Category: Success Attitude

At any given second, there are two million bits of information bombarding us. While it is impossible to consciously be aware of everything, our mind tends to filter all this stimuli and focus on a few chunks of information at a time.

Similarly, when we think of something in the past or something in the future, we tend to focus on certain aspects of the experience. And to us what we choose to focus on becomes most real in our minds.

Some people have a pattern of focusing on pictures, sounds and feelings that put them into un-resourceful states while others generate pictures, sounds and feelings them put them into resourceful states.

How about you? What do you do when you meet with failure? Some people keep playing mind pictures of themselves screwing up. Some people even play it like a bad movie, over and over again in their heads.

They keep seeing themselves making the bad decisions, experiencing the consequences and they re-play all the negative voices around them. They may play the sound of their boss shouting at them. Then they run an internal dialogue that goes like this: ‘How could I have been so stupid!’ ‘Why do I always screw things up?’

What kind of pictures and sounds should one play to produce a resourceful state?

Well, this is what positive people do when they encounter failure. They choose to re-present the failure as feedback that will lead them into finding a solution. Instead of re-playing scenes of the event or project that flopped, they focus on what they can learn from it, and how they will do it the next time…to get good results.

They may even imagine themselves succeeding, using what they have learnt from the past experience, and their success would be accompanied by the sounds of people cheering or the boss congratulating them.

They may play an internal dialogue that goes something like this: ‘I’ll make it the next time for sure’, ‘I’ll prove that I can turn things around’. Or they’ll say reflectively:’ Now, what can I learn from this experience’.

Our minds are never still or idle…throughout our waking hours we play mental programs continuously. Now, start becoming aware of the kind of mental program you usually run, when you are about to take on a challenging task?

For example, just before making an important presentation or writing a difficult report, what goes on in your mind?

Are you one of those who habitually focus on how difficult it is going to be? Do you see yourself being overwhelmed and stressed out? Do you mutter under your breath, ‘Oh no! How am I ever going to do this?’ ‘What if I screw up?’ ‘It’s just too difficult!’ You may even picture yourself screwing up or giving up. As a result you get into a state of nervous anxiety.

But can you choose to represent the challenge very differently in your mind? Of course! You could choose to focus on how easy, fun and rewarding the challenge will be. Confident people will picture themselves dealing with the task or project effortlessly. They may even have an internal voice saying, ‘I am finally getting this done! This is so rewarding!’ ‘I knew I could do it.’

Now, given the same challenge, why do some people rise to it while others feel apprehension? The interesting fact is that most of us do not consciously decide what pictures, sounds and feelings we are going to generate in our mind.

Our mind seems to be on auto-pilot and, within seconds of being faced with a challenge, it will subconsciously, create re-presentations. And the kinds of re-presentations created are dependent on past conditioning.

Isn’t this scary? It appears that we do not have much control over our mind! This is why most people feel that their emotions control them.

Begin by paying full attention to the ‘program’ that is running in your brain-mind. If you find that what you are thinking of is not putting you in a resourceful state, then change it! In short, consciously change WHAT you focus on! You may keep slipping back, and each time you do, pull yourself up and re-focus.

If you want to have mastery over your mind and emotions, then you must begin right away to control what you focus on!

Article contributed by Dr. Alan R. Zimmerman
In the movie, “A League of Their Own,” the baseball coach talked to his dispirited team, saying, “Of course it’s hard. If it wasn’t hard, everybody would do it!”
That’s the way it is with success. It can be hard. But there are four sure-fire ways to achieve success at almost anything every time without failure.
4 Ways to Achieve Your Goals & Succeed Every Time Without Failure
1. Work hard.
There’s no substitute for hard work. Simply put, there “ain’t no free lunch.”
When I look at highly successful people, I think, “It’s no wonder they’re doing so well. Look at everything they’re doing.”
Could the same thing be said about you? If someone were to follow you around for a week and painstakingly record everything you did to advance your career, would that person walk away with a long list of all the things you’re doing to get ahead? Or would that person have a long list of the excuses you gave and the time you wasted?
Sometimes people fool themselves into thinking they’re putting out a 100% effort … when in reality, they’re not. For example, many people are out of work these days, and I’ve often heard them say, “I sent out 100 resumes, and I didn’t get any response. I did everything I could.”
One hundred percent effort means that you’ve exhausted every possible opportunity for reaching your goal. If you’re looking for a job, 100 percent effort would include researching individual companies you want to work for, sending these companies personalized letters, calling to follow up, calling other people in the industry, and networking.
One hundred percent effort means telling a potential boss, “I’m sure you’ve got a lot of applicants here. But I believe so strongly in my ability to meet your needs, I’ll work for you for 30 days with no pay. Let me prove to you my ability. In 30 days, evaluate my performance. If it’s not up to par, let me go. But when I prove myself to you, I expect to be given the job and paid for the 30 days of work.”
Now that’s putting in 100% effort! And that’s what you need to do to succeed in any area of life … because success is more often the result of hard work than the result of talent.
2. Practice endurance.
To many people, “endurance” is a nasty word. They would like to come by success the “easy” way. They want it to fall into their laps.
But that’s an extremely rare occurrence. 99.99% of the time, success comes AFTER you “endure” awhile. And all the greats in every field of endeavor have learned how to “endure.”
As professional tennis player Bjorn Borg noted, “My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories.”
Could the same be said of you?
Or do people … secretly behind your back … say you bail out when things get a little tough? Do they say you give up way too easily or throw in the towel too quickly? Do they point out the fact that you seldom finish what you start?
If you answer “yes” to any of these latter questions, remember the words of John Quincy Adams. He noted, “Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” In other words, there’s power in perseverance.
3. Keep on believing.
Believe in yourself. Believe in a power bigger than yourself. Believe in success. And believe you can be successful.
That’s what Lee Iacocca, the former chairman of the Chrysler Corporation did. When the world told him to let his debt-ridden company die, Iacocca refused. He didn’t wait for the economy to change or for a government bailout to rescue him.
Iacocca kept believing in himself, in his company, in his products, and in his workers. He pronounced, “So what do we do? Anything — something. So long as we don’t just sit there. If we screw it up, start over. Try something else. If we wait until we’ve satisfied all the uncertainties, it may be too late.”
4. Stay committed.
Everything else being equal, commitment wins every time. So fight back any feelings of discouragement that might get in your way. Don’t allow yourself to hang it up when things get rough.
If you’re going to be successful, you’ve got to remember the letters M.I.H. It stands for… Make It Happen.
As you pursue your goals, as you strive towards excellence and success, follow these four points and you’re sure to win. After all, most people don’t fail. They just give up.
About the Author
Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to peak performance and incredible success to more than one million people. Now you can get a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in his life-changing “JOURNEY TO THE EXTRAORDINARY” program simply by visiting: http://www.journey-to-the-extraordinary.com

Article Contributed by By Sandy Grason
Last week I was having coffee with a new acquaintance, “Jen” who just happens to be one of the most successful business women I’ve ever met. I was sharing one of my crazy manifesting stories when Jen leaned into me, as if she was about to share some juicy bit of gossip and said; “Sandy, you have got such big balls and that’s why you get everything you want in business and in life”
Ahhhhhh! I fell backward, mouth wide open and began to laugh hysterically. “What are you talking about?!”
The rest of the day, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Jen said and wondering “What does it mean to have ‘balls’?” Is that even a good thing?
When I stopped to look at some of the amazing and FUN things that I’ve experienced in my life, I noticed that often times ‘it’ required me to step out of my comfort zone- sometimes in a major way.
So I came up with these tips and inspirations gleaned from my new favorite compliment.
How to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone & Find Your B.A.L.L.S. So You Can Get Everything You Want
B = Belief
You must have unshakeable belief in yourself and the World around you. It starts with a vision, and you have to believe that you wouldn’t have this vision if you didn’t already have everything you need to make it a reality.
A = Authenticity
You must be willing to authentically express yourself, even if it makes people uncomfortable. Be big. Be the Rock Star. Do not make yourself small in order to make others like you or to fit in. When you allow yourself to shine in your fabulousness, it will spill over onto those around you and lift them up.
L = Let’s Get Loud
These are the lyrics to Jennifer Lopez’s song “let’s get loud”, “You want to live your life, you got to live it all the way and don’t you waste it. There’s a feeling that could be so very sweet you gotta taste it. You gotta do it your way, you gotta prove it, you gotta mean what you say- you know what we’re here for! Let’s Get Loud”. There are words to live, love and laugh by.
L = Licious-ness
This is that Unique-ness that is only YOU. When you are clear in your Unique Essence, there is no competition. There is only one of you. When I turned 40, something happened & my “Sandy-ness” became “Sandy-liciousness.” You must express your most delicious & fabulous self in every moment!
S = Super-Hero
You must be the super-hero of your life. There is no knight-in-shining-armor coming to save you. Imagine that your life is a movie and YOU are the hero, the super-hero. Your life is waiting to be written, you might as well make it a blockbuster hit! BE that which you desire. Starting now….. Go!
How Having B.A.L.L.S. Helped Me Get Everything I Wanted in Business and in Life
Having B.A.L.L.S. has enabled me to write a best-selling book, land an agent and get a top publisher. Having B.A.L.L.S. helped me become an international speaker who steps out onto stages in front of thousands of people. Having B.A.L.L.S. has helped me create a 6-figure information marketing and coaching empire that allows me to work from home (often in my pj’s) doing what I love with my husband and family by my side.
What could having B.A.L.L.S. do for you?
Would having B.A.L.L.S. help your business grow faster? Would B.A.L.L.S. increase your bank account? Your client list? Your circle of influence?
You bet it would! It’s time to take action, right now. Go do something that scares you just a little. It is your responsibility to live your dreams! It is your responsibility to bring your expression, your Unique Essence, your B.A.L.L.S. to the world. It’s the only way you will get everything you want in business and in life.
So, go get ’em, baby!
About the Author
Sandy Grason is a Rock Star Author, International Speaker & Hot Mogul who helps women entrepreneurs and small business owners live their dreams and get everything they want in business and in life. Now you can take her new, free Hot Mogul Quiz and get Fabulous Free Gifts including: 60-minute mp3 download “The Manifesting Mojo Class” where you’ll learn how to rock your manifesting mojo now at http://www.sandygrason.com/freeaudio/

Imagine that the company you have worked so hard for in the last 20 years decided that it was time to retrench you because they can replace you with someone at half your salary. How would you feel?

What meaning would you give to this experience?

Most people would feel angry, bitter and rejected. Because it means that their source of income and security is gone, cut off.

They would feel betrayed. They would feel that they have just wasted 20 years of their life. They would feel that they are too old and no longer of value! The meaning they attach to this experience would put them in a totally un-resourceful state.

What do you think will happen when people in such a state go for a new job interview? Will they impress upon their prospective new employer qualities of enthusiasm, passion, energy and drive?

Not likely. Chances are that they will unconsciously exhibit low self-esteem, bitterness and jadedness.

As a result, it will take them a long time to find someone who wants to hire them. Even if they eventually find another job, it may be a part-time job or one of much lower status and pay.

Now, in this new job do you think they will give their all? Most likely they would be thinking to themselves, ‘What’s the point? I gave my best years to my former company, look where it has gotten me?’

As a result, this person will reinforce the meaning he has attached to the retrenchment, that it was the worst thing that has ever happened to him.

At the same time, I have also seen many other people attach a totally different meaning to the same experience of retrenchment. To these positive people, retrenchment means that it is the company’s great loss.

It means that they have the opportunity to start a new career or business in a field they have a whole lot more passion for. It means that they will finally be paid what they are worth!

And the ‘bonus’ is that they are getting a great pay-out which will be the seed money to get them started in a business they always wanted to be in, but never had a good reason to start. Getting retrenched also means that they have much more freedom and flexibility to plan ahead.

For those looking for a new employer, retrenchment could mean that they are glad to leave an ungrateful company and move to another where they would be more appreciated, whose corporate culture would be more in sync with theirs.

