Great Personal Development Secrets That Can Help You Succeed in Life   by Dex Dest

Personal Development secrets that Can Help You succeed in life
Making the choice to pursue personal development can be an energizing experience, and it can give you a feeling of being in control of your life. Keeping your energy levels high is the best way to work toward reaching your goals. This article contains useful information and tips to help you get a better understanding of personal development.
One part of depression you may not thought of to look at is your diet and increasing the amount of complex carbohydrates that you consume. If you are not consuming adequate amounts of complex carbohydrates, your serotonin levels may be lower than they should be. Increase your consumption of fresh fruits, raw vegetables, nuts, brown rice, assorted beans and whole grains to have a diet that is enriched in complex carbohydrates.
TIP! You need to be your highest priority since you can't please everybody. This doesn't mean that you should only think of yourself, especially if it hurts others, but you often have to put yourself first or no one else will.
Be on the lookout for new challenges all the time. Finding a new challenge will open up new possibilities. You can learn a lot of new stuff and new skills. It is completely likely that you can set a new standard from accomplishing something before others have. Do something new and unique, instead of copying others.
Humility is key. We are all but tiny dots in the scope of this universe. Life is a learning process and no one person knows everything. Understand this and open yourself up to new opportunities. Keep an open mind and you will always find new things others can teach you.
TIP! Are you having problems meeting someone that is right for you? Explore your options on the Internet. Almost half of all couples, about 40%, met their partner online.
Exercise is not just for people trying to lose weight. There are many different reasons to exercise. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins, improving your mood and keeping you calm.
Find out how successful people improved themselves. Find out what other people have done to become more successful in their careers. Reading about positive experiences others have had, as well as lessons learned, can really enhance your personal development.
TIP! If you are in the process of self development, it can be a blow to fail but keep going. Approach your failures as opportunities to learn.
Accept your limitations before engaging in personal development. If you admit that you are simply a tiny part of this world, you will begin to recognize how much you still have to learn. Once you adopt this mindset, you will be more open-minded and receptive to new knowledge, which will lead to self-improvement.
You need to understand the distance between the place you are now, and the place you want to be in the future. Self realization is the key to beginning this kind of journey. If you can't figure out what the difference is, chances are you won't find success in reaching your goals.
TIP! Instead of focusing on your own achievements, ask others about theirs. People will appreciate your company more, and you will find new common points of interests between you and your friends.
Become aware of the kind of person you actually are instead of your superficial physical appearance. It does not matter if you wear the most expensive designer clothes or look like a super model. The person that you are inside will overshadow what you look like in your life. Build your inner character rather than focusing on outside appearance.
A very important part to personal development would be to know what you want from your life. Having long term goals will make quite the difference in how you perceive the world around you.
TIP! In order to succeed and become a champion, it's imperative to have a great coach. Behind every champion, there is a coach that helps serve as a mentor.
Base your development plan on your values and goals. It wouldn't make sense to develop a trait that was contrary to who you are. Focus on positive aspects to improve. These aspects should mesh with your values. This is the best way to make long-term changes.
Do you find yourself consuming alcohol far too often? Are there other such vices harming your body such as smoking or recreational drug use? Our body is sacred, and we should respect it and treat it as so. One way to improve your life is by getting rid of any bad habits that you have. Look at how you are living your life, and check if you are participating in any negative habits that should be eliminated.
TIP! Try to make the most of your time at work and get more done. The simple trick is to take more breaks when you work.
Research positive habits that have helped others become successful. Don't try to make too many changes at once. Start with two or three fundamentals that can make a difference, and practice those few until they feel natural to you. It is said that any new habit can be achieved in 21 days, so keep at it.
It is almost impossible to have a happy, healthy mind when your body has been neglected entirely. Exercising regularly and eating well helps tremendously. Remember, a healthy mind and a healthy body go hand in hand.
TIP! Always aspire to do your best at everything you do. The passions you have should always make you want to achieve greatness.
Don't use shopping as a comfort technique. Spend your time on more productive and useful pursuits. Clean the house, play an instrument or take up a sport. This will reduce stress, save you money and turn you into a more interesting, well-rounded person.
When developing a plan for personal improvements, include the values that are most important in your life. You should try your hardest to prioritize what you consider important.
TIP! Before you begin working on your personal development, you first need to understand your place in the universe. If you admit that you are simply a tiny part of this world, you will begin to recognize how much you still have to learn.
Avoid making a personal development goal that is unnecessarily complicated, or not well defined. Set goals that are specific and achievable, and include a timeline. Specific goals will get specific results.
Having a good attitude can help you evolve as a person. Having a negative attitude will only hold you back and keep you from success. Your goals will be more attainable, and your life happier, with a positive approach to your everyday world.
TIP! Track your progress better through proper organization. If you break big goals down into little sub-goals, you will gain confidence as you achieve the sub-goals.
It doesn't matter how many of the above methods you utilize. Using just a few of these can assist you on a better path of personal development. You can tackle the hard work ahead armed with these sound tips.http://goarticles.com/article/Great-Personal-Development-Secrets-That-Can-Help-You-Succeed-in-Life/7215590/

Learn Time Management to Achieve Your Goals

Learn Time Management to Achieve Your Goals

In order to accomplish all of your goals in 2015, you may need to put in more effort than you usually do. Putting in more effort may require that you learn time management to achieve your goals. Radio personality and actor Steve Harvey mentioned the following in an interview once:

“You can decide to be two types of people. You can be ordinary, or you can be extraordinary. The only difference between those two words is extra. If you do extra, you can be extraordinary. If you don't want an extraordinary life, just stop doing extra.”

This is especially true if you are working in a current job while planning to make a career change. When changing your career, you have to expend extra effort because you are maintaining your current responsibilities while building a new life.

• Watercooler talk time becomes break time on your phone doing research for your career change, making calls or researching information online.
• Former lunch time with colleagues becomes coaching sessions over the phone with your coach and running errands to find out information and check out resources that will support your goals.

You see, effective time management is the first step toward being extraordinary. You have the same 168 hours per week, but the proficiency in which you use your time will change. You can use time management scheduling to include investing time in your goals. You can use your time to:

• look for organizations and online communities where you can learn more about different industries
• seek ways you can volunteer in these communities for a short time to get a feel for the environment – test the waters
• connect with others that share your interests to learn and find support

Learning time management will take some time to get right but the discomfort and possible frustration will not last. It is a temporary by-product of building something new. Construction is dusty and noisy in the beginning, but the result is a beautifully designed, functional, building that serves a purpose. If you haven't been able to accomplish the goals you set at the beginning of this year, with 2015 around the corner, this is the best time to make a fresh start to learn time management. Don't let anything or anyone stop you from your goals. Remember, your potential for success is unlimited. When you push yourself just a little past your comfort zone, you will be amazed at what you can achieve.

