Recession Survival Tips

Will Your Life Work the Way You Want It to? by Jack Canfield

April 23, 2009
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As I mentioned earlier, 2009 may bring greater uncertainty and more unsettling economic news than recent years, but these circumstances should compel us to take a deep breath, and pause to think about our lives. When things happen in the world that seem so far beyond our individual control, it can feel unsettling. Don’t give up on your goals and dreams just because “the time isn’t good”… you can still make 2009 the year you uncover a whole new you for the better! Even in tough times, you get to decide how to respond to certain conditions, opportunities, and outcomes–both good and bad. Life will always be a series of choices and YOU get to decide on what will move you closer to your goals, or farther away from them. External forces will always be part of the equation, even during the good times when the world is thriving. When people ask me about the single most important ingredient to success, I always share the same response: realizing what’s making you achieve success, and then realizing what is stifling your success. Sometimes recognizing the things that are NOT working in your life can be painful, yet VERY powerful to shaping the life you want. Don’t try to rationalize them, make excuses for them, or hide them. This is when it’s even more critical to take personal inventory and evict those excuses, rationalizations, and hidden habits that don’t serve you. These things will keep you from the life you want to be living. Let me give you some examples. Ask yourself if you relate to any of these questions: Do you want to be active, fit, and strong? Then you have to stop making excuses about your weight, diet choices, and lack of exercise. Do you want to be in a loving relationship based on friendship and respect? Then you have to stop rationalizing why you and your partner are not communicating well. Do you want to embrace Monday mornings and feel excited about going to work every day? Then you have to stop hiding your true passions and go after whatever it is you really want to be doing day in and day out. Do you want to lose the debt forever? Then you have to stop ignoring your spending habits and get real about a creating budget that will pull you out of debt and allow you to reach financial freedom. Do you want to feel more connected to the people in your life, such as your children, friends, and colleagues? Then you have to stop complaining about your poor relationships and figure out why you don’t feel as connected as you’d like to be. These things can be painful to look at because the truth is that you have to do something about them in order to make it work in your life. You’ll have to say no to the second helping of dinner and the dessert to follow and go through the awkward stage of getting into shape… You’ll have to confront your partner about the areas that need work… You’ll have to get past fears about changing your job or professional path… You’ll have to cut back on your spending and be frugal… You’ll have to take a good hard look at your personal relationships and perhaps consider your own shortfalls and weaknesses in communicating your needs and concerns. Plain and simple, you will have to do something uncomfortable. Successful people don’t waste time in denial (or complain or make excuses for that matter). They face situations like a warrior. They look for the warning signs, they find out why things aren’t working, and they go about fixing them- even when fixing requires problem solving, hard work, risk, and a level of uncertainty. It’s okay to identify a problem even though you haven’t a clue about how to go about solving it right away. The first step is just recognizing the issue, and then having faith that you’ll figure it out with careful attention to it. That’s how successful people live–in constant focus on goals, on results, on problem solving, and on the actions that get them to where they want to be. Following are three things to do constantly in pursuit of your goals and dreams, however big or small: Awareness: Keep your awareness on the feedback you are getting from life and decide to address the situations immediately. Don’t bottle up feedback, cast it aside, and avoid it like you would a pile of dirty laundry or a stack of unopened bills. Life tells you things every day. Do this. Don’t do that. Think about this. Try me. Forget that. We live in a world that seemingly encourages us to live on autopilot. Successful people fly manually every day and so should you. When those feedback signals come in, listen to them and use them in planning your next step. Commitment: Commit to finding out why things aren’t working and learn what will fix them. Once you start the process it will be much easier to continue. Nothing fruitful stems from inaction. Trust: Trust that making changes to the situation will ultimately bring about the best results. Sure you might go through a bit of discomfort during the change, and some unlikely or unwanted outcomes, but in the end you will triumph! So are you ready to admit the things that just are not working out? Make a list of the things in your life that are working against your success and ask how the situation can be improved. Commit to tackling just one of those issues and be brave! If you need help organizing those “things” in your life, try using the following list of categories. I recommend reflecting on each of the 7 areas and ask yourself, what’s not working here in each one and then brainstorm 3 potential solutions. 1.) Financial Goals, 2) Career/Business Goals, 3.) Free Time/Family Time, 4.) Health/Appearance Goals, 5.) Relationship Goals, 6.) Personal Growth 7.) Making a Difference Remember, by facing what is not working, you can only improve your life!

Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com


How To Succeed In Today’s Economy And Ensure Your Bright Future Featuring Chris Howard

April 19, 2009
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We are in one of the greatest financial downturns in history, according to world economists. People are scared, confused and uncertain. Jobs are being lost and some people take on a victim mentality, which can weaken their confidence and resolve.  Many businesses are struggling with cash flow challenges and the number of bankruptcies has increased.

There are those who thrive no matter what the economic conditions are by seeing opportunities and through having the courage to take action in spite of their fears. Then there are those who become paralysed and only see obstacles.

Many fortunes are built during recessions when the prices are low and opportunities are seized by those who train themselves to spot them. John D. Rockefeller made billions in the Great Depression.  John Paulson was able to increase his personal fortune and the funds he managed by 38% in 2008, by seeing opportunities in housing and banking shares.

Successful people develop a way of thinking and believing − they take charge of their mindset and then follow through with action to achieve success. Training your mindset is just one of the strategies for success you can learn at Breakthrough to Success.

click here:  http://breakthroughtosuccess.drronahart.com/

to enrol in Breakthrough to Success –  it’s my gift to you.

So what’s the difference between people who thrive and those who are just surviving…

…It’s their mindset.

You will discover that no matter what your circumstances are, you can change your thinking and change your results.

Now more than ever, it’s time to upgrade your mental

software and make empowered choices that will

determine your future.

Think about what it will cost you if you don’t change limiting beliefs, negative self-talk and habits that are holding you back?

You have probably heard the quote…

“the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again and expect a different result.”

If you know something needs to change in your life and are not sure where to begin, then join us at Breakthrough to Success and my team and I will be your guides.

Breakthrough to Success is 3 days jam-packed with fun filled activities, valuable insights and illuminating discoveries.  The accelerated human change technologies you’ll learn, allow you to walk away with an unshakeable belief in yourself and an ability to engineer your own success.

You’ll pinpoint those hidden beliefs and behaviours that stop you from having what you want.  Imagine, in only 3 days you’ll learn effective tools and strategies that will propel you towards creating your goals and dreams.

Breakthrough to Success could be the BEST investment in yourself you ever make.

And the best thing is attendance at Breakthrough to Success won’t cost you or your friends a thing. Tickets valued at £1790 for two, are extended to you with my compliments.

click here:

http://breakthroughtosuccess.drronahart.com/

to enrol in Breakthrough to Success.

 

Think about how different your life would be, if, you could:
  • Release internal blocks that are sabotaging your wealth, success, health, fulfillment and happiness
  • Create a blueprint for how you will achieve rapid success in any area of your life
  • Gain access to the people and resources you need to get you there
  • “Upgrade” your mental programming so you can finally experience your desires and dreams coming true!
  • Discover what’s REALLY keeping you stuck, frustrated in your relationships or not making the kind of money you want and deserve – and what you can do about it.
  • Apply the Strategic Visioning process, to create your desired reality, so that the when you take the subsequent action, the fulfillment of your goals becomes inevitable
  • Align your values and release any conflicts, so you are are propelled toward your highest goals and boldest dreams.

Learn more about the Breakthrough to Success:

 

 

http://breakthroughtosuccess.drronahart.com/

It’s time to take charge of your thinking today, so

you will be set for a future filled with ultimate

wealth, optimal health and fulfilling relationships.

