9 Reasons To Be Addicted To Confidence

It has been said time and again that no one in the entire world will ever love you more than you love yourself. These were not the ravings of some self-absorbed lost soul. They were the wise words of someone that realized that in life, the most attractive and intriguing aspect of a person is their self-confidence and degree of self-worth.

Self-confidence is simply put, believing in yourself. Believing that you can do whatever you put your mind to. Believing that you are alive and have existed for a reason. Believing that you deserve to be happy and blessed in life. All these are small rocks of this mountain called self-confidence.

Once someone achieves self-confidence, they feel a rush that can be compared to getting high or intoxicated. Like someone high on drugs, a self-confident person feels that they can do anything. The feeling can be addictive. The good thing about this addiction is that it has no harmful side effects on your body. Below are nine reasons why you should strive to be addicted to confidence.

1. It has actual health benefits

Healthy bodies are what keep us in existence and this is why it lands the number one spot in the list of 9 reasons to be addicted to confidence. Being confident is essentially ridding your body and mind of fear. In so doing, the amounts of adrenaline and other stress hormones in the body are considerably reduced. This helps keep the brain clear and healthy allowing you to work.

2. It helps you socialize and network

Self-confidence allows you to be yourself without any pretense. This is because self-confidence comes with a sense of security that prevents one from feeling the need to be or act like someone they are not. This benefit of being addicted to confidence goes a long way into building and maintaining meaningful social and business relationships.

3. It helps you accomplish your goals

We all have dreams and ambitions that we one day hope to achieve. However, nothing good comes easy. Self-confidence is a useful tool in chasing your dreams. It gives you the courage to actively and bravely face any obstacles. This is because self-confidence is believing in yourself and your abilities. This makes the third out of nine reasons to be addicted to confidence.

4. It allows you to love and appreciate others

Reason number four to be addicted to confidence is to be able to appreciate others. Confidence eliminates insecurities. A person who feels good about themselves is more likely to open up to other people genuinely and appreciate their characters and opinion. Lack of confidence is accompanied by insecurities which when projected onto others clouds a person's judgment about them.

5. It rubs off on people you interact with

Confidence does not only mimic drugs but also infectious diseases. Being confident and having a feeling of sufficient self-worth is contagious and can rub off on people you come into contact with. The air of freedom and being content is attractive to many and may draw others to also being self-confident. This ripple effect is another one of the nine reasons to become addicted to confidence.

6. It allows you to be useful to the society

A self-confident person is usually more productive in society than one who isn't. Confidence allows one to work well with others and contribute freely without fear. This is of great value to any social institution from marriage to large organizations.

7. It increases the quality of your work

Another reason to be addicted to confidence is that it is a natural performance enhancer. This applies to both manual and mental activities. A person works better when they believe in themselves with little or no doubts. Confidence also encourages innovation and creative thinking which are all useful during work.

8. It opens you up to new opportunities and possibilities

Being confident pushes one toward being open minded and receptive to new ideas. Therefore, a confident person has more possibilities and opportunities to explore.

9. It makes and keeps you happy

Finally, being addicted to confidence makes one happy. This is because being confident eliminates or at the very least minimizes fear and insecurities leaving one free to be happy and enjoy life.

These 9 reasons to be addicted to confidence are just a few as it is a state with numerous untold advantages. One should however be careful not to overindulge as like any other addiction, too much is dangerous.

Plus-You Can Now Join Our FREE Mastering Success Facebook Community at www.masteringsuccess.group

Source: 

Don't Be Shy - Boost Your Confidence Before Giving Your Presentation

Have you ever been in a situation where you've given a speech, a presentation or a meeting update and it hasn't flowed as well as you would have liked? You're hesitant the next time you're about to present? If you're feeling uncertain about an up and coming event (such as a meeting, speech or presentation) check out these 10 pre-event confidence-boosting questions and see if answering them makes the difference:

1. Are you certain of your core message, point or outcome? If not establish what this is from the outset and allow everything else to flow from it

2. Have you prepared well enough for the event? If not what else can you do to prepare?

3. Does what you're doing make sense to you? Does it sit well with your values and principles? Just how important is it to you? How can you raise its importance in your mind?

4. What is your relationship with the people around you? Are there any issues here? How will this impact on your delivery? How can you modify your thoughts, feelings and behaviour to address the issues?

5. How can you ensure you express yourself clearly and well? (If you're certain of your core message and you're well prepared it should be much easier to state your case clearly and with conviction). Can you draw on a similar situation when things went well? What is the difference between how you felt then and how you feel now? Why is this?

6. What kind of material do you have? Is it clear and simple to understand for the visual, audio and kinaesthetic among your audience? Can you improve, simplify or clarify it?

