrap (and have a late lunch or early supper), then on to the next to bake cookies (don't forget the eggnog and late-night snacks!). It's good fun, great camaraderie, and everybody gets their stuff done and over with at one time.

Reach Your Goals - Measure Twice, Cut Once

Thu, 1 Jun 2006 20:29:00 -0700

Measure twice, cut once

Just as in carpentry, making sure that your decisions are based on sound data is essential to reaching your goals. Ensure that you know precisely what is going to be required to make your dreams come true, and that you meet these criteria and are capable of the sustained effort necessary. For some goals, such as being a pitcher for the New York Yankees, a certain set of basic skills and physical attributes are non-negotiable. Making sure that you possess these skills and attributes before you put your house in hock to pay for a Major League baseball camp is only common sense. If you're unsure whether or not you have what it takes, ask someone who does know - but be choosy about who you ask. If you want advice about making the Major League, ask someone with that sort of inside info - a scouting-level college baseball coach, a sports agent, a sports journalist, etc. Don't ask cousin Bob just because he watches the game all the time and knows everyone's stats. Sure, he might be able to give you an unbiased viewpoint, but it is unlikely. Family baggage (he thinks you're the greatest thing since chipped beef, or he's still smarting over the fact that you ended up with "his" girl) can seriously impair his outlook. Friends and family members are usually the worst options for fair and objective evaluations, even if they are professionals in whatever field holds your interest. Only in the rarest of cases can someone be a professional first and a family member second - after all, they've probably been your (cousin, friend, etc) for much longer than they've been at their job.

That said, once you've double-checked the time, money and commitment necessary, and you're still sure you have what it takes - go for it!

Reach Your Goals - Visualize Success

Wed, 31 May 2006 18:59:00 -0700

Visualize success, and what you'll do to reward yourself

A goal envisioned is a goal half completed. Most people find it difficult if not impossible to expend large amounts of energy on something that they can't "see" as existing in their reality. Creating that vision before starting out on your journey creates a real destination in your mind, which is infinitely preferable to just wandering off in the general direction of whatever it is you want and hoping you end up somewhere acceptable. The stronger and more realistically detailed you make your visualizations, the better chance you have of succeeding. Why leave anything to chance - picture your goal right down to the stitching, as it were, to ensure that your energy is being focused in the right direction and is concentrated on creating the most effective and appropriate result.

Visualizing your "attaboy" (your gift to yourself for reaching your goal) works the same way, except with the added bonus of creating a higher level of motivation if it is a particularly, well, rewarding reward. Sometimes, if the work to get to your goal is especially difficult or unpleasant (weight loss, getting up an hour earlier every day, not yelling at the kids all week, etc) the treat can be far more energizing than the goal itself!

Reach Your Goals - Review and Refine

Mon, 29 May 2006 19:57:00 -0700

Periodically re-check and refine (or redefine) your goals

It's no use struggling to meet a goal that, by the time you get there, no longer fits in with your life. During obvious stopping spots along the way (say, every 10 lbs on a weight loss goal, or when you've saved enough for a down payment as part of a house-ownership goal), take a few days to sit back and really feel how you are reacting to reaching this milestone. Are you excited, chomping at the bit - or nervous, with slight overtones of dread or entrapment?

Some nervousness is to be expected if you're reaching out in a totally new direction in life, and it's only fair to expect that not all feelings you have will be cheery and rosy, even if you truly want the goal you're heading for. There is, at the very least, some mourning to go through for the loss of your old ways and your old life. But take time to make sure that you aren't ignoring obvious signals that are screaming, "Run away! Run away!" for good reasons. Wedding jitters, for example, are perfectly normal; however, trepidation about abusive behavior, which doesn't seem to be declining (despite promises to the contrary), is another ball game altogether. Make sure that the goal you reach is the goal you want.

How To Reverse Engineer Your Success

Sun, 28 May 2006 19:57:00 -0700

The best and fastest way to learn how to make moneyon the Internet is to buy the marketing books ofsuccessful web marketers. You can find a selection ofmarketing books at these sites:

http://www.ebooksnbytes.com http://www.freezineweb.com/mktg-books.html http://www.free-ebooks.net/ http://www.ebookdirectory.com/

But there's also another way: study their web sitesand reverse engineer their success.

