5 Successful Ways to Stand Out Among Your Competitors

If you are a business owner then you must be well aware of how difficult it is to start a business and how difficult is to manage it and keep it going. The latest statistics show that only 50% of the businesses survive for more than 5 years while only 1/3rd of them pass the 10-year mark.


While counting the reasons of business failure, there are many that lack proper knowledge, absence of proper strategies, incapable staff, lack of mentors and support networks, and many others. Among all these reasons, the major one that contributes towards the failure of a business is the lack of uniqueness and differentiation.

As consumers have plenty of choices, you need to provide them a reason for buying your services or products. As they would be spending their hard earned money, they would definitely try to find something different or something extra. So, try to differentiate yourself from others and give the customers a chance to trust you.
Here are 5 ways you can stand out among your competitors:

1. Deliver something extraordinary
What most of the businesses claim is they offer different services from their competitors. Always remember that saying it is not enough; you need to prove it by delivering something that your competitors are not providing.

You can offer them customized service plans so that they can choose the service as per their requirements, make their purchase trouble-free, provide them the lifetime warranty for your products and on-going management (for some extra period if not for far long) for your services. You just need to deliver something extra they are not getting and it depends on your business that what you can provide to them.


“Always deliver more than expected.” – Larry Page

2. Address customers pain points

Most businesses fail due to lack of the right goals and right plans for achieving them. If you have set your goals to sell products or services worth the particular amount of money then you have set them wrong. These goals will let you focus on the things you want to achieve.

But, if you want to be successful in your business then you need to work according to the needs of your customers. Along with examining their requirements, you need to address their issues. There are some common problems that customers face for a particular service or product; what you need to do is offer them solutions to their problems through your business.

In short, rather than focusing on your earnings first, you should focus on the pain points of the customers as it will let you win their trust and retain them for longer.

3. Focus on the quality

Once an entrepreneur remains successful in having a perfect start of his business, he thinks of expanding his niche rather than first excelling more in what he is already offering. This is the biggest mistake he makes. It distracts his attention from the main services and puts effort into promoting the new one. As a result of which, he does not excel in any.

A good idea is to do a few things in an excellent way rather than doing a multitude of things in a poor way. When you excel in a particular thing, people are more likely to believe in your specialization.

4. Have your own personality

Knowledge and focus are the two main aspects of every business, so try to have them. As a startup, you would be looking at the experts of your industries and then doing

 the same things and the same way they have done. No doubt you need to learn from them but always remember that you should not copy them otherwise, you will not be able to be different.

Therefore, have your own personality; learn from successful professionals of your industry and then think about the ways you can implement those things in your own way. This will not only help you to do something different but will also let you show your unique personality.


“Don’t be afraid to assert yourself, have confidence in your abilities and don’t let others get you down.” – Michael Bloomberg

5. Always be there for your customers

Your relationship with the client does not end once he has completed his purchase. You need to be present for him even after that as he can face some problems with your products or services. So, always ensure good customer support. It will let you show your credibility, win his trust, develop good relationships with him and retain him for the future. Hence, customer support is the main aspect you would be focusing on.

Consider these tips while creating a strategy for your business and stick to that strategy. Along with that, always try to deliver the best to your clients, if you want to be the best for them.
From your experience, how have you been able to stand out from your competitors? Leave your thoughts below!

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7 Valuable Lessons to Learn While Escaping Your Comfort Zone

“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. So if you’re feeling uncomfortable right now, know that the change taking place in your life is the beginning, not the ending.”– Neale Donald Walsch

The comfort zone; one place which destroys all your potential and belief to live an extraordinary life. Living outside of your comfort zone means mental and psychological growth, which we all need to live a happy life and enjoy it to the fullest.


7 Valuable Lessons to Learn While Escaping Your Comfort Zone

I have written this article to motivate you and to encourage you, to give you enough reasons why stepping out of your comfort zone may be the best decision you can make for yourself and your future.

Here are 7 valuable lessons which teach you what life is truly about:


1. You Will Push Your Limits

We all have certain limits in what we can or can’t do. Stepping out of your comfort zone will push those limits and make bigger space for you to expand. What you thought is impossible a few months ago is now part of your daily life. Isn’t it crazy?

Stop for a second right now and think of the one moment when you got out of your way and acted in spite of fear. Think about it and ask yourself, “If I was able to do it back then, why not try it again?”