My friend, you have the power right now to expand your thinking and live a rich and fulfilling life.

Why make life a constant struggle when you can change your blueprint for success and fulfillment in only 3 days?  If you’re prepared to transform your life once and for all and develop the mindset for wealth and success, take action now and and click here

 http://breakthroughtosuccess.drronahart.com/ to enrol. 

Breakthough to Success dates:
London, May 15 – 17, 2009

Dublin, September 11 – 13, 2009  

What have you got to lose, you can only gain!

I look forward to meeting you soon.

To your success,

 

 

Christopher Howard
CEO
Christopher Howard Training


Do current economic conditions alarm you? Read on!

April 16, 2009
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Do current economic conditions alarm you? Read on!

The current economic crisis will only get worse with…

  • more people facing unemployment,
  • rising cost of credit,
  • increased homelessness,
  • increasing number of bankruptcies, and
  • higher tax burdens!

There is a Way To Protect Yourself, your Home and Assets, Starting TODAY!

Read this book: Recession Survival Guide


Great Advice for Tough Times by Tom Ziglar

April 15, 2009
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I was speaking with one of my mentors this week.  Larry Carpenter is a very successful business and family man and a longtime friend of our family.  Larry lives out the Ziglar philosophy.  Currently, Larry owns and operates a very nice hotel in Little Rock, Arkansas, that is doing remarkably well in an extremely tough industry right now.

Larry and I were talking about the economy and he mentioned that about four months ago he called all of his key accounts that book rooms on a monthly basis and had a conversation that went kind of like this:

“I just wanted to touch base with you and let you know that we really value your business and our relationship.  I know that times are getting tougher for everyone and I wanted to let you know that if you should need some help down the road, we are ready to sharpen our pencil on our end and do everything we can.  Just let me know, because we want to be first in line to work with you in any way that we can.”

Larry shared with me that he got his first call back from a key account last week and he is working with them to create a mutual win.  Here are some key take-aways:

He was putting the relationship and the customer first

He was offering a helping hand and taking the edge off a potentially tough conversation

 

He was making it clear he is in business for the long term and in the short term real relationships help each other out

He was being very wise and proactive in that he was likely to get “the call” anyway

He understands that especially in tough times you can create trust and loyalty if you are willing to be creative and do not let fear of loss drive your decisions

I bet you have a few longtime customers who could use a little bit of good news and a helping hand right now.  Be proactive and give them a call; let them know you will help any way you can.

Tom Ziglar is the proud son of Zig Ziglar and CEO of Ziglar

This article was taken from his blog, http://www.tomziglar.com/


Recession-proof your mindset by Matt Morris, Success University Founder and CEO

April 14, 2009
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http://www.rhart3.successuniversity.com

I know this may sound like a strange title for this month’s Founders Letter, but in today’s economic crisis, I believe this message is so important that I’ve had our team dedicate this ENTIRE issue to mindset. I’ve also broken my message into two parts that I believe are instrumental in allowing you to experience the success you deserve. We’ll be back with a special recognition issue next month… For now, ensure that you and your team completely devour this issue – it’s that important!

The worldwide economic crisis we’re having right now is the worst it’s been since the Great Depression. Millions of jobs have been lost, home values are the lowest they’ve been in decades, stock markets have plummeted to the lowest levels in almost 20 years and consumer confidence is at an all time low. It seems that everywhere you look, the forecast for the near future is gloom and doom. In light of these negative messages that you’re being bombarded with on television, radio and print media, I’d like to shed some light on your greatest opportunity to profit. You may have heard that the Chinese symbol for Crisis is actually made up of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity. The wealthy of the world realize that during this economic “crisis” there is an even greater “opportunity” for those who choose their business endeavors wisely. There are two facts I’d like to share with you to recession-proof your mindset and give you an even greater optimism than ever before. The first fact is simply realizing that there is the EXACT same amount of MONEY during a recession than there is during an economic boom. Let’s face it, it’s not as if billions of dollars have simply vanished, been burned or dropped to the bottom of the ocean. Those billions have simply been taken from the hands of many and been re-appropriated into the hands of the few. So the question that begs an answer is this – “How do YOU become ‘the few?” 

