Category: Success Attitude

Landing a new job is a challenge no matter who you are, where you live, or what you’re trying to accomplish. Still, it must be said that some jobs are harder to attain than others. Indeed, certain fields are so competitive that even qualified, talented professionals with experience may struggle to find a position to match their abilities. And of course, trying to get a new job when the market as a whole is depressed is even more difficult. With all that in mind, today we’re going to explain how ambitious professionals can break into a crowded industry and secure their dream job. Check it out here:

Acquire the Hard Skills

First thing’s first: most lucrative positions require a certain level of knowledge and expertise. This means that applicants have to have a firm grasp of the hard skills necessary to do the job. For instance, a Spanish-to-English translator must be able to understand different dialects and accents; a scientist working in a lab must know how to handle sophisticated equipment like 2 ml cryovials –– and so on. The good news is that dedicated pros can always go back to school to bolster their education, should they need to develop new skills to land a better job. 

Sweat the Small Stuff

In many instances, small details separate the most successful individuals from the rest of the pack. The difference between getting an interview with an influential business leader and getting a rejection letter could boil down to a few key lines or phrases on your resume. As such, job-seekers in competitive fields should ensure that everything about their presentation –– from their resume, to their cover letter, to their personal website, and even their wardrobe selection –– is unimpeachable. 

Network

It’s a cliche, but who you know in business does really matter almost as much as what you know. Building relationships takes time, and networking can sometimes feel unnatural or forced. Yet, cultivating a good rapport with others in your field will help you advance your career and climb the corporate ladder. Bottom line: don’t be afraid to play the long game here!

Persevere 

Everyone struggles from time to time. Even if you do everything right, you could have to wait five, ten, or even twenty-plus years to finally reach your most desired professional goals. The key is learning how to persevere during the difficult moments. Picking yourself up after a setback won’t be fun, but if you manage to keep your eyes on the prize and maintain a positive attitude, you’ll achieve great things soon enough.

I’m humbled that my career as a penny stock trader has helped earn me the title “millionaire,” and I’m even more blown away to count two of my students among the ranks of this elite club.

Having worked my way up from a few thousand dollars in bar mitzvah money to a few million has given me a unique perspective. I know what it’s like to start out with no big advantages, but I’ve also had plenty of exposure to the unique way millionaires think and act.

As a result, I’ve been able to see what they do differently and how they both earn the big bucks and protect their financial positions. I’ve applied all of these principles to my own life, and if you aren’t currently where you want to be financially, I recommend you do the same.

1. Millionaires work hard.

The “get rich quick” thing is such a cliché, but the thing is, it’s rarely ever true. We all see startups earning million dollar valuations, but the real story is that their “overnight success” was ten years in the making.

Millionaires aren’t afraid to work hard, and they take advantage of the principle of “success begets success.” When you have a few small wins, you build on them. You take the next step and you keep plugging away, because you’ve had a taste of success and it’s great!

I hear from a lot of trading students who are looking for a way to make a few quick bucks trading penny stocks, and I always have to disappoint them. There are no secret “hacks” to building generational wealth. There’s only hard work, discipline and a willingness to push ahead through any circumstances.

2. Millionaires have clear goals.

Do you know why millionaires are so willing to work hard? Sure, experiencing regular success helps, but it’s also because they have clear goals.

Let me give you an example… Which of the following statements do you find to be more motivating: “When I get rich, I’m going to buy a nice car?” or “When I get rich, I’m buying a cherry-red Lamborghini Aventador LP 750-4 Superveloce?”

Which one do you think will motivate you more to do the hard work required to become a millionaire?

When I was in high school — when I got my start as a stock trader — I had a poster of a Lamborghini hanging on my wall, because that’s what I was working towards. My dream was so clear I could practically feel the wind whipping around my face as I showed off my sweet ride to my envious friends.

That’s the kind of goal you need to have if you ever want to be successful. If your current goals are a bit lackluster, whip them into shape to continue down the path towards becoming a millionaire.

3. Millionaires are willing to fail.

Being afraid of failure makes you overly cautious. If you’re constantly afraid of failing, you’ll miss out on the opportunities that present themselves to you — all because you were too scared to move forward.

Millionaires take a different approach. Instead of being afraid of failure, they welcome it. They see it for what it is, a chance to learn valuable lessons that show you the way forward.

Sure, you’re not going to go out there and deliberately fail. That would be stupid, whether you’re an entrepreneur, a penny stock trader or some other kind of professional.

But when you do fail, and it’s virtually guaranteed that you will, try to learn what you can from the experience. Yes, it’ll sting, but if you use your failures as opportunities to improve yourself and your business, you’ll eventually become fearless in the face of the smart risks that’ll make you a millionaire.

4. Millionaires have successful mentors.

I have to tell you, if I’d had a good mentor when I started trading penny stocks, I’d have been a millionaire years sooner. I was figuring everything out on my own. Learn from my mistake!

A good teacher can cut years off your learning curve and save you huge amounts of money. A mentor can’t do your work for you, but they can keep you from making the same mistakes they made – and that’s a pretty priceless lesson.

I look at the two millionaire students that have come out of my Millionaire Challenge trading program, and I see that both of them have hit the seven-figure mark in just a few years by leveraging lessons that took me much longer to learn. Their examples prove to me that no matter who you are – and no matter what you’re doing – you’ll benefit from having a successful mentor at your side.

4 Habits of Millionaires That Work for Everyone [Entrepreneur]

This is the fifth step of a five-part series where I’m walking you through the five steps of transformation and why each step is essential when you’re ready to make a huge shift and uplevel your business and/or life.

Step 1 is to pause. Step 2 is to make a decision. Step 3 is to take action — the opposite action you normally would take. Step 4 is to feel all the emotions that come up when you’re doing the opposite action.

So, what’s the final step? Give yourself time.

After going through a ton of transformation and shifts since 2012 when my mother was first diagnosed with cancer and continuing through her death, I’ve come to this very important conclusion:

Transformation only happens as fast as you can handle it.

Look, I get it. We all want it to happen yesterday. And, this can be particularly difficult and stressful if we’re feeling urgency around our transformation. For instance, we need our business to start making more money (like yesterday) because we have bills to pay.

But, as impatient as you feel right now and as much as you may want to hurry the process along, you just can’t force it.

It’s going to happen in its own sweet time. And the best thing YOU can do is surrender to process, remember to breathe, and trust you will be supported and taken care of throughout the journey.

So, why can’t you hurry things along?

Well, I think there are a few reasons. Our nervous system can only handle so much change at any one time. Especially if we have a lot of feelings such as fear, anger, resentment, old grief, shame and guilt that have been building up because we’ve been refusing to feel them … there’s only so much we can take at any one time.

Our bodies are wise. We’ll only go as fast as our bodies can process those feelings and move them out of our body. But, if we have a lot of triggers stored up and a lot of feelings that are blocking us from taking action, it’s just going to take time to let them move through us.

In addition, sometimes things must happen in the right order. For instance, in order to actually sell a book, we need to not only complete the book but also publish it. We’ll never experience book sales unless we have a book to sell.

Now, I know that sounds simplistic, but think about it. Things need to happen in the right order. And when we try and push and force, we may be trying to make something happen that actually CAN’T happen because we haven’t put the foundation in place.

Let me illustrate with my blog. So, two things happened that helped make my blog far more popular and sticky after I had been blogging for over a year. Both things couldn’t have happened any sooner than when they did.

The first I started to feel far more confident creating longer blog posts, like between 1000 and 2000 words. I found I was able to take a stand on what I believed, where I was more wishy washy about doing this before.

Part of why I was able to feel that confidence is because I had allowed myself to feel all those feelings that wanted to stop me from consistently showing up. Those feelings were stopping me from fully stepping into my next level. So, the only way I was able to access this confidence was by feeling the feelings and taking action.

The second was more practical. I switched my theme to more of an online magazine theme. But, that theme only made sense after I had over a year of content on it. If I had set up the blog with that theme since the beginning, it would have been silly. It was only after more than a year of consistently creating content did I have enough on there to make that theme make sense.

That’s what I mean about things needing to happen in a certain order. Sometimes you need more practical steps to happen, and sometimes YOU have to be a different person because you’re not letting your fear-based emotions stop you from taking action toward your dreams.

I’ve been doing a lot of presenting recently, especially online summits and I have no problem admitting that it’s tough. For those not born with natural eloquence, public speaking can be remarkably nerve-racking.

How to Calm Down Before a Presentation

We can’t all deliver the next Gettysburg Address, but there are several small things you can do prior to your next big presentation that will help calm your nerves and set you up for optimal oration.

1. Practice. Naturally, you’ll want to rehearse your presentation multiple times. While it can be difficult for those with packed schedules to spare time to practice, it’s essential if you want to deliver a rousing presentation. If you really want to sound great, write out your speech rather than taking chances winging it. If you really want to practice, it’s best if you do it with the pros. Consider attending a media training workshop online to make sure you’re always prepared to answer any difficult questions.

Try to practice where you’ll be delivering your talk. Some acting strategists suggest rehearsing lines in various positions-standing up, sitting down, with arms open wide, on one leg, while sitting on the toilet, etc. (OK, that last one may be optional.) The more you mix up your position and setting, the more comfortable you’ll feel with your speech. Also try recording your presentation and playing it back to evaluate which areas need work. Listening to recordings of your past talks can clue you in to bad habits you may be unaware of, as well as inspiring the age-old question: “Is that what I really sound like?”

2. Transform Nervous Energy Into Enthusiasm. It may sound strange, but I’ll often down an energy drink and blast hip-hop music in my earphones before presenting. Why? It pumps me up and helps me turn jitters into focused enthusiasm. Studies have shown that an enthusiastic speech can win out over an eloquent one, and since I’m not exactly the Winston Churchill of presenters, I make sure that I’m as enthusiastic and energetic as possible before going on stage. Of course, individuals respond differently to caffeine overload, so know your own body before guzzling those monster energy drinks.

3. Attend Other Speeches. If you’re giving a talk as part of a larger series, try to attend some of the earlier talks by other presenters. This shows respect for your fellow presenters while also giving you a chance to feel out the audience. What’s the mood of the crowd? Are folks in the mood to laugh or are they a bit more stiff? Are the presentations more strategic or tactical in nature? Another speaker may also say something that you can play off of later in your own presentation.

4. Arrive Early. It’s always best to allow yourself plenty of time to settle in before your talk. Extra time ensures you won’t be late (even if Google Maps shuts down) and gives you plenty of time to get adapted to your presentation space.

5. Adjust to Your Surroundings. The more adjusted to your environment you are, the more comfortable you’ll feel. Make sure to spend some in the room where you will be delivering your presentation. If possible, practice with the microphone and lighting, make sure you understand the seating, and be aware of any distractions potentially posed by the venue (e.g., a noisy road outside).

6. Meet and Greet. Do your best to chat with people before your presentation. Talking with audiences makes you seem more likeable and approachable. Ask event attendees questions and take in their responses. They may even give you some inspiration to weave into your talk.

7. Use Positive Visualization. Whether or not you consider yourself a master of Zen, know that plenty of studies have proven the effectiveness of positive visualization. When we imagine a positive outcome to a scenario in our mind, it’s more likely to play out the way we envision.

Instead of thinking “I’m going to be terrible out there” and visualizing yourself throwing up mid-presentation, imagine yourself getting tons of laughs while presenting with the enthusiasm of Jimmy Fallon and the poise of Audrey Hepburn (the charm of George Clooney wouldn’t hurt either). Positive thoughts can be incredibly effective-give them a shot.

8. Take Deep Breaths. The go-to advice for jitters has truth to it. When we’re nervous, our muscles tighten-you may even catch yourself holding your breath. Instead, go ahead and take those deep breaths to get oxygen to your brain and relax your body.

9. Smile. Smiling increases endorphins, replacing anxiety with calm and making you feel good about your presentation. Smiling also exhibits confidence and enthusiasm to the crowd. Just don’t overdue it-no one enjoys the maniacal clown look.

10. Exercise. Exercise earlier in the day prior to your presentation to boost endorphins, which will help alleviate anxiety. Better pre-register for that Zumba class

Don’t be afraid to slow down and use pauses in your speech. Pausing can be used to emphasize certain points and to help your talk feel more conversational. If you feel yourself losing control of your pacing, just take a nice pause and keep cool.

12. Use a Power Stance. Practicing confident body language is another way to boost your pre-presentation jitters. When your body is physically demonstrating confidence, your mind will follow suit. While you don’t want to be jutting out your chest in an alpha gorilla pose all afternoon (somebody enjoyed Dawn of the Planet of the Apes a bit too much), studies have shown that using power stances a few minutes before giving a talk (or heading to a nerve-racking interview) creates a lasting sense of confidence and assurance. Whatever you do, don’t sit-sitting is passive. Standing or walking a bit will help you harness those stomach bats (isn’t that more appropriate than butterflies?). Before you go on stage, strike your best Power Ranger stance and hold your head high!

13. Drink Water. Dry mouth is a common result of anxiety. Prevent cottonmouth blues by staying hydrated and drinking plenty of water before your talk (just don’t forget to hit the bathroom before starting). Keep a bottle of water at arm’s reach while presenting in case you get dry mouth while chatting up a storm. It also provides a solid object to hurl at potential hecklers. (That’ll show ’em.)

15. Don’t Fight the Fear. Accept your fear rather than trying to fight it. Getting yourself worked up by wondering if people will notice your nervousness will only intensify your anxiety. Remember, those jitters aren’t all bad-harness that nervous energy and transform it into positive enthusiasm and you’ll be golden. We salute you, O Captain! My Captain!

Worried About Your Next Business Presentation? 15 Ways to Calm Your Nerves [SmallBizTrends]