7. Have you anticipated any tricky questions that may come up, and prepared responses to them?

8. What are you saying and thinking to yourself about the event? If you're telling yourself how badly it's going to go that's exactly what you risk manifesting

9. Have you looked at the situation from the vantage point of each person who will be at that event? What questions or issues arise when you do this? Can you deal with any of them in advance? If so how?

10. What other messages are being communicated to you from this uncertainty? What do you need to do to quell them?

Answering these questions should go some way to increasing your confidence and ensuring you are well prepared for your event.

Plus-You Can Now Join Our FREE Mastering Success Facebook Community at www.masteringsuccess.group

Source: 

Take a Breath!

Well, don't we always get into certain situations, even very simple ones, in which we lose our temper? Be it not finding the shirt you were planning to wear, or being stuck at a traffic jam or even spilling coke on your jeans - such trivial situations, with such simple solutions, but still some people absolutely lose their temper - not knowing how to deal with it.

It is very crucial to manage your anger. A person who doesn't have control over his anger can never deal with difficult situations in life. They will always believe that the world is "conspiring" against them. One who can't manage their anger in a positive manner needs to learn how to.

Life gives a person many difficult situations, sometimes only to teach us patience which is important in our professional & personal lives.

Why professional life?

Let us take a scenario. You have worked hard for the promotion you really want and you believe you deserve. But, the "not-so-efficient" colleague gets the promotion. 

Now, the reasonable approach to deal with this situation would be to work harder and be happy for the colleague.

People who tend to have anger issues may abuse or even resort to physical violence to get the promotion- as they believe they deserved it more.

Why personal life?

We must have once in our life come across such a situation. If you have a younger sibling, all attention, importance and hopes are with the "younger" sibling, as they are usually the 'poor little things' and can't take care of themselves, even when they are adults they are treated the same way. In some cases discriminating between girl and boy. This enrages some people to no end and rightfully so. However instead of screaming and shouting and bringing the whole house down there are other ways to handle the situation.

How to deal with it?

Dealing with the situation positively would be to prove it to everyone that you are also important. Work hard and excel. Not for them, but for yourself too.

But, how do people normally deal with such a situation? They get jealous. They tend to see the negative aspect of the situation and give up.

So, seeing the above scenarios, these are basic things we deal with every day or things we have to deal with in life - it is crucial to deal with your anger.

But, how do we manage our anger?

Here are a few tips one must always follow to manage their anger.

1. Count to 10.

Think you're going to lose it and yell at the world? Count to ten. Relax your mind. Breathe.

2. Take a deep breathe.

Take long breathes and say Om. Repeat this 4-5 times. It relaxes the mind.

3. Meditate.

Meditation is actually a very simple way to gain peace of mind and lessen the anger one feels.

4. Introspect.

Try to think about the situation in a practical manner. Are you over-reacting? Can it be solved? Is it worth it? Analyze the situation instead of getting angry.

5. Go for a walk.

Nothing works better than taking a stroll in the park when you feel you're about to lose it. It makes you forget the situation or analyze it from every angle.

6. Talk it out.

When things have calmed down, take time and discuss what upset you about the situation and instead how it should have been handled.

So, here you go! These are the main things I keep in mind when I lose my temper. So have a go at it! 

Learn to live peacefully.

As Buddha said, "You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger."

Plus-You Can Now Join Our FREE Mastering Success Facebook Community at www.masteringsuccess.group

Source

5 Steps - From Mediocrity To Success

Today's form and structure of society is engineered so that most of us will fail. Yet most of us blindly accept this as a given and live our lives according to this structure. There is nothing worse than living a life that is engineered for you - a life that you have not chosen for yourself.

You Will Fail!

Unless you pay heed to that little inner voice, you know the one - the one that is constantly in the background. Nagging you. 'There's got to be more to life than this!'

Your story, our story, the story of this generation is filled with people who are selling themselves short. We have fallen prey to the wrongful structure that has been forced upon us right from the start. We all are born into this world with limitless capacity and talent to do what we want to do. Somewhere along the way, 'real life' gets in the way.

What if I was to say to you that this is actually backwards? Real Life is what you were born to do. What you should be doing, all day, every day!

There are ways to achieve this. Don't let others tell you differently.

Following are 5 things that can - and do happen to most of us. If you are aware of these then they can be handled appropriately and will not be a blocker on the way to achieving the life you are meant to be living.

1. Regret.

"The two most important days in a person's life are the day they were born, and the day they find out why." - John Maxwell

This has been written about ad-nauseam. By far, when people on their death beds have spoken about is that they settled on what others expected from them. They spoke about not having the courage to chase what they were after in life.

