10 Secrets for Success

By Terje Ellingsen

Below are 10 secrets for success. These are a surveyed result of a number of successful people, to find out what they have in common in achieving success. The result is a set of 10 success strategies, which can be applied by anyone who wants success in what they set out to accomplish. First you should ask yourself how many of these success actions you are actually doing today. If you feel that you could have been more successful, then try out some – if not all - of them, practice them, then see if you become more successful.

Success requires you to find out what your real dreams or goals are

To achieve success it is important to be as specific and detailed about your goals as possible. For example, say “I will increase my income with $1,000 next moth,” instead of “I would like to increase my income.” You must create a detailed action plan to reach your goals successfully , and then follow it.

Success requires positive thinking

This has been said so many times that most people are tired of hearing it. Nevertheless, most of us don't do it regularly. Always think positive thoughts, try to visualize success as much as possible, stay away from any thought about failure. Also stay away from negative people.You act as you think. You are as you act.

Never compromise the truth - Successful people have high integrity

If you want success, then stay away from cheating or lying. Stick to your promises. When you make a mistake never hesitate to admit it. Successful people need not be ashamed to tell the truth.

Success requires action, action and more action

Successful people never make goals for putting them in a drawer. Every end goal should be a detailed action plan. Goals without action will never be achieved successfully. Take courage. Do it! Now!

Never stop acquiring new knowledge

Learning is vital for success in whatever you try to accomplish. Read books, take e-courses, go back to school, take classes and seminars, join discussion groups, etc. If you are interested in a subject or need a deeper knowledge about it, then get it. Try to continually acquire new skills and do what it takes to learn them. Successful people do.

To become successful you need patience, persistence and hard work

Successful poeple Always keep their eyes on their goal. If you want to be successful work hard toward your goals. Never, never, ever give up!

If you want success, then put all the facts you need on the table

If successful people don't have the facts they need they search for them until they have all their questions answered. The more relevant facts you have about an issue, the more successful and wiser your decisions will be. Use your mistakes as your best way of learning. Then you will surely succeed.

Stay focused on what you think is important

Successful people put their full attention to what is important and don't let other people distract them. If you want success, then do the same.

If you want success, be creative and different

People that follow the crowd belong to the mediocrity. Successful people don't. Be true to yourself, and develop your own thoughts and ideas. Then you'll succeed.

To be successful, you must develop your communication skills

Successful people are clear and honest in their communication with others. Thus they encourage others to do the same. If you want to succeed, practice understanding other people before you expect them to understand you, and you'll succeed.

Terje Brooks Ellingsen is a writer and internet publisher. He runs the website 1st-Self_Improvement.net. Terje is a Sociologist who enjoys contributing to the personal growth and happiness of others. He tries to accomplish this by writing about self help issues from his own experience and knowledge. For example, success strategies for self improvement and communication skills development for better relationships.

Success - Achieve Your Goals

By Stuart Laing

When Jim Carey was a lad he used to dream about being a famous well paid actor. So in order to make him feel closer to his dream he took to writing himself million dollar cheques.



And before Donald Trump knew what business was, he stuck a picture of the Empire State Building on his bedroom wall.



Then the fast forward button was pressed for a couple of decades.



Guess what happened?



Jim Carey was still writing himself million dollar cheques. But by now he was able to cash them without the bank manager alerting the fraud squad.



And Mr Trump still had his picture of the Empire State Building. But it wasn’t pinned above his bed any more. It was hanging behind the owner’s chair of the aforementioned building looking down on the rest of New York.



And my point?



Simple!



They knew how to set goals. They achieved spectacular results.



A coincidence? I think not!



Okay, they might not have been the most accurate or detailed goals, but they did the trick, and they highlight the point of this article rather well, which is: If you want to achieve anything meaningful with your life, it’s vital that you learn to set yourself goals.



Goals are the bridge between what you want and what you wanted. They give you direction and focus. They allow you to concentrate on the things that you want to bring into your life.



Without goals, people drift. They fall into low paid jobs, form unhappy relationships and they certainly don’t buy the world’s tallest building. Then they spend their lives wondering why other people appear to have it all.



Cue a life of wandering about in aimless circles without a detailed idea of where they’re going or how they’re going to get there. And how much happiness or satisfaction will that bring them?



So if you want to avoid these old age regrets, I want you to think of your life as a journey. And the things that you want to achieve are different locations that you want to visit during the course of your journey.



All we need now are some directions. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t begin a normal journey unless you knew where you were going, would you!



So why should life be any different?



After all, it’s the ultimate journey.



And goals are your detailed ordinance Survey map!



They will guide you where you want to go, as long as you keep referring to them.



Goals give you two things;



1. Long term vision (the world’s most expensive real estate, the million dollar payday), and
2. Short term motivation



They show you the quickest and easiest way to get from A to B to C to D etc. And when the going gets tough and you start to have second thoughts, they will give you the reason to keep going.



And that’s not all. They help you to;



1. Focus your attention on what you need to do and when

2. Organise your resources

3. Measure your progress

4. Boost your self confidence allowing you to achieve progressively larger and more demanding goals.



Goal setting will allow you to improve every area of your life. And, once you know the basics, it’s easy to harness the power of goal setting.



Rule One: Make them real



Whatever happens, use your goals to create something that will inspire and motivate you.



Do whatever you like as long as it gives you some tangible evidence of your goal. Write them down, use a photo, make yourself a prop, do a dummy run (e.g. write yourself a fake cheque) etc.



But whatever happens, don’t keep them in your head. Vague, unwritten goals don’t work. While they remain in your head, they’re all too easily forgotten or overlooked.



If Jim Carey hadn’t written himself that cheque, he might have forgotten to go to drama school and there would have been a film called “and Dumber”.