 

 

That leads me to the second fact which should give you more excitement about Success University and Network Marketing than you’ve ever had… To give you the full understanding, I’m going to share with you some history into our industry of Network Marketing. It was in the late 1950’s (when unemployment was at its highest since the Great Depression) that networking really began to flourish with the opening of such pioneering companies as Shaklee and Amway. This continued into the early 1960’s with companies such as Mary Kay, Avon, Tupperware and Fuller Brush all gaining momentum. Then in the late 60’s when the economy improved and unemployment dropped, the growth of direct selling and the home based business actually slowed.

Again during the 1980’s we saw the Network Marketing industry really flourish in the first half of the decade when the unemployment rate had reached its highest level in 40 years at 9.7%. The second half of the decade saw a downturn in Network Marketing as the economy rose and unemployment went back down. This cycle continued into the 1990’s. In the early 90’s (1990 – 1994) the industry experienced huge momentum. In fact, “there was more wealth created by way of MLM from 1990 to 1994 than any other time in history.” (Network Marketing Lifestyles, May 2000)

At the core of all of us lies the one factor that controls virtually everything in our lives. Regardless of what your conscious mind may wish for, this one element completely overrides those conscious desires. The most powerful element controlling your outcome in life boils down to your identity. The most diffi cult thing in the world for people to change is their identity because it’s WHO THEY ARE. There’s an important law of human nature called consistency which states that we have a natural urge and tendency to remain consistent with who we believe we are at our core. When you’ve programmed your identity to be overweight, consciously you may want to get thin, but subconsciously you’ve programmed your mind to believe you’re an overweight person. Because your subconscious mind is so much more powerful than your conscious mind, it does everything it can to keep you consistent with the identity of an overweight person.

If you’ve been on all kinds of diets, but nothing’s worked, my suggestion is to look at the root cause as to WHY you’re overweight. I can promise you that it’s not that the “diet” didn’t work. Losing weight is actually an incredibly simple formula; when you burn more calories than you consume, you lose weight. When you consume more calories than you burn, you gain weight. What keeps you overweight, more than anything else, is your mental process and identity about being overweight. Sometimes people claim they just don’t have the WILL power to lose weight. By simply speaking the words “I don’t have the willpower” you make yourself believe it’s true. Because you have an identity of being overweight, OF COURSE you’re going to have these “irresistible” cravings because your subconscious mind constantly looks for ways to KEEP you overweight to maintain your identity of being overweight.

What you must concentrate on is changing your vision and belief about yourself. Every time you start to think or say to yourself that you’re fat, flip it and say, “I’m perfectly fi t, healthy and sexy!” Please don’t get discouraged. You’ve formed your identity over years and years of subconscious programming, so you may not be able to change any negative identity overnight.

Just focus on overriding any negative belief with a new positive belief and you’ll gradually change into the healthy, positive person you truly want to become.

Here’s an internal programming example I had created for myself for becoming wealthy. For most of my childhood, I grew up poor. Mom was working her way through school so we lived on food stamps. I was the kid who had the free lunch pass at school. We even lived in a little apartment above a garage that was so small when you sat on the toilet, your knees touched the shower!

Even though we were broke, my mom worked her way through school to become an attorney. However, her starting salary was so low that she had to work two jobs just to take care of me. That taught me two important lessons. First, it’s important to work extremely hard to get what you want out of life. Second, no matter how hard you work, money is always hard to come by. Because that’s what I experienced, that’s what I believed. So it was no surprise that when I become an entrepreneur at age 18, I had a ton of discipline and an intense work ethic. But no matter how hard I worked, I never had enough money. I kept getting farther and farther in debt and was constantly telling myself and other people in my life how broke I was.