When they are about to die, they are thinking about this as one of the biggest things they regret! That alone should give you an insight into just how much this actually means to you!

The more you settle, the more regret you will eventually have.

SOLUTION: Do something each and every day that gets you closer to your dreams, not someone else's.

2. Decline in Creativity.

In one of my previous articles I wrote about how we are taught to fit in from around the time that we start our schooling. Being an individual is pretty much drummed out of you as you learn to assimilate and blend in. Conform to the rules. Original thought becomes something that is drilled out of us from an early age.

You will never be able to live life as yourself if you are forced to blend in and be another body in a world full of them. You are unique and your talents are unique. Leave a lasting impression on this world by being you.

This will never happen unless we let go of the fear that holds us back from being us.

SOLUTION: Schedule blocks of time for your mind to wander. Allow your true self to shine. Every single day work towards being YOU.

3. Living Experiences

What's the point in doing things in this life if you are not happy? Not having fun? Schedule time to ensure that you are doing things in life, living new experiences. These times will fuel the fire of your life and motivate you to move forwards in different areas.

SOLUTION: Get out and explore. It doesn't need to be a money experience. Walk around a new lake, hike a new mountain. Get out and have experiences! Just Get Out and GO!

4. Toxic Relationships.

Have you ever heard the saying 'Misery loves company'? The same holds true for being mediocre. Be on an active look out for those people around you who are mediocre. They will never be the type of person that will applaud you on your success, in actual fact they will always be trying to bring you down to their level. Whether subconsciously or not. Remove these from your life, the effect on your own level of energy, positivity and peace of mind will be immediate. Don't let fear hold you back.

SOLUTION: Re-evaluate the top five people you're around the most, and limit time or get rid of those who don't 100 percent support your vision.

5. A mediocre legacy.

"The wealthiest place on the planet is the cemetery, because it's filled with brilliant ideas and potential... all wasted.''

Tony Robbins

As we started with our deathbed, we will end this with our legacy. Don't settle for leaving a trail of mediocrity behind. Think about every single thing that you are doing today - right now, as forming part of the legacy that you will be leaving behind for others. Those others will include your own children.

When we are no longer around (may that day be very far in the future for us all!), how do you want them to remember you? That you kept a clean house? That you worked as... and were a very diligent and loyal employee?

Seventy-one percent of people hate what they do and are actively disengaged at work. It's time to step up and make a difference. Time for change. Not tomorrow or next week or when you get a pay rise, but right now.

You only get this life ONCE, so please don't spend it doing things you hate. Every action you do now is adding to the legacy that you are leaving behind.

SOLUTION: Be a role model right now to those who look up to you.

Start working toward your goals now- each and every single day. Don't keep putting things off until it's too late. Let the true you come out in this life because that's when you'll be alive and at your most creative, and happiest.

Choose to be you - don't conform to others' views on what you should be. Create the real image of yourself and let it shine. Do you, be you - each and every day.

We'd love to meet you. Why not join our FREE private Facebook Community at www.masteringsuccess.group

Source

How to Connect With Influential & Successful People

Successful people are role models;

However, it hasn’t always been that easy to connect and build a strong relationship with them.

Nowadays we have so much technology on hand, such as apps like Facebook and Shapr, that help us connect with influential people a lot more easily.

Back when I first started out in business, I made the decision to reach out and build strong connections with influential people. At first, I wasn’t quite sure of how to go about it.

I didn’t exactly have much to bring to the table at the time. But I had a new business, and was seeking inspiration, guidance and advice.

I knew a lot of people who would have been able to give this to me, but expecting them to give up their time to every aspiring entrepreneur that asked is a little ridiculous.

Occasionally, people will answer a quick question, or give your stuff a share if you ask them nicely, but as the saying truly goes:

“IN LIFE, NOTHING AND NOBODY WILL HELP YOU UNTIL YOU START HELPING YOURSELF.”

So… how do you make connections with influential and successful people, who can help you elevate your life to the next level.


How to Connect With Influential People

Within this article, I’m going to be explaining how you can begin to connect with successful people, even if you don’t yet believe you’ve achieved that status.

This means showing you where to find like-minded people that you have a lot in common with. How to reach out to them, and how to build a strong relationship, which is beneficial for both parties.

Before you read any further though, make sure you read this article I wrote a while ago, which highlights all the reasons to be reaching out to people.


Step 1. Have Something to Offer

The first step to building any kind of connection with someone is by having something to offer. That’s the only reason why people naturally become friends with each other.

It doesn’t always have to be about influence. A lot of people think that because they don’t yet have a successful business, money or powerful connections, they can’t connect with those that do.

This isn’t true…

Value comes in many different forms.