If Donald Trump hadn’t had that photo of a tall building, his dreams might have been overlooked and much of America’s real estate would have had a different name.



So get your goals out into the physical world, where they can’t be denied or forgotten. Give yourself a visible reminder of what you want to achieve.



Rule Two: Take Action



Making your goals real is the first step towards turning them into reality. But that only takes you 1% of the way to your final destination.



Okay, that might inspire you to join the local drama group or call your lawyer to incorporate a real estate company, but that’s as far as it goes.



Action accounts for 99% of your success.



Great ideas + No action = Nothing



Poor/Reasonable Ideas + Action = The Chance Of Success



So with that in mind, make a point of taking some positive action towards your goals each and every day.



Action builds commitment, it makes obstacles shrink and it gets you moving to your intended destination.



Bon Voyage!



Stuart

(c) Copyright Priceless Publishing Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Stuart Laing is author of "7 Days To Explosive Success", the blueprint for anyone who wants to achieve more with their life. To get this free 7 Part course and hundreds of articles on both business and personal success, check out ==>> http://www.pricelesspublishing.co.uk

Intuition ... Are You Listening To The Clues All Around You?

By Josh Hinds

Recently I was listening to the audiotape Embracing Uncertainty by Susan Jeffers (www.susanjeffers.com), which set me off on a whole line of thinking with regards to intuition, and the part it can play in our lives. Be it knowingly, or unknowingly.

Susan recounts a time in her life where she had recently attended some workshops which had led her to try and be more aware of her own intuition. You know, those random thoughts that tend to appear in our heads. The same ones that often don't appear to make sense, yet seem to push us in a particular direction. The very ones that we can choose to simply ignore, or follow through and see where they lead.

Susan explains that at this point in her life she had committed to being more aware of her own intuitive thoughts. So when out of the blue she has this inner feeling that instructs her to "go to the new school", naturally it catches her attention.

Never mind as she points out that she's never been to the school, nor can imagine any particular reason that her thoughts might be leading her there. In a fleeting thought, she thinks perhaps there is some new seminar that's being offered there that she would benefit from. So she sets off to locate the destination.

Upon entering she winds up in the Human Resources department. As she tells it, the receptionist isn't there and the woman who runs the department greets her. Now here's where things get interesting.

The woman asks if she can help her, and Susan blurts out, I'm here to teach a course on fear. Both women look at each other in a bit of disbelief and the woman goes on to tell her that as strange as it seems we've been looking to offer such a course. We're in the final phases of putting together the course catalog and she was about to have to leave town, so time was of the essence.

Long story short, that course on fear ultimately leads to Susan Jeffers putting together the wildly successful Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway.

Imagine what would have happened, had she like so many of us do each day, simply brushed off her intuitive thought and went on without acting on it. Ponder that for a minute. Really give that some thought. Isn't it interesting how her willingness to follow that tugging thought set in motion a whole string of events that have set her on the path she's on now?

I'm guessing you can re-count such times in your own life. Perhaps, like Susan, you acted on them -- or instead you chose not to. The point here isn't for you to look back and say "if only I'd followed my gut feeling". Because I can assure you, we're all guilty of ignoring our thoughts at some point in time. Rather, I'd like to illustrate how important it is to be aware of such feelings when they come to you - rather than simply fluffing them off.

It is also worth noting that our intuition can act as a motivator to move forward on something, as well as being a guiding force that tells us to move slower, or even pass on a particular situation.

Another example, grant it not near as profound as the example found in the story above does a nice job of illustrating how intuition works. I'd also bet it's one that most anyone can identify with. It's often said that if you're taking a multiple-choice test. Or find yourself in a situation where you are given multiple scenarios where one offers the correct outcome, yet you're not 100% sure of the right answer the idea is to first eliminate the ones that you know, or believe are not correct. From there you go with your best gut feeling. More often then not, I believe you will find yourself with the correct answer.

Any number of reasons could be given as to why the above example is so, and I'll leave that for you to ponder in your own mind.

One doesn't have to look very far to see the countless real life examples of where following ones inner thoughts have led to some great discovery. I love to read the stories of entrepreneurs. Very often there's a common thread that at least at the beginning they jumped into their chosen venture because it just felt right. Grant it along the way countless details were ironed out and business plans made. Even so, initially there was that nagging idea pushing them in that direction.

This is very much what happened in my own life. When I started my web site I can't say that I first had any grand business plan in place. I didn't have a band of venture capitalists or investors wanting to fund my business idea. Nor for that matter did I really know anyone personally in the industry that I wanted to operate in - that being personal development.

All that being said, I had this idea... and in following that idea it has morphed and grown into where I am now, and is responsible for so many wonderful connections being made that I can't even begin to narrow them all down here.

The point in sharing my story isn't to toot my own horn and I'm not going to say that everything was all roses and daisies along the way. I can say however that without following my intuition I would have no doubt missed a wonderful opportunity. It's something that I myself like to ponder from time to time.

In countless instances throughout our day our intuition is trying to tell us things. It is my hope that you will take the time to be aware of those ideas that come to you. Think them out; don't simply assume they're fleeting thoughts. Again, that's not to say that each and every one will put you on the path of some wonderful journey... then again, who is to say it won't?

Here's to your success, Josh Hinds

Josh Hinds of http://GetMotivation.com specializes in helping people to achieve maximum success and live the life of their dreams. He is also the co-founder of http://AudioMotivation.com - visit now to hear leading motivational speakers and authors share their tips and advice with you.

Are You Fulfilling Your Destiny?

By Gary Simpson

There is something that you are uniquely designed to do. Maybe you are already doing that. Maybe you are not.

Let me run some questions past you just to make sure:

1. Do you spring out of bed every morning with boundless energy, eagerly wanting to throw yourself into the day ahead?

2. Does your work fulfill you to the point where you would do it for much less than what you are already being paid for it?