The great thing about the Internet is that everythingis visible - nothing is hidden. If it's working forthem, you can find out exactly how they're doing it bystudying their site.

=> Subscribe to their Newsletter and examine their Welcome Message.

=> Analyze their Newsletter and see exactly how they use it to generate income.

=> Sign up for their free autoresponder course and find out why it produces sales.

=> Check out which affiliate programs they promote.

=> Read their free eBooks and discover how they bring in new customers.

Here are some examples:

(1) Recently I signed up for the Newsletter ofsomeone who makes $130,000 a year just from affiliateprograms. I wanted to see how he was doing it. What Inoticed was that he doesn't even try to sell theaffiliate products - he tells his readers how much hemakes from those programs. Naturally, they join(through his link). The result? He has an army ofsub-affiliates who do the selling for him.

(2) In another Ezine I recently saw a 40 word adthat interested me. I clicked on the link, and insteadof taking me to the home page of the product, it tookme straight to the order form. Very clever, and veryeffective.

(3) A few weeks ago I subscribed to a freeautoresponder course - 12 daily web marketing lessons.Many people never finish these free courses. Theyunsubscribe half way through.

But this marketer made sure that people finished hiscourse - he announced in the first lesson that the12th lesson contained the download link for a veryuseful free eBook that I wanted. Naturally, I stayedwith it till the last lesson.

(4) Last week I signed up for a marketing guru's15-day free autoresponder course and I was amazed tosee how easily it had been put together. Each modulewas simply a freely-available article by a recognizedweb marketing expert, with a sprinkling of affiliatelinks.

To sum up, when you visit the website of a marketingexpert, pay close attention to everything you see. Askyourself "Why is s/he doing that?". Everything isthere for a reason.

If you make this a habit you'll quickly learn the artof making money on the Internet.

The Core Curriculum Of A Wonderful Life

Thu, 25 May 2006 17:52:00 -0700

An acquaintance of mine once lamented that she was utterly frustrated with her lack of progress toward her dreams, given her age. According to her outlook, if you hadn't made it by then, you weren't anywhere near as likely to do so afterwards. A very late bloomer indeed, she ranted, and going to seed before the blush was off the rose, to boot. Ouch. Fortunately, I didn't believe a word of it and now she is happily off proving herself wrong in many ways - but I digress.

Far too many of us try too hard to jump right out of childhood and into long-term success before we've even figured out what we want. Sure, there are plenty of people doing it all around us - 20-something MBAs, 30-something CEOs and 40-something retirees. But what we fail to realize is that all the stuff we do until we move onto our dreams is hardly wasted effort, and all the stuff that these preternaturally speedy "reference points" skip over may well hurt them in the end.

Perhaps a little exercise in imagination will make clearer what I'm saying. If you had a child in college who was no less brilliant, no less studious and no less wise than any other, would you - in their first year at university - encourage them to take the advanced classes immediately, wringing your hands and bemoaning the fact that even though they've been attending a top-flight engineering school for 6 months already, they aren't anywhere near being a top-flight engineer?

Of course not! It would be ridiculous. A sound course of study is to spend the first few years taking basic, core curriculum classes that provide the foundation for the advance studies yet to come, and to use that basic-ed time to ensure that they are on the right major track while they still have time to switch - because, after all, the core curriculum is a required part of all degrees and nearly all such classes are entirely transferable to any major course of study.

Well, the same thing is true in life, but too few of us see that clearly or well. Just as too many students trip and stumble through expensive and exhausting majors as if the wolves of hell were nipping at their heels, only to find themselves suddenly shaking hands with the Dean and holding a degree that they can't even bring themselves to look at (not to mention the student loan bills that hit the mailbox the month after), lots of folks jump right into to what they've "always wanted to do" in life without even pausing to learn the basics skills necessary to live, love, survive and (most important) figure out for sure what they want to do in life. If you watch carefully, you'll see many of those eager-beaver corporate prodigies, early adopters and always-on-the-ball whiz kids sporting increasingly haunting shadows in the backs of their eyes as they begin to realize that maybe they jumped into things a little too hastily, that "on the ball" isn't exactly a stable place to be and that now they're stuck with responsibilities, expectations and "sunk costs" that are just too weighty to get out from under with any grace or dignity.