2. You Will Expand Your Potential

Have you ever thought how much potential and energy you have within you? The amount is enormous. Why don’t you use it? Why not take a chance and see what happens?

People don’t become successful because of the money or the right influences. Individuals who made it to the top knew that comfort zone is a broke zone. They also knew that using their potential is the fuel behind extraordinary results.

Once you start expanding your potential, it will become a habit, a source of euphoria you experience and enjoy it at the same time.


3. You’ll Gain Undeniable Courage

To gain muscles, you need to train them on a constant basis right? The same happens with courage. Only by overcoming a fear of the unknown and going beyond your comfort zone, you will become braver than ever before.


We don’t become courageous by watching House of Cards in our favorite sweatpants in the comfort of our home.

Courage comes in a moment when we decide to fight for what we want no matter the situation or feeling. Feeling will pass, but what we create or become will last much longer.


4. You’ll Become Confident In Yourself

The World outside of your comfort zone may seem scary. We don’t know what is out there, whether pleasant moments or difficulties. But this unknown environment is exactly what build us up, makes us stronger and braver for the future.

Overcoming what we fear builds confidence and healthy self-esteem, which is an essential part of every success in life.

Try to recall the last time you acted in a courageous way and think of the feeling after you have succeeded.

How did you feel about yourself? How did you see yourself when you looked in the mirror? You felt proud; you felt satisfied, and this is exactly the kind of reward you gain by going the extra mile.


5. You’ll Become Stronger & Unstoppable

Living outside of your comfort zone will teach you many lessons.

By getting hit by unpleasant moments and circumstances, you will become stronger every time situation happens, and you overcome it.

This strength will build up your character and shape you as an individual with a powerful mindset, ready to face any challenge along the way.

As you will grow and see the difference you can make in your life and how the power of mind really works, you will become unstoppable in reaching what you desire the most.


6. It Will Excite You to Share It With Others

Once you’ve expanded your mindset and see what is beyond your comfort zone, you will realize that many people are stuck. People don’t believe in themselves, and that’s why they are trying to avoid any opportunity for growth or change.

Not everyone will welcome your advice to follow your path or to try it out. That’s fine.

But there are going to be those individuals who feel as excited as you. I believe it is your and my responsibility to share with others that beyond our limits is a much better world which is worth every single struggle and sacrifice.
7. You’ll Gain Encouragement & Belief to Create Life on Your Terms

By expanding your potential, gaining confidence in yourself and having a clear picture of what is out there, you will feel encouraged and alive.

It will bring you a sense of determination to create a life based on your biggest dreams and desires, the one you want, not your boss or teacher or parents.

Once you practice living life outside of your comfort zone, you will strengthen your belief in yourself and a better life. You’ll get the opportunity to discover a whole new level of possibilities which you had no idea exist.


Conclusion

Eliminate the ceiling above your head.

Get rid of this illusion you have created in your mind where you subconsciously sabotage yourself from growth. Real deal begins when you are willing to feel as uncomfortable as possible.

Fear doesn’t exist; it is a product of your thoughts, and you are the only person who has the power to destroy it.

Once you overcome this fear of the unknown, I guarantee you that you will not want to come back to your ordinary life.

Once you taste the power of your mind, once you grow and see what you are truly capable of, you will begin the most amazing, courageous and insane adventure of creating an extraordinary life.

Are you struggling to move out of your comfort zone? Leave a comment below.

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How to Define Your Own Destiny?

How to Define Your Own Destiny?

"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped." Anthony Robbins.

Have you ever wondered the importance of our daily's routine decisions? More than we could possibly imagine. In order to define your future and reshape your destiny there are some steps that one should follow. All of them are based in "the moments of your decisions".

Most of us tend to ignore the magnitude of these three crucial ones.


Focus on things you enjoy.
Interpretation of life.
Willingness for Success.



Focus on things you enjoy.

Firstly, DETECT the things that thrill you, that interest you the most and make them part of your life.

Achieving that, requires some simple questions to yourselves first.


What are the things I like doing?
Do they make me happy in long-term?
How can I reach to the success?



So, the first decision is related with the things you choose to focus on!

Interpretation of life.

Secondly, how you choose to interpret things to your life?