Your personality, your knowledge, your loyalty, are all forms of value. When people choose others to be around, they psychologically bond with someone based on certain attributes. Maybe you’re funny, trustworthy, positive and supportive, read a lot of books… who knows.

The point being that if you are to connect with influential people, you first need to find some sort of common ground. Once you’re able to do that, you’ll know how to give value to people, and, get it back in return.


Step 2. Use Facebook & Other Apps to Find People

Once you’ve figured out how you can offer value, it’s time to find others who are interested in that value, and might just be able to send some your way in return.

Depending on where you grow up, there might not be people within your area who share similar interests and ambitions as you. This is one of the biggest things I learnt growing up in the rural countryside.

20 years ago or so; if this was the case, then you’d have to move to find people you click with. You could have always written to them… but we’re a little more fortunate these days.

Now, we can harness the power of social media.

Here’s a few places to get started:


1. Facebook

Facebook used to just be a place where I could keep in touch with my friends. A couple of years ago, I expanded to connecting with like-minded people on the platform.

Nowadays, all I have to do is login and I’m faced with amazing videos and insights by other professionals. I also started to notice the different circles people ran in, and I did my best to comment and join in on the conversation.

It’s so easy to make connections on Facebook.


2. Shapr & Similar Apps

Think of Shapr as the tinder for business professionals. Exactly the same concept, but instead of swiping for a date, your swiping to meet another awesome individual who has similar business interests as yourself.

This is an excellent way to connect with influential people, and is definitely worth testing within your area!

You can learn more about Shapr here…


3. Speaking Events & Seminars

Needless to say, a speaking event that interests you, is also going to interested anybody with the same interests as you. That means they’ll be a bunch of people all in the same room, sharing similar goals and ambitions.

And many of those people will already be incredibly successful at what they do!

Therefore it makes sense to start going to these events and meeting some of the other awesome individuals attending, right?

Most definitely! You may just create some life-long friends whilst you’re there.


Step 3. Reach out to them!
So you’ve…
Figured out the value you can offer to the world, and to the people you want to connect with.
Discovered the major places where you can find these people.

Now, all that’s left is to reach out to them and start building a strong and genuine relationship.

Before I continue, I’m sure I don’t have to explain the obvious fact that reaching out to these people and immediately asking them to do something for you, is out of the question. That won’t get you anywhere.

Being genuine is always the way to go. Check out this example:

Hey [First Name],

Hows it going?

Thanks for connecting with me. I saw we had several mutual friends and thought I’d reach out!

I love everything you’re doing right now with [Business Name], and would love to learn more about your mission and how we could potentially help one another.

Are you free for a coffee sometime?

All the best,


That wasn’t so hard, was it?

As long as you’re genuine, and you show interest in expressing how you can help the other person on his journey, you’ll receive a positive response!



Summary

Hopefully this article has helped you to connect with other influential and successful people. The steps are very simple, and can be done by anyone. As I said before, you don’t have to already be successful in order to connect with people who are.

Here’s a quick recap on the only 3 steps you need to make powerful connections with like-minded individuals:
Figure out what value you have to offer
Look for like-minded individuals where value can be exchanged
Reach out and build a genuine relationship

Source

How to achieve your goals in 12 steps by Brian Tracy

1. Have a desire

What is that one thing that you truly desire? That one thing that makes you excited, keeps you up at night, makes you feel butterflies in your stomach?

This is not the moment to be logical and think what you should want in your life. Put your logic aside and listen to your heart. Allow yourself to desire whatever you want. You know the saying think big? Well, desire big, too!

2. Believe

You have to absolutely believe you can achieve your goal. If you start by doubting your possibilities one thing will happen for sure – you will fail. It’s been even proven by scientist and it’s called a self-fulfilling prophecy: what you expect, eventually manifest itself in your reality.

On the contrary, if you really believe you can do it, you wil start seeing all the possibilities to make it happen, you will have more courage and energy to chase your dreams.

It is not always easy to have that kind of faith. We have all failed more than once and we fear that we can fail again.

So what can you do to help yourself believe you can achieve your goals?

Set smaller goals for yourself first, so you can see and enjoy your small successes. Slowly, increase your goals. The worst thing you can do is set too big of a goal, something unrealistic. You almost force yourself to fail and prove to yourself that you are not strong enough. So start small. Build your faith and courage.

3. Write it down

There is something magical about writing things down. Psychologists have proven that we become more committed to what we write down versus what we say. So write down your goals.

Brian suggest a 3P formula for writing down your goals: use present, positive and personal statement.

That means that if your goal is to earn USD 500,000 by the end of the year, you should write: I earn USD 500,000 by the end of this year. You use verbs in present tense, you use positive language (you write what you want, not what you don’t want) and you write in 1st person: I.