Sometimes it's good to be a late bloomer, seeds and all. After all, whatever we learn in the core curriculum of life will apply to nearly anything we choose to do with it later. Saving the advanced courses in life - the following of dreams, the searching for inner peace, the quest for the perfect mate - until after we learn how to balance our checkbook, love ourselves, think and act with honesty and integrity, and cook a decent meal - is not just a wise decision. It is absolutely, fundamentally the only way we stand a chance of getting it right when it counts.

How To Acheive Your Full Potential

Wed, 24 May 2006 18:48:00 -0700

If you want to make more of your talents - live up to your full potential - you have to learn to use them. You have the power to change your habits - to acquire new skills and fully use the skills you now have. You can improve your performance, your productivity, and the quality of your whole life.

What makes a high achiever? Is it luck, intelligence, talent, dedication? All of these things figure in - they all make a difference. But we all know intelligent, talented, hard-working people who do not consider themselves very successful or even happy. And we know people who are not exceptionally bright but seem happy and successful.

So there must be something else, some secret to success. Actually there are several secrets to achieving your peak performance - living up to your full potential.

Your success at business is largely determined by your own self-image. Your unhappiness is something you choose. So, you're thinking no one chooses to be unhappy. Well, maybe not - but you have to consciously choose to be happy, self-confident, and successful.

Happiness is elusive when we go after it directly. So is self-confidence. Both seem to be more "side-products" than something you can achieve in and for itself. So how, then, can consciously choosing to be these things be of any value? Well, the secret is to focus on other things.

First, focus on your potential. Begin by making a complete and accurate assessment of your potential. To do this you must take an inventory of yourself - you will make a few lists. Sit down and make a list of all the things you can do well. Be honest with yourself. When that list is done, make a list of all the things you like to do, even if you think you can't do them well. Then, make a list of all the things you would like to do, if you could. Now list your hobbies.

Then, go back to the list of things you can do well. You are probably being much too hard on yourself. Most of us are. We have this little voice in our heads telling us things like: "You're so dumb," or "You can't learn to do that," or "You never do anything right," or similar nasty things. And even worse, we listen to that voice as if it's telling us the gospel truth. So now, shut off that voice - you can do it - and add a few more things to the list of things you can do well. Pretend you are your best friend - it's amazing how much more forgiving and charitable we are with our friends than we are with ourselves. Now that you are your best friend, you should be able to add a few more items to your "do well" list. But do be honest - don't list things you feel you really can't do well.

Next, go to your list of things you like to do but you feel you don't do well. Speaking as your own best friend, do you think there are some things on this list that could be moved to your "do well" list? There probably are. If you like to do it, chances are you do pretty well at it. Treat your hobby list in the same manner.

Next, go to your list of things you would like to do if you could. Ask yourself, "Why can't I do this, if I'd like to?" Put your reasons on another list. OK. So you have a lot of lists going - what good is that going to do? Well, you have just made an assessment of yourself. If you have been truly honest in making these lists, it may even be a fairly accurate assessment. Probably it isn't, but that's OK. This assessment isn't carved in stone. It's subject to change. But for now we will work with what's on the lists. At least you have a place to start.

Look over your lists again. You are focusing on all the things you feel you can't do and the reasons why you can't do them, right? Well, don't. FOCUS ON WHAT YOU CAN DO - FOCUS ON YOUR POTENTIAL. Make it a habit to focus on your strengths. Don't forget to include your undeveloped potential, as well. Train yourself to focus on your potential instead of your limitations.