If you approach situations you encounter in your daily basis in a negative way, you've already lost the game. If you interpret your attempts for reaching your goal as a failure, every experiment stands as a dead end. Eventually you walk away sporadically from your goal. If you face any snag as a "conviction" of your primary plan, you will end up distancing yourself from your own first decision. So, stick to it and no matter what, keep on trying till it finally works out. Did you know that Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was rejected 12 times? Also, a publisher advised J.K. Rowling "not to quit her current job, because you she was an inadequate writer"! Can you imagine? But still, she kept in focusing in her goals.

How can I reach success?

The third decision and the most important one is what are you willing to do about it? What are you willing to sacrifice - (I assure you that there has to be some of that, too) -but in the end you would have enjoyed those moments as well. Whatever the decisions you make, you always have to show adaptability, you will examine the outcome and use the knowledge as a result of better judgment in the future.

Remember, if someone else is more successful than you in a specific field, that automatically means this person has made different decisions of yours in the same situation or under the same circumstances.










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How To Feel Motivated All The Time?

Action leads to motivation, this is one of the tricks I've always advised clients to use.

If you're willing to do just 5 minutes of the work, regardless of how you feel at any moment, you can ignite the hidden power of commitment and consistency which gives you more fuel to continue the task for another 30 minutes.

Instead of "trying to get motivated", taking action and just doing the first small action step will bring you motivation.

However, I've recently heard about this interesting integrative motivational theory called Temporal Motivation Theory.

Basically, it's a theoretical equation that purports to explain everything about motivation.

The formula is that motivation equals to (Expectancy times Value), divided by (Impulsiveness times Delay).

Put it simply, there are 4 factors that we can use to increase our motivation.

#1 Expectancy

Expectancy, or self-efficacy, is how likely you think you will succeed in a particular goal.

The easier you think you can handle something, the more you expect to succeed, the more confidence you are, the higher the motivation you have.

#2 Value

Value is the reward associated with the outcome, it's how much the result means to you.

The more valuable we perceive the result to be (maybe because of the pleasure or meaning you're going to get out of it), the higher the motivation we do the thing.

#3 Impulsiveness

Impulsiveness is how good we are at withstanding distractions, disruptions or interruptions which get us off track.

The better we can "say no" to these temptations using our willpower and habits, the higher the motivation we have to follow through the action.

#4 Delay

Delay is the amount of time until the outcome realizes (i.e. the deadline). It means how far into the future will the reward or outcome lies.

For example, at the beginning of a school term, students' motivations are not high because there's a long delay before the deadline (aka. exam) comes, therefore the reward of studying is not immediate and it has low value.

But when students have only a few days to prepare the exams, because of the short delay and the higher perceived value, the motivation will shoot up to the roof.

Assuming this equation is correct, how can we apply it in our lives?

To put it in a simple sentence, you'll want to set easy achievable short-term goals with a deadline to it, cut off all distractions possible, dominate it and then nicely reward yourself when completed.

The key is to have an imminent deadline so that you have that "last-minute rush" feeling like the students so that you are compelled to focus intensely during that short period.

With that said, do you feel an urge to stop reading so much about motivation and start doing just 5 minutes of the work you've been procrastinating on? (Yes, I do mind read.)

Anyhow, go crush that thing and I'll see you in a bit!

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Releasing Tension and Negativity

Different faces, different places but the exact same experience. Ever felt that way? Of course you have. We all did at one point one way or another when we had no prior knowledge how to think with deliberate intent. We often react by what we observe. We not only react, we trigger off negative emotions almost instantly whenever something unpleasant is thrown our way. That's because your train of thoughts creates your current conditions. Because you are what you think about. The only way to change that experience is to decide you want to change your pattern of thoughts.

This is the perfect time to learn how to release the stress, built-up tensions and of course, the destructive negativity that more often than not revolves around "big" and heavy subjects like family, friends, work and even romance. Working our mental state of being (emotions and feelings) alongside meditation will allow you to recognize negative thoughts that crosses your way and sharpen your ability to snap back in control to stop reacting. 

But rather, learn to stop for a minute, pause and observe with a solution-oriented mindset intending not to ignore, but to meet ourselves halfway to find a way "out" of the situation and work it to our best advantage. Instead of having it work against us, regardless of the current conditions that are most probably less than ideal in that moment. It paves a way and frees us from producing a negative emotion instantaneously but leaves a larger "leeway" for a good buffer of time to contemplate and solve. Eventually, it will just feel like a bump in the road every time you hit a curb.

At the early stages when the anger comes fast and hard, it is also the best time to practice recognizing your emotions and be extra aware of how it physically caused you "pain" in that very moment just feeling all that anger rushing through. Does it hit you hard face down in the chest with a hard thump, or you find yourself clenching your fist so tight you almost broke your knuckle bones?

You can then start to put what you have learned to test and take really deep exaggerated breaths and see how fast and quickly you are able to release that large amounts of tension just deliberate thinking (switching to the best possible thought you can pull out of your thinking box) and also match that breathing with the release of your "pain" you have felt initially. You may feel your chest slowly releasing its tight grip on your heart and you must remember how it felt initially in order for you to know how quickly you are able to release it the next time round.

Self-awareness is practiced too and we always sweep it under the rug and treat it as a "fleeting moment" but negative feelings lingers around for a long time if you don't "deal with it" there and then. Over time, if you stack these "overdue negative emotions" long enough it causes permanent damage not only to your mind but it also becomes detrimental to your physical body with all these "pent-up" issues unresolved.

Don't be afraid to face it in that moment when it comes, because the quicker you recognize it, the faster you will learn how to snap out of it when it happens again. You also leave more room for positive light to flow into your experience. You don't "clog up your pipes" with negativity. Awareness of happy emotions comes so easy because it feels good to experience it but awareness of negativity is essential and serves as stepping stones to sift and sort out the clutter during you meditative processes. If you "tolerate" pain and unpleasant emotions for too long, you become numbed to it and that is definitely not a good thing.

You will block yourself from experiencing positive emotions to its fullest heightened potential. You need to be able to recognize negative emotions so that it becomes crystal clear-cut which belongs to their rightful category and it comes as second nature to you, when you are choosing your thoughts while meditating. You will be "addicted" to feeling good basking with the best feeling thoughts and experiences and you will never ever look back or settle for less to leave room for extra negativity in life from this moment forward when you have attained a practiced mind that knows better.

This is a book specially written with my deep love nurtured for diversity, growth and development to uplift, inspire and lead you one step closer to living the life that is free of emotional struggles towards your health, relationships, food and everything that matters most to you learning how to make the shift in your perspective towards negative circumstances and living your life out to its fullest potential.

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10 Great Tips for Success in Both Life and Business

Sometimes what helps us to be successful in our professional lives is not such a great idea in our personal lives — competition is a quality that comes to mind. At the same time, we all have a limited amount of time each day to do the things that we want to do.

So for the sake of saving time and energy, I’m sharing a list of tips that will help you be successful in both life and in business.

1. Add Value

No matter what you do and where you go, you can’t go wrong with adding value. Simply put value is anything that people are willing to pay for. In your professional life, the more value you can offer the more money you can make. In your personal life, more value translates to closer relationships and strong personal growth. The best way to add value is to find the intersection between what people are willing to pay for and what service or product you can offer that is aligned with your values, strengths and goals.

How are you adding value to your employers and loved ones today? What can you do to increase your ability to add value?

2. Follow Your Passion

Reading numerous biographies on great people and from my own personal observations and encounters, I’ve realized that those who achieve greatness professional and personally follow their passion. The reason why great people are few and far in-between is because most people don’t even know what their passion is. For those that do figure out their passion, most of them don’t follow their passion consistently. This is one of the main reasons why people don’t reach their goals.

Do you know what your passion is? If not, what are you going to do to find out? If  you do know what you passion is, are you following it?

3. Be Extraordinary

If you do the same thing as everyone else, it’s hard to be successful. It is important to find the edge and then push past it. That is how you become noticed and get what you want. Whether it is money, meaningful relationships and/or a sense of personal accomplishment, the extraordinary person attracts them all.

How are you extraordinary?  If you feel just ordinary, what are you going to do to become extraordinary? For those who don’t know, you may want to check out articles on my blog and also How to go from Ordinary to Extraordinary.

4. Start Now

There are many factors that go into become a success in both your professional and personal life but the one factor that is required is taking action. Most people miss out on reaching their full potential because they never start. They are always preparing, planning and waiting for the best time to start. If I waited until I was ready, I would not have a coaching practice, a website, a blog, a workshop, etc. The stars rarely align and you will never be completely ready so just start now and adjust along the way.

Are you waiting for something before you start? What is your planning to doing ratio? What’s really the worse thing that can happen if you got started right now? If you are someone that’s just been waiting, stop reading this post and get started on what you have been wanting to do. This article will still be here when you get back.

5. Hunt for Good Mentors

People who “make it” usually credit their success to a mentor or a group of mentors who really helped guide them to get to where they are. Mentors have gone down the road that you want to travel and can guide you to get to your destination faster than if you went at it alone. If you want to be healthy, you would find a mentor who is already healthy. If you want to be rich, then you have to find someone who is already rich. What surprises me is how rarely people engage in mentoring relationships and those who do usually find mentors in only one aspect of their lives. If you want to be successful, be active about finding mentors that will help you achieve what you want. Jeff Goins has a nice short article on finding mentors.

Do you have a mentor in your life now? If not, ask yourself what barriers are preventing you from finding or establishing a mentoring relationship? If you do have a mentor, do you have one for the different aspects of your life (financial, health, professional, personal, spiritual, relationships, parenting etc.)?

6. Build a Support Group

While mentors serve as a guide with whom you review your past actions and plan your next steps, a support group are your companions that help you with during the actual execution of your plan. This may be in the form of a mastermind group or accountability partner where you keep each other accountable for your goals and to help each other deal with situations that may arise while you are on your journeys. It is extremely helpful to have someone you know that is willing to listen to your frustrations and self doubt and to encourage you and remind you of how far you’ve already come.

Who is in your support group?

Numbers scare a lot of people. Start talking about assets, 

7. Personally Know Your Finances

liabilities and net worth and people’s eyes just glaze over. If you are one of these people who run away from numbers, please stop running because you are hurting yourself. If you want to be financially independent, you need to know how to keep score. If you have your own business or want to successfully invest, finances tell you how well you are doing and reveal the health of a business. If you don’t understand finances, you have to learn. It’s easy once you get over the limiting belief that you are no good at numbers. For those interested in learning more, you may want to check out these personal finance resources.

Do you know you net worth? If you are bad at numbers, what specifically makes you believe that? How can you improve your financial intelligence?

8. Get Help

I have a tendency to try to do everything myself and in some ways it is good and in many ways it is bad. It is important to know and understand all aspects of your life and business but that does not mean having to do all the tasks involved in maximizing your potential in those areas. It is true that we can always learn new things and become competent in them but what is also true is that we are only given 24 hours each day and to live full lives, it is more effective to do what we do best and to outsource tasks that we’re not good at to people who excel at them. Delegating effectively takes trust and the ability to clearly communicate what you want. For those that want to outsource, Elance is a nice way to find some quality freelancers.

How are you spending your time? Is it doing things you are awesome at? If not, what are you doing that you can outsource or delegate so you can devote more time doing what you’re great at? What’s stopping you from outsourcing or delegating?

9. Learn Sales

Many people cringe when they hear the word sales. “I would never be in sales, that’s a sleazy job.” It is exactly this type of thinking that stops people from being their best. Sales is nothing more than persuading someone of something. When you are looking to get a date, you are selling. When you are interviewing for a job, you are selling. When you are trying to persuade your spouse or kids to go to Europe for your family vacation, you are selling. In a professional setting, sales is paramount and the lifeline for any business. If you want to get the most out of life and business, learn the skills for effective selling. I am beginning a series of blog posts on How to Sell on my blog and you can learn from other successful sales trainers by reading material from Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracey and Og Mandino.

When you hear “sales”, what associations come to mind? Are they positive or negative? Do you know the how to sell effectively? If not, how do you plan to learn?

10. Be Resilient

Things rarely work out the way you planned and there will always be distractions and stumbling blocks that you have to deal with when you are on your road to success. The key point to remember is to persist and to develop the courage to move on even when everyone around you is telling you it is ok to give up. This does not mean stubbornly holding on to your original plan but rather continuing to pursue your goal as long as the reasons for doing so is still valid (Make sure you know the “Why” of what you want). When everything seems to be going wrong, keep in mind that “the road to success is paved with a thousand failures” so each failure actually brings you closer to where you want to be. If you have trouble being resilient, check out the 6 Effective Ways to Be Persistent.

How often to you quit because things got tough? Would you descrive yourself as an unshakeable optimist? Do you view problems as opportunities or warning signs? How do you view failure and are you making sure that you don’t make the one mistake people make when learning from their mistakes?

This is not an exhaustive list, but it does provide a good starting point. I would love to hear what tips you have found especially useful in both life and business in the comments section.

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