Science of Success - Achievement

When I was younger and still naive I had big dreams and always thought of having anything I wanted and being anything I wanted to be. However just like many other people from all walks of life I was told you can't do this or you can't do that, basically being told that I can not be a success.

I just needed to get a job and work hard, basically going along with the herd. Fact is I was already a success in my own little way at that time and as I am now even a bigger success in my own right today and I will always be a success in one form or the other.

I guess in a way hearing that I couldn't do this or couldn't do that was the motivation that I needed to push me to excel in whatever is was that I tried to do and not give up when obstacles appeared in my path. Achievement at no matter what I was attempting was always my ultimate goal.

As I grew older and I like to think a lot wiser I sought out self help books, cd's, dvd's, and listened to motivational speakers to work on my own personal development because I knew that I had to learn self motivation to push myself when times got difficult and setbacks occurred because they will occur its those times you have to push harder to overcome them.

Some of the greatest achievements throughout history happened usually shortly after the biggest setback had occurred as well as many individuals dreams cut short because people gave up too soon when the obstacles appeared to big to overcome and these people learn later to their dismay if they would have only stayed the course a little while longer they would have succeeded. That is why it is so important to not give up during those times.

That is why it's important to seek out those that are having the kind of success that you wish to have and take inspiration from that to acquire it for yourself as well.

Success is different for everyone and everyone reaches it in different ways but overall there are common denominators to people that achieve success and those that do not.

Growing up I am sure you heard just like I did, work hard and you will be success. Well there are many people that work extremely hard and they do not have the success they wish and are struggling to make it day to day. If hard work brought success and wealth we all wish to have then everyone that did hard physical manual labor would be rich. It is just not so.

Fact is that being successful is not about doing certain things, it's about doing things in a certain way. There is a science to success. 

Here quick list of the common denominators of successful people.

1. Taking Action

2. Passion and Desire

3. Discomfort. I am not talking pain here but they are able to leave their comfort zone and be uncomfortable, they push through their weaknesses and overcome.

4. Vision

5. Decision Makers

6. Control Emotions

7. Consistent

8. Logical

9. Practical

10. Talent

Now go back and read that list again and pay particular attention to the first common denominator because without doing it, all the rest are useless.

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5 Easy Ways To Help You Deal With Stress

Stress is a normal and natural part of human life — You can’t avoid it, so how do you manage it?

We encounter stress every day: in driving through traffic, falling behind schedule and managing big projects.

We must learn to how to deal with stress in order to lead a more productive, happy life.

Today I’m going to share a few ways that I manage the stress in my life, and I know these will work for you as well.

Here are 5 ways to deal with stress:

1) Plan Your Day

Plan every aspect of your day and plan your activities in advance, especially if you are going through a difficult time in your life. Having a plan for your day will make you feel more in control. You won’t have to think about or make a decision on what to do next.

Becoming an expert in time management will reduce your stress levels enormously. Breaking down every task and activity in your day or week will make the big picture a lot less intimidating.

2) Focus On Your Most Important Task

When you are experiencing a lot of stress, only work on the tasks that are the most important to improving your life.

You can use tools that we’ve discussed in the past, like the 80/20 Rule, to make setting and choosing your goals easier.

Setting clear priorities for your work each day, before you begin, will relieve much of your stress immediately. Then, discipline yourself to start on your most important task and work on it until it is complete.

3) Get More Rest

It’s amazing how many people suffer greater stress from the same event because they are just tired. Fatigue causes you to experience stress at much higher levels for much longer periods of time.

A body well taken care of will serve you much better in the long-run, and will reduce your stress naturally. If you are planning your day properly, then planning for more sleep shouldn’t be a problem.

4) Talk Out Your Situation

Find someone that you like, trust and respect and talk to them about the situation you are experiencing; ask them for their advice. Sometimes just talking about the issue out loud will help reduce the anxiety and stress you are feeling.

5) Look For The Lesson

One of the things that you can do to eliminate the stress from your life is to ask yourself:

“What can I learn from this experience? What is this experience trying to teach me?”

Ask yourself if you should be doing more of something, or less of something in the future to avoid this sort of stress.