4. Analyze your starting point

You know where you want to get. Analyzing where you are now allows you to understand what you will need to do. If your goal is to be 55kg then you need to know your current weight to know how much you need to lose and plan it accordingly.

Be honest with yourself. This is not the moment to allow your ego sabotage your efforts. Whatever your goal is, do a thorough analysis of your strengths and weaknesses in this area.

5. Determine why you want to excel in this area

Knowing why you want to achieve a particular goal will help you stay focused on it in moments of difficulties and doubt. Usually when we start working on a new project, we are very excited and super motivated. But those feelings don’t last forever. They usually come and go.

So take some time to write down at least 5 reasons why you want to achieve your goal. How will your life improve once you get it? How will your relationships look like?

Make a list (yes, write it down!) and keep it always available to you.

6. Set a deadline

Setting deadlines for your goals is one of the main rules for achieving them. Having a deadline helps you in 2 ways. Firstly, it allows you to plan. You start by deciding when you want to achieve your goal, and plan backwards. This way you will know how much you need to work on your goal every month, ever week and every day.

Secondly, it adds a pressure. Humans are lazy by nature. Setting deadlines adds a pressure that motivates us to work.

Think of any assignment you had to do at work on in the university. Have you ever procrastinated on it until a deadline came and you had no other choice but to do it?

Your deadline is your best guess about when the goal should be achieved. Don’t worry so much about not meeting it. In some cases, you won’t. But it doesn’t mean you failed. Deadlines are there to help us achieve our goals, but by no means are they determinants of our success.

Once you know a deadline for your goal, set deadlines for all the steps you will need to accomplish beforehand.

7. Identify the obstacles

I can guarantee that you will encounter difficulties on your way to achieving your desired outcome. But don’t let that discourage you. Everybody who has achieved great goals in their lives, had to overcome some kind of obstacles.

Think of what could be an obstacle for you. Knowing what the worst case scenario can be, allows you to be prepared. So if the obstacle does appear (though it doesn’t always have to), you will know exactly what to do.

Brian gives a very interesting theory on obstacles. He uses a famous Pareto rule of 80/20 and explains it this way: 80% of all obstacles comes from within us, and only 20% are due to external factors. This is a good news. It means that you have control on 80% of what could stop you from achieving your goals. these are usually some traits in our personality or lack of skills. And you can work on all of them.

8. Determine the additional knowledge and skill you need

You have a goal. Now ask yourself why is it that this goals is not yet a reality? You probably need to get some new skills and knowledge to achieve it. identify them. Understand what new skills you need to pick to become an expert in the field and to help you get where you want. Create a list of books, events and courses you will need to take to get there. This is how you work on that 80% of obstacles – the part that lies within us.

9. Determine the people you’ll need

At more than one time you will need help from somebody. Identify key people for your success. Who can teach you what you need to know? Who can help you stay focused and motivated?

Once you have that list, start working on relationships with these people. Offer then your help first. Don’t expect them to help you if you are not willing to do the same for them. Be genuine and honest. Don’t use anybody for your goals, but create real relationships beneficial for both of you.

10. Make a plan

You’ve probably heard the saying that what doesn’t get planned doesn’t get done. Or as Benjamin Franklin once said: “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

Having a plan for achieving your goal is essential to your success. Without it, how will you know what to work on? We have limited resources (like time and energy) and you need to make sure you put them to the right use.

Make a plan. This is your roadmap. But stay flexible. Observe how the environment changes. You might need to adjust your plan more than once. Be open for it. Planning itself is a part of your success.

11. Visualize

This is a very important part for you to achieve your goals, unfortunately often ignored. Visualization is a great tool to help you get where you want to get. And its powers are almost limitless.

Create a habit of visualizing what you want. If you want to lose weight, see yourself with the body of your dreams. If you want to have your own business, picture yourself as a successful businessman. By doing so you activate your subconscious, or as Brian calls it – your supermind.

Here is how the magic works. Your external (the world you live in) is a reflection of your internal (your imagination, beliefs). If you want to change the external, you need to first change the internal. In an almost magical way you will see how the world changes to fit your internal.

It works because of the 2 laws. First one is what we’ve already discussed: self-fulling prophecy. Visualizing having achieved your goals makes you behave in a way that helps you notice all the possibilites and dismiss any obstacles. That keeps you focused and motivated.

The second law is called the Law of Attraction. It states that whatever it is that you mostly think of, whatever it is that you are always focused on and truly desire, will be attracted to you. You will suddenly notice that the right people and the right opportunities come to your life.

12. Never give up

The key to achieving your goal is persistence. No matter how much talent you have, if you don’t persist, you might just give up right before your big breakthrough. Don’t let any failures discourage you. You already know that obstacles will happen. Whenever they do – work ont hem and keep going forward. Once you decide you want to achieve a goal, make a decision to never ever give up.