3. Do you have endless ideas running through your mind that inspire you to do more and be more?

4. Do you feel as though you are a valuable member of society and you are being well rewarded for the value that you give?

5. Do you feel respected and admired by others for what you do, the value you give and the person that you are becoming?

6. Are you really, truly content and happy with your role in society and does that feeling manifest itself in your daily dealings with other people?

If you cannot answer yes to the questions above then you are not being fulfilled. You are not working towards your ultimate destiny. You see, there is something that you are uniquely designed to do. You need to find out what that thing is.

Why waste your life in an unfulfilling job? That is just a jail without bars. Won't you be far happier doing something that you are talented at and will be respected and admired for?

Jobs are for people to earn money. Money is not the motivating factor for people who are fulfilled. It is the END PRODUCT. Read that again!

Most people have got that equation around the wrong way. They are trading their lives for money. What sort of a miserable trade is that? That is what I call existence. There are millions of people doing it. But there are also millions of people doing things that they love.

Wouldn't it be better to trade your life for something that you love? Something that you are uniquely talented at? Something that you are destined for?

Look at the happiest people. What are they doing? Why do you think they are so happy? It is because their lives are so fulfilled. Are you happy? Are you fulfilled?

Maybe you are a little tied up by the "system" right now - working for money to pay the bills. Is that the case? Well, it doesn't have to be like that forever, does it?

You can be working on your passion in the evenings, after work. Some people call that "moonlighting." I just call it being smart.

But you have to find your passion, your destiny. To be confused about this will keep you in the system and ten years from now you will still be the same person that you are this very instant. Yes, you will be ten years older. Find your passion. Fulfill your destiny. Turn your life into a work of art. You deserve it!

This article comes with reprint rights providing no changes are made and the resource box below accompanies it.

For help with finding your destiny click here. To find inspiration click here.

Introducing '4 Indispensable Strategies For Success'

By Dayo Olomu

I would like to use this medium to introduce my first book, "4 Indispensable Strategies for Success", to you. It is currently a best seller here in the UK and I am overjoyed that I was able to make my dream a reality. One of my goals for this year was to have my first book published by my 40th birthday and that was accomplished. In this handy, but all-encompassing book, I painstakingly described four simple but essential strategies for success for the benefit of those aspiring to be successful in life.

'4 Indispensable Strategies for Success' is a book put together at this 'intense period' when people are yearning for precise tools they can put in place to actualise their goals. After a thorough 10-year research and close study of the world's most successful men and women, I wrote this book to give readers insight into what successful people did to make them succeed.

These four strategies, with the acronym D-A-Y-O (the initials of my name), tackle the most common problems facing those who only dreamt of attaining success but never attained it. It is a practical solution with proven principles for success.

In this book you will learn: the D.A.Y.O. recipe for success; how to identify desired goals; how to take action immediately; how to believe more in yourself; how to establish priorities; how to get things done quickly; how to enjoy more time off with your family; how to maximise your special talents and abilities; how to achieve what you've been putting off easily and effortlessly; how to create an extra-ordinary quality of life; how to conquer fear through action; how to move beyond positive thinking to positive doing; effective time management; how to be focused; how to set & achieve goals; simple, but comprehensive strategies for attaining success; how to develop a never-say-quit attitude in attaining success; the value of appreciating who you are; how to achieve your goal through effective action and how to turn adversity to Success.

With practical exercises, personal experiences and complete openness, I carefully highlighted these 4 strategies for the advantage of different categories of people - Students, Executives, CEOs, Managers, Chairmen, Directors, etc.

Richie Dayo Johnson FRSA, Founder of Richmond Johnson Academy Surrey, UK wrote in the forward, "The essence of this book is to show you how to realise your full potential, which will in turn have a positive impact on your life style. Egalitarianism, that thinks nothing of punishing achievement and rewarding inactivity and laziness, must be quashed from our consciousness if we are to rise to new levels in life".

He continues that: "4 Indispensable Strategies for Success" is all about shunning mediocrity and to stop making excuses. It is written for the person who wants to "soar like an eagle and leave the pigeons alone". It is for the person who wants to write the script for life's blockbuster movie. Leaf through it, digest it, refer to it, Determine the movie, Act in it, You are the star and an Oscar award awaits you.

Joe De-Souza, a London based Motivational Speaker described the book as "Very inspirational and easy to understand. A clear roadmap on how to overcome adversity." While Professor Pat Utomi, Director of Centre for Applied Economics, Lagos Business School, Pan African University, Lagos said: "With this contribution, Dayo sets out to provide one of the most important ingredients for fulfilled living - learning from those who cried 'I am.' This distillation of strategies for success can be the difference between an ordinary life and a happy, successful and truly satisfactory time on this planet." Marigold Nunes a speaker and project manager of Make it Happen -VJB said: "I picked up some valuable reminders and tips on long term planning from the book. And I especially enjoyed the autobiographical exerts within it and how you make your own personal life work. It certainly left me wanting to hear more."

This is a remarkable book and a must buy for everyone aspiring to have his name in the list of the world's renowned and prominent achievers. I therefore recommend this book to anyone intending to shed ordinariness to attain excellence.

Dayo Olomu is a UK-based Motivational Speaker, Writer, Business/Life Coach, Trainer, Media Entrepreneur and Competent Toastmaster. His core belief is that we are all endowed with seeds of greatness, and his mission is to help individuals and organisations achieve their full potentials. He is the author of best selling "4 Indispensable Strategies for Success" and the President of Croydon Communicators Toastmasters. Get his FREE monthly Rise to the Top ezine by sending a blank email to subscribe@dayoolomu.com or visit his website at: www.dayoolomu.com

Success Analysis - The Concept of "Critical Mass"

By Gary Simpson

How many times have you thought about being successful, famous, having lots of money? Many times, I'll bet. Then you start to think about the cost of all that and you go to have a little lie down until the feeling passes. Would that be right?

Sure, you might want all those things that I mentioned above but do you want them so badly that you are prepared to pay whatever it costs to make it a reality?

Some time ago I attended a "success" seminar. One of the presenters, a very successful gentleman, broke it down to the base components of what it takes to achieve success. He urged us to write down the "winning formula." Dutifully, those of us who had brought notebooks and pens sat poised to learn this wisdom.

Here is what he said:

"There are only three things you need to do:

1 - work out what you want,

2 - find out the price,

3 - pay the price."

Huh? At the time I thought that was pretty superficial. In fact, I can remember being rather disappointed as I watched this man in his Armani suit, gold watch, alligator-leather shoes and Grecian tan. However, as the years have passed I have come to realize that he was merely being as succinct as possible. He was 100% correct.

I'd like to take his words a little further. A lot further, in fact. I liken success to a nuclear explosion. It takes a long time for all the components to be harnessed and brought together. However, when those components reach "critical mass" it all happens so suddenly. Perhaps, in this day and age this analogy is not the most appropriate example - but the concept of critical mass is the best way that I can describe it.

Let's look at some of the components of critical mass:

1 - knowledge - the ability to learn all you can about your chosen quest,

2 - passion - the love of what you do,

3 - discipline - the willingness to deny yourself pleasure until the job is done,

4 - commitment - the ability to keep going, often in the face of adversity,

5 - self belief - confidence in your own abilities,

6 - imagination - the ability to "see" your goals before they become reality,

7 - faith - belief in a power higher than yourself,

8 - daring - willingness to go "out on a limb" to tackle your conquest,

9 - patience - allowing your project time to mature.

Beyond all these things there are yet other qualities that you must possess. What would be the point of achieving success through immorality or by being unethical? Of course, there are those who do just that but their success is only temporary. For instance, you can plan and execute a bank robbery using all of the nine components that I have listed above but eventually you will end up in gaol. So what is the point?

Most people who have achieved anything worthwhile have been using these qualities over a long period of time. Often, when they achieve their success they are presented by the press as being an overnight success. The truth is invariably far different. To reach "critical mass" takes time but when you get there the result can be astounding.

Start working on your project, immerse yourself into it. Check yourself against the components listed above.

Work out what you want, find out the price that you will have to pay and... as the gentleman said - pay the price.

[If you like this article and would like to use it on your own website or ezine you may do so ONLY if the article is not changed in any way and the final paragraph: "About the author", with all links intact, is included.]

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary's email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his
Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website.

Success Formula Revealed - How You Can Apply The Ultimate Success Formula?

By Justin Koh

When you analyze the traits of successful people, you will notice that they all exhibit a successful pattern. This successful pattern is known as the Ultimate Success Formula which consists of 4 steps:

1) Be very specific about your goals.

2) Develop a strategy.

3) Take consistent actions.

4) Turn failure into feedback.

1) Be very specific about your goals.

When you ask people about their goals, some of them would say that they would like to get rich in Internet Marketing. However, the definition of getting rich could be the sum of $100,000 to some and 1,000,0000 to the others. Most people do not achieve their goals in the first place because they do not know EXACTLY what they want. Once they have set a specific goal such as earning $5,000 in the next month, they would be able to direct all the necessary resources that they have towards achieving the goal. Only when there is a specific goal can you develop an effective strategy.

2) Develop a strategy.

Once a specific goal has been set, the next step is to develop an EFFECTIVE strategy towards achieving the goal. The strategy of earning $10,000 online is completely different from the strategy of earning $100,000 online.

Always learn and study the strategy from the successful. They have already proven what works and doesn't work and there is no need for you to reinvent the wheel by testing it out again. So if you want to be a successful copywriter, model the pattern of the top cats in this industry. If you want to achieve top rankings in search engines, model the strategies of the top 5 websites in search engine ranking.

3) Take consistent actions.

There cannot be any result if there is no CONSISTENT action taking place. Many people experience different states (motivation state, fear state, procrastination state, confidence state etc.) when trying to take action. For example, if you are not resolute, you would hold back from taking action. The ability to manage your state well for peak performance will require an amount of consistent action that can take place.

4) Turn failure into feedback.

Once the necessary actions have taken place, we either achieve or don't achieve our goals. People call it 'failure' when they fail to achieve their goals. There are 3 ways people react to failure:

a) Keep repeating the same thing again. These people use the same strategy to keep working harder and harder no matter how many times they fail! Internet marketers continue to promote ineffective ads or in websites that don't work. If the strategy is an ineffective one, no matter how hard they tried, the result would be the same—an unfortunate one.

b) Give excuses and give up. When these people don't achieve the goals they want, they will give excuses like "I don't have good copywriting skills" or "Internet Marketing is too competitive" and then they will start to give up.

c) Get feedback, change strategy and take correction till you succeed. This group of people will view their failure as feedback, knowing that current strategies and ideas are not effective. They will continue to modify their strategies, continue to correct their actions and continue to get feedback until they achieve their goals.

As the motivational poster would read, "Success is a journey, not the destination." Your decision and understanding to apply the Ultimate Success Formula not only puts you on the road to success, but on the road of success because you shall surely not fail!

Gifts Download: http://www.internetmasterycenter.com/freeload.html

Justin Koh & Nelson Tan are the architects behind Internet Mastery Center (http://www.internetmasterycenter.com) and Fresh Resources (http://www.freshresources.com).

This article is free for reprint in your website, e-mails and other mediums with permission by default. The signature must be included. If it is for a profitable purpose e.g. content for a paid e-book, you must notify us.

Preparing For Success

By Joe Love

Everyone wants to be successful. Everyone wants to have more, be more, do more, and enjoy more of what life has to offer. We are driven continually forward toward the accomplishment of the things that are most important to us. The entire human race is a made up of people striving toward the realization of their potential in every area. Because of this, there is tremendous competition for the good of things in life. Everybody wants them, and no one is ever fully satisfied. The satisfaction of a want or desire leads automatically to a want or desire for something else. And it never ends.

What, then, is the difference between those who accomplish a lot and those who accomplish a little? It is that some people have the will to be successful and others don’t. Everyone wants to be successful. But very few people want to engage in the rigorous hard work, hour after hour, month after month, and year after year, that is required to prepare themselves for success.

You too, want to be successful., You want to be a big success in life. You want to develop your potential to the maximum. You want to be everything you’re capable of becoming. You want to make all the money you possible can and enjoy the finest standards of living that you can achieve. You want to earn the esteem and appreciation of all those people around you whose opinions you care about. The way to be successful has never changed. Success requires preparation.

Author and speaker, Earl Nightingale said that if a person does not prepare for his success, when the opportunity comes, it will only make him look foolish. You’ve probably heard it said repeatedly that luck is what happens when preparedness meets opportunity. It is only, when you’ve paid the price to be ready for your success that you will be in a position to take advantage of your opportunities, when they arise. And the most remarkable thing is this: The very act of preparation attracts to you, like iron fillings to a magnet, opportunities to use that preparation to advance your life. You’ll seldom learn anything of value, or prepare yourself in any area, without soon having a chance to use your new knowledge and your new skills to move ahead more rapidly.

There are a series of things that you can do to become ready for success. All of these activities require self-discipline and a great deal of faith. They require self-discipline because the most normal and natural thing for people to do its to try to get by without preparation. Instead of taking the time and making the effort to be ready for their chance when it comes, they fool around, listen to the radio, watch television, and then they try to wing it. Since, we’re all transparent, and just about everyone can see through just about everyone else, the person who is unprepared simply looks incompetent and foolish.

Preparation also requires a lot of faith because you have no guarantee that your preparation will pay off. You simply have to believe, deep within yourself, that everything you do of a constructive nature will come back to you in some way. You have to know that a good effort is never wasted. You have to be willing to sow for a long time before you reap, knowing that if you do sow in quality and quantity, the reaping will come about inevitably with force of a law of nature.

In preparing for success, one of the very best questions that you can ask yourself, continually, is: “What can I do, that if done well, will make a difference in my career?” You ability to honestly appraise yourself and to identify the particular skill area that may be holding you back is critical for your future success.

Remember, preparation requires self-discipline and faith. It requires self-discipline because your natural tendency is to do more and more of those things that come most easily to you, and to avoid those areas that you don’t enjoy because you’re not particularly good at them. It requires faith and character for you to admit your weaknesses in a particular area and then resolve to go to work to develop yourself so those weaknesses don’t hold you back.

One of the greatest changes that has ever taken place in our society happened in 1989 when the world changed from the Industrial Age to the Information Age. We are now living in an information-based society. Because of the internet and other technological advances more than 60 percent of the working population is in the business of processing information in some way. This means that we now are living in a knowledge-based society and you have to be a person of knowledge if you’re going to succeed. To succeed you must be able to work with your mind, your mental talents and abilities. Gone are the days of laboring in the factories and the mills. Today you can succeed only by thinking, and the more effectively you think and the better prepared you are mentally, the more productive and positive you’ll be.

One of the most important things you can do to prepare yourself for success is to set aside one to two hours each day to read something uplifting. Read material that is educational, motivational, or inspirational. If you spend at least one hour each day investing in your mind, taking in “mental protein” reading good books, business magazines, trade journals, and newsletters, every day will begin to flow more smoothly. You’ll be more positive and confident and relaxed. You’ll have a greater sense of control and well-being by the very act of reading healthy material for an hour every day.

The time you spend driving in your car can add hours to your success preparation every week. Driving time should always be learning time. If you want to prepare for success you should never listen to the radio. Instead you should always be listening to educational, business, and motivational audio programs.

Another important thing that highly successful people do is that they plan and prepare for their entire day. They get up a little earlier each day and review all of their tasks and responsibilities for the day. They carefully make a list of all their activities, and they set clear priorities on the their activities. They decide which things are most important to do, which are secondary in importance, and which things should not be done at all unless all the other things are finished. Then, they discipline themselves to start working on their most important tasks and stay with them during the day until they’re complete.

Another way to prepare for success is to eat right. Health and energy are essential to your success, and they’re possible only when you’re sharp and alert. These are foods that are highly nutritious and that give you energy and vitality all through the day. You should eat more fruits, vegetables, and foods containing more whole grain. Stay away from foods that contain substantial amounts of fat and sugar.

In everything you do, preparation is the key. If you want to be ready for success, you have to plant the seeds well in advance of the harvest that you expect. Do what other successful people do: “Think on paper.” Memorize the winner’s creed: “Everything counts..” Everything you do is either moving you toward your goals or moving you away. Everything is either helping you or hurting you. Nothing is neutral. Everything counts.

Remember, we live in a knowledge-based society, and knowledge in every field is doubling approximately every two to three years. This means that you must double your knowledge in your field every two to three years just to stay even. You’re most likely already “maxed out” at your current level of knowledge and skill. You’ve reached the ceiling in your career with your current talents and abilities. If you want to go faster and farther, you must get back to work and begin to prepare yourself for greater heights. You must turn off the radio, the television, and politely excuse yourself from aimless socializing and get back to working on yourself.

There is a quotation by Abraham Lincoln that had a great influence on my life as I prepared myself for success. It was a statement he made when he was a young lawyer in Springfield, Illinois. He said, “I will study and prepare myself, and someday my chance will come.”

If you study and prepare yourself, your chance will come as well. There is nothing you cannot accomplish if you’ll invest the effort to get yourself ready for the success that you desire. And there is nothing that can stop you but your own lack of preparation.

Your possibilities are endless, your potential is unlimited, and your future will open up for you when you prepare yourself for the success that must inevitably be yours.

Joe Love draws on his 25 years of experience helping both individuals and companies build their businesses, increase profits, and achieve total success. He is the founder and CEO of JLM & Associates, a consulting and training organization, specializing in personal and business development. Through his seminars and lectures, Joe Love addresses thousands of men and women each year, including the executives and staffs of many of America’s largest corporations, on the subjects of leadership, self-esteem, goals, achievement, and success psychology.

Reach Joe at: joe@jlmandassociates.com

Read more articles and newsletters at: http://www.jlmandassociates.com

Smile Your Way to Success

By Hifzur Rehman

Smile brings beauty to your face, charm to your personality and money to your pocket; apart from being your recognition as a cheerful, friendly, loveable person.

When you smile you also bring smile to the faces of other people around you. And that is a great service to the mankind. Smile, even for a while, can bring happiness in the lives of people who are suffering from distress, anxiety or pain.

Start your day with a big smile. Don’t get up from your bed as if you are being forced to do so. Rather jump out of your bed with a big winning smile on your face as this is going to be the most wonderful day of your life filled with great fun, adventure, excitement and joy.

Take the first step out of your home with such a confident smile as if you are going to get whatever you wanted in your life. You are going to reap the rewards of your hard work. Your destiny is in your own hands.

Your relationship skills are much more important than your professional skills. A person who performs his duties happily always gets quick promotion than his other colleagues. A smile on your face while at work is a guarantee that you will get promotion out of turn as everyone will recommend your name and no one will oppose it.

A lively smile on your face is going to give others a positive impression of your personality as a friendly person. People will like to associate with you. Your circle of friends will grow fast without any effort on your part.

If you are feeling depressed due to any reason think of a past joyful event in your life and smile. Smile relieves tension and creates a positive mind frame enabling you to reach at the best solution of the problem without being swayed away by the false fears and unfounded doubts.

Smile attracts happiness and no doubt a happy person is a successful person. Keep on smiling to attract more happiness and success in you life.

If this article brings smile to your face then please refer it to your friends particularly to those who have forgotten to smile. Let there be smiling faces all over the world and happiness all around.

Hifzur Rehman is the author of popular articles on personal growth and editor of his website http://www.selfimprovement.ch Visit this site and start living a happy and successful life.

Hifzur Rehman © 2005 – All Rights Reserved.

Success Intelligence : Attitudes to Success

By Douglas Woods

For each of us, how successful we feel will depend upon our attitude toward success. Similarly, our motivation to achieve will be determined largely by our attitude. Equally the amount of success we achieve and the amount of success we do not achieve, will be determined in large parts by our attitude to success.

Our attitude to success is part of our Success Intelligence. Recognising our attitudes and changing them can often be a way of achieving greater success. Recognising and understanding our attitudes toward success is a way of improving our Success Intelligence. It is also a way of helping to overcome some of the 'blocks' that inhibit our path to success.

Your Attitude to Success
So What is Your Attitude to Success? To find out, read the following few paragraphs and select the one that most closely matches your own opinion, experience or viewpoint.

1) I will achieve success only if I really deserve it. In order to deserve my success I must make sure that I never make a mistake or slip up, I must always give that little bit extra, I must win the approval of other people, I must gain qualifications.

2) Success only comes through effort and hard work. If I am not achieving success it is because I am not putting in enough effort. More effort should bring more success. If my efforts are not working then I need to try even harder.

3) No pain, no gain. Success will only come after some amount of loss or pain on my part. Life is never easy and success can only be achieved if you are prepared to overcome obstacles, set backs and misfortune.

4) Success always has its price. There is no such thing as a free lunch and success can only be achieved by successful negotiation or dealing.

5) Success always involves some form of sacrifice or compromise. You have to be prepared to sacrifice your money or your time or your social life or your relationship or your health for the success you seek. Each level of success requires greater sacrifice.

6) Success means never accepting second best. Only perfection, quality and coming first can achieve success. Failure is not an option. I have to win or get things right first time.

7) Success is only real success if you achieve it yourself. Having the help of others is ‘cheating’ and diminishes the value of success. I must become self-sufficient to be successful in any meaningful way.

From these statements, you can see that different people have quite different attitudes to success. These attitudes not only determine the way(s) in which they approach success and achieving it but also the obstacles that block their path to success.

Douglas Woods is a qualified life coach, teacher and counsellor. You can read more about his work on his website http://www.dougwoods.com. There is more on attitude to success at attitudes-to-success.

Top Ten Ways To Create Positive Behavior Change

By Jeannette Kraar

1. Open your mind to new ideas: Positive behavior change has to start with your thoughts. Get excited about learning new methods, developing new skills and doing things differently. Anything else is “text-book insanity” – that’s when you do the same things the same way and expect different results.

2. Embrace change: Change is good. Change means never having to settle. Join the ranks of “change-junkies” who have learned that change provides huge opportunities for health, wealth and happiness.

3. You have a choice of being positive or negative. Choose to be positive in your thoughts. There are so many clichés and adages like “garbage in, garbage out” or “your altitude is determined by your attitude”. But these sayings have staying power because they have been proven true over and over again. If you feel a bout of depression or gloom settling in, just redirect your thoughts by asking yourself good questions like, “how can I turn this into something good” or what can I learn from this?’ Your subconscious will go into over-drive to find an answer for you.

4. Define your own terms - This is all about you. This is change that you get to control so the ground rules, conditions and expectations are up to you. It’s like eating at Burger King – you can have it your way.

5. Get the information and resources you need to succeed. With the help of technology we all have the means to attract what we need in a record time. Support groups, books, classes, retailers, whatever it may be – you can find it all with a push of the button. When you ask the right questions, you get the right answers. Ask for what you need.

6. Take 100% responsibility for your own motivation. Replay this thought over and over again: “If it is to be, it is up to me”. You’ll build momentum by taking action. If you get stuck, just do something – and it could be almost anything as long as it is constructive and positive. You’ll find that activity promotes enthusiasm that will spur you on.

7. Break it down to manageable steps. An elephant is huge, but anyone could eat one as long as it’s done one bite at a time. Take it one step at a time. Start with your ultimate goal in mind and work backwards to create a realist, manageable action plan.

8. Find ten solutions to each problem you face. I truly believe there are solutions to every problem. You’ll find as you stay open to new ideas, become more comfortable with change and remain positive in your thoughts, problem solving will become much easier. For each challenge you face, grab a piece of paper and start writing down ideas. Don’t prejudge or evaluate your thoughts, just open your mind and let the ideas flow. Don’t stop until you have ten. Then you can go back and consider each idea. Some will be ridiculous, and others will need to be modified, but the answer will be there. Remember to use your new skill at breaking things down to take a huge problem and reduce it to a few small issues. (This is the same process I used to create my plan to generate an annual income of $360,000 – doing it my way!)

9. Evaluate and adjust. Change is all about doing something new and/or different, so expect a learning curve. Be realistic and consider how you can improve to get better results.

10. Don’t stop. Michael Jackson has his share of problems, but he knew what he was talking about when he sang, “Don’t stop till you get enough!”

Jeannette Kraar, president of Performance Management International is the Breakthrough Career Coach and a highly-acclaimed trainer, speaker and consultant. Hundreds of PMI clients have succeeded even in the most turbulent times. Jeannette is the author of BREAKTHROUGH, The Hate My Job, Need A Life, Can’t Get No Satisfaction SOLUTION. Learn more about the book at http://www.breakthroughcareersolutions.com. Email Jeannette at pmi@manageyoursuccess.com or visit her on-line at http://www.breakthroughcareersolutions.com

Success from Failure

By Margo Chevers

Those of you who know me, know that I am always looking for ways to improve and grow as an individual. This past weekend, I attended a one-hour seminar that was put on by Dennis McCurdy of Sturbridge, MA. It was to give people a taste for his eight-week personal development program.

He talked about the usual goal setting, creating a vision, getting rid of our negative self-talk and overcoming our fears. I conduct those seminars myself, yet, I learned more than I expected.

Dennis took it one step further than I’d been in the past. He had us attempt to break a one-inch thick board with our bare hands. I wanted to experience as much as possible, so I volunteered to be the first to try. I mentally prepared myself, saw in my mind my hand going through the board, I raised my hand and brought it down hard. The board snapped as though it were a toothpick. I was amazed at how easy it was to do something I thought would be difficult.

Then, he took an arrow and told us how we could break it with our necks. He showed how to place the feather end against the wall and put the tip on the soft part of our throat. We were to lean into it until it snapped. He demonstrated and sure enough the arrow snapped.

When he asked for volunteers, I was NOT the first to raise my hand. This was raising the stakes. If I broke my hand, that was one thing, but if I pierced my throat with an arrow, that could be fatal.

I watched as another participant snapped the arrow in two. I thought, well I might as well try. I got up, set the arrow against the wall, strategically placed the tip against my throat and started to lean into it. I leaned with force and as the other members of the class were telling me it was beginning to bend, I felt a sensation that the arrow was going to crush my larynx.

I am a speaker and a trainer. Without my voice, I wouldn’t be able to work. I immediately backed off from the arrow. The class as well as Dennis encouraged me to try again. They assured me that I had almost succeeded. So I tried again. As I leaned into the arrow, again the class gave me the feedback that they could see the arrow bending. I leaned harder and again I felt the sensation of crushing my larynx. I backed off. Although they encouraged me to try again, I couldn’t bring myself to do so.

I sat down, convinced I had saved myself from losing my voice. As I processed the experience, I realized that I have experienced this sensation many times. I convince myself that something disastrous will happen if I go ahead and act on an idea I have. I come up with many good reasons why it won’t work. Each one based on what I consider fact.

Just like the arrow experience, I feel we many times pull back from success because of the “concrete evidence” we manufacture in our minds.

I believe I learned as much from my failure to break the arrow, perhaps even more, than if I had been successful in my attempt.

The lesson here is, that we can learn more from our mistakes and failures than we can from our successes.

Thank you Dennis for giving me this life lesson.

Margo Chevers, Author of How to Get Up on a Down Day, What do you Want to be When You Grow Up?, and STOP the BS (bad service).

For top 10 attitude adjusters send an email to Margo@MargoChevers.com

Visit blog at http://www.MargoChevers.com/plog/

Do You Know What's The #1 Success Secret Is?

By Patric Chan

How many people do you hear complaining about their job, where they live, how little money they have, or how they can never take a vacation?

How many times have you heard those same people, when they hear about someone else who made a lot of money from an idea, say,

“I could have done that!” But yet, they didn’t.

And they continue to complain about where they are in life.

A friend of mine owns a dog grooming business, and she buys supplies from another pet business in town.

One day, as she talked to the owner, she found out that the owner’s husband made liver treats for dogs—he bought liver at wholesale, cut it into thin strips, dried it, packaged it, and retailed it to pet businesses. Eventually he got a contract with a distribution company and was doing very well with what started out as a simple side business.

My friend was upset when she was talking to me. She explained that she had had that idea several months earlier, but didn’t follow through because she didn’t think it would fit into her business.

“I could have done that!” she said, with some resentment in her voice.

You know what? She was right. She could have “done” that. She had the idea. But she didn’t follow through.

Do you see yet what the number one success secret is?

You must take action! You must put your ideas into play.

You will not be successful if you don’t take action. You can have as many ideas as you want, read as many books as you want, listen to motivational tapes, and watch inspirational speakers, but if you do not act on what you learn, you will not be successful.

It really is that simple.

If you have a great idea but stand still with it, nothing will happen. You have to walk—or better yet, run!—with your idea to make it happen.

After all, who was successful with the dog snack idea?

Was it my friend, who quite possibly had the idea first, or was it her friend’s husband, who actually followed through with the idea?

The person who takes action will be successful.

I know that it can be difficult to take action, especially if you are used to not doing so. It can be very hard to break out of the bad habit of inaction.

You’ll need to have continous improvement to achieve it. If you want to know how and where you can gain continous self-improvement resources, email me at patric(AT)esuccessmastery.com

Take action now.

To your success,

Patric Chan
CEO, eSuccessMastery.com

This article is written by Patric Chan, CEO of eSuccessMastery.com and author of 'How To Make More Money Easily'. Discover the 5 wealth lessons on how to make more money and work less in 'How To Make More Money Easily'.

http://www.makemoremoneylessons.com

Copyright 2005 Patric Chan

Seven Steps for Success

By Gerri D Smith

"The secret of success is to make what you are doing interesting to other people." - Florence Scovel Shinn

When you set a goal, no matter how difficult it seems to accomplish, don’t be afraid to take the risk. In life, some sacrifices are worth the challenge. So, stop making excuses. Life is too short to miss out on reaching for your goals and realizing dreams do come true. With a little effort and a little time on your part make a commitment to go for it!

If your goals and your dreams are good ones a plan is required to make them real. Develop a time plan or a target. For instance, when you know the end result you wish to accomplish, you might list several mini targets to work on first.

Your initial target plan might look like this:

If you wish to lose 20 pounds, set up a weekly schedule. The first week you might start a daily exercise program. Second week- start cutting back on sugar and sweets. Third week - try and lowering your daily intake of calories, and so on until your goal weight is achieved.

If you wish to take a trip to the south of France (or wherever), or if you desire to expand your business, the strategy would be similar. You may need to set up a weekly or monthly schedule to put a sum away toward the cost of the trip or the cost needed to purchase more space and more equipment for the business. You could cut back on your spending and put the savings aside, or take on an extra paying project until you reach your required goal. When you’ve accumulated sufficient funds for the trip or the down payment on the larger business space and more equipment, you can plan your next target.

So that you may have a richer, fuller, more rewarding life, putting a system together to target your success and make your dreams a reality may include the following seven steps:

¨ Set reasonable goals and target dates. Day to day living makes a lot of demands on you – your time, your physical and emotional energy, and your responsibilities. Do not set yourself up for defeat. Master one goal at a time and do not expect instant gratification. With the onset of the microwave, and then along comes the computer and the internet both giving ways to shortcut everything you do, trying to stay focused isn’t always easy.

¨ Be the master of your thoughts. Dream big. A small goal takes just as much time and effort as a giant one. Think your goal through and keep a record of your ideas and a time schedule of what needs to be done and when. Seek help where needed.

¨ Choose goals that you are passionate about. Motivation and inspiration are powerful forces that keep you moving toward your goals. Positive attitudes are also helpful. And of course, never forget your faith and the knowledge that a higher power is available to help you reach your goal. Remember: Nothing is easy, and everything takes time – lots of it. So, be patient –it eliminates the stress.

¨ Stay healthy and practice taking care of yourself - first. When you aren’t feeling well, everyone around you is affected –your family, your friends and associates, and your business clients. Try to stay flexible and allow enough time to work on any project so you won’t have to rush. The old saying: “Haste makes waste,” is often true and may even cause a serious accident. And if you are a sole proprietor, when illness or accidents happen, this could mean a devastating loss of business income.

¨ Don’t be afraid to take risks. Fear is an internal blockage that you impose on your thoughts. It is a way of making excuses for not dealing directly with your anxiety. Or, you may not wish to face the outcome. What if it doesn’t work out? Instead, replace your thoughts of fear with your own source of strength and let your inner support system guide you.

¨ Keep a list of your qualities and values. What do you consider to be your most valuable asset? Do you know which of your qualities you need to make stronger? Make a list of those qualities and values that you think are the best you, those that make you feel most secure, and give you your highest self-esteem. Some of these may include: self-confidence, a forgiving nature, courage, being a good listener, trustworthy and honest, and a willingness to inspire others.

¨ Keep your emotions under control. A peaceful attitude and an awareness of your surroundings go hand in hand with prosperity and success. When you are peaceful, your thoughts and actions come from a wide-awake place that is free of fear and confusion. You will see more clearly and act quickly. When you are at peace within yourself, you attract all that is good. You are more likely to bring success, happiness and prosperity to you. When you feel rich, you attract riches. And when you feel successful, you become successful.

Make it your goal to attract success and prosperity!

Copyright April, 2005

Gerri D Smith is publisher and host of multiple Gateways to inspiration, motivation, and support for individuals, women business owners, and entrepreneurs. Gerri's internet resource offers ways to unlock the doors to your personal and business empowerment. Now is a perfect time to own your own business and discover some of the best ways to market a product. One is by letting your customers see it before they buy it. This concept is a sharing of information and is made available by the Internet. Best of all it’s delivered right to your email doorstep. Why not invest in your future, now. To help you reach more of your personal and business goals, subscribe to Gerri's Free bi-monthly inspirational newsletter.

Visit: http://www.distinctivebusinesswomen.com Or, send a blank email and your correct email address and mailto: gerri@distinctivebusinesswomen.com?Subject=EZ-Scribe