Now that's not to say that you should ignore your list of reasons for not doing some of the things you would like to do. Not at all! But look at them from the viewpoint of your strengths. For instance, you'd like to play basketball but you think you are too short, so you don't even try. In this case, you are looking at it from the viewpoint of your limitations. Now, when you look at it from the viewpoint of your strengths, you would say, "Well, I may be pretty short to play, BUT I am fast. I can handle the ball well. I have a lot of stamina. I can't change being short, but I can refuse to let my limitations overcome my strengths."

You see the difference? Focusing on your limitations lets those limitations make your decisions for you. Focusing on your strengths lets YOU make the decision. To go back to our example: when you've decided to overcome your height limitations to play basketball - something you really want to do - you will be more determined to develop your strengths to compensate. You will do well, because you will be doing what you really want to do and you will be determined to develop the full potential of your strengths. Very few people concentrate on fully developing any of their strengths. That's where you will have the edge. You know your true disadvantages but your determination, your singleness of purpose, will inspire you to fully develop the talents and skills you do have.

OK. You probably have no interest in playing basketball. Then go to your assessment of yourself. What do you have a major interest in? What do you have a natural aptitude for? Go for it. Devote yourself to something you really like to do. Don't choose something just because you think you could make more money at it than you could by doing something else that you would really rather work at. You won't work to develop your full potential. You may start out with enthusiasm, but you will soon flag. It will be a chore to go to work. You'll probably find yourself hating to go. It'll be difficult to work on improving your skills because you don't like what you are doing. You probably won't be working up to your potential. Your success will probably be limited by your growing lack of interest and your happiness will surely be affected.

If, however, you devote yourself to something you really like to do, you'll enjoy your work, you'll be enthusiastic, and you'll probably find yourself working on improving your skills just for the sheer joy of it. You will be working to reach your full potential. You'll probably soon find you are making more money at this truly interesting occupation than you ever dreamed possible. And because you like what you are doing, you will be happier.

When you know you are working to your full potential and you enjoy your work and begin to feel successful, you will find that self-confidence and happiness soon follow.

But, you must be realistic and honest with yourself. If you set goals that you can't possibly reach, you are setting yourself up for failure. You will make yourself frustrated and unhappy. The key here is a realistic and honest assessment of your potential.

Although most people will be unnecessarily harsh in their assessments, it is easy to become too hopeful when you start breaking down barriers. If, for instance, you're extremely interested in and fond of music and would love to be a singer, it would be unreasonable to set a singing career as your goal if you can't sing a note (some talents are inborn). But if you are knowledgeable about the music business and would be happy being involved in some other capacity, then it would be reasonable to pursue a career in the business.

Be wary of making otherwise perfectly reasonable goals unattainable because of stringent time frames. When you set a goal, you will most likely set times for achieving certain steps along your way to achieving your final goal. Even if you don't set the time frames formally, you will probably have a pretty good idea of how long you are giving yourself. It's wise to sit down and formally set these goals. Think about it and give yourself reasonable time to achieve them. Make a deal with yourself to view these time limits as flexible.

Don't get discouraged if things don't work out as planned. Sometimes finding our place takes both time and error. All of us experience failures of one magnitude or another. The key is to view the failures as a learning experience - if nothing else, failures teach us what not to do. Remain flexible. As long as you keep focusing on your strengths and potential, the right thing will come along - and probably sooner rather than later. But don't quit at the first sign of boredom. Even if you have truly found your niche, you will not feel enthusiastic 100 percent of the time.

Don't worry about others - don't compare your progress with that of others. No matter how successful you are, there will be someone else who, to you, looks like she's got it made - who looks like she's getting where you want to go faster and easier than you are. Maybe she is. Maybe she isn't. Who cares? Focus on your own achievements. Work to develop your skills and talents to their full potential. Compete with yourself - your short term goals should be based on today's accomplishments. If you have reached Point A today, make Point B your next objective - improve yourself and don't worry about the other guy.

OK. You have decided what your ultimate goal is. Make sure it is a definitely defined goal. "Someday I want to be famous" just won't cut it. Define exactly what you want to do. Define a reasonable time frame. Know what you have to do to get there. You don't need to know every little detail, but you do have to have the big picture and many of the details. If you have a goal in mind but don't know what it takes to reach it, then you need to find out. Do some reading, talk to people who know, ask questions and LISTEN to the answers. Think that sounds like a lot of work? Well, remember what you are preparing for - your success and happiness. Surely you want to put a little effort into that! Anyway, a little reseach into what it will take for you to reach your goals isn't too difficult.

Train yourself into making this "research" the next focus of your life. You will be focusing on your strengths, on your purpose, and on learning and doing. If you have chosen a goal that is right for you, focusing on these things and devoting the necessary time should not be too difficult. It may take a bit of self-discipline at first, but your determination and interest will carry you through until the focusing process becomes a habit. When you have a real desire to accomplish something, initiatative should only require an occasional shove - but you may need to give it a nudge now and again.

Get into the habit of visualizing your success. Now sitting around and daydreaming in generalizations about it is not what we mean. You need to visualize specifics. To return to the basketball example, daydreaming about being carried off the court on your teammates' shoulders is just daydreaming. Picturing in your mind how you will work a play if your opponent makes a particular move, picturing your exact response to it, is visualizing specifics. If you run through specific moves in your mind, you will be prepared when the need for those moves arises.

Don't be afraid to use your imagination to visualize new and better ways to accomplish things, as well. Here in your mind, you can try doing things in ways that are different from the usual. This is a creative process - you may have heard of creative thinking. Training yourself to think creatively is largely learning to let your imagination work on methods that are different from the "way things have always been done." It's breaking away from the idea that a thing can be done effectively in only one way. It's looking at a problem from all angles. Just play a game of "what if." Ask yourself, "What if I did this thing this way?" It's OK to get a little crazy sometimes. But, you must also spend some of your thinking time at specific visualizations of the moves you need to make to accomplish your goals.

Visualizations are important but actual physical practice of your skills is important, too. Practice the boring little skills that are necessary as well as the skills that you enjoy. Don't let yourself rely on just the things that come naturally and easy to you. Develop your limited potentials as well as those that you feel are your assets.

Work on developing the more general attributes that are important to almost any goal:

Success comes more easily to those who have a pleasing personality. This is not to say that you should bend to eveyone's wishes or scrape and bow. Rather, develop an attitude that is respectful of other's opinions but true to your own beliefs. Be flexible - don't be so rigid that you can't accept another's opinion when it is superior to your own. Be willing, even eager, to learn from others. Changing your opinion in light of more facts is a sign of strength of character, not weakness. Be willing to extend a helpful hand, be a team player. Develop a sense of humor. Be polite and caring - but be your own person.

Learn to guard against emotional responses. You are susceptible to errors of judgement when you let your emotions get in the way. Of course, everything we do is done based somewhat on our emotions, but strong emotions have little place in decision making. Hold your emotions in check. Try to delay decisions if you are in an emotional state. Learn to ignore your emotions and use reasoning to arrive at your decisions.

Develop the habit of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm works like a magnet - it draws people and success. It's a pleasing personality trait that people like to be a part of. It seems to be contagious - the people around you become enthusiastic, too, and become more cooperative. Enthusiasm sparks initiative and singleness of purpose.

We've talked of working to develop habits - the habit of focusing on your goals, the habit of focusing on your strengths, the habit of learning and "researching," the habit of visualizing, the habit of enthusiasm. Now we will talk of habits in a little different light - breaking them. First, assess your habits looking for the ones that may be displeasing to others. Offensive habits can hold you back from success - they are often a part of an unpleasing personality. Look for things like grumbling or grunting at people instead of answering, gazing at anything but the speaker when conversing, smirking or sneering when you don't agree - anything that is an automatic, displeasing mannerism. It will be very difficult to assess your habits accurately. After all, a habit is something that we do without thinking much about it. You will have to spend some time at this and be very conscious of yourself. Ask someone you trust to help you with this assessment. It may take a lot of work to break yourself of displeasing habits. Try substituting a different, more pleasing behavior for the habit you wish to break.

OK. You have set definite goals, you have a definiteness of purpose, you have researched and know the specific steps to take to achieve the goals, you have resolved to be flexible and to develop a more pleasing personality. Now what?

Well, just because you have a clear purpose, know what you want, are willing to work on developing your potential, and willing to be a nice person, success will not drop into your lap overnight.

Be prepared to face people who are not calm and reasonable. Don't let them get to you. Remain calm and reasonable and even be a little sympathetic. Suppose you have an irate customer even though you have done nothing wrong. Just remain calm and offer a solution that will benefit your customer. Never let an irate customer make you

forget to be professional.

Play "Let's Make A Deal." Be prepared to deal. Don't expect to get everything you want. If you are willing to gracefully make some concessions, you will be more likely to arrive at a satisfactory deal. After all, a negotiation has at least two opposing sides. This means someone else has something they want, too - even if that something is simply to leave things as they are. Arrive at a compromise that everyone can live with. Remember, you are working at long-range goals, and you may be negotiating with them again.

Three Gratifying Ways To Add Abundance To Your Life

Tue, 23 May 2006 17:50:00 -0700

Abundance is intangible, spiritual and attracts energy. To attract this type of energy you need to define it, for when you name it, you can claim it. Your definition of abundance is as personal as your DNA.

Abundance is the same feeling you have when all the toothpaste is gone and you realize with a sigh that there is a spare in the cabinet. Emotional abundance is having reserves available when you need them -- a loving safety net for you to pull from when needed to balance.

Reserves also assist in maintaining a strong personal foundation or who you are. Awareness and a place to keep those reserves, even if they are only clearly defined in your mind, are emotionally important. When committing those reserves to memory, it helps to work through them in writing and record them.

Since the definition of abundance is vast and personal, let us focus on four areas of reserves for now -- peace, joy, happiness and love -- to awaken awareness and build those reserves for added support to your personal foundation.

Peace.

Peace begins within the soul and is felt in the present moment. Negative emotions still lingering from the past hold you hostage and need to be let go in order to have abundance in the present.

Here is a simple and effective way to let go. Close your eyes and allow any past negative energy to emerge into active memory. At the same time, visualize picking up a small stone with your non-dominant hand and placing it carefully in your dominant hand. Close that hand gently on the stone. Take the built up energy and move it into the stone. Feel it leaving your body. When that energy has moved into the stone, open your eyes. Now throw the stone, as if tossing it across a river, and begin repeating something such as: "X, you are gone forever. Good riddance."

Repeat this mantra faster and faster over the next few days until it is a quick thought and feeling that whooshes through your body until it's emotional hold is gone. Afterwards, write an affirmation statement such as: "I am..." to replace it with positive energy. To enrich this visualization, throw a real stone into water and place that sound into memory.

Here is another technique that helps you switch from past to present. Journal for 10 minutes. At the end of that time, write a summary sentence, then rewrite it and begin to change it's energy with statements such as: "I am no longer a hostage of X. I am no longer allowing this to place my life on hold. I am free and at peace with it once and for all." Then shorten into an affirmation statement of ten or less words. Keep repeating this affirmation either eye-to- eye in front of a mirror or eye-to-eye with a friend until there is no longer any emotion attached.

Joy.

Joy and happiness have similar exhilaration powers. To name your joys reminisce through your past, especially those moments when the world slowed down or there was a lot of excitement in your heart. Was it the birth of a child, a promotion or something from a vacation? Make a list about those times and/or share them with others to extend the joy.

To change the energy on a current challenge, select a joy, then close your eyes and bring up a strong visualization and emotion of that joy. Feel its warmth embrace you. Now transfer that feeling, not its memory, to that challenge. The energy is now replaced and the challenge is no longer a challenge and will be easy to complete.

Happiness.

Define your happiness by finishing the following sentence with a list of 100 thoughts, feelings and experiences: "Happiness for me is...." Repeat this exercise periodically and keep stretching the list for even greater results. Some of my favorites are: an adventure movie, American Indian flute music, watching the tide come in, and playing in the sand. Now, what are yours?

Love.

Love...aaah, it curls your toes and makes your heart sing. Define the love you want to receive and the love you want to give. Separate the two and write out your definitions of each of these. What do you need to feel loved? What do others in your life need to feel loved?