By framing retrenchment in this way, these people attach a whole different meaning to the same experience. They put themselves into a total resourceful state of possibility, enthusiasm, motivation, passion and excitement.

They will be driven to upgrade their skills, hunt for new career opportunities and even start their own business. As a result of taking all this action do you think they will end up in a situation that is better than where they were previously?

Of course! I have so many (older) friends who were forced to start their own business after the 1987 recession and, because of this, many of them are a lot wealthier, happier and have a greater sense of freedom and purpose.

One of these enterprising people I know has just listed his shipping company and is personally worth $28 million. He keeps saying that the layoff was the best thing that ever happened to him. Again, the meaning these people choose to give to their experience was the meaning they created.

Why is it that the same experience can destroy one person and empower another to a new level of success?

We re-present (frame) things very differently in our minds. Some people have a pattern of constantly framing experiences in such a way that it dis-empowers them and puts them in un-resourceful states. Others constantly frame things in a way that gets them empowered and extremely resourceful.

So which re-presentation of The Experience is true? Is it a blessing or a curse? Is it an opportunity or a problem? However you choose to re-present the experience becomes true for you.

Are you ready to sit down and start designing the kind of life you want? Before we get started, there are three major keys that every one of your goals must have.

They must be:

1) Be Specific & Measurable
The more specific you are, the more focused your mind and efforts will be. Specific and measurable outcomes will lead to effective strategies and actions. If you want your health to improve, you must set specific and measurable targets such as ‘how much weight do I want to lose?’

‘What pulse rate do I want to achieve’ ‘what is my targeted body-fat ratio?’ ‘How many hours must I spend in the gym each week?’ ‘How many calories will I allow myself to take in a day?’ ‘How many miles should I run or how many laps must I swim at each session and how many times a week ?

Under personal development goals, you may want to set goals such as ‘What new languages do I want to learn? And to what standard?’ ‘How many books do I want to read each month, and in what areas?’ You must also be specific about the time frame you are giving to each goal and list a specific date of accomplishment.

2) Passionate and Exciting
Have you ever been so passionate and excited about doing or achieving something that it kept you awake all night? You kept thinking about it every waking moment? Maybe it was your first trip to an exciting new destination. It could also be participating in an important tournament, meeting that special person or planning your 21st, 30th, 40th birthday celebration.

When we are passionate about achieving something vitally important to us, it gives us a level of energy and focus that cannot be matched. It is this level of passion and excitement that we must have for our goal(s), if we ever want to achieve it!

When people ask me, ‘Where do you get the energy and discipline to keep writing books, developing seminars and starting new companies?’, I reply by saying that I get so passionate and excited about my goals, to the extent that they charge me up continuously.

I sleep, breathe and dream my goals every single day until they are achieved! Then I set a new one, at a higher level!

When people seem to lack discipline or will power, it is not that they are lazy, it is simply because their goals are not exciting enough for them. They are not passionate about what they want to achieve!

Tiger Woods loves to play golf. Donald Trump loves the art of the deal, Steven Spielberg loves to make larger-than-life movies and Bill Gates loves technology and the idea of shaping the world. Even if they had all the money in the world (which they do), they would still be as obsessed with their goals.

So, you must set goals that you are passionate about. How? Simply ask yourself this question, ‘Even if I had $10 billion, what would I still want to do and accomplish? What would I be willing to do for free if I had all the money in the world?’

Write down what you are truly passionate about and what comes from your heart rather than just from your mind.

3) Stretch Goals for Quantum Results

Most people I know tend to subscribe to setting for themselves merely incremental goals. Incremental goals are goals that are slightly higher than what you are currently achieving. For example, if you were making $2000 a month in income, an incremental goal would be $2500.

A stretch goal, on the other hand, is when you set for yourself an outcome that is way beyond your current level of ability and skill. If you were making $2000 a month, an example of a stretch goal would be one aiming for $10,000 a month.

I believe that the most powerful goals you can set are stretch goals. This was a key ingredient that allowed me to achieve so much within such a short period of time.

Use these 3 keys and your goals will propel you towards the success you deserve in life!