You see, every time I said “I’m broke” I was programming my subconscious mind that it was my identity. No matter how many goals I set to make money, what I truly expected for myself, my vision and belief about myself, was that I was always broke. My subconscious cheerfully did everything in its power to keep me broke. Even when I started making some money, I would always end up being broke and in debt because I never believed that I could  ever be someone who was anything but broke. What turned my life around was when I started to change that identity for myself. When I started refusing to say that I was broke, when I started refusing to say that I was in debt, when I started refusing to say or even to think about myself as anything but a complete and total success; that is when my life started to turn around. I started declaring to myself that I was wealthy and that money was easy to come by. I started declaring what I wanted, not what I was currently experiencing. Before you can reach the goals you set in your life, you must fi rst believe you are the type of person who can achieve them. I had to start declaring that I was a millionaire to myself LONG before I could actually become one. You don’t gain confi dence in yourself after you have success. You gain confi dence in yourself before you ever achieve any type of success.

You absolutely must believe you are capable of achieving success long before you will ever succeed. Belief is that leap of faith that can take you from where you’re at right now to where you really want to go. So take a look at what you want to improve in your own life, and then honestly look at how you’ve created your identity through your words, thoughts and actions. To change, you must fi rst become conscious of your disempowering words and thoughts and then flip them around to declare what you do want. If you’re late all the time, you’ve simply built that as your identity. If you’re bad at time management and can’t get anything done during the day, you’ve simply built into your identity that you’re bad at time management. If you’re a terrible public speaker, you’ve simply made that your identity. The good news is that everything you are right now is only because you believe them to be true.

Here’s how to turn your life in a positive direction. First, STOP DECLARING ANYTHING NEGATIVE TO BE TRUE! I hear people say, “There’s just not enough time in the day.” Guess what? Every time you say that, you make it truer in your life. When you profess weakness, you become weak. When you profess cowardice, you become a coward. When you profess hatred, you get hatred. Starting right now, declare wealth, declare health, declare happiness, declare love… Start declaring everything you want for your life and you’ll start to build the identity that allows you to become the person you wish to be. Don’t let your life wallow in mediocrity one second longer. The reason average people are average is because they walk around their entire lives being miserable saying things like, “If I can just find the right man or woman, then I’ll be happy.” Unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. Whatever you want to attract, you have to become that type of person before you will get any results. Your dream spouse is probably someone who wants to be with someone who’s already happy and completely excited about life, so until you become the kind of person who will attract them, you will never have that person. Remember, you can never have and then be; you must be and then you will have.

Watch your thoughts because they will become your words.

Watch your words because they will become your actions.

Watch your actions because they will become your habits.

Watch your habits because they will become your character.

Watch your character because that will become your destiny.

To Your Success!

Matt Morris

Founder and CEO

http://www.rhart3.successuniversity.com

Success University

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


From Motivation to Motive-Action by Denis Waitley

April 13, 2009
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With the current times, each of us needs to understand the magnitude of social and economic change in the world. In the past, change in business and social life was incremental and a set of personal strategies for achieving excellence was not required. Today, in the knowledge-based world, where change is the rule, a set of personal strategies is essential for success, even survival. Never again will you be able to go to your place of business on autopilot, comfortable and secure that the organization, state or government will provide for and look after you. You must look in the mirror when you ask who is responsible for your success or failure. You must become a lifelong learner and leader, for to be a follower is to fall hopelessly behind the pace of progress. The power brokers in the new global arena will be the knowledge facilitators. Ignorance will be even more the tyrant and enslaver than in the past. As you look in the mirror to see the 21st Century you, there will also be another image standing beside you. It is your competition. Your competition, from now on, will be a hungry immigrant with a wireless, hand-held, digital assistant. Hungry for food, hungry for a home, for a new car, for security, for a college education. Hungry for knowledge. Smart, quick thinking, skilled and willing to do anything necessary to be competitive in the world marketplace. Working long hours and Saturdays, staying open later, serving customers better and more cheerfully. To be a player in the 21st Century you have to be willing to give more in service than you receive in payment.

These are the new rules in the game of life. These are the actions you must take to be a leader and a winner in your personal and professional life. By mastering these profoundly simple action steps, you will be positioned to be a change master in the new century.

Action Step Number One – Consider Yourself Self-Employed, But Be a Team Player. What this means is that you are your own Chief Executive Officer of your future. Start thinking of yourself as a service company with a single employee. You’re a small company that puts your services to work for a larger company. Tomorrow you may sell those services to a different organization, but that doesn’t mean you’re any less loyal to your current employer. Taking responsibility for yourself in this way does mean that you never equate your personal long-term interests with your employer’s.

The first idea is resolving not to suffer the fate of those who lost their jobs and found their skills were obsolete. The second is to begin immediately the process of protecting yourself against that possibility – by becoming proactive instead of reactive.

Ask yourself these questions:

How vulnerable am I? What trends must I watch? What information must I gain? What knowledge do I lack?

Again, think of yourself as a company. Set up a training department in your mind and make certain your top employee is updating his or her skills. Make sure you have your own private pension plan, knowing that you are responsible for your own financial security.

Entrusting the government or an employer, other than yourself, with your retirement income is like hiring a compulsive gambler as your accountant.

You’re the CEO of your daily life who must have the vision to set your goals and allocate your resources. The mindset of being responsible for your own future used to be crucial only to the self-employed, but it has become essential for us all. Today’s typical employees are no longer one-career people. Most will have five separate careers in their lifetimes. Remember, your competition is a hungry immigrant with a laptop. Action Step Number One is to consider yourself to be self-employed, but be a team player.

Action Step Number Two – Be Flexible in the Face of Daily Surprises. We live in a time-starved, overstressed, violent society. Much of our over-reaction to what happens to us every day is a result of our self-indulgent value system, where we blame others for our problems, look to organizations or the government for our solutions, thirst for immediate sensual gratification and believe we should have privileges without responsibilities. This condition is manifested in the high crime rate and in the increase in violence in the work place where employees blame their managers for threatening their security.

I have learned how to be flexible in the face of daily surprises, which is one of the most important action traits for a leader. I really haven’t been angry for about 17 years. During that time, no one has tried to physically harm me or someone close to me. I’ve learned to adapt to stress in life and reserve my fear or anger for imminently physically dangerous situations. I rarely, if ever, get upset with what people say, do or don’t do, even if it inconveniences me. I do react emotionally when I see someone physically or emotionally abusing or victimizing another. But I’ve learned not to sweat the small stuff.

The Serenity Prayer, “Grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the Courage to change the things I can, and the Wisdom to know the difference,’ is a valuable measuring tool we can apply to our lives. Simple yet profound words to live by.

Article source: http://www.chriswidener.com/


Social Connections and Positive Psychology during Hard Times by Acacia Parks Sheiner

April 13, 2009
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It may seem like a no-brainer, but there are mountains of studies out there that confirm the idea that social relationships are a very important component of happiness. This works out surprisingly well if you want to be happier during a time when there isn’t a lot of money around; in the absence of the expensive things we used to be able to do to distract ourselves, like go out to the movies or buy a shiny new video game, we can actually spend time with other people. And it’s a good thing, because as it turns out, building our relationships is one of the best things you can possibly do to become happier.

So, how, specifically do we improve our relationships? I’ve talked a little bit about how practicing gratitude can improve social connections, but there are also empirically-driven ways to improve relationships directly. One great example is a technique called Active-Constructive Responding. Here’s how it works. Stop for a minute and imagine a scenario where you just received some excellent news. Let’s say you got a promotion. Now think: who’s the first person you want to tell? Is it Person A, who shrieks with excitement and draws out every detail of your victory, relishing the high points and prolonging your euphoria? Or is it Person B, who feels obligated to remind you that a promotion means more responsibilities, more hours, and less time to spend with them? For most people, it’s Person A; when you burst into the room with excitement and tell someone your good news, the last thing you want is for them to rain on your parade. Research by Shelly Gable backs this up empirically: people want you to get excited when they are excited, and if, in that pivotal moment, you get sidetracked on the negative aspects of their victory, it damages your relationship. A lot. In fact, in one study, couples who urged each other to be cautious and to find the “dark lining” in their good news were more likely to have broken up a few months later than were couples who responded positively to each others’ good news.

 

We don’t know for certain whether Active-Constructive Responding is a teachable skill that, if used, can improve relationships, or if active-constructive responses are merely a byproduct of relationships that are good for other reasons (or, perhaps, both). However, we do know what constitutes an Active and Constructive response to good news, and we do know that this kind of a response is a hallmark of successful relationships.

 


How Tiny Changes Can Give Massive Results by Tony Robbins

April 10, 2009
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This video from Tony Robbins blog is VERY helpful and very inspiring. Makes you think – where can you make one tiny (sometimes effortless) shift in your thinking, actions, or physiology that can end up giving you massive long term results.

You’re already making these tiny changes on a regular basis. We all are.

The question is this: Will these little changes and shifts lead to an outstanding life of fulfillment and contribution or will they lead to frustration and disappointment?

When you watch this video, you’ll see how you can ensure your outcome is one that both serves and empowers you. You’ll see how to identify the tiny little changes you can make today…right NOW that will have an incredibly powerful impact in your life both long term and immediately.

Click here to watch: http://www.tonyrobbinsblog.com/how-tiny-changes-can-give-massive-results/


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Know Thyself by Acacia Parks Sheiner

April 8, 2009
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When I say “know thyself,” I do not mean that you should sit around introspecting about who you are as a person. As a culture, we spent way too much time on that sort of thing. What I am recommending is that you make the effort to study yourself empirically. Instead of guessing what makes you happy, find out.

Start by tracking your mood throughout the day (a simple rating on a scale of 1-10 will do, though if you want to get fancy, you can also rate your concentration, energy level, or anything else of interest). Start by seeing what physical factors (sleep, food, exercise, and time of day, to name a few potential candidates) seem to impact your mood. After you have a good baseline for your mood and are aware of the impact that outside factors have on your mood fluctuations, you can start to look at the impact that your choices and behaviors (time spent on social interactions vs. solitary leisure activities; work vs. procrastination; emails vs. phone calls) by tracking your activities and seeing how more or less of a particular kind of activity affects you.

If you can begin to understand what factors and activities impact the quality of your day, you can begin changing your days so that you are more and more likely to enjoy them. Once you develop some hypotheses, you can start to do a bit of experimentation to confirm your hypotheses – try sleeping more or less, and see how that change plays out in your mood ratings. See what happens if you exercise in the morning vs. the evening. Compare days when you don’t see anyone at all with days when you see people all day long, or interact with others for only a few hours. I guarantee that you will learn something.

One of the things many people (myself included) report has a large, positive impact in their day is doing something they are good at. Perhaps the importance of having this kind of experience is obvious, but what isn’t so obvious is the “how”: how can you make sure that you do something you are good at on a regular basis? Is this really within our control? How do we even know what we are good at in the first place? As a culture, we are fixated on “skills” and “talents.” This works for some people – if you happen to be great at basketball and can land yourself a career playing basketball, then you’ve struck gold. But not everyone’s strengths lie in marketable abilities, and even if a person does posses a marketable talent, she may not be able to find a career that makes use of that talent.
We hear a lot less about personal strengths, or what Peterson and Seligman call “strengths of character.”  Compared to talents, personal strengths seem commonplace; after all, everybody has them. However, it is these kinds of traits – not skills and talents – that are the answer to the question of how we can do what we’re good at every day. Why? Because unlike talents, we can make use of character strengths regardless of our circumstances. Let’s say one of your top strengths is kindness. This means that you are both naturally kind, and that you feel especially authentic and exhilarated when you sense and take advantage of an opportunity to display kindness. Unlike the ability to sing or shoot a slam dunk, kindness is something you can apply anywhere – in work, in your personal life, or with strangers.