If you look into any situation and look for the lesson in your most difficult experiences, you will always find one.

Those are my suggestions for reducing stress in your life, I hope they help you as much as they’ve helped me.

Before we wrap up, I’d like to leave you with a thought to share with your friends and followers:


“Within every setback or obstacle there is the seed of an equal or greater advantage or benefit. Find it.” BrianTracy

Now I’d love to hear from you. So my question today is:

Which events in your life cause the most stress and which strategies have you used to overcome that stress in the past?

Leave a comment below to share your experience.

Stress has a lot to do with procrastination and time management. If you learn to manage your time you will be less stressed. Learn to stop procrastinating and get more done in less time and get my free Eat that Frog transcription below.

Thanks for reading and remember, if you want to change your future, take action and take action now.

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

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7 Reasons to Be Careful When Choosing Friends & How to Do So

The following goes without saying;

THE PEOPLE WITH WHOM YOU SURROUND YOURSELF HAVE A GREAT IMPACT ON WHO YOU BECOME IN LIFE.

The opinions of your friends are often more important than those of other people, even your family members. That’s why it’s in your interest to choose your friends wisely. They can be the reason why you succeed or fail in achieving your life goals.

7 Reasons to Be Careful Choosing Friends

Here are 7 reasons why you should be careful when choosing friends and how to enjoy long-lasting friendships that add plenty of value to your life.


1. Your friends have a great influence over you

When it comes to your emotions and moods, the influence of your friends is unparalleled.

If you’re spending a great time with your friends, your mood is bound to improve. If their remarks make you feel bad, your mood will inevitably decline.

A research study published in 2014 demonstrated that friends tend to bond when providing one another with moral support intended to resist a temptation. Still, sometimes friends would become partners in crime when it came to indulging together.

Friends help bring out the best in you, there’s no doubt about it. But they can easily influence you in a way that might pose a problem to other areas of your life.

That’s why it should be your objective to find people that make you feel good. If you surround yourself with negative people, you stand no chance at being happy thanks to these relationships. Cut out the negative friends from your life and you’ll instantly feel better.

2. You’ll grow with strong-willed friends


If you surround yourself with people who are very self-disciplined, you’re bound to become more immune to the various temptations that prevent you from staying on track.

Research shows that when people can’t quite manage to control their schedules, they often look for help among the self-disciplined people in their lives. Nothing gives a boost to your willpower like a strong-willed friend.

You need self-control in order to reach your long-term goals. That’s why you should avoid befriending people who aren’t strong willed and instead choose those who have a lot of willpower. That’s the secret to maintaining healthy habits and paving the road to success.


3. They help build you up for success
When a friend encourages you, you’ll feel as if you could achieve just about anything in the world. Friends are the people having your back as you push forward toward your goal by offering plenty of positive reinforcement.

With the support of your friends, you’ll have a greater chance at succeeding. That’s why choosing the wrong friends is so dangerous to your success. Instead of encouraging you, they’re more likely to put your down.

Avoid people who don’t respect your choices or constantly express skepticism about your ideas. Real friends will always support you, no matter how crazy your idea is and will only withdraw their support when they believe that you might do yourself harm.


4. Wrong friends can cause you to be counter-productive

A toxic friend is a serious threat to your success.

A friend who constantly makes negative comments about your goals and dreams will only distract your from them. In the end, you’ll have to work harder towards achieving your objectives.

If you think that you’ll fail, the chances are high that you will. And if a friend brings you down, you’re in for trouble.

Spot any friends who are happy to sit back and provide a fresh dose of criticism every time you two meet? Avoid them for your own good, don’t expect them to say anything nice to you.


5. Close friends are the secret to living a long and happy life

According to a study from by Australia’s Flinder’s University, adults who have close friends are likely to live longer. Researchers discovered that people with a large network of friends would outlive their counterparts by 22%.

Friendship is healthy. And you should definitely seek out the company of other people.

But be careful while doing that. You don’t want to end up with a friend who instead of making you healthy and balanced makes you nervous and unhappy. Friends are supposed to contribute to your well-being – and research shows that they can do that in a significant way.

That’s why you should be wise to choose friends who genuinely care about you. If you feel good at the mere thought of meeting them, it’s a sign they could be one of these friends who boost your longevity.


6. Friends can inspire you
Having someone around who is genuinely interested in what you’re doing is quite amazing.

Your friends should cheer for you and be invested in your life (naturally, this type of engagement goes both ways). It’s important that they’re like this, because the opinion of your friends will matter to you.

Every time they make an effort to take an interest in your life, it gives you an extra boost of support. Friends can inspire you to work harder towards achieving your goal, or make sure that you’re sticking to your resolutions.

If your friends aren’t doing any of that, they’re not real friends. They simply don’t care about your path and don’t want to be part of your journey towards success.


7. Friends can can serve as an example for you

Choosing great friends is beneficial if you need a push to start doing something on your own. Friends easily serve as examples, providing your with plenty of motivation to achieve your goals.

When you see how happy your friends are when pursuing their objectives, you’ll want to follow suit and be productive as well. Their good behaviors will rub off on you.

However, if your friends do nothing but drink beer and watch television, you’re more likely to join them and spend your time on the couch just to keep them company. Their habits will inevitably influence your habits and before you know it, you’ll become a couch potato too.

That’s why you should be wise when choosing who to befriend. Pick a friend with good habits, and their presence is bound to make your life more exciting.
Summary

Surrounding yourself with people who are like you and want to achieve something in of their life is critical.

Great friends will motivate you and support your dreams. That’s why you should value your existing friendships and handle new ones with care.

These 7 reasons should make it clear why it’s worth to be careful when choosing friends to accompany you throughout your life.
Has this article helped you to choose your friends more wisely? Leave a comment below.

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4 Ways You Can Create Everlasting Devotion to Your Goals

We can sit here and try to come up with a million ideas for the future or talk about our dreams for hours, but what does it matter when we aren’t insanely committed to those ideas, and all we do is waste time on pep-talks?

Over the years I have learned that mental devotion to my vision is something I must do before anything else. Those exciting goals must be converted into reality. They have to become a part of my identity and who I am. Only if you can become totally loyal and responsible to what you want, can you overcome challenges and any setbacks along the way.
Since we all are just starting fresh in 2017 with high expectations, pumped up, ready to make it happen, I have for you 4 ways how you can stay on track and create everlasting devotion to every single goal:

1. Respect your goal

This is a fundamental and one of the most important steps towards your future. If you don’t make your dreams the most important thing in your life, who will? It is your responsibility to know what your vision means to you and learn how to prioritize between what you want now and what you want forever.

If you are willing to accept a sadistic boss at the job you hate and feel miserable about, then I believe it is your obligation to be absolutely loyal to your dreams and future.


“The first step to achieving your goal, is to take a moment to respect your goal. Know what it means to you to achieve it.” – Dwayne Johnson

2. Create commitment which breaks every wall

One of the best mental tricks I’ve applied to myself is creating a deep relationship with my goals. There are only two ways this relationship is going to end. I either reach it, or I die. Sounds tough, I know, but it isn’t.

The “dying” part refers to a situation where you won’t stop until you get to the final destination. And this is the way you should look at your primary, long-lasting goals which you know, in your heart, are going to give you fulfillment and satisfaction.

There is nothing stronger than absolute commitment. This state of mind will pull you through the hardest times and doesn’t make you stop, no matter how tired, exhausted or discouraged you feel.

3. How many lives can you impact?

Have you ever thought about how many lives you can change or impact with your goals? How many jobs can you create. How many families can you feed or how much impact you can have on your children?

I bet that if you are reading this, humility is a part of your character, which is a reason good enough to keep going. It is common for the people who are on top to help others along the way and that is why they aimed so high on a ladder of success.


“We only have what we give.” – Isabel Allende

4. Listen to your heart

If your heart is involved in your decision and plans, it creates power because heart makes you feel. You can be exhausted and fed up with all the failures and discouragement, have 100 reasons to give up, but if your heart tells you to keep going, you will keep going. In general, feelings are far stronger than thoughts, and they have a bigger impact on your actions.

When it comes to deciding about your future and dreams, forget the logic. No one ever succeeded or kept going because they were logical. Follow your heart and in a time of crisis, ask yourself one question: “If I give up now, if I let those goals disappear, am I going to be okay with that?” This should give you an exact answer to what you are destined for.
How do you stay devoted to your goals? Please leave your thoughts below!

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Why Teamwork is the Key to Your Success

Regardless of how big or small the company is, it needs to have an effective team that consists of professionals who know how to do their job quickly and efficiently.

Why do you need a Team?

Why does a company need teams to provide decision making and problem solving?

The answer is pretty simple: the companionship of strong thinkers that can solve any problem is priceless because the best ideas are rarely born in isolation.

Without support and expertise of other people, one can easily become almost self-destructive in their thinking. That’s why one needs a team.

Why Teamwork is the Key to Success

Let’s imagine that you are an entrepreneur who just started a company and needs reliable people to advance the business. Clearly, you need to perform a lot of responsibilities, so your mind is always focused on several tasks (or even more).

You make a decision on how to solve a problem that recently emerged in the marketing department of the company but you need to ensure that this decision is right and the solution is effective. As the result, the following questions need to be answered:
Is the solution effective?
Are there more effective solutions?
What if I there is a flaw in the marketing plan?
Is there someone with a marketing degree that can assist me on this?

These questions clearly show that you need several people to help you to make a decision with confidence.

Specifically, a person with a marketing degree is needed, a person that could see the big picture and identify flaws in the current marketing plan, a person that can improve or assist in improving your own solution or propose some new ones.

Wow, that’s a lot to brainstorm, especially when the clock is ticking, you agree?


People are everything

There are a number of personalities that one could have on a team to ensure that each project is run effectively and efficiently. These personalities will help to brainstorm the questions above and help to deliver the best solutions.

They include:


1. The Dreamer Personality

This person contributes by telling you what is next and what is possible. Even though they tend to think hopefully, they always go beyond the limits and boundaries to show what can be achieved.


This personality is especially good to have in a team because they will always provide creative energy and extend the solutions provided by other members of the team.


2. The Doer Personality

Even if the solution you came up with had some flaws and resulted in addition work, a doer will get the job done regardless of the circumstances.

These people are known for their “roll-up-your sleeves” attitude, which is essential to have on the team when you need something to be completed when you need it.


3. The Disruptor Personality

When the team generates a solution, the disruptor comes in with a new perspective that is useful for ensuring that the solution is the best to use.

These people are described as critical thinkers and extremely curious because they can spot shortcomings and bring something better.

4. The Driver personality

Another profoundly important personality to have because they keep the other team members focused on the task.

This could be especially helpful at crisis times when motivation is low because drivers can ensure that the team is working regardless of the conditions.


5. The Fun-Maker Personality

This person will ensure that the team is having fun during work. At times when the work is piled up, it is profoundly important to maintain a positive attitude and the fun-maker makes sure that the team is not depressed.

How about having these guys helping you out?

With such diverse team one can easily advance the decision-making and problem-solving because it is much easier to deliver a more quality discussion and therefore solution by using the expertise of others. However, they need to learn to work together.


Cohesion

Cohesion is therefore the factor that ensures the great results delivered by a team.

One of the best explanations of cohesion is given by Boundless:

However, cohesion does not just happen by itself, it should be generated and supported by:


1. Trust

People on the team should trust each other in order to be comfortable with providing their thoughts and constructively criticizing others.

Without trust, the team work would be a debate rather than brainstorming because the members will try to outsmart each other. No good solution can be made in such teams.


2. Openness

Every person in the team should demonstrate some interest in learning about each other.

This way, according to a team building expert from Pro Essay Writing, they will learn about personality types and skills possessed by each member, which is important for future work because it will make them more open to their ideas.

As the result, each opinion and idea generated during team brainstorming will be given an equal chance for review and consideration.


3. Respect

It is absolutely necessary for respect to exist within a team to make it running. Without it, the members might try to blame their colleagues for bad decisions because they disregard their expertise.

On the other hand, mutual respect is a better way to go because it will ensure that the team will try to find better ways together instead of diving into groups of who was right and wrong.