"Success is almost totally dependent upon drive and persistence. The extra energy required to make another effort or try another approach is the secret of winning." -- Denis Waitleyhttp://www.liveyourpotential.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/learn-time-management-to-achieve-your.html

7 Eccentric Rituals of Outstanding Leaders

• Success Advice

by Joel Brown -

702

267

50

248

If you want to succeed as an entrepreneur you have to think from a different angle.
You can’t think outside the box, you have to think as if the box doesn’t even exist.
Here are 7 amazing entrepreneurs that are leading the way in their fields using unorthodox rituals to change the game. Here they share their innovate approach to handling business.
If you are aspiring to succeed in business you may want to practice making some of these rituals part of your daily routine.

1. Richard Branson

2. Arianna Huffingtonhttp:

3. Jeff Bezos

4. Elon Musk

5. Warren Buffett

6. Michael O’Leary

7. Mike Parker

These awesome pictures were designed by Next Generation.

http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/7-eccentric-rituals-of-outstanding-leaders/

7 Ways To Transform Your Goals Into Rock-Solid Systems

• Success Advice

by Scott L. Sind -

982

453

29

270

You’ve been there.
Maybe you have unfinished novels scattered across your hard drive, or haven’t picked up your guitar in weeks, or have stopped practicing that new language you so desperately wanted to learn.
Goals are easy to conceptualize. It’s easy to convince yourself that this time it’s different.
But it still doesn’t work.
Why is it so hard to actually achieve the goals we set for ourselves? Why do so many of us fail?
Here’s a hint—it’s not about your level of commitment. That’s irrelevant.
When we set goals, we too often plunge head first into the deep end with our eyes on one thing only — the achievement itself.
This, my friend, is why you fail.
You’re approaching your goals the wrong way. Not only that, you’re choosing the wrong kinds of goals to begin with.
Here are 7 ways to transform your goals into rock solid systems.

1. Adopt a systems mindset

Focusing only on the achievement of your goal doesn’t give you the best chance of success.
Scott Adams, in his book How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big, said that achievement-oriented people “exist in a state of continuous presuccess failure at best, and permanent failure at worst if things never work out.” What he means is that end-state thinking creates a division between progress and achievement.
In other words, if you aren’t winning, you’re failing.
A system is defined as “an organized, purposeful structure that consists of interrelated and interdependent elements.” A systems mindset shifts your thinking away from the end-state and lets you focus on your progress.
To skyrocket your chances of success, you have to be systems-oriented. And you must start with the right kinds of goals.

2. Get big with your goals! Forget being S.M.A.R.T.

Successful companies set long-term strategic goals, called BHAGs (Big, Hairy, Audacious Goals). Consider these classic examples:
• “Crush Adidas.” (Nike, 1960’s)
• “Every book, ever printed, in any language, all available in less than 60 seconds.” (Amazon)
• “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth.” (JFK, 1961)
BHAGs are clear, compelling, represent a vision, and inspire tremendous effort.
My favorite example of a personal BHAG comes from Arnold Schwarzenegger before he was famous. When asked what he was going to do after his bodybuilding career was over, he said, “I’m going to be the number-one box office star in Hollywood.” How’s that for big?
S.M.A.R.T. goals (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Reasonable, and Time-bound) don’t inspire us the way BHAGs do. They are limiting and are often boring.
We need to allow more room in our lives for those BHAGs that excite us, that stimulate our success triggers and enable us to think more creatively about our futures.
When setting your goals, go big. Think BHAG.

3. Get strategic, and layer in your tactics

Strategy gives us the how behind an idea. It propels us forward and guides us where we need to go.
Strategic goals help us achieve our BHAGs because they drive everything we do.
Consider the BHAG, “To live a life of abundance, free of financial burden.” What could be one strategic goal that aligns with this BHAG? How about “make an extra $1000 a month?” Setting this strategic objective could help you achieve your vision of living abundantly.
Tactics, then, comprise the what behind our strategy. Tactics are the specific actions we take based on our strategic objectives.
In the example above, you could brainstorm specific actions to make an extra $1,000 a month — work overtime three days a week, sell one freelance article a week, or shop garage sales on weekends and sell items on eBay for a profit.
The tactics you implement support your strategic goals, which in turn align with and push you toward your BHAGs.
Break these tactics down even further into actionable components that can become habits. For your tactic of selling an article a week, start with a simple action to “write 200 words every day.” Pretty soon, this becomes a habit, and you’ve built a set of behaviors that link your habits to your tactics, your tactics to your strategy, and your strategy to your BHAG.
You’ve taken the initial steps to create a rock-solid system!
But we’re not done yet.

4. Set milestones and celebrate them

Rock-solid systems must contain benchmarks to gauge their effectiveness. How else will you know if your systems are working?
These could be time-bound, such as 30 days in, 90 days in, etc. Or they could be results driven, with intervals set at certain waypoints (5 pounds lost, 10 pounds lost, $100 extra per month, etc.).
How you set your milestones is far less important than the fact that you set them to begin with. We must be able to measure ourselves against the progress we expect to achieve.
And when you reach a milestone, the first thing you should do is celebrate! Don’t let small wins pass you by.
Every gain, no matter how incremental, is movement in the right direction. I can’t emphasize this point enough. If you don’t make the effort to cheer for yourself, then I would question whether or not you’ve set the right goal or have a clear vision.

5. Assess your progress and don’t be afraid to pivot.

If your system isn’t working, whether you scrap it or tweak it is up to you. If the probability of reaching your next milestone is low, you might need to make some significant adjustments.
Perfectly fine.
One of the beautiful things about systems is that they’re flexible. If something isn’t working, try a different approach.
Entrepreneurs do this quite well. It’s commonplace to hear of serial entrepreneurs who failed miserablyhttp://addicted2success.com/success-advice/7-ways-to-transform-your-goals-into-rock-solid-systems/ time and again until they implemented the right system.
This is another reason why I love BHAGs. They help me keep my eye on the prize and worry less about the small stuff.

6. Get an accountability partner (or team) and solicit feedback.

One pair of hands alone can’t build rock-solid systems. Sometimes we just need someone to push us.
If you work alone, you know how easy it is to anchor yourself on one concept or idea.
We create more value when we’re able to share our thoughts and ideas with others.
An accountability partner or team can be like your own personal board of directors. They have your best interests at heart, and if you have a great partner, they won’t hesitate to tell you when something is broken.
So outline your system for a trusted friend or mentor and ask, “What do you think?” And check in with them on a regular basis.
I guarantee you’ll get better results.