Conclusions

You can apply it to any goal you have in life: be it your financial or career goals, or your family and relationships goals.

To really apply Brian Tracy's amazing Goal Setting techniques, CLICK HERE. 

It will change the way you set your goals FOREVER!

SOURCE

Have You Ever Hit a Brick Wall?

Have you ever hit a brick wall, something so solid and immovable that you can't see any way around it, no matter how hard you try? It can cause you to feel a failure, perhaps isolated from others, as despair and frustration set in. Life doesn't always go to plan; in fact sometimes we can feel that we're dealing with a problem so complex and unassailable that there are no options left from which we can salvage a good outcome.

I'm sure many of us have at times had this experience, of insurmountable problems, no way forward and perhaps excessive demands being placed on us, maybe all at the same time.

- Work, relationships, home life, health and friends are all areas that can sometimes seem to be operating in an unhelpful and unsupportive way. There may be conflicting demands or responsibilities that require much of our time, energy and attention Sometimes we may need to acknowledge that our desired plans and choices are not feasible at the present point in time.

- Be strong and admit if something's not working. There's no shame in trying something new; it's often a great learning experience, can introduce you to new people and allow you to explore other options. But recognise if it's time to stop banging your head on that brick wall. Others will usually appreciate your honesty, see you as more human and may even suggest a referral to someone who's in a position to help.

- Appreciate that impediments and immovable objects can sometimes provide a useful interlude for you to stop and audit your plans. Dedicate time to review, evaluate and even revise your commitment to your latest project or course of action. Enforced reflection can be a valuable investment of your time.

- There may be some merit in using your temporary timeout to conduct a survey or canvas staff, clients or colleagues for their views. While you're considering your next step why not ask for their opinions, how they view your business or enquire whether they have suggestions to help you grow or improve what you already offer? Other people see things from a different perspective and their feedback may provide valuable insights which could spur you on to a renewed plan of action.

- Accept that your loss of direction may have caused your associates to temporarily lose confidence in you. Management are often expected to be problem-solvers, with all the answers and so, depending on the closeness of your relationships, it may be disconcerting for your team to see you in such a different light. Explain sufficiently and reassure those who need it.

- If you've hit a brick wall it may be appropriate for you to take yourself away from the situation and seek advice elsewhere, in a more confidential arena. Many business owners appreciate the role that a mentor, coach, confidante or partner can play, someone who's survived setbacks or whose support and input they value and respect. A counsellor may help them rediscover their confidence, focus and self-belief again. Stressful situations can be draining and cause loss of direction as well as mental and emotional debilitation. Sharing the load, talking things through and being heard, understood and supported can make a huge difference.

- Many business owners experience self-doubt or a loss of direction at times. Find a setting where you can exchange ideas and problem-solve. Maybe someone you've met at a conference, network meeting or on a business forum would be happy to provide time to talk through your situation in a safe, confidential setting or you could initiate a discussion on a site where contributors are happy to openly discuss solutions and the lessons learned from their experiences.

- Stepping away for a time to reconnect with the personal areas of life can provide a therapeutic break, a chance to clear your mind and regain a more appropriate perspective. Time spent may enable you to appreciate that you don't have to be perfect or do it all yourself. It may be viable to outsource or hire areas of expertise or begin to align yourself with someone who has complementary skills. Viable solutions often become apparent after a break.

- Do something that lifts your spirits and reminds you why you do what you do. One of my friends test drove a super-car, returning afterwards feeling revitalised and ten feet tall. Others may be motivated after time spent with family or at the spa or golf range. Take a break and step back from your 'wall'. Find something that rewards you and reminds you of your worth. Use that to give a boost to your confidence, with time to recharge and enjoy a distraction.

Being 'resilient' is often thought of as being tough, strong and keeping going no matter what. In fact resilience demands that we stop occasionally, take stock of things, adapt and grow in the light of new challenges and goals. Hitting a brick wall indicates that something is not working as initially anticipated. The companies I work with and the workshops I run, place a high value on training staff and management to be resilient by taking stock of the present moment and learning to adapt to an ever-changing and unpredictable future. We discover that a brick wall or loss of direction can be worked around.

Source

11 Great Ways to Be Positive About Change

Look for the positives! Seek them out - those little scary places that it's challenging to let yourself go to - the positives are genuinely scary, because they give you hope and it's hard to let go of all the fears you have right now - so hanging onto them is the easiest path!So try letting yourself go, just for the heck of it!Take that step back from being 'done to' and take the initiative. At work, at home or wherever, this can be a great time, if you let it. There are loads of ideas why. Here are eleven of my favorites...