Having the right intention for your love is important. If you give it away freely and don't expect it to come back, it will return. When you expect it back it is owed or a trade for something. Knowing what type of love you need sends the right energy into the Universe and it will return.

Now, stand back. It's time to smile. See how you have grown with these exercises. See their meaning and feel their warmth. Now you are sending out clear and definable signals and the Universal Laws of Attraction will send them back to you.

Techniques to Help e-Learning

Mon, 22 May 2006 01:17:00 -0700

e-Learning is doubling yearly. Classes, e-courses, e-books on how-to and what-to appear by the thousands online weekly. In-person seminars and workshops are limited to location and access. e-Learning allows easy access, creation, and international distribution to a whole new world of experiences -- negative and positive.

Avid learners now feel like there is a smorgasbord laid out before them. It's like having teachers and trainers crowded into your den. Yet, no sooner do you buy one e-learning material, start reading, and another enticement grabs your attention that is suppose to be even better, even grander. The flow of new material never seems to end -- a high percentage poorly written.

Online learning is now starting its climb up the product maturity bell curve. This means that buyer's dollars are voting, demanding, more well thought-out and written material. As an avid on-line reader, I let out a deep sigh of relief and look forward for this next wave to occur across the board.

Studying on a computer screen requires different uses of the mind and eyes. Normally we read in a scanning method when browsing the Net. Now, with studying, reading will require more deliberate and careful. This increases material understanding, comprehension, critical evaluation and practical application.

Adults who have been away from educational studying for awhile, will need to review again the scope of skills needed to study again. Ones they learned back in school. For some just thinking about studying again makes them crawl under the bed covers. Those with less break time since their studying days, the skills will return much quicker. If good study skills were not previously learned, there will be some struggle or frustration that might be experiences while learning the correct methods and creating new habits. For them it will be like creating a cake from scratch instead from a package mix.

Note taking

Save your printer ink. Don't print out the material, rely on your notes and your memory. Taking ink-created notes is just as important with e-Learning as in any other type of learning environment. Yes, I did recommend using good old ink and paper. Note taking isn't just set aside because the learning material is online. Taking handwritten notes is a key element in moving new short-term information into long-term accessibility.

If you would like to have a checkpoint or a measuring stick on what you are retaining, take note taking to the next level. You will want to preview the material, as mentioned next, then begin reading and taking notes. After this, take a break, return, and then type up your notes. While you are typing add information that you remember from the material or what you have learned from other sources. Add whatever is swirling in your mind. This is best way to measure what you have retained and what is still missing. If there is something in your notes that doesn't make sense, then you will know what you need to reread and start the process again within that smaller scope. You can even ask further in-depth questions (see below).

Preview

Review and scan all the material. If the material is large, scan the entire area, then return to one smaller section at a time and chunk it. Read titles, subheadings, and spend a few extra minutes on any diagrams or memory aids. Look for patterns in the material. If the material is well-written you will always discover one or more patterns. Patterns help mind-visual-understanding associations. Is there a quick summary at the end of each chapter? If yes, read this during your preview. Previewing is important whether the new material feels comfortable or is stretching you.

When previewing follow ideas and major concepts more closely rather than words. Let titles and heading provide clues and guidance. If the author is playing cutesy with the headings - the title doesn't match the contents--rewrite the headings so that they fit something that can help your memory.

By reading the introductory and concluding paragraphs first, you will also be able to calculate what you're reading pace will need to be, how much time you will need to set aside, and the amount of effort.

Environment

Take special care of your eyes when reading from the computer screen. Take frequent eye breaks by refocusing them on some object far away. If your eyes are bothering you, there are special computer reading eye drops available. If you wear bifocals, ask your eye doctor or the lens manufacturer to raise the starting line to accommodate computer use. This will also stop neck strain caused by the slight movement of up and down to align the bifocal line so that you can read the screen. Bless the doctor who told me about this. This adjustment removed the neck pain since.

Don't slouch. Frequently it is easy to lower shoulders and neck. This occurs most often when the monitor is not at the ideal position -- eye level. This also adds tension to the neck and shoulders resulting in muscle cramping. If you tilt the screen up, at a higher angle, where the screen's center points toward your nose, you will reduce tension and cramping.

Pace

We tend to assume that our reading pace remains the same for Net browsing and for e-Learning. Not true. e-Learning requires the same flexibility as if you are reading a book. The pace depends on reading skills, type of material, and the quality of its presentation. Allow your pace to change depending on the information. Let go of comparing how long it takes when you read it in printed form vs. online form. Allow flexibility in study time until you learn to gage the material with your own level.

Questions

Allow your inquisitiveness to be open while studying. Record questions that appear within your thoughts. A great way to expand or answer the question is to write the question on the top of a blank page. Set a timer for 7 to 10 minutes and write fast anything that shows up. At the end of the writing, write a summary sentence or two of what you wrote.

Did your free write answer the question? If not, you may want to continue through a few more timed exercises. Or let it go for the moment, return to your studying, and add it to your research list. Free writing is always a great way to access deeper meaning being stored in your subconscious.

The most important key to any type of learning is to find your own rhythm and stride and have fun with the whole process. Retention is best absorbed while relaxed, open and curious.

Practical Nine-Step Guide to Max Productivity

Sat, 20 May 2006 20:33:00 -0700

Step 1: List all the business activities that you complete (regularly or not). Examples: phone calls, meetings, paperwork, projects, sales, follow-up procedures, writing, learning/researching, web site design, delivering core services (substitute name), etc. Yes, this might seem time consuming. You will need to trust in this process and wait for the benefits to appear.

You can create the list two ways: (1) focus and write all in a list, or (2) track your activities, even the 5-minute items, for a few days. Don't need to add to the list what already exists, thus, the time required to complete the list will become less and less. Be specific clear and as brief as possible (less than 5 words). Use separate sheet to track activities.

Step 2: Place a star in front of three items that you are brilliant at, that you can rate as having a #10 energy level (1 little energy, 10 passion).

Step 3: List the three most important activities that produce income for the business?

Step 4: Mark three activities from list (Step 1) that you don't like to do or are weak at completing?

Step 5: Review the list from step 4. Who would be good candidates for complete the items you don't like doing? Is it a virtual assistance? Significant other? Assistant?

Step 6: What would be an ideal method for you that you could work with the three people you want to allow other people to handle for you?

Step 7: What one time-consuming activity will you delegate right away?

Step 8: What first step can you take to start this process?

Step 9: What immediate benefit will you get from delegating this out? How much time would it free up? What will you replace that time with?

Hip-Hop, Michael Phelps, and Peak Performance

Thu, 18 May 2006 18:43:00 -0700

I am unashamed to copy the peak performance techniques of peak performers.

Since "imitation is the highest form of flattery," I am pleased to flatter one whose success I admire.

After all, I am after the success. Originality is great, but reaching my goal is the issue.

However, there are limits.

Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps, winner of six goal medals and eight overall, likes hip-hop. Some even follow the word "hip-hop" with "music."

When asked, "What do you think about when you are in the water?" he responds, "When I'm swimming one thing that's going through my head is doing anything I can to get my hand on the wall first.

"Sometimes it doesn't always happen but there's always a positive thought in my mind.

"And also I'm singing a song in my head ... whatever I was listening to before I got into the water."

That song is likely to be Eminem's "Till I Collapse," Notorious B.I.G.'s "Ready To Die," or something from Twista.

(Ah, right. I could do a search, but maybe later.)

"I just like the sound of hip-hop," Phelps says. "I love Jay-Z and 50 Cent and I'm a huge Biggie (Smalls) fan. I listen to rap on the way to practice and whatever I've been playing just loops through my head as I swim."

And his daily workout lasts two-and-a-half hours and covers ten miles.

Fortunately, I suspect that audio art forms besides hip-hop (or, perhaps, an actual form of music), played on the internal audio system will also occupy the conscious mind and unleash the power of the unconscious.

So, whenever you have to engage the mind and body for an extended period, play your own internal music.

Fortunately, peak performance is the issue and there's no accounting for taste.