7. Focus on the journey

With systems-oriented thinking, you will not have immediate gratification. And that’s okay. Working towards BHAGs are about pushing yourself, immersing yourself in your values and working toward your envisioned future.
Systems force you to focus on your journey and help you build habits that align with your goals. And once you’ve built those systems, you will never worry about achieving your goal—because you will!
The system won’t allow you to fail.
You now have a framework for building rock-solid systems, but the rest is up to you. It isn’t enough to just read these steps, nod your head in agreement and move onto another topic.
It’s true – setting goals and implementing rock-solid systems is a lot of work. But the payoffs are worth ten times that effort.
Achieving your goals feels great. Building systems that take you beyond your goals feels even better.
Rock-solid systems are life changing. If you’re willing to put in the hours, you’ll become a goal-getting machine.
When will you start?  http://addicted2success.com/success-advice/7-ways-to-transform-your-goals-into-rock-solid-systems/

Self esteem cartoon

How to Know When It’s Time to Give Up

By Cloris Kylie Stock

“The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning the work of becoming yourself.” ~Anna Quindlen
Growing up, I refused to go to bed until I fit the last piece of my jigsaw puzzle. That’s when I first understood that it could be difficult to give up, but I didn’t think my perseverance was a problem.
Soon after, however, I realized that blind persistence could turn into an exhausting and useless quest.
When something unjust happened to me or to someone I loved, I worked relentlessly to “make things right.” In many occasions, my attempts to fix a negative situation would only make matters worse.
I wasted time and effort trying to stay in touch with people from high school and college who had no interest in keeping the friendship.
I held jobs where I wasn’t happy, making myself physically and emotionally ill.
Later, my persistence led me to three years of futile effort to save my troubled marriage. Living in pain through these three precious years taught me, among many things, that sometimes it’s imperative to give up.
You might be experiencing a situation that isn’t working and wondering whether you should persevere a little longer. You might wonder whether more time will allow you to fix the problem or reach the goal. After all, people always say, “Never give up.”
How do you know when it’s time to give up? Here are five signs that might help you decide.

Your quest to solve a problem takes over all other aspects of your life.

If you feel that you’re not enjoying life to the fullest because you can’t stop thinking about your situation, it might be time to reconsider the reasons you continue trying.
I became so overwhelmed by my desire to improve my marriage that I stopped focusing on my friends, family, and career. Don’t let this happen to you.
Working toward a worthwhile goal should be elating and exciting. Lack of excitement about achieving what you think you want probably means that you’ve become used to striving and never arriving. It’s “what you do,” and this routine doesn’t serve you.
Also, you may be justifying a painful situation in the name of psychological comfort. Fear of the unknown or of upsetting other people could be the true driver of your efforts because perceived safety and popularity are comforting.
What would your life be like if you stopped trying? Notice the first feeling that arrives when you ask this question. A feeling of freedom or exhilaration is a sign you are ready to give up.

You aren’t able to visualize a positive outcome.

If you continue working to achieve a goal and yet, it seems like an impossible dream to be successful, you’ll sabotage your own efforts.
In a quiet place, contemplate the realization of your goal in detail. Can you clearly picture the resolution of your problem? Can you see yourself succeeding and feeling good about your success? If not, it‘s a good idea to reassess your commitment to the goal.
When I dreamed about a fairytale ending to my marriage issues, my inner voice would often tell me there was a very small change I would succeed.
However, my rational mind would kick in, and I would find new reasons to keep trying. This process of rationalization would eventually make me feel even worse about the possible outcome.

Your start to feel poorly about yourself.

Not being able to achieve your goal might result in self-doubt about your abilities. You might wonder whether there is something wrong with you.
In most cases, a job, relationship, or project that hurts your self-worth isn’t worth it.

You’re the only person who shows interest in solving the problem or reaching the goal, but the outcome also depends on other people.

This is particularly relevant in relationships.
If you are the only person who initiates contact with a friend or the only one who takes action to improve a relationship, it’s unlikely that the relationship will thrive or even survive.
Letting go of relationships in which you’re the only person invested will produce temporary pain, but once you’ve overcome the negative emotions, you’ll be able to welcome loving and uplifting people into your life.

When you wake up in the morning, your first thought is to give up.

You’re most attuned to your intuition when you first open your eyes after a night of rest, and your intuition always knows what is in your best interest.
The emotional pain I experienced when I chose to silence my inner voice wasn’t needed or worth it. Trust that your intuition is guiding you to the places you’re meant to go, the career you’re meant to have, and the people you’re meant to meet.
Making the decision to give up might not be easy, but will open the door to fulfilling and joyful life experiences. Letting go will set you on a path of learning, growth, and expansion!
Tired man image via Shutterstock  
http://tinybuddha.com/blog/how-to-know-when-its-time-to-give-up/

Does Your Time Allocation Match Your Priorities?

Posted by Donald Latumahina 

Does the way you use your time match your priorities?
It’s a simple question, but it’s essential. Many people say that something is important to them, but the way they use their time says otherwise. There is a mismatch between their time allocation and their priorities.
I was reminded of it when I read Extreme Productivity by Robert Pozen. In that book, the author emphasizes the importance of aligning how you use your time with your priorities. Clayton Christensen also says something similar in How Will You Measure Your Life.
The fact is, there are many things that could distract you from your priorities. If you are not careful, you could spend so much time on trivial things that you make only a little progress on your priorities.
I’m still learning to handle this myself, but from what I’ve learned, here are some steps you should take to match your time allocation with your priorities:
1. Know your priorities.
Before anything else, you must know what your priorities are. First, they should consist of your long-term goals. In addition, they should include maintaining your life balance (more on that below).
2. Track how you use your time.
People often don’t realize how much money they spend on something until they track their expenses. Similarly, you might not realize how you use your time until you track it.
There are many ways to do it. Jim Collins, for instance, uses a timer to track how much time he spends on different areas of his life.
In my case, I use a timer to track how much time I spend on my priorities. I track only the time spent solely on my priorities. Whenever I get distracted, I stop the timer. I track the time in 30-minute “blocks,” and record how many blocks I have each day. This is how I realized how badly I used my time.
Track your time usage. Then you will be able to see your real situation.
3. Eliminate or delegate.
If you find you need to allocate more time for your priorities, there are two things you should do:

1. Eliminate. Say no to non-essential things. As Rick Warren once said, you should say “no” to good opportunities so that you can say “yes” to the great ones.
2. Delegate. For things that you still need to do, try to get someone else to do them. You can use outsourcing web sites such Fiverr for this.

These two strategies will help you free up time for your priorities.
4. Maintain life balance.
Don’t forget that you should always keep your life balanced. For instance, don’t eliminate your social life to free up time for your career priorities. There are five aspects of life, and they must all be in balance.
5. Stay alert.
Matching your time allocation with your priorities is an on-going process. It’s not something you can do just once and be done with.
So stay alert. My suggestion is to keep tracking your time so that you know if you get off track. You can then take the necessary action to get back on track.
***
Using the steps above, you can match the way you use your time with your priorities. Your life will become effective and productive.   http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2014/12/02/time-allocation/

A Guide to Setting Long-Term Goals in Life

Posted by Donald Latumahina

A while back I wrote an article about Grit is defined as “perseverance and passion for long-term goals,” and it’s a common trait amongst great people. Read their biographies and you will see that they all have grit.
From the definition, you can see that an essential component of grit is having long-term goals. Why? Because you must have something to strive towards. You must have something that you want to achieve. Without long-term goals, there is no grit.

Why You Should Have Long-Term Goals

Here are the benefits of having long-term goals:
1. Your life will be exciting.
Can you imagine playing basketball without the basket? It would be boring, right? Similarly, your life would be boring if you didn’t have something to strive towards. Goals make your life exciting.
2. You can make decisions more easily.
Since you know where you are going, it will be easier for you to decide whether something is worth doing or not. You will have clarity when making decisions.
3. You can achieve something great.
Achieving something great takes time. Building
 might take years. Without long-term goals, you will only have infrequent, sporadic effort.

How to Set Long-term Goals

Now that we have seen the benefits of having long-term goals, let’s see how to set them. Here are a few guidelines to follow:
1. Realize that it’s a process.
Setting goals – especially long-term ones – takes time. It’s not something you can accomplish in one day. So take your time. There is no need to rush.
2. Match the goals with your strengths.
It’s important that you match your goals with your strengths. Your goals must be within your circle of competence. Taking multiple intelligence tests can help you find your strengths.
3. Set audacious goals.
Don’t waste your time with small goals. Your life is too precious for that. Instead, set the so-called  Your goals should be realistic, but they should also be challenging.
Rick Warren said that many people overestimate what they can do in one year, but underestimate what they can do in ten. The lesson? Go big with your long-term goals.
4. Have a strong “why”.
You have to overcome many obstacles in the pursuit of your goals. That’s why you must have a strong “why”.
Have a mission you believe in. It will sustain you through difficult times.
5. Start with a draft.
You don’t need to be perfect the first time, but you still need to start with something. So set some goals to start with. Find something in the intersection between your strengths, passions, and aspirations.
6. Adjust over time.
When you use a camera, the picture might seem blurry at first. But – as you adjust the focus – it will become sharp and in focus.
Similarly, your goals might seem blurry in the beginning, but as you keep moving in that direction – they will get sharper and sharper. You will have better clarity over what you want to achieve, as well as when and how.
A practice I find useful is to write down all the ideas I get along the way. That helps me adjust my direction.
***
http://www.lifeoptimizer.org/2014/11/18/long-term-goals-in-life/

8 Truths to Conquering Indecision

Are you stuck by indecision? Is it driving you a little crazy?
You know what I mean…thinking and more thinking, should I, shouldn’t I, what do I do, what would happen if… It usually results in a lot of aggravation and sleepless nights.
Yeah, I’ve been there too and it’s agonizing!
Want to be more decisive? 
Great, then keep reading!
You make thousands of decisions everyday: what to wear, what to eat, which way to go, who to talk to, on and on.  So, why do some decisions stop you in your tracks?
Fear!  Fear of change, of failure and of humiliation.
For many years I struggled making big decisions. I wanted everything to turn out perfect… at least my version of perfect. I was afraid of failure which trapped me in the ‘what if’ scenario.
Then things changed!
I can’t totally recall when I realized that decisions were only choices and I had control over them. But when I did it, my life shifted from  being indecisive to decisive.
Here are the 8 truths about decisions that changed my life:
1. There are no right or wrong decisions. A decision is only a decision! It can’t be right or wrong.  Only when you begin to personalize it with your thoughts, does it become right or wrong. Take this decision for example: Should you apply for that new position? It depends on your perception the position and what it means to you. Everyone would view this situation from a different perspectives. It is only your thoughts of desirable or not that create the conflict. The only decision you have to make is apply or not.
2. It’s okay to change your mind. No decision is set in stone.  Every decision you make can be replaced by another. Recall this saying: “If you don’t make the right decision, you can make the decision right.” Things change, we change, therefore it would be foolish to assume a decision is forever or that it can’t be changed.
3. Time erases memory. A month from now you may not even remember agonizing over this decision. In a year, you won’t remember making the decision.  If this is the case, why waste time and energy being stuck in indecisions?  Make a decision, see what happen and adjust as you go. It is all part of the flow of life.
4. A decision doesn’t need to be perfect. There is no way that you can predict all that might happen in the future. Knowing that the future can change in an instant should make you wonder how you could even consider a decision to be perfect. You can only make the best choice at this moment. Change is the only certainty in life. It is so much easier to accept it and work with it rather against it.
5. The worst that can happen. How many times have you imagined the worst possible scenario related to a decision and how many times has it come true? I would venture to guess…never!  Your imagination can create all sorts of obstacles and disasters. It is up to you to slay these imaginary dragons by keeping to the facts. Only you have the power to tame your thoughts.
6. It’s all about action. You know it, the ‘to do or not to do’ question. Indecision is about something blocking your ability to take action.  Have you ever noticed that as soon as you’ve made a decision things begin to move? Taking a step in the direction you want to go is enough to clear the blocks.
7. No decisions is a decision!  William James said, “When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.”  If you are not ready to choose by default then go ahead and flip a coin to make a decision.  Any action is better than no action.
8. Lack of direction. When you have a clear idea of whwhen you lack ere you are going and what you want there is less indecision. It is difficult to know what to choose direction and you may lose the advantage. As Maurice Switzer states, “Indecision has often given an advantage to the other fellow because he did his thinking beforehand.”
Making decisions has become so much easier for me when I remember that much of my dilemma is of my own making.
It is so freeing knowing that there are no right or wrong decisions, that I can change my decision at any time, and that my imagination creates most of my obstacles and movement always removes indecision. This helps me to get out of my own way to move forward.
How do you overcome indecision and move forward?http://www.stevenaitchison.co.uk/blog/8-truths-to-conquering-indecision/

50 Ways to Open Your World to New Possibilities

By Lori Deschene

“To get something you never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” ~Unknown
Maybe you feel stuck. Or bored. Or frustrated. It’s not that you don’t like the life you live, it’s just that you suspect there’s something more. Some greater sense of meaning or excitement. New connections. New adventures. New possibilities.
The truth is those possibilities are always within your reach. You may not be able to quit your job or develop new skills by osmosis; but every day contains within it countless opportunities, all dictated by the choices you make.
Some of those choices may seem inconsequential when you face them. They’re the little things, after all. Why not do it how you usually do? Why not stay in your comfort zone when it’s just so comfortable there?

Do it for the possibility. The possibility that if you make one minor change you may set the stage for major fulfillment. Sometimes even the smallest shift in thinking or doing can create the biggest opportunity. Here’s how to get started:

GET OUT OF YOUR HEAD

1. Challenge your beliefs about what you can and can’t do. Maybe you are a good leader.

2. Challenge your ideas about how things should work. Sometimes when you decide how things should be you limit your ability to be effective in the world as it actually is.
3. Have a vision session. Write in a journal, create a video, sketch—anything that lets you explore what excites you most.
4. Look for opportunities in a tough situation. Avoid a victim mentality, and opt instead for a “ready for new beginnings” attitude.
5. Remove something from your life that doesn’t serve you to make room for something better and new. You never know what you might let in when you let something go.
6. Commit to something you always say you’ll do but always fail to start—and then take the first step right now.
7. Turn your focus from something don’t want to something you do want. This allows you to shift your energy from complaining to taking action.
8. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Positive energy creates positive results.
9. Identify the blocks that keep you from breaking a bad habit. Anytime you improve your habits, you pave the path for personal excellence.
10. Forgive someone if you’ve been holding a grudge. Removing that block will open you up where previously you’d shut down.

GET OUT IN THE OPEN

11. Walk to work and open your eyes. You may find a gym you want to join or an organization where you’d like to volunteer.
12. Talk to someone while waiting in line and ask what they do. You don’t need to wait for a specified event to network.
13. Make an effort to connect with people you pass—smile and make eye contact for a little longer than usual. Being even slightly more open can open up your world.
14. Learn a new skill. Start taking piano lessons or karate classes.
15. Say yes to something you always talk yourself out of—sing karaoke or take a kickboxing class, even you’re afraid of you’ll feel embarrassed.
16. Take a walking lunch. Walk around your neighborhood for a half-hour with no destination in mind, and then eat at your desk when you return. You never know what will happen when you get out without a plan.
17. Volunteer at your local animal shelter or ASPCA chapter.
18. Start something you always assumed it was too late to do. Take gymnastics, learn guitar. If it moves you, get started today. It’s never too late.
19. Take up urban foraging—the act of foraging for “free” fruits and vegetables around your city (where harvesting is sanctioned). According to worldchanging.com, “It saves money (free food!), it reduces waste (all that fruit isn’t rotting on the ground) and it builds community (…by forcing interaction between strangers…).”
20. Join an adventure club to try new activities, like white water rafting and rock climbing, and meet new people at the same time.

GET IN WITH PEOPLE

21. Offer to help someone else. Sometimes it’s the best way to help yourself, and not just for the warm fuzzy feeling it provides. You never know what you’ll learn through the process.

22. Carpool to work. This gives you a chance to get to know coworkers better—good for socialization, and possibly good for your career.
23. Compliment a stranger on something you notice. Everyone likes to be appreciated, and it’s a great way to start a conversation.
24. Take pictures of things you find interesting that other people might not notice. When you’re trying to frame the smiley face of leftover food on your plate, people will naturally want to ask what you’re doing. (I know this from experience).
25. Do something you enjoy alone. Go to a museum or read a book in the park. You’re more accessible when you’re not engulfed in a crowd, making it easier for new people to approach you.
26. Wear an interesting T-shirt, something funny or nostalgic. You likely won’t get through a day wearing a Gem or Alf shirt with at least one conversation with someone new!
27. Move one of your friends into a new pool. Take one from the “we keep things light and casual” pool into the “we share our dreams and confide each other” pool. Research shows people who have five or more close friends describe themselves as happy.
28. Bring enough lunch to share with other people at work—particularly childhood favorites. Nothing bonds like shared nostalgia.
29. Pay attention to other people’s body language and expressions so you can offer assistance when they seem to need it.
30. Help someone else get out of their comfort zone. You just may set the precedent that you challenge each other in your friendship.

GET INTO YOUR WORK

31. Show up a half-hour early or leave thirty minutes late. You’ll get more done, you may impress your boss, and you might open yourself up to opportunities for growth, particularly if your coworkers aren’t around.

32. Speak up in a meeting, even if you don’t feel confident or you’re afraid you’ll be embarrassed. Your ideas can only take shape if you put them out there.
33. Hold your meeting outside. People work and engage differently in new environments, particularly when they can feel sunlight on their faces.
34. Hold a meeting standing up. This will most likely make it shorter, meaning you’ll be more efficient and create more time to work on something else.
35. Create a business card that speaks to what really matters to you, like Meng Tan’s “jolly good fellow” card.
36. Start learning a new language. The more people you can communicate with, the more valuable you become, particularly for work that involves traveling abraod. Only six percent of the world’s population speaks English.
37. If you don’t work in your dream industry, volunteer within it. This allows you to be your purpose now, even though you don’t have the job; gain experience; and make valuable connections.
38. Find a mentor. Ask someone who does what you’d like to do for tips.
39. Attend a networking event or conference that’s big in your industry. Collect at least ten business cards, and follow up with emails the next day.
40. Consider one of these creative ways to turn everyday situations into opportunities.

GET CAUGHT IN THE WEB

41. Check the Craigslist Community section for activities, events, and classes—and then send at least three emails today. Don’t wait.
42. Start a group at Meetup.com to connect with like-minded people, or join one that already exists.
43. Ask on Twitter if anyone can offer you tips to move forward with your dream.
44. Learn to cook one tweet at a time. @cookbook tweets entire recipes and instructions in 140 characters each.
45. Learn how to do anything that interests you on eHow, Instructables, or wikiHow.
46. Have a “friend trade” day on Facebook. Introduce your friends to one of yours, and ask them to do the same.
47. If you blog, find other bloggers in your niche and email them to introduce yourself.
48. Search WeFollow.com to find the most influential people in your niche, then initiate contact them through Twitter or email.
49. Become a host on Airbnb if you have a room to rent; it’s a great way to meet new people and earn a little extra cash!
50. Join the TinyBuddha forums to seek help and help others who need it. (Or subscribe to tinybuddha.com for more tips to live out loud!)
There’s a lot of information here—way more than you can tackle all at once. But it’s more about quality than quantity. Even just one small change can have a ripple effect into every area of your life. Of course it’s up to you to decide what’s possible.
How do you open your world to new possibilities?  http://tinybuddha.com/blog/50-ways-to-open-your-world-to-new-possibilities/

The Importance of Visualizing Your Goals

by Don Dulin

Visualizing your goals has become a hot trend recently. The idea behind visualizing your goals is that if you “see” your goal, you are more likely to achieve it. Some people find this technique silly, while others see it as bunk. I hope to show you that visualizing your goals can have a practical place in your life.

Do You Know Where You Are Going?

If you don’t know where you are going, or what you want out of life, how are you ever going to know what actions you need to take? You won’t. By knowing what you want out of life and then visualizing that along with the actions you need to get there will have a profound effect on you actually reaching your goals.

By Visualizing Your Goals, You Believe

Once you know where you are going and what you want out of life, you need to start believing you can attain it. By believing and visualizing this, you begin to slowly weed out self-doubt. This leads to ….

The More You Believe, The More Likely You Will Act

As you begin to believe more and more that you will reach your goals, you get motivated and begin to change your habits. Slowly but surely, you begin to do things you might otherwise not even attempt to do.
Athletes use visualization all the time to better their performance. Arguably the greatest golfer in the world, Jack Nicklaus once said,
“I never hit a shot, not even in practice, without having a very sharp in-focus picture of it in my head. It’s like a color movie. First I “see” where I want it to finish, nice and white and sitting high on the bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes, and I “see” the ball going there: its path, trajectory, and shape, even its behavior on landing. Then there’s a sort of fade out, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality.”
There is also a scientific study that was conducted on a few athletes that were looking to improve their free throws in basketball. They were divided into three groups:

• Group 1: They physically took practice free throw shots during the day
• Group 2: They only visualized making shots every day
• Group 3: They physically took practice free throw shots during the day and before going to bed, visualized making perfect shots.

The results of the study were amazing:

• Group 1 (only took shots): Improved free throw shooting by 7%
• Group 2(only visualized making shots): Improved free throw shooting by 10%
• Group 3 (took shots and visualized making shots): Improved free throw shooting by 32%

Keys to Visualizing Your Goals

There are some key aspects that you have to be aware of when visualizing your goals as a technique to help you reach your goals:
Focus on your senses: When I visualize the goal of my dream house, I am standing in my front yard with my dog. I can feel the warm sun on my back. I can hear my dog panting. I can smell the fresh cut grass. All of these things help my visualized goal to become more real. When you first begin to visualize, you may not be able to experience all of your senses. This is OK. It is a lot like trying to clear your mind meditating or trying to touch your toes when stretching. As first, you most likely cannot do either, but with time and practice, you are able to clear your mind and touch your toes.
Focus on details: This takes focusing on your senses to the next level. When I say focus on the details, I want you to get very specific. For instance, I can see the individual blades of grass and I can see the fibers of the tennis ball. Work your way up to being able to see very specific details. In time, this will become easier for you.
Overall, using visualization techniques go a long way in helping you to achieve your goals and dreams. There have been countless times in my life where I visualize something and it comes to pass. It might not happen tomorrow or the next day, but it does happen. Does this prove that visualization works and you will attain all of your goals through visualization? Most likely not, but you never really know. So then why chance it by not visualizing?
Image courtesy of Evgeni Dinev / FreeDigitalPhotos.nethttp://www.breathofoptimism.com/the-importance-of-visualizing-your-goals/

A Little Bit of Gratitude, Everyday!

By Devin C. Hughes on November 17, 2014 in Happiness

How many struggles have you encountered this week?
How many times have you bounced back quickly from each one?
Struggles are a part of everyday life, especially if you’re in sales. Each time you walk in a new door, you don’t know who you’re going to face, how you should address their concerns about your product, or what rebuttals you need to have ready. Living with so many variables is a touchy way to live.
Yes, you do your homework, but until you’re in the trenches and have come face-to-face with their situation, you don’t really know who they are or what they need to hear.
Then, say you don’t close.

There’s another struggle (or three) because you have a quota to reach this week and you aren’t on target for said quota. Sales is a jungle. Period. And even if you’re the king of the beasts, it’s a difficult life. Unless you’re grateful.
An attitude of gratitude makes the difference between feast and famine. Well, you won’t actually get rich just because you’re grateful, but you’ll feel like it.
And if you feel like it, you’ll perform better at your job, as well as at home.
Shawn Achor has been studying the effects of gratitude for decades and in all of his research, he’s discovered that gratitude: Makes us healthier, allows for better quality of sleep, gives us a greater sense of well-being, enables us to emotionally help and support others, and allows us to achieve more goals.
“…and allows us to be more successful.” Really.
The Gratitude Challenge
Are you ready to put yourself to a gratitude test? I challenge you, for the next 10 weeks to sit down each night and write down three things you’re grateful for. Three things. That’s all. If you can come up with more, that’s great, let’s see them.
But at the very least, I want you to think back on your day (and I don’t care if you had to walk 10 miles to the nearest gas station because your Lexus ran out of gas on the highway) and think about a minimum of three things that you’re grateful for.
They don’t even have to be monumental events. Getting out of bed can be one of them. Because, truly, if you think about it, that’s where it all starts. If you’re able to get out of bed, then you accomplished A LOT more than so many others.
Don’t Get Lost
You see, we get tangled up in the details. We get tangled up in the “woes me”. We get tangled up in the crap that doesn’t matter. And we let it bring us down. And when we’re down? We don’t perform well. We can’t think clearly, and we struggle with the smallest things.
But if we take on this challenge, if we work hard to find things we’re grateful for, then, all the crap falls away. We’re left with the positive vibes and energy that we need to power through to the next phase of the day.
So developing an attitude of gratitude isn’t something for the weak, or the faint of heart. It’s for those of us who are ready to conquer the world. And you, my friend, are ready.
Let’s do this!

A Little Bit of Gratitude, Everyday! http://www.dumblittleman.com/2014/11/little-bit-gratitude-everyday.html

5 Ways to Stay Motivated, When You Feel Like Giving Up

By Mr. Self Development

Thinking about giving up?  Below are the five reasons you should continue, when you feel like giving up.

When the going gets tough, the tough get motivated.

5 Ways to Stay Motivated, When You Feel Like Giving Up:

1. Remember It’s Not Easy

If what you were trying to accomplish was easy, everyone would be doing it.  If there was a quick fix, if you could work hard for a little while, and then have outrageous success, the line to sign-up for that activity would be “out the door.”

What you’re trying to accomplish is challenging, it’s hard work, its complex, and it takes a special person to achieve the goal.  It takes a special person to continue when you feel like giving up.

The reason you want to give up is because your progress appears insignificant, but the truth is, you’re making progress.  You’re headed in the right direction, and if you keep on the path, (continually getting better, not being so concerned with progress, but being concerned with mastery; mastering what you’re working towards, becoming the best at it), in time, you will succeed.

2. Remember Why You Began

To stay motivated it’s important to remember why you began the journey in the first place.  You began this journey because you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, or because you want so much more out of your life, or because you realize that you are so much more than what you have become.  You are so much more intelligent, you are so much more hard working, you are so much more creative than your current status reflects.

You are so much more than what you have become, and you want to see your potential realized, and you deserve to see your potential realized.  If not you, then who; if not now, then when!  You began because you know that you can succeed…and this time, you will succeed!

3. Remember You Can Do It

What you’re trying to accomplish has been done before.  If someone else can do it, surely you can do it, they’re not any better than you.

Two hands and two feet, and a determined mind, is all the greatest of men have had.  …And some great men and women didn’t even have two hands and two feet.

Remember, the largest oak tree was once a small acorn, there is potential on the inside of you waiting to be released.  It’s far from impossible, so you can do it.

4. Remember Your Progress

It’s easy to forget about the progress that you’ve already made.  It’s easy and tempting to forget about your past successes, but the reality is, you’ve made tremendous progress already…you’re just on a long journey.

Think about where you were mentally the first day you started towards this goal, your mindset has now changed, your behaviors have changed, you’ve made progress, you’ve surprised yourself.  Now it’s time to push yourself a little harder, to go a little stronger, a little faster, to wake up a little earlier, to give a little more. Your mantra has to be, I may not be the quickest, I may not be the strongest, I may not be the smartest, but I will not be outworked….I will not be outworked!

5. Remember ¨The Example¨ You Will One Day Be

One day you will be an example, your hard work will payoff, and you will be able to point the way for others.  You will tell them of the hard times and your struggles.  You will tell them that success is not as easy as you made it look.  You will give them insights, the likes of which they have not seen or heard before.

They will marvel at your feats.  You’ll tell them to remember why they started, to remember their progress, you’ll remind them that one day…they will be the example.

 http://www.mrselfdevelopment.com/2014/10/5-ways-to-stay-motivated-when-you-feel-like-giving-up/

How to Overcome Nervousness: 7 Simple Habits

http://www.positivityblog.com/index.php/2014/11/05/overcome-nervousness/

by Henrik Edberg

• 
  

“Do not anticipate trouble or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.”
Benjamin Franklin
“If I don’t train enough, of course I’m nervous.“
Haile Gebrselassie
It starts with just a little tremble within. Then a pressure builds up.
A hand or foot starts to fidget. Your palms become moist and you start to feel not quite like yourself anymore. The inner calmness you felt has flown out the window.
Nervousness is back, like an old friend you didn’t want to see.
Just in time for that date you had been looking forward to for the past week. Or the important meeting at work or your presentation in school.
So what can you do at this point?

Back down, come up with a poor excuse and cancel? Plow through the date or meeting while being not quite your best self?
It is certainly possible. I have done both.
But an even better approach has in my experience been to find strategies and develop habits that help me to handle this challenge in better way.
Here are 7 of my favorite habits for handling and overcoming nervousness.
1. Prepare if possible.
A bit obvious. But doing your preparation in time and not at the last minute and doing the preparation well – without trying to do it perfectly – rather than somewhat sloppily make a big difference.
You’ll feel more sure of yourself and relaxed about what you are about to do.

• If you have an important meeting, do your homework so you know what will or may come up in the meeting.
• If you have a date, perhaps try to think of 2-3 interesting topics/questions to bring up in case the conversational flow hits a stop.
• If you have a job interview, think about what they may ask you and figure out some good answers.

2. Ask yourself: what is the worst that could realistically happen?
This question has helped me many times to calm down and to stop building a mountain out of a molehill.
Because the worst that happened when I was dating was that I had a somewhat awkward date with someone I did not have a good chemistry with. It didn’t lead a second date and sometimes I felt bad for day or two. And that was pretty much it.
But the sky didn’t fall because it is was a bad date. I got up the next morning again and had often learned something good from it.
3. Visualize in a positive way.
It is so easy to get stuck in the usual and habitual negative visualizations in your mind of how a situation will go. And so you get nervous.
Try taking a break from it the next time you are having an upcoming date, party or meeting.
Just this once allow yourself to see things in a positive way.
Here’s how to do it:

• Lie down in your bed or sit down somewhere where it is comfortable. Close your eyes.
• In your mind see how great the situation will unfold – see and hear it – and also how great will you feel at this meeting. See yourself being positive, open and having a wonderful time with a smile on your face. And see the excellent outcome you want in your mind.
• Then release by visualizing that it has already happened, that the meeting is over with the desired result. This is surprisingly effective and will get you into a good, confident and relaxed headspace before even stepping into that conference room, class room or pub.

Try it and see how this exercise works for you. Maybe it becomes something you want keep doing.
4. Slow down and breathe with your belly.
A few minutes before you step into the situation that makes you nervous slow down. Walk slower to the meeting place. Move slower. Even stop for a minute if you like and stand still.
Then breathe through your nose. Take a little deeper breaths than you usually do. Make sure you breathe with your belly. Not with your chest (a common problem when people get stressed or nervous).
Focus on just your slow in- and out-breaths for a minute or two. Only on the air going in and out of your nose.
This will calm you down, make it easier to think normally again and that singular focus can draw you back into this moment again rather than past failures or future worries.
5. Assume rapport in social situations.
After you have slowed down and focused on your breathing I have another good habit if you still feel a bit nervous and you are going into some kind of social situation. This one worked especially well for me when I was single and was dating. And it is also very useful just before any other kind of meeting.
The habit is to assume rapport.
This means that just before you met someone you pretend and think to yourself that you are meeting one of your best friends.
Then you’ll naturally slip into a much more relaxed, comfortable, confident and enjoyable emotional state and frame of mind. In this state of mind the conversation tends to flow more naturally too, without much thinking. Just like with your friends.
This is one of the very best and helpful social habits I have adopted in the past 8 years or so.
6. Remember: people don’t think about you and what you do that much really.
You may feel like everyone is watching, judging and thinking about you a whole lot. And so you get nervous or hold yourself back a lot in life.
But a sobering realization I have had over the years is that people simply don’t care that much about what you do.
Just because you may think a lot about what you do and say doesn’t mean that others do that too. They have their own plate full with doing the same thing as you: focusing on themselves, on their pets and kids and on their own challenges at this moment in time.
This realization may make you feel a little less important. But it also sets you free a bit more to do what you want to do in life.
7. Tell yourself that you are excited.
Harness the nervous energy into something that will help you.
If you cannot minimize the nervousness in some situations by using the tips above then take a different approach.
When the nervousness bubbles up, tell yourself that you are excited about the meeting, presentation etc. This helps you to change perspective on what is happening inside of you and I have found that it helps me to get a boost of enthusiasm and openness for a short while.
So I can go into that meeting with that more helpful mindset and emotional state. And a few minutes into the meeting the excited energy has usually been used in a useful way and I go back to feeling more relaxed and centered again.
Image by Amparo Torres O. (license).

The Importance of Honesty and Integrity in Business

Why is integrity important in leadership?
In an executive boardroom, I once heard one of the richest men in America make a statement that I never forgot. “It seems to me,” he said, “that integrity isn’t really a value in itself; it is simply the value that guarantees all the other values.
Having honesty and integrity is one of the most important qualities of great leadership in business and I am going to tell you why…

Integrity in Business and How it Translates to Success

Whenever I hold a strategic planning session, the first value that all the executives agree on is integrity. Leaders know that honesty and integrity are the foundations of leadership. Leaders stand up for what they believe in.
For example, Jon Huntsman, Sr. is a multibillionaire who started a chemical company from scratch and grew it into a $12 billion enterprise. His book, Winners Never Cheat, is filled with stories taken from his own experience in which he steadfastly refused to compromise his principles. Huntsman says that integrity is the reason that he has been as successful as he is.
“There are no moral shortcuts in the game of business, or life,” he writes. “There are, basically, three kinds of people, the unsuccessful, the temporarily successful, and those who become and remain successful. The difference is character.”

Great Leaders Never Compromise Their Honesty and Integrity By Cheating

There are many examples of temporary winners who won by cheating. For a number of years, Enron was cited as one of America’s most innovating and daring companies. The CEO of the company knew the most important people in the country, including the President of the United States. Except that Enron’s success was built on lies, and the “winners” who headed the company are case studies in lack of integrity.

Integrity Means Doing the Right Thing Because It’s the Right Thing to Do

Leaders with integrity may not be the most famous or flashy of leaders, and they don’t care. Integrity means doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do. And that’s what makes success.

Importance of Integrity in Giving and Keeping Promises

Leaders keep their promises. They give promises carefully, even reluctantly, but once they have given that promise, they follow through on that promise without fail. And they always tell the truth. Jack Welch calls it “candor.” He believes that if you are afraid of candor, then you don’t have the guts to be an effective leader. You are going to surround yourself with yes people who will say what you want to hear instead of saying the truth.

Leaders With Integrity Aren’t Afraid of the Truth

Leaders with integrity is not afraid to face the truth. This is called the reality principle, or “seeing the world as it really is, not as you wish it to be.” It is perhaps the most important principle of leadership and dependent on integrity because it demands truthfulness and honesty. Many companies and organizations fail because they don’t follow the reality principle.
Integrity means telling the truth even if the truth is ugly. Better to be honest than to delude others, because then you are probably deluding yourself, too.
Leaders need to be confident, but they also need to be open to the idea that they could be wrong. There are many leaders who eventually fail because they refuse to question their own assumptions or conclusions. Alec Mackenzie once wrote, “Errant assumptions lie at the root of every failure.”
There’s a difference between being confident and blind. Lets face it, in today’s world of rapid change, there is a possibility that you are partially wrong or even completely wrong. Maybe you are not wrong, but just opening yourself to to that possibility is going to make you a more effective leader because it will open your mind to new ideas or new thinking.

Conclusion

There should be no exceptions to honesty and integrity. Integrity is a state of mind and is not situational. If you compromise your integrity in small situations with little consequence, then it becomes very easy to compromise on the small situations.
Leaders with integrity always err on the side of fairness, especially when other people are unfair. As a matter of fact, the true mark of leadership is how fair you can be when other people are treating you unfairly.
http://www.briantracy.com/blog/leadership-success/importance-of-honesty-integrity-in-business/

Get Rid Of Your Bad Habits In 7 Easy Steps

Most people don’t have that willingness to break bad habits. They have a lot of excuses and they talk like victims. – Carlos Santana

There are two traits that suck the life out of you.

Poor excuses and self pity. And when it comes to dealing with bad habits and attempting to rid of em, none of those traits are helpful. In fact they’re detrimental to your success. And by success I mean destroying your bad habits and developing good habits, successfully. Once you’re stuck in the mindset of making excuses and acting like a victim, it feels like quick sand. The more you struggle with it, the more difficult it becomes.
Let me show you how you can get rid of your bad habits in 7 easy steps to help you come out on top!
1. Get Em Down On Paper
And If you’re not a fan of using paper in this day in age, go ahead and use something like Evernote. But make sure you get ALL your bad habits written out. Not only does this show you’re serious about getting rid of your bad habits, it makes it easier for you to keep an eye on it.
Write down the habits you feel are dragging you down the most and negatively affecting your life in some way.
2. Categorize Your Habits
Some habits can be dealt with quicker than others, some habits are a lot more urgent than others. For example – smoking habits are a lot more urgent because they’re potentially life threatening. Where as habits like allowing clutter in your office to pile up wouldn’t be as urgent.
Categorize your habits like this:
High Priority.
Medium Priority.
Low Priority.
Or whichever way you feel works best for you.
3. Set Up Boundaries
When you’re on the verge of destroying your bad habits or minimizing them you’re bound to face a lot of distractions. For example – If you’re trying to quit smoking, you’re bound to notice other smokers, or be around friends and family who smoke.
And you’re bound to notice the cigarette packets behind the counter in the shop. Using the smoking example, you’d be best off -
Asking your friends to not smoke around you.
Letting your family know you’re trying to quit.
Informing everybody to prevent them asking you anything related to smoking.
Replacing the bad habit of smoking with a good habit, like writing or bike riding.
The same goes for any other bad habit you want to get rid of. Another example would be over spending. In this case you’d be best off -
Splurging once a month instead of spending multiple times per week.
Replacing your habit of over spending with over saving.
Figuring out ways to earn more money (so you can afford to over spend).
And so on!
4. Focus On 1 Habit At A Time
If a fox was to chase more than 1 rabbit at a time, there’s no doubt the fox would fail to catch even 1. And If a snake was to focus on more than one mouse at a time, it would be fighting a losing battle.
The same goes for your bad habits. You might have more than one bad habit to conquer, and yes I know you’re eager to stomp them out, but try to relax. Focus on 1 habit at a time.
That way you can put ALL your focus into that 1 bad habit you want to get rid of. And then when that habits been dealt with, you can move onto the next one.
That’s the strategy the fox and the snake uses to succeed at catching their prey. And that’s the strategy you should use to kill off those habits one at a time.
5. Participate with a friend
Or whoever you like. I’ve noticed when I do an activity with someone other than just myself, it pushes and motivates me more than I’d imagine. If I want to get some cardio done,and I have a partner, I’m fired up and more inclined to get it done.
Psychology just does that. Try it yourself and you’ll be surprised.
6. Review Your Progress
If you don’t know how well you’ve been doing, you won’t know If you’re progressing or not. You won’t know If you’re getting any closer to achieving your goals.
Write down the progress you make every day and keep it recorded. Treat it like a 30 day challenge or something similar. Check up on your progress as often as you can and make adjustments as you go along If needed.
You might not succeed the first time around or even the 2nd 3rd 4th or 5th time around, but when you do you’ll know about it. Because the evidence will be there to back it up.
7. Celebrate Your Success
Celebrate what you want to see more of. – Tom Peters
When you finally achieve your goal and rid of that nasty habit, celebrate it. Celebrate it in any way you know best. Whether that’s treating yourself to a spa, a night out, a restaurant, a party, a get together, it doesn’t matter.
But what matters is that you celebrate it and make it known because you’ll deserve it. Most of us are quick to pick at our failures and mistakes, yet we’re not so quick to mention or celebrate our successes. So with each bad habit you replace, make an effort to do that. And do it well!

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2014/11/get-rid-bad-habits-7-easy-steps.html