Summary

Openness, trust, and respect are important to all teams. In addition to business teams, sports are the best example of how these three factors can contribute to success, even against a more talented team.

In sports, just like in business, the success depends on the chemistry and collaboration of every player on the team.

The ball, just like a business task, is moved among all players, and each of them makes decisions on what do with them next: pass it to the player who is in the closer position to the hoop (can be compared to a colleague with a better expertise) or go right to the goal alone (disregard the assistance of colleagues).

Watch this video made as a tribute to Sun Antonio Spurs, where the best in basketball express their admiration of how the team plays.

The ultimate result of their incredible unselfish team play is the victory in the NBA Finals against the best player in the world, LeBron James, and another star Dwayne Wade.

No stars? No problem. We have teamwork and talent.


Key Takeaways

Now, you know how important is to have an effective team that works for you. Here are the main takeaways from this article:

• Teams are a great asset for the companies that can enhance the problem solving and decision making. There are many personalities that could be added to the team to deliver better results and keep it running regardless of the circumstances, so you can really manage how your team is assembled.
• Trust, openness, and respect are essential for success of teams regardless of what personalities are used to assemble it.
Do you think teamwork is a huge importance for success? Leave a comment below.

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Listen and Learn

"We have two ears and one tongue so that we would listen more and talk less." Diogenes

The benefits of good listening skills are significant. Everyone loves a good listener and one invariably learns a lot by listening, including who is worth listening to! People will open up and sometimes say the darndest things and all we have to do is be there and show that we are paying attention. It is ironic that saying and (mostly) doing nothing is such a vital component of relationship-building. Yet listening is the foundation of bonding; silently, one demonstrates empathy, telegraphs that another human being matters and creates rapport. Fortunately, the art of listening can be learned.

Working to disrupt the benefits of listening is our love of the sound of our own voice, so persistent that we sometimes don't know when to shut up. Talking is lots of fun, especially for the extroverts among us. Silence can be uncomfortable. But we all know that listening is an important communication skill. When we allow others to express themselves and tell their story, we demonstrate that we care about them and that we value the quality of the information that they are sharing.

Attention, please

When listening, give the speaker your undivided attention. Nothing else communicates the level of respect that you have for another than this one act. Let the phone go to voicemail, close the laptop lid. Sharing your valuable time with another and focusing your attention on that individual is so validating. It is also a defining element of charisma. Charismatic people are known to make whomever they are listening to feel as if only the two of them are in the room. Demonstrate your laser focus with eye contact, smiling or showing concern, nodding your head and declining to interrupt, except to ask a question or two that ensures that you understand what is being said.

Risk and trust

As noted above, when people start talking, you might be floored by what is revealed. No matter how you feel about what has been said, maintain your cool. Show that you are worthy of the trust that has been extended to you by way of the revelation. Appreciate and acknowledge the risk that was taken by the speaker when the decision was made to confide in you.

Take notes

Always take notes when in a business meeting. When you write as someone talks, you demonstrate that the subject of the conversation is important to you. The note-taking process also allows you to ask questions to ensure that you understand what has been said. Within 48 hours, send an email or a hand-written note in which you thank that individual for meeting with you and confirm the agreed-upon next steps.

Achieve understanding

Stephen Covey (1932-2012), author of the timeless self-help classic The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (1989), noted that most people listen not to understand, but to reply. Be careful not to jump to conclusions or hear only what you want or expect to hear. Perfect the art of listening and minimize miscommunication problems that can lead to costly mistakes or hurt feelings.

Listening is an art form that unfortunately, is underrated. Regardless, the most compelling leaders, the most successful sales professionals, the most powerful negotiators, the most charismatic people and those with whom we develop the most satisfying relationships are all active listeners. 

Follow the advice of Diogenes and sharpen your listening skills by employing patience and self-discipline to your business and social conversations.





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4 Ways To Simplify Your Life Right Now

In a period of information overload, there's never been a better time to simplify life.

The raging struggle of modern existence can lead to inner turmoil if we're unaware.

The key to living an inspired life is to simplify it. To gain clarity on what's important, let go of unnecessary conditions and tune into what you value most. Most people chase material possessions believing they'll be happy, only to realise it makes matters worse.

The more clutter in your life, the less capable you are of knowing what's important to you since you are distracted by insignificant issues that vie for your attention. Naturally, you react to what is taking place before you instead of what's essential.

Health, relationships, family and living my purpose are central aspects to my life nowadays. It's taken an entire lifetime to reach this point, yet it's well worth it. That which brings you joy and happiness require the least effort.

I'm drawn to the quote by Henry David Thoreau who said, "As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness."

The Law of Least Effort functions according to the principle of simplicity. Given that we evolve from nature, it makes sense to adopt this way of being in our life.

The following are four valuable points to implement right now. Apply them gradually and don't be discouraged if you don't see results at first. It requires patience and persistence for something of value to yield results. Akin to a plant, the initial stages begin with the seed sprouting beneath the soil, invisible to the naked eye. Yet, with nurturing and time, it grows into a healthy plant and so too with your habits.

1. Surround Yourself With Remarkable People

These include: friends, family, romantic partners, co-workers and those who offer you support and encouragement. Significant people are those who encourage your personal growth. They are your humble ambassadors in times of need and don't desert you through crisis. The company of such people leads to simplified living because your needs are met through close connections.

Great people inspire and strengthen you, not drain your energy. Energy vampires rob you of your vital force, so be aware them. They want to gain something and are unwilling to offer anything in return. Steer away from them, they will deprive you of your long term happiness.

2. Let Go Of What No Longer Serves You

I've written about this in earlier articles. Letting go of what no longer serves you is essential to simplifying life because we free ourselves from what consumes our energy. This includes: people, things, places, relationships, travel, behaviours or habits. If it doesn't bring you joy, remove it from your life or distance yourself from it. However, don't fill the void with something else, simply allow it time to recede, so you have less to focus on. In doing so, you free up mental and emotional resources for more important matters. Create a space for something wonderful to appear and trust it will take its place, since Nature abhors a vacuum.

3. Focus On Experiences, Not Things

The lie that happiness comes from material possessions is one many fall victim to. Sure, it might offer happiness for a short while, although once it wears off you yearn for something more.

Newspapers are filled with stories of people who inherit millions of dollars, only to find themselves more miserable than before. This is not due to money per se, rather the stress associated with managing large sums of money. Accumulating material objects amplifies insecurities already present in a person.

Focus on experiences and surrounding yourself with friends and loved ones. Travel more, perform random acts of kindness, do charity work if that appeals to you. The key is to find fulfilling experiences that embody who you are. For example, I enjoy creative hobbies and feel lively when engaged in these endeavours. Find time for these activities and you'll be happy and content.

4. Be In Tune With Your Nature

When you're in tune with your nature, you connect to your source. I'm not talking about religion or spirituality, yet something greater. You are the expression of Mother Nature in all her glory. Everything from your thoughts to your body reflects the infinite powers of universal intelligence. Stay connected to your source and you'll feel the aliveness of the universe permeate through you.

How do you stay in tune with your nature? Here are steps to consider:

Be kind and compassionate to yourself and others

Think empowering thoughts

Live a healthy life

Eat whole food close to its original state

Balance your giving and receiving

Create fulfilling relationships

Be of value in your local community

Respect Mother Nature

Be of service to others

Be at peace with yourself

Think globally, act locally

We're on the verge of a new way of life, uniting spirit and matter to become conscious creators of our destiny. The old paradigm is gradually falling away to make way for the new. This isn't about a new world order, for it's much simpler than that. It's an expanding of consciousness and fading of primitive thinking, once dictated by our primal urges.

The changes herald a new way of perceiving the world via our sixth sense. People are harnessing their intuition to make sense of the world around them. Be willing to upgrade your model of reality to coincide with the change. Remove preconceived ideas about how life should play out since these concepts keep you trapped in the past.

Simplifying life brings immense joy because we need little to make us happy. Economic studies in Australia suggest households on a combined income of $40k per annum are no happier at this threshold. In the US, the figure is $75k, which confirms we needn't accumulate vast amounts of wealth to be happy.

Mother Nature is more intelligent than we give her credit for. She provides us with the inner wisdom to make sense of our lives, yet we're controlled by our impulses instead of focusing on what's meaningful. Don't succumb to the out-there model that suggests your inner needs originate from outside circumstances.

Make a vow to simplify life and reduce your impact on the environment. Reduce your waste and non-renewable resources.

Strive to live a clean and uncluttered existence.

The reward is a conscious life imbued with simplicity, instead of what you believe will make you happy.

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Focusing on Success

It's so easy to let your mind get preoccupied and lose track of your goals and dreams. The world is more full of distractions than ever before, and they are all at our fingertips - social networking, computer games, television, mobile devices, and so on. And even if you don't give in to those distractions, there are life distractions - kids, household chores, errands... How do you stay focused on success?

First of all, no one can remain focused on one thing all day every day. That would be impossible, especially in this world where multiple demands are characteristic of the average day. But you can focus on success by adopting a successful mindset. Here are some ideas on keeping focused on success.

Keep a Log

Every day, write in a log or journal about what you did for your business that day. Note particularly all your successes and things you did toward your goals. If you spent the morning designing a logo, that's not wasted time - that's a success, and a step toward your goal. When you log in this way, you will also be able to see areas where you are losing focus and need to step things up a bit.

Write Your Goals

You probably know this, but writing down your goals is important. What you may not have thought of is displaying them where you can see them. Keep them nearby - maybe even frame them - so that you can look often and get your mind back on achieving success.

Visualize

Visualizing takes the concept of the daydream up several notches. Taking some time every day to visualize your success can help. Take a few quiet minutes and envision yourself succeeding. Be specific - if this is about your business, imagine yourself meeting clients, making them happy, and then imagine those clients telling others.

If this is about personal success, imagine the details of a successful relationship, a harmonious family, or a different lifestyle. Try to make it real, as if you're watching it happen. Think in vivid colors, sights, and sounds.

Don't Be Hesitant

Experts say that it can hamper your success if you keep thinking you need a back-up plan "just in case." It may be better just to go for it 100 percent and not look back. Otherwise, you may jump into your back-up plan at the first sign of trouble, and success takes effort.

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6 Simple Soul & Mind Nourishing Activities We Often Forget About

“Affirmations are our mental vitamins, providing the supplementary positive thoughts we need to balance the barrage of negative events and thoughts we experience daily.” – Tia Walker

Are you spending more time taking care of others or yourself?

Know that either extreme is making you lose your power to build and sustain a happy life.

If you lose yourself in caring for others, you might end up merely existing and not living. Plus, those people you care for, become dependent and get lost in life as well. If you get too much self-involved and self-centred, you end up alone.

6 Soul & Mind Nourishing Activities

Therefore, find your balance between giving and taking; between offering your time and energy to others and yourself; between caring for other and caring for yourself.

Because most people tend to lose themselves in satisfying, mainly other people’s needs and wants, here are 6 things to nourish your mind and soul:


1. Time For Yourself

If you are the carer (as a parent, a spouse, an employer, for example), which un-avertable you are no matter what you do for a living, looking after people by choice or occupation, you might be one of those people that feel guilty and selfish to take time for yourself.

Are you?

Listen, it is admirable what you are doing, and I bow to you; yet, at the same time, I want to ask you: for how long do you think you can keep it up if you don’t take care of yourself as well? If you don’t take some time for yourself too?

An overworked, tired and unhappy carer has an adverse impact on those for which is caring. Is it not? A child can’t be happy and grow harmoniously raised by an unhappy parent. An employee can’t be productive led by a stressed and overwhelmed boss.

Can they?

Therefore, occasionally be selfish and take time for yourself. Put your fear and anxieties aside and let the Earth spin around without your help and attention. Remember that, in that circumstance being selfish is an act of self-preservation and, ultimately altruism.

When you care for others, you are like a machine that needs maintenance, oiling, and rest, to work properly.

Concern yourself less about what people may say about you and stay focused on the result you want: offering valuable, meaningful, and sustainable care, service, leadership, help, and whatever else you have to give.



2. The Courage to Say NO

As a child, I’ve struggled because not my parents, nor the other adults around knew how to be assertive, how to put their foot down and then help me to move forward.

I had to, consistently, second guess my behavior, lose valuable time in finding by myself what is expected from me and what are the rules of living in the society.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m not complaining, I’m just saying that there are better ways to grow, improve and learn, other than the hard way.

Pay attention, being assertive is not just a way to let people know what you want, but is a duty as well. Overcome your fear of saying No!

Overcome your negative preconceptions (if you have) about being an assertive person and put your foot down, say “no” when you need to and say “yes” only when is the right thing to do.


3. Listen to Your Inner Voice

Life has this habit of going on with you or without you. Don’t let it slip away without having any say about it. Listen to your inner voice and allow yourself guided by your wisdom.

If you are one of these people, always on the run, always doing something important, always using your time to build something concrete, tangible, most likely you know what I’m referring to when I say;


“LIFE HAS THIS HABIT OF GOING ON WITH YOU OR WITHOUT YOU.”

You know that you’re going through motions without listening to your inner voice for days on end or even months and years.


Note that your inner voice is not the same thing with self-talk. Your inner voice is telling you what you need (mind, soul, and body), what make you sad, what is hurting you, what is helpful, how to protect yourself; It comes from your deeper self, the wisest part of you.

On the other hand, self-talk (internal dialogue) is the way you represent how you see the world and yourself and it comes from learning, experience, and beliefs.

Listen to your inner voice; it has many things to tell you if you are willing to hear it out.


4. Respect

How much thought and attention do you put into the words you’re saying to others? I guess, a lot! Do you have the same consideration towards yourself?

Self-respect starts with valuing who you are and it is manifested, the most, by the way, you talk to yourself and about yourself. And, then, it is what you do with and what you put into your perfect vehicle: your body!

And, the last one, but as important as the other two, self-respect is how you speak to and about people because what you say about others is more a reflection of who you are and less who they are. Is it not?


5. Compassion

In a society that you are encouraged more and more to strive and focus mainly on achievement, career and success, how many of us feel content and satisfied with who they are, how they look, how much they accomplish?

The standards are so high and still going up and up that almost no human can keep up. No wonder so many people have low self-esteem and confidence issues.

How about setting your own standards? How about taking, periodically, breaks to recharge and refresh? Moments to re-evaluate the validity of what is expected of you? Yet, even better! what if you add to those moments and breaks, a bit of self-compassion?

Self-compassion is food for your mind and soul. It allows you to understand that whatever you do when you’re doing it, you believe to be the best action.

Judging your former self with the knowledge you have today is unfair. Is it not? Aren’t you more knowledgeable, wiser, more skilled, more aware of things than ten years ago? You, definitely, are! You are much better even compared to yesterday.

Give yourself compassion and believe that you are doing the best you know how in each moment of your life. If that is not enough for the society and your environment, that what could be, if any?


6. Connection

Success and accomplishment is a sad place to be in if you have no one to share them with. A big mansion means nothing for your level of happiness and contentment if you spend your days alone in it.

Aren’t being happy and healthy, feeling safe and free, what you want the most in life?
Being alone in the big mansion is a self-made prison; eating by yourself is a health hazard; walking alone through the vicissitudes of life can become a safety issue quickly.


THESE ARE JUST A FEW EXAMPLES OF HOW YOUR BIGGEST DESIRES IN LIFE CAN GET LOST AND DISSIPATE BEHIND SMOKING MIRRORS WHEN YOU HAVE NO MEANINGFUL CONNECTION TO OTHER PEOPLE.

Next time when you see people that prefer to stay in unhealthy and unhappy relationships, don’t ask yourself why are they doing it because loneliness is a bigger load to bear than hardship alongside to others.

That being said, choose this better option: gather around you people that you enjoy spending time with; people that love, appreciate, value, and accept you as you are.

Stay connected, reach out, build long-lasting and meaningful relationships and feel happy, healthy, safe and free no matter if you live in a mansion or a shack.


Summary

Time for yourself
The courage to say NO
Listen to your inner voice
Respect
Compassion
Connection
What other mind nourishing activities do you partake in? Leave a comment below.

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