Personal Growth Change gives us great moments for self-development and personal growth. It is in times where there is a lot going on, where we have to get out of our box to think, even when change is imposed, that we move forward.

Involving Others During change periods we can create relationships that are new - and we, as managers, have a great chance to bring others into our confidence and into our network.

Adventure There is something about change, large or small which creates 'something different' from our routine day. This is pretty cool really. We are being provided with stimulating mental exercise to make the best of things happening differently. It might not look that way, but change brings adventure!

Building it in Learning about big changes, means that we can closely observe why those changes are necessary. We have to make radical changes because we have strayed well off course. So as we learn, we can make provision to have some minor course corrections rather than completely the wrong destination.

Challenge In his great book, 'The Inner Game of Work', Timothy Gallwey talks about the fine balance between security and challenge being what gets people motivated. By creating new things to learn, to do, we stretch our people - and ourselves.

Opportunity Change brings new opportunity. For learning; for understanding ourselves better; for new perspectives; for different roles. These can be grasped personally or they can be dwelt on miserably. The better choice is to go for it!

Team Bonding Change exercises, big and small can be great to develop a team. Where there is the opportunity to work together, manager with their closest people there are often places, moments where the team spirit; the trust and the shared commitment - the 'Dunkirk spirit' even, enables future potential of a team to be loosened.

Honesty Where radical change proves necessary it enlightens those involved that where they are is not where they need to be. Carrying out a review of why serious change is necessary and seeking the real truth is very revealing. The icing on the cake for those involved in organisational change processes is to create a feedback loop that renders future major change unnecessary.

Choice Change is not truly necessary. Change is about choice. You have the choice whether to accept it positively or not. It is your choice and everyone has that - believe it or not. No-one is holding you down to prevent you getting away. Take personal responsibility for the choices you make.

Focus Change gives the opportunity for and usually gets really down to the gist of the issues that have precipitated the need. This is good. Your organisation is realising that things need to be different, for all sorts of reasons, but usually for the health of the organisation and that means you, usually. For some it may mean loss of role, status and even job - now what positive opportunity does that bring!

Passion And finally, we have the opportunity to review our own roles, not just in the workplace, but in life too. Are you passionate about your work - or are you just muddling through? Are new opportunities presented to you personally through change - within or without the place where you work today? What is your personal passion and how do you work towards making that how you spend every day of your life?

Source

Success - The Key To Achieving Big Success

The dictionary defines success as the accomplishment of an aim or purpose. Whatever your goal, you can achieve it. But success doesn't come in one huge action. Completing a series of small tasks add up. Day-to-day actions yield small results that lead to big success.

Stop making excuses.

It's a simple instruction, but it's not always avoid the easy way out. Sometimes, making an excuse is easier than doing the deed. It's easier to tell yourself you're tired and need a break so you don't feel bad about sleeping in instead of heading to the gym. It's easier to tell yourself that you deserve a break instead of studying material for your class. It's easier to convince yourself that you need more time to prepare your product instead of cold contacting store owners about stocking it for sale. There is always an easy way out. Avoid excuses at all costs. Making excuses lead to no where.

Do the thing you don't want to do. 

Completing the difficult task is a form of personal development. Remember the first time you went for a run? Getting through that one mile was hard. But your doctor recommended increased activity to avoid blood pressure medication. So you run, even on days you don't want to and you successfully avoid taking a medication. Goal achieved by doing the thing you didn't want to do. The same with doing something you don't want to do when it comes to your business or education. No one wants to read chapters from a textbook but how else will you learn the material? Reading leads to learning. Learning leads to passing quizzes and exams. Passing tests leads to good grades. Good grades lead to graduation. Success. The same with business. There are things you don't want to do as a business owner, like firing employees or ending business relationships. What's the alternative? Continue to pay an employee who isn't performing up to standard? Continue to order from a supplier that no longer meets the needs of your business? Although it's hard, terminating an under-performing employee makes an opening for a potential super star who can help take the business to the next level. After doing the "hard" things for a while, it is less challenging to do it again.

No matter how big or small the goal, achieving it is simple. The only way to make it happen is to take small steps. Stop making excuses. Excuses lead to nothing. Just do it. The things that seem hard require growth to complete them. The only way to achieve success is to grow as a person.

Source: 

Are You Self-Aware?

Self-awareness is having a high degree of understanding about yourself. It's awareness of your habits, emotional tendencies, needs, desires, strengths, and weak points. Having a high level of self-awareness is a powerful tool. It permits you to alter your life better, given that you know how you tick. Those that do not have self-awareness often find life to be frustrating.

