The Success Blog

5 Tricks to Overcome Fear - by Inc. Magazine

2012-02-23T10:30:00-05:00

How to Overcome Fear: 5 Tricks

Fear is the main obstacle to success in business--in business as well as elsewhere. Don't let it rule your life.

Most people aren't as successful as they might be, simply because their fear is keeping them from taking action.

Maybe it's a fear of rejection, or maybe it's fear of failure. Maybe it's fear of doing the wrong thing, or fear of the boss, or a customer. The end result is the same: You don't take the risks necessary to make yourself successful.

This is not to say that being completely fearless is a good idea. Fearless people do stupid things; as the saying goes, they "rush in where angels fear to tread." When it comes to fears, the trick is to understand them, know why they're there–and then overcome them when it's necessary to take action in order to achieve your goals.

There are five basic ways to do this:

1. Increase Your Familiarity

The more you do something that scares you, the easier it becomes. Take, for example, the most common fear for people who are selling: fear of closing. Treating a sales cycle as a series of small closes makes closing the deal easier when it's finally time to ask for the business.

2. Rehearse Courage Mentally

When it comes to emotions, including fear, your brain can't differentiate between what it imagines and what's actually happened in the real world. If you repeatedly rehearse something in your mind, while at the same time visualizing yourself as being calm, confident and collected, your behavior in the real world will imitate your imagination.

3. Reframe the Fear

Create a comparison in your mind that makes your fear seem trivial. For example: There are millions of people in this world who have to worry about whether they're going to eat today. Against that perspective, what have you got to be afraid of? I mean, really?

4. Reassociate the Fear

Ever been to a Six Flags amusement park? If so, you probably paid a fair amount of money ... for the privilege of being frightened out of your wits. Taking risks in business is, in fact, a lot like getting on a roller coaster — except that you get to do some steering, so you're actually a bit more in control. It turns out that fear you're feeling isn't really fear after all. It's excitement!

5. Make the Fear Useful

Far from being a debilitating emotion, fear–when viewed from the right perspective–is actually just a signal that you need to do something. If you're afraid to ask for the business, for example, it's just your subconscious mind telling you that it's getting close to the point where you need to ask for the business. It may sound trite, but it's true: "Feel the fear, then do it anyway."

Put the above techniques in your mental bag of tricks, and your fears—no matter what they are—will stop holding you back.

On extra hint: These techniques are best applied in combination. For example, here's the specific routine that works for me:

I notice that I'm putting something off because of a fear that it won't happen.
I reconfirm that the goal is worth pursuing.
I "remember" that the fear is just a signal that this is a desirable goal.
I feel grateful that I have the opportunity to achieve that goal.
I briefly think about all the things that I don't have to be afraid about.
I recall all the times that I've overcome similar fears.
I imagine myself taking the action that I've been putting off because of fear.
I repeat the above step five times, visualizing a successful outcome.
Finally, I use the momentum of all of the above to push me forward.

The above formula has allowed me, a relatively quiet and introverted guy, to pursue some goals and have some experiences that otherwise would have been completely impossible for me.

Geoffrey James is an award-winning journalist who has written hundreds of articles on sales and marketing, and has helped thousands of sales professionals communicate more effectively with customers. James' latest book is How to Say It: Business to Business Selling. @Sales_Source

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A great article by Inc. Magazine. Do not let fear keep you from living out your potential.

Expect Success,

Kevin Richardson

Join Team Synergy

An Autobiography in 5 Chapters

2012-02-23T09:37:00-05:00

Chapter 1

I walk down the street. There is a hole in the sidewalk. I fall in. I am lost. I am helpless. It isn't my fault. It takes forever to find a way out.

Chapter 2

I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I pretend I don't see it. I fall in again. I can't believe I am in the same place. But it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.

Chapter 3

I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I see it is there. I still fall in. It's a habit. My eyes are open. I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

Chapter 4

I walk down the same street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

Chapter 5

I walk down another street.

Author Unknown

Expect Success,

Kevin Richardson

www.ZeekOpportunity.com

A Gazelle and a Lion

2012-02-22T09:49:00-05:00

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows that it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.

It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle: When the sun comes up you had better be running.

- African parable

This is one of my favorite African parables. Whether you feel like it or not, you need to jump up and take action. Do not just sit around and wait for something to happen. You just might get eaten!

Expect Success,

Kevin Richardson

www.JoinTeamSynergy.com

Failing Forward

2012-02-21T09:32:00-05:00

This is a collection of quotes from one of my all time favorite books, "Failing Forward" by John C. Maxwell. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has dealt with failure or disappointment in their life. You will gain a new perspective on failure and learn how to turn failure into a stepping stone for success. Through this book you will learn that the difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure. Maxwell will provide straightforward principles for overcoming failure and solid steps to help you become the achiever you've always wanted to be. Pick up a copy of this book and stop failing backward and start failing forward.

Enjoy,

Kevin Richardson

www.JoinTeamSynergy.com

Quotes from Failing Forward

Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success.

"Failure is an inside job. So is success. If you want to achieve, you have to win the war in your thinking first. You can't let the failure outside you get inside you." -John Maxwell

"Ninety percent of all those who fail are not actually defeated. They simply quit." -Paul J. Meyer

"One of the greatest problems people have with failure is that they are too quick to judge isolated situations in their lives and label them as failures. Instead, they need to keep the bigger picture in mind."

"The better a man is, the more mistakes he will make, for the more new things he will try. I would never promote to a top-level job a man who was not making mistakes... otherwise he is sure to be mediocre." -Peter Drucker

"The fight to take responsibility occurs within. And rarely does talent, intelligence, or opportunity make the difference in whether a person wins that battle. It calls for character." -John C. Maxwell

"Our business in life is not to get ahead of others, but to get ahead of ourselves-to break our own records, to outstrip our yesterday by our today." Stewart B. Johnson.

"Sooner or later we get just what we expect."

"It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of our responsibilities." -Sir Josiah Stamp

"If you always do what you've always done, then you will always get what you've always gotten."

"The Question is not if you will have problems, but how you are going to deal with your problems." - John C. Maxwell

"There is no achievement wihout failure." - John C. Maxwell

"The Average for entrepreneurs is 3.8 failures before they finally make it in business." - Lisa Amos

"People who fail forward are able to see errors or negative experiences as a regular part of life, learn from them, and then move on. They persevere in order to achieve their purpose in life." - John C. Maxwell

"Each of us has to make a choice. Are we going to sleep life away, avoiding failure at all costs? Or are we going to wake up and realize this: Failure is simply a price we pay to achieve success." - John C. Maxwell

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas Edison

"What distinguishes winners from losers is that winners concentrate at all times on what they can do, not on what they can't do." - Bob Butera

"Don't waste energy trying to cover up failure. Learn from your failures and go on to the next challenge. It's okay to fail. If you're not failing, your not growing. - H. Stanley Judd

"Every failure you experience is a fork in the road. It's an opportunity to take action, learn from your mistakes, and begin again." - John C. Maxwell

"A man is not defeated by his opponents but by himself." - Jan Christiaan Smuts

"Why worry about things you can't control when you can keep yourself busy controlling the things that depend on you?" - John C. Maxwell

"Change yourself, and your world changes." - John C. Maxwell

"Grasp the positive benefits of negative experiences." - John C. Maxwell

"To achieve your dreams, you must embrace adversity and make failure a regular part of your life. If you're not failing, you're probably not moving forward." - John C. Maxwell

"While one person hesitates because he feels inferior, the other is busy making mistakes and becoming superior." - Henry C. Link

"Risk must be evaluated not by the fear it generates in you or the probability of your success, but by the value of the goal." - John C. Maxwell

"The less you venture out, the greater your risk of failure. Ironically the more you risk failure-and actually fail-the greater your chances of success." - John C. Maxwell

"Little progress is better than no progress at all". - John C. Maxwell

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable." - Sydney J. Harris - If you take risks and fail, you'll have fewer regrets than if you "do nothing and fail.

"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."

"When you get an insight or inspiration, do something about it in twenty-four hours - or the odds are against you ever acting on it." - Bill Glass

"Your attitude toward failure determines your altitude after failure." - John C. Maxwell

"The most important thing in life is not to capitalize on our gains. Any fool can do that. The really important thing is to profit from your losses. That requires intelligence; and it makes the difference between a man of sense and a fool." - Sydney Harris

"I Learned more from the one restaurant that didn't work than from all the ones that were successes." - Wolfgang Puck

"Learning is defined as a change in behavior. You haven't learned a thing until you can take action and use it." - Ken Blanchard

"The common denominator of success lies in forming the habit of doing things that failures don't like to do." - Albert Gray

"More than anything else, what keeps a person going in the midst of adversity is having a sense of purpose. It is the fuel that powers persistence." - John C. Maxwell

"Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races, one after another." - Walter Elliot

"Never say die. Never be satisfied. Be stubborn. Be persistent. Integrity is a must. Anything worth having is worth striving for with all your might." - Orville Redenbacher

"Experience is not what happens to you. Experience is what you do with what happens to you." - Aldous Huxley

"He who makes no mistakes never makes anything" - Old English Proverb

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What a great book to change your outlook on failure. Do not let failure keep you from reaching your potential. Learn from the failure and use it to propel you toward success.

Expect Success,

Kevin Richardson

Get Paid Daily

A Change in Focus Equals a Change in Result

2012-02-09T09:03:00-05:00

If you want different results, a change of focus is required. Once you shift the image held in your mind, different things will automatically start to happen. Focus on red, red shows up. Focus on a different outcome for a conversation, and different thoughts will come to you. Focus on seeing a specific new car model, and it will be as if a ship just unloaded a bunch of them all over the freeway. Your brain has an in-built mechanism for finding patterns you've programmed because of where you've put your attention. Solutions, innovations, and success come not from greater intelligence or creativity but from what we notice because of where we point those attributes.

Excerpt from "Ready for Anything" by David Allen

If you are looking for productivity principles for work and life then I highly recommend this book. David offers 52 ways to immediately clear you head for creativity, Focus your attention, create structures that work, and take action to get things moving. This book will help you master the mental game of productivity.

A Fire that Never Goes Out

2012-02-04T09:12:00-05:00

Have You Ever Noticed the difference passion makes? How many dispassionate successes have you met? How many high achievers lack enthusiasm? How many great leaders do you admire who were indifferent?

Passion opens the door for achievement. When you're passionate about what you are doing, commitment naturally follows. You don't have to try to produce perseverance - it sweeps over you like an ocean wave.

Passion turns your have-to's into want-to's. It creates a fire of motivation that never goes out. People with passion enjoy the climb as much as they enjoy reaching the summit.

If you have passion, you'll never need a jump start. If anything, you must force yourself to stop. Passion will keep you going when the chips are down, the odds are high, the obstacles are many, and the resources are few.

This is an excerpt from "The Choice is Yours" by John C. Maxwell. This is a short, but great little book by one of my favorite authors. It is packed full of information and will help you realize that the only true freedom each of us has in life is the freedom to choose. Choose wisely

A Biased Review of ZeekRewards

2012-02-01T09:00:00-05:00

This honest ZeekRewards review will reveal to you the tremendous potential that this opportunity holds within itself. It takes away the burden of recruiting until your blue in the face, which is typically a required aspect of network marketing. In order to earn a profit from ZeekRewards all you need to do is promote The Zeekler store and penny auction site over the internet by placing one FREE pre-written ad in a FREE classified ad site per day. By doing this, and by becoming a qualified affilliate* you become eligible to participate in the company’s daily profits. Watch a short video for more information www.ZeekOpportunity.com

The ZeekRewards program pays you for placing just one ad each day which takes less than 2 minutes.

Brief History of Zeekler.com and ZeekRewards

ZeekRewards is the paid marketing division of Zeekler.com, a profitable, reputable and secure penny auction website. ZeekRewards is how the parent company, Rex Venture Group, LLC (a 14 year old, privately held, debt free company based in Lexington, NC) and its President and CEO Paul Burks have chosen to market Zeekler.com

Why does ZeekRewards pay you to market Zeekler?

Instead of paying GoogleAdwords, or other outside agencies - ZeekRewards pays affiliates for driving traffic to the incredible online shopping portal Zeekler.com. This is where ZeekRewards and Zeekler will continue to succeed as a company. There is no better way to promote a company than by paying a passionate affiliate base to promote it’s product rather than paying over-priced, less passionate outside agencies.

So, how exactly do you earn an income from ZeekRewards?

ZeekRewards is a retail profit pool. Meaning, at the end of EACH day ZeekRewards tallies up its revenue and shares 50% of its net profits with all qualified Affiliates.

In order to qualify for the daily profit sharing, as an affiliate you are required to place a single advertisement (which takes less than 2 minutes) sending people to zeekler.com.

To make it as easy as possible to place your one ad per day, In your back office, you are provided with pre-written ads.

AND there is MORE. Not only is the ad copy written and provided for you, ZeekRewards also provides an exhaustive list of free advertising venues and providers to which you can place your daily ad. How cool is that?

Lets break it down even further for the detailed oriented folks like myself…

The process is very simple and usually takes less than 2 minutes per day to complete.

(Step 1 ) Login to your back office and copy an ad of your choice.

(Step 2) Choose a advertising provider & Paste your ad. Copy the URL where the ad can be viewed

(Step 3) Return to your back office and click on Step 3 where you will complete a short form with:

– The name of the provider for example: FreeClassifieds.com

– The type of ad you placed (choose from a dropdown list, text, text with pictures, etc.)

– Paste the URL you copied of where the ad can be viewed

– Click “Submit”

CONGRATULATIONS!

You are DONE! You just qualified for that day’s profit sharing.

What about recruiting?

Even if you recruit or sponsor no one, not even one person. You can still earn a substantial income with ZeekRewards. Yes, that’s right. You can still make money without recruiting. Now think about that for a moment. You could recruit or sponsor no one or even very few people and still make a significant income. Think about how that will impact the people you will talk with. The people who have previously had a tough time recruiting and succeeding in this industry. Well now those people have a proven system where they can actually succeed.

However, you can earn more money if you do introduce others to ZeekRewards. What usually happens is when you have success with ZeekRewards and fully understand the compensation plan; you'll want to share this opportunity with others. It will just come natural to you and your passion will attract others. But, again you do not have to recruit to make money with ZeekRewards, it will just maximize the money you can make.

So, what happens when you join ZeekRewards?

When you sign up at ZeekRewards.com you are signing up as a marketing affiliate, marketing zeekler.com for the purpose of driving traffic, i.e. people to the zeekler.com penny auction website to participate in the penny auctions

More Info!

Watch a short video for more information www.ZeekOpportunity.com

For more detailed information watch a 30 minute webinar at www.ZeekOpportunity.info

For more detailed information on the compensation plan and how you can qualify to earn income with ZeekRewards or if you are ready to Join ZeekRewards now, please contact me at Kevin@FKevinRichardson.com or visit www.JoinTeamSynergy.com - Seek appropriate support and coaching by becoming a part of a good team which will dramatically increase your chances of success.

My personal opinion: ZeekRewards is one of the best Home Business opportunities available anywhere. I highly recommend considering this business before looking at any other home business opportunities. Zeek Rewards is a company I am extremely proud to be partnered with. This business offers people the chance to earn a full or part time income through advertising and driving traffic to the website, Zeekler.com. Instead of paying GoogleAdwords, or other outside agencies - ZeekRewards pays affiliates for driving traffic to our incredible online shopping portal Zeekler.com. www.TeamSynergy.zeekrewards.com Each night after the close of the business day (east coast USA time) the company tallies its sales and shares up to 50% of its net profits with its qualified affiliates. As an affiliate, I simply place one ad a day which takes no more than 90 seconds and get paid for it. Ask me how you can make money doing this also. This is one of the best and easiest ways I've made extra income. It really is that simple. Visit www.TeamSynergy.ZeekRewards.com or email Kevin@FKevinRichardson.com for more info.

IMPORTANT: The following paragraph MUST BE READ ALOUD whenever the ZeekRewards compensation plan is presented verbally or by telephone, or included in it's entirety when communicating in writing:

“If you make a purchase from ZeekRewards you are purchasing a Premium eCommerce subscription or you are purchasing bids to give away as samples. You are NOT purchasing stock or any other form of “investment” or equity. You MUST actually use the bids that you purchase or give them away as samples to help grow your business. Affiliates who present our products to others in a misleading manner or in a way that leads the buyer to believe he or she is making an investment or purchasing equities will be terminated and all commissions and awards will be forfeited. Buyers MUST read the entire How it Works and Get Paid pages on the ZeekRewards website and the Legal Disclaimers.”

* A Qualified Affiliate" is a Preferred Customer or Representative who is currently enrolled in one of our monthly Premium Business Center subscription plans (Silver, Gold or Diamond), has enrolled Retail Customers or joined the Customer Co-op, has given away a minimum of 10 Zeek Sample Bids as samples, and has placed a qualifying advertisement for Zeekler.com for the current 24 hour period and submitted it through his or her ZeekRewards back office. Affiliates who have not yet qualified can earn retail profits while they watch their Bonus Points grow daily, however only Qualified Affiliates can qualify to earn daily retail profit-share awards.

www.ZeekOpportunity.com

ZeekRewards - The Rewards Program of a Lifetime!

2012-01-31T08:55:00-05:00

Become an integral part of the worlds largest Advertising Force and Make Money DAILY

So simple anyone can do it

If you can copy and paste (or know someone who can) - you can earn DAILY cash rewards
All it takes is less than 5 minutes a day

Here's How to Get Started:

Choose your affiliate level
Enroll a few friends as free customers
Enroll a few friends as free affiliates
Sell a few e-commerce suites
Join the Customer Co-op
Drive Traffic to Zeekler.com
and Earn 20% and one point on every dollar your Zeekler.com customers spend on bids
Or
Purchase some sample bids to give away to free customers
Drive traffic by placing ONE FREE AD every day

We reward you daily
for doing so. For information visit www.TeamSynergy.zeekrewards.com

Join Team Synergy

www.TeamSynergy.zeekrewards.com - ZeekRewards is one of the best Home Business opportunities available anywhere. I highly recommend considering this business before looking at any other home business opportunities. Zeek Rewards is a company I am extremely proud to be partnered with. This business offers people the chance to earn a full or part time income through advertising and driving traffic to the website, Zeekler.com. Instead of paying GoogleAdwords, or other outside agencies - ZeekRewards pays affiliates for driving traffic to our incredible online shopping portal Zeekler.com. www.TeamSynergy.zeekrewards.com Each night after the close of the business day (east coast USA time) the company tallies its sales and shares up to 50% of its net profits with its qualified affiliates. As an affiliate, I simply place one ad a day which takes no more than 90 seconds and get paid for it. Ask me how you can make money doing this also. This is one of the best and easiest ways I've made extra income. It really is that simple. Visit www.TeamSynergy.ZeekRewards.com or message me for more information.

Make Money With This Home Based Jerky Business

2012-01-30T15:30:00-05:00

Jerky Direct offers many different healthy varieties of jerky including beef, turkey, buffalo, several organic options and even natural fruit stix made with real fruit fortified with Omega 3 Krill oil. Krill is one of the best natural sources of Omega 3 and our products include only the finest and purest in the world.

Jerky Direct products provide a healthy, all natural source of protein. Many of our products contain no preservatives, no added MSG, no nitrites, no Erythorbate, no artificial ingredients, and are only minimally processed. This unique product is a staple of health conscious customers and those who demand a top quality product at a great price.

Our Jerky is handmade in our USDA certified smokehouse using superior quality top round beef. It's seasoned with our secret blend of spices, and slow smoked to perfection with real burning hickory.

Great Home Business Opportunity

The Jerky Direct home business opportunity offers anyone the ability to start a business for $12. This includes two bags of jerky of your choice shipped to you each month, your own Website, Account Manager, Marketing tools and Training.

And, distributors do not have to stock and sell products unless they wish to. Jerky Direct handles all the orders, payment processing, shipping and handing direct to your customers and you get paid!

The Jerky Direct online home business opportunity is unlike anything out there. The product and excellent compensation programs are unrivaled in the industry.

If you are not interested in the business opportunity you can still buy great jerky from this site either by the bag, case or choose the $12 a month auto ship option. I understand the business opportunity is not for everyone, but this Jerky is so good, I know you will want to try some.

JOIN NOW

3 Ways to earn

1. Sell Jerky Offline
You have the ability to buy jerky at the wholesale price of $3.42 a bag in cases and resell it at local events, charging what you see fit, for profit.

2. Direct Customers to your Website
You are provided with a totally free website about Jerky Direct when you join. When customers order off your site, the company will dropship product to them and send you a check for 20% commission.

3. Sign Up Distributors
If you help others join Jerky Direct and they join under you, you receive monthly compensation based on the product that they order and that they sell. Sign up now

Get a monthly commission from their autoship order

Get a 5% bonus on all wholesale orders they place

Get a 5% bonus on all orders made on THEIR website

ENROLL NOW

Email me: Kevin@welovejerky.com

Comments (0)

Buy The Worlds Best Jerky Now

JERKY DIRECT BAGS
(Two Bags Only $12.00!)

Why Join with Kevin?

Why join as a Jerky Direct distributor with me, Kevin Richardson?

Let's face it! You have a lot of options out there for home based businesses. There are thousands of other network marketing companies and there are many Jerky Direct distributors.

So you may be asking yourself why Jerky Direct and why Kevin Richardson?

For someone who has been in the direct sales and network marketing industry for many years I've found that Jerky Direct is the easiest network marketing company to explain, which makes it easy to sell. I am not going to promise you that Jerky Direct sells itself. Even though it is easy to sell, you still have to put in the effort to make the sales happen. But, I can help.

When you join with me and become a distributor with Jerky Direct I will be with you every step of the way. Not only will you recieve the company provided training, but you will also recieve additional tips and valuable training from me that will help you succeed with Jerky Direct. I will provide additonal resources online, via email, newsletters, and also one on one training in person or over the phone that you will not get with anyone else. That's right! You will get my personal mobile phone number and can call any time with questions or help. You are in business for yourself, but not by yourself. If you succeed, I succeed.

Remember, when you Join with Jerky Direct you also get the freedom to work your own business for only $12 a month.

For $12 a month you get:

Your choice of two bags of Jerky autoshipped.
A free website. (Most companies charge you extra for this.)
No sign up fees, cancel whenever you want.
Wholesale prices on anything else you buy. (Buying extra product is not required)
Your own business that makes money in 3 ways: selling online at your free website, selling offline at farmer's markets, face to face, etc. or by signing up new distributors.

If you are not interested in the business opportunity you can still buy great jerky HERE by the bag, case or choose a $12 a month Preferred Cutomer auto-shipment. I understand this business opportunity is not for everyone, but this Jerky is so good, I know you will want to try some.

ENROLL NOW - JOIN NOW - CLICK HERE

14 Qualities of Being a Successful Parent

2012-01-24T07:27:00-05:00

14 Qualities of Being a Successful Parent

	1. Enjoy being a parent. They enjoy parenting not because it’s easy or instantly rewarding, but because of the sheer joy and privilege of cooperating with God in shaping another unique and precious life. Any parent of grown children will tell you "they grow up so quickly." Successful parents remind themselves of that and try to savor every day with their children. They immerse themselves in their children as much as possible and just enjoy them – even the days of dirty diapers, illness and disappointments. They don’t just LOVE their children, they LIKE them and look forward to spending time with them. 2. Identify good qualities in your children. Telling your children about their good qualities is the quickest way to help them build self confidence. Make a conscious effort to identify and compliment your children for their good qualities. Sometimes it is necessary to take a pause from the rush of life and enjoy the wonderful qualities that your children possess. Don’t think for a moment that a mental note is enough. Point out your children’s good qualities and let them build upon them.
	3. Make time daily to spend with your kids. Life has a way of consuming all of your time. It is easy to become “too busy” to do anything with your kids. If you can’t find the time, make the time. No matter how busy you are, or how tired you may be; there is no reason to deny your children of 30 minutes of your daily time. Give your kids thirty minutes every day for whatever they wish to do.
	4. Communicate positively with your children. Talk to your kids in a positive way. Talk to them in a friendly manner about whatever subject they wish to discuss. Avoid falling into the trap of speaking to your kids only when you need to discipline them. Kids get your attention most easily when they are getting into trouble, but don’t make this the only time you talk to them because your speech will be less than pleasant. Give your children the benefit of positive communication and they will be more likely to talk to you in good times and bad.
	5. Involve children in household activities and family trips. Don’t allow children to become isolated in some remote corner of the house. It is important to allow your children a reasonable amount of privacy, but don’t encourage them to become reclusive in their rooms. Although this will be a subject of controversy, I would suggest keeping as many electronic “toys” in common family areas. Keep televisions, computers, and phones out of children’s rooms whenever possible. Additionally the daily time allowed to use these attention demanding items should be regulated. Encourage family time and whenever possible do the unthinkable…talk to each other. In addition to household activities, plan fun events outside of the house in which the kids can be involved. Plan simple, but exciting activities that everyone can enjoy. Also plan vacations and trips together when possible. Allow your children to contribute their ideas for your times together. Make a habit of giving the children something to look forward to with the family.
	6. Listen attentively to your children. Be aware of the way you listen to your children—especially when you are busy. Take care to assure your children that you think that what they say is important. At times when you are preoccupied, it is easy to make the mistake of answering your children without paying full attention to what they are saying. When you find yourself answering your children by saying, “uh huh,” “yeah,” or a similar manner of thoughtless speech, take note of it and pay closer attention to your children. As a parent, you would surely take offense if your children answered you in this way. Be sure to look at them when they are talking to you. This may take a little extra effort, but it will make you give them the attention they deserve, and your children will see that you believe that what they say is important.
	7. Be willing to change. Part of being a successful parent is knowing when to change something about yourself. Don’t allow your determination to be a good parent prevent you from being one. Everyone wants to be a perfect parent, but there truly is no such thing. Parents do make mistakes from time to time. There is nothing wrong with making mistakes as a parent, as long as you can admit it to yourself and make changes for the better.
	8. Protect your children’s safety. Caring for the safety of your children may seem to be so obvious that it does not need mention. It is amazing how many parents fail to care for even basic elements of their children’s safety. From parents who call upon their young children to cross a busy street after school while they sit in their cars, to others who let their children roam the streets without any knowledge of where they are, it can be disturbing to see how some parents deprive their children of basic safety. Never gamble on the safety of your children.
	9. Do not allow your children to disrespect you or your spouse. Being a good parent does not mean you must allow your children to disrespect you or your spouse(or partner). Be certain that your children understand what you expect of them in regard to respect.
	10. Don’t argue with your spouse in front of the children. In heated moments, this may seem difficult to avoid; but there is nothing that can be gained from arguing in front of your children. When something becomes a big enough issue that an argument is unavoidable, be aware that the children are watching and find a way to bottle it up and discuss it in private. There is nothing wrong with your children knowing that you have disagreements with your spouse (or partner), but unless you want your children to be a part of the argument, it is best to take care of the disagreement privately. Don’t put children in a position where they will take sides or hear utterances that will be apologized for later. Whatever it takes keep your children out of your arguments.
	11. Tell your children you love them. Never refrain from telling your children you love them. Ignore any thoughts in your head that tell you not to do so. It is difficult to tell your children you love them too much, but it is easy to tell them too little. Don’t let such a simple thing be a cause of regret. Tell your children you love them. 12. Be the person you want your children to be There are no formulas for parents. You can’t just "program" children like a computer and be guaranteed of the result. But children are great observers and imitators. They watch, listen and absorb values and habits from the people who have the greatest influence on them – their parents. So successful parents resolve that they will set the best example they can for their children. 13. Pray with your children I believe praying for your children and with your children is one of the most important things you can do as a parent. The most important thing in life is a relationship with God. What better way to point your children to that relationship then by praying with them. Not only will this help your children learn how to pray, but it will also help strengthen their relationship with our heavely father and bring you closer to your children as well. 14. Get Support Successful parenting means trusting yourself, but not being a Lone Ranger. No one has the experience or answers to every parenting challenge. But each of us has some of the answers and, together, we’ve got them all. So successful parents aren’t reluctant to seek out the wisdom of others. They know that, at the end of the day, the decision is theirs, but before they get there, there is plenty of wisdom along the way waiting to help them.