The same is true of any of the 24 strengths in Peterson and Seligman’s classification of strengths; curiosity, love of learning, zest, and perspective can all serve you well in work and in love, each in their own unique way, if only you knew to rely on them.

Article source: http://blog.happier.com/


What are your choices in this economy? by Brian Tracy

April 5, 2009
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Has this economy got your attention?

Has it put a dent in your sales and your income?

Want to discover what to do about it in order to put your business back on top to make this year your best ever?

Over the years, you’ve put long hours into building your business and now, the economy, the credit markets and a whole bunch of stuff beyond your control have put a wrench in your plans to keep.

What can you do about it?Do you want to know the simple secret to making money in this economy?

The first thing to realize is that you have a choice.

 

You don’t have to watch your profits vanish in this economy.

There is a way to increase leads, sales and profits — even during these troubled times — but most people won’t do the simple things they need to do to make it happen.

Yes, most people will see their sales and profits, and even their businesses get swept away in this recession.

But you don’t have to be one of these people, and you don’t have to stand by and watch as your profits disappear.

You have two choices!

A. Shrinking Profits

You can continue to market your business the way you have been or even cut back on your marketing.

That’s what most business owners do, act like lemmings marching together over the cliff.Or you could easily discover how to beat this recession.

 

Keep doing what you’re doing and a year from now, two years from now or even four years from now, in the face of a tough economy, you could see your business continue to shrink.

And while I hope the government bailout helps, I’m not holding my breath and you shouldn’t either.Ready to discover the winning profit-building solution?

 

Now I know you’re smart, I know you are someone who is looking for solutions, someone who wants to stand out from the competition, and are eager to take action to be the best — which is why I’m telling you the following good news.

You can.

B. Use This Recession to Double Your Profits

It’s a well-documented fact that in any recession, a few companies in every industry come out on top, increasing their market share and profits.

By using a few key marketing strategies, they end up making 250% higher profits than their competition.Interested in growing your business in this economy?

What’s your choice?

Stand by and do what most people do and watch your profits disappear in this economy – OR – find out what every successful business owner needs to know about making a bundle during this economy and be one of the few to come out a winner.

 

The reason most businesses lose in a recession like the one we’re experiencing is that they use the same marketing strategies they used when the economy was in a boom cycle.

That’s like wearing your summer flip-flops with their smooth soles in winter while trying to walk across snow and ice. It won’t work, and you’re likely to fall and hurt yourself.

To succeed in this economy, you need proven marketing strategies that reliably generate leads, sales and higher profits.

Without them, you could lose your profits and your business.Want to benefit from the same success strategy I’ve used to beat recessions over and over?

Now, thanks to marketing expert, Charlie Cook, there’s an easy way to gain traction with your business and maximize your profits in this economy.

 

Charlie recently released this effective profit-building system, detailing the same strategies I’ve used to build my business, and is offering Brian Tracy subscribers an exclusive risk-free 30-day test-drive for only $2.95.

Finally, you can get the solution to growing your business and get step-by-step guidance on how to put your marketing and business growth on auto-pilot — even in a tough economy.

But only if you take action today and are one of the first 100 people to claim this wealth-building system.Claim your trial copy here.
Brian Tracy

Want to find a faster and easier way to grow your business?

 

Best Regards,

Find out how much more you could be making by using this money making system.


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