Cultivate your self-awareness:

1. Notice your thoughts. Unless you have actually been practicing meditation for years, your mind is constantly churning through ideas and endlessly offering commentary. You can't simply take a look at a tree and appreciate it, your mind has to comment, "That's a beautiful tree." Then it's off to the races.

Notice your thinking patterns. What are you thinking when you're feeling nervous? Tired? Intrigued? Walking down the street? Notice how comparable circumstances lead to similar idea patterns.

Do you judge people and circumstances? Do you invest a great deal of time considering the past or the future? Do you expect the worst to take place or the very best? Or do you embrace a mindset of, "Let's just see what takes place"?

2. Notice your sensations. Exactly what are you feeling throughout the day? What do you feel while you're eating? Driving to work? Lying in bed? Waiting in line? Once you've noticed your feeling, question it. What am I feeling? Why? Exactly what do I need right now? How do I normally react in this scenario? Is that wise?

3. Understand how you handle frustration or psychological discomfort. A big chunk of your time is invested trying to make yourself feel better. If you feel a little annoyed or uncomfortable, then you might invest a significant quantity of time and energy attempting to alter the scenario or the others around you to fix those negative sensations.

Do you aim to manage others? Do you attempt to sidetrack yourself? Is your very first impulse to leave the scenario? Do you browse the internet or eat a huge bowl of ice cream?

4. Analyze your friendships. Where do you find your good friends? Are most of your relationships long-lasting or short? When your friendships end, exactly what is the typical cause? What types of individuals do you choose to be pals with? What kinds of individuals do you avoid?

5. Analyze your intimate relationships. Do you see a pattern in the type of people that you've been involved with? Exactly what are the unfavorable characteristics they all share? Why do you believe those people interested you?

Exactly what were your drawbacks in your relationships? Are you clingy? Jealous? Too concentrated on work? Cannot communicate your needs? Think about how you contributed to the failure of your relationships.

Have you changed your approach from relationship to relationship, or do you continue to duplicate your errors?

6. Keep a journal. There's no better method to discover yourself than to record your thoughts, feelings, and experiences each day. Research studies have actually shown that we don't remember our past very accurately, so record it while it's still fresh in your mind. Make certain to include your low and high points for the day.

Keep in mind how well you ate and slept, too. You might find some useful details.

Produce a practice of writing in your journal for at least 15 minutes every day.

You'll begin to notice patterns and discover a lot about yourself.

Understanding yourself might be the most important piece of your self-development puzzle. If you don't understand yourself, it's hard to apply all the great info available today. Maintain an awareness of your ideas, feelings, and actions. Examine and question them. You'll be surprised by what you discover.

Source

Happiness Is a State of Mind

Your happiness is not dependent on external things. If it were, it would not be possible to find lasting happiness.

Your happiness is dependent only on the state of your mind. Knowing this gives you the power to determine your own happiness.

The good news is that it means that you have a choice to be happy or not. The bad news is that you can only have this choice when you are totally aware of this fact that your happiness is entirely in your hands. This fact is unfortunately not as obvious as we would like it to be. In fact, most people cannot see this truth. For them, their mind has been so conditioned to think of getting happiness from people and things outside of themselves that to be told that they are the real source of their own happiness is quite simply unbelievable.

Yet, this is the truth. Your happiness is indeed in your hands. To be more precise, your happiness is in your mind.

You do not have to believe me. Instead, you can do an experiment on your own life. Choose to be happy, just for a day. Make it today. Make it this moment. Consciously choose to be happy, and see how your attitude and state of mind change to reflect that choice. Is your mind lighter? Less tense? Less tightly wound up? Less rigid? More open? More liberated? Simply by choosing happiness, you can immediately feel the lightness of your being.

However, if you have been conditioning your mind to be tight, unhappy and fearful all these while, do not expect that it will be easy to simply switch to be happy. It takes persistent effort. Old habits die hard. They keep coming back because they feel familiar. Therefore, to replace an old habit with a new one, you need to be aware as often as you can. Stay alert to your state of mind. Keep reminding yourself to choose happiness. Gradually train your mind to be happy, to relax and to lighten up. Be aware of how you feel when your mind is in this new state. Do you feel better? Happier? Lighter? It is important to experience this new state, and be aware of it. It is very rewarding, and it will continue to motivate you to be alert and aware of your state of mind.

So, how do you make your mind happy all the time?

You simply have to keep doing this - be aware of your mental state, and make a conscious choice to be happy - every day, every moment. Make it a new habit of yours to constantly check on your mind state whenever you remember - when you wake up in the morning, when you shower, when you eat, when you take a break, when you are about to go to sleep. You can do it anytime, any place. When it has become habitual, then you will be able to be happy everyday.

Remember, happiness is a state of mind.

Source: