How To Be Assertive: Advance Your Career By Being Assertive

 

Knowing how to be assertive in the workplace is a great advantage for you. After all, the big bosses won’t care about your attendance record or how well you make coffee. They’re more interested in, and are more likely to remember, employees who are determined and carry out their own ideas.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re at work or at a doughnut shop. Learning how to be assertive is the first step to achieving your bigger goals and ambitions.

It’s your ticket to success. However, there are a few key points you must remember and practice before you set out to take that step.

Being Assertive Is Not Being Aggressive.

Many people make the mistake of thinking these two concepts are the same. You know better than that. Being aggressive can backfire on you big time.

Your co-workers, and even your employers, might feel intimidated or turned off by your aggressiveness. You don’t want to scare them away, do you?

Be subtle. If you have an idea, pitch it in a “soft” way. But don’t overwhelm the whole office with it.

Assertiveness Rests on Self-Confidence.

You won’t ever get past the first step if you don’t even have self-confidence. Learning how to be assertive includes improving all your other skills.

Try talking to yourself in front of the mirror. If you can’t even do that, then how do you expect to convince your boss of your credibility? You might even have to work on your stance and observe your body language.

Practicing how to be assertive in the workplace gives you many benefits that extend beyond your 9-5 timetable. You can also use the skills you have honed when trying to socialize with other people. Just remember that moderation is key, and that you are capable of becoming a self-confident and assertive person.

By: Michael Lee

Learn To Be A Winner

I believe there are three kinds of people. There are winners, who know what they want and understand their potential and the possibilities. They take life on. Next are losers, who don't have a clue as to who they are. They allow circumstances to shape their lives and their self-image.

I believe there is a third group as well. This consists of potential winners whose lives are just slightly out of alignment. I call them wayward winners. It may be that they just need to learn how to be real winners. Perhaps they've hit a bump or two that has knocked them off course and they are temporarily befuddled. A failed relationship, a lost job, financial problems, unformed goals, a lack of parental support, illness, many things can send us off course temporarily.

Wayward winners are not lost souls; they just need some tweaking and coaching and nudging to get them back on course. A map might be nice. Many of these wayward winners are easily identifiable because they are always searching.

Right now, there are many wayward winners out there braving rain, sleet and snow because they too still believe that they have untapped talents. They attend motivational seminars and listen to inspirational tapes and they plunge onward, believing that sooner or later they will find their way again.

Other wayward winners have temporarily given up. They are damaged and disoriented, their confidence badly eroded. They tend to drift through life numbly. The friends and relatives and loved ones of wayward winners see that they are out of sync and wonder why they can't be satisfied, why they don't settle down. They wonder how people who have such obvious abilities and great potential can be so disoriented and unsure.

It is difficult for others to understand the rawness of a broken heart or the aching emptiness of an unguided spirit. You and I know. We have been there. Wayward winners know that there are possibilities out there, but too often they feel locked out from them. Some are afraid to risk any more because of what they have risked and lost already.

I know now that as difficult as it may be for you wayward winners to do, it is necessary to continue to test yourselves. Even though you have been hurt before, it is the only way to grow. We all have the capacity to change, to lead meaningful and productive lives by awakening our consciousness.

You know there are going to be tough times as you go about changing your life, so brace yourself and you will be able to handle them. When you get into your seat on an airplane, what is the first thing they tell you to do? Fasten your seat belt. Brace yourself for the turbulence.

When you decide to move your life to the next level of accomplishment, you must fasten your mental and spiritual seat belts because it is going to be a while before you reach that comfortable level again. You will reach it, but you must endure the turbulence of change in order to grow.

Try this technique to help you through the difficult times of change and growth. Find four reasons why you cannot succumb to your fears and your troubles. Find those deep sources of motivation that can lift you out of the turbulence and above the clouds. You must change your life because, for example:

You have not yet tapped the talents given you.
You want to leave something more for your children.
You want to live life rather than letting life live you.
You want to do what makes you happy.

It is in these rocky early moments of bringing change to your life that you discover who you are. In the prosperous times, you build what is in your pocket. In the tough times, you strengthen what is in your heart. And that is when you gain insight into yourself, insight that leads to self-mastery and an expansion of your consciousness as a life force in both your personal and professional lives.

by Les Brown

My Uncomfortable Secret to Motivation

A five-letter word is my secret.

As you probably know, routine casts a trance-like power with devastating impact. As a result, it is an absolute necessity to break free of its grasp.

If you can't find a way out of the vicious pattern and into a new set of thoughts, feelings, and actions, you have no hope of changing or improving your life.

Consider this five-letter word my guaranteed release.

Working with remarkable speed, it personally shakes me out of autopilot, delivers an eye-opening wake-up call, and motivates with more force than anything I know.

Not bad for a five-letter word.

My hope--and my assumption--is that it will have the same positive effect on you.

The Word, My Release
I know a time will come when I'll no longer be able to act on the things I want, the things I've dreamed about experiencing and things I've always wished to become.

I will have to let them go. I will have to let go of all those exciting ideas I tossed about in my mind, all the goals carefully constructed while daydreaming.

They will have to be put to rest, once and for all. And I will never experience them.

Never.

This is a frightening thought for me. It is startling, can be gut-wrenching, and tip-toes toward terrifying.

But it's also something else. And it's here, on the other side of the coin, that I find my secret.

The Flip-Side of the Word
Coming to grips with reality can be scary.

So much so, that most men and women choose the other door. They hide from the truth and tuck their dreams into the fairytale 'someday.'

'I'll do it someday...someday.'

A sigh of relief follows and it's back to the safe and comfy routine. No need to face fears, no need to rise to challenges, no need to take action. That will all happen someday--but not today.

If only this were true. It is not.

Here is the truth: Someday eventually meets the edge of the cliff. Someday eventually runs out.

Someday eventually turns into never.

Frightening? Perhaps. But it's also your way out. It's also your release from the routine that strangles your hopes and dreams.

By focusing intently--and I mean intently-- on 'never,' in regard to your lifelong wishes and wants, you will be shocked out of your pattern of procrastination and jolted into a new mindset.

You'll have the motivation you need to stop hesitating because you know, without question, if you keep it up, you'll never experience the life you've been waiting for all these years.

Without action, talk is only noise. Below is what I do in particular to get the most out of this five-letter word. It's something you can do, anytime and any place, to dismantle procrastination and ignite your inner drive.

Action Steps - Short & Sweet
Think of something you want. Not a lip-service dream, but something you truly desire, something either for yourself or for someone else.

Our results have shown that people imagine themselves experiencing the joys of progress or success when asked to think of a goal.

This time I want you to do the opposite.

I want you to imagine, vividly, that your idea, your chosen dream or goal, cannot happen. No matter what you do, you'll never get it. Never. Never.

If you do it right, you'll feel anxious, like you have to get up out of your seat right now and do something before time runs out. This is the power of 'never.'

Don't hide from the truth. Let it smack you in the face and punch you in the gut. Only then can it snap you out of the routine and drive you into action. Only then can it change your life.

If you don't do something now, you may never do it then.

Never hide, never avoid, never run from 'never.' Use it as a fire to place beneath your greatest ideas and accept it as a truth that can set you free.

Pains and Pleasures of Motivation

Many people say they want to be successful and then their lives do not change. I believe the reason for this is because they really do not want success. Why? Because to be successful, we have to abandon the level of comfort we are presently living in. What people who talk about being successful are really saying is that they want to be successful without doing anything about it. And that is the problem. It’s a problem because in order to be successful, we must first be willing to do whatever it takes. That means we must be willing to endure a certain level of pain before achieving the desired goal. Success without commitment is impossible.

It’s not a lack of knowledge that prevents you from succeeding; it’s the power of motivation working against you. If someone is enjoying more success than you are, it’s because they’ve learned how to have the power of motivation work for them.

The key to having the power of motivation work for you is to control the two most basic experiences humans have - pain, and pleasure.

When you can control pain and pleasure, you can follow through on the necessary process of achieving a goal. Anytime you fail to achieve a goal it’s because you have pain and pleasure working against you.

The Battle of Desires

“The starting point of all achievement is desire. Keep this constantly in mind. Weak desire brings weak results, just as a small amount of fire makes a small amount of heat.”
— Napoleon Hill

If we want to achieve the mental certainty that leads to success it is essential we begin controlling the fears that cause us to question our potential. You must have the sufficient desire to achieve this task above all. The key to tapping into the power of motivation is for us to have a radical awakening to what prevents us from achieving success, and then to have the requisite desire to overcoming these barriers.

Many of us are lost in helplessness and self doubt. Most of us spend our entire lives wondering how to tap into our potential. We lack the confidence that separates the winners from the also-rans. The problem is we don’t feel certain we can achieve our desired goals. We do not truly believe that the future will bring good tidings, that tomorrow will be better than today. If you have a sincere desire to attain a life worth living then the power of motivation will reveal answers to your deepest questions. When we fail to succeed it is important to ask ourselves: what went wrong?

To begin with, we must understand that our strongest desires overpower the weaker desires.

When someone fails to follow-through on their goals they associate pain to actions which will help them to reach those goals, and this in turn prevents them from taking action. Knowing what you want is perhaps the most important prerequisite to success. We need to understand why motivation is necessary to help you get there.

Only if we want success (your treasure) more than anything else will we even start making progress towards our desired goals.

You must have compelling reasons that will overpower your doubts, your comfort zone and your lack of confidence stemming from past failures. Otherwise you will face the common problem of procrastination. This means you are putting off the pain towards the future. All of this points to one singular problem: The pain of success.

Desire to gain pleasure is not enough
Unless we can succeed in overcoming the pain of achieving success it will be impossible to reach your goals in life. The only way to properly understand motivation is to understand the nature of desire. There are two types of desire, the desire to gain pleasure and the desire to avoid pain. Out of the two, the strongest desire is to avoid pain. Pain is always a bigger motivator than pleasure. Understanding the power of fear is the first step to understanding motivation. The power of fear does two things for you:

Prevents you from taking action: This is how the power of motivation works against us. As long as we are not certain of our potential, we hesitate to take action. Unless you are able to overcome your fear of failure, you will naturally not progress from you present circumstances.

Motivates you to take action:
In the same way that fear of failure prevents you from taking action, it can help you to move towards your major goals. The process is one in which you keep the commitments that you make to yourself. It is something which resembles a personal contract with yourself. We will explore this in greater detail later. What is important to note at this point is that fear is not always debilitating, if properly harnessed it can be a positive force in your life.

That’s why it’s important to make fear work for you, not against you. As long as fear works against you, you will be struggling to make progress towards your goals. Conversely fear, when properly handled, can be used by you to achieve success (whatever that means to you). When you recognize that the power of fear can be used to your advantage you will begin using it to create positive change. When you recognize the power of fear can be used to your advantage you can begin using it to create positive change.

The difference between the fear which blocks action, and the fear that motivates you to act, is the structure you build around fear and how it operates in your life. In one example fear (i.e. fear of losing money in an investment) causes you to stand-still, preventing you from taking action. In the second example, fear (losing money from breaking a promise to yourself) compels you to act and follow through on your personal objectives. Fear is so powerful because it is urgent and pressing. The truth is that desire inspires you, while fear compels you. You either use the power of fear or the power of fear uses you.

“Success doesn’t come to you...you go to it.”
— Marva Collins

If you want to be successful, if you want to be an achiever, then it is essential that you become interested in what it means when someone says; “Do whatever it takes to succeed.”. Now it’s important to understand that doing whatever it takes to succeed means a lot more than uttering a slogan. It means not quitting when times get tough. It means enduring great discomfort even when you don’t feel like it. It is difficult to do whatever it takes because the desire to succeed is usually not enough. If you are to do ”whatever it takes” you will require the necessary motivation. If we want to be successful then we cannot depend on the power of desire alone. It’s important to use fear to sustain motivation. That’s all there is to it. If you want to achieve your desired goals, the way to succeed is to use pain instead of allowing pain to use you.

Personal Goal Setting

 

You don’t have to be a professional athlete or the CEO of a Fortune 500 company to set goals. Instead, what you do have to be is an individual who desires success – be it in your career, within your family, or perhaps with your personal finances.

Goal setting is simply an organized personal planning process. It is a reliable method for identifying what you want to achieve - whether in the long- or short-term, and whether in your personal life or your professional career. And the process of setting goals gives you the laser-sharp focus you need to achieve real and lasting success.

So, to start setting goals, perhaps the first step should be to simply take some time to decide what direction you want your life to take.

From there, goal setting keeps you focused on your chosen direction and can act as a reference point any time you feel you have strayed from your determined path. In this capacity, goal setting offers yet another benefit, which is to help you more accurately identify the distractions that are serving as road blocks on your path to success and happiness.

Perhaps one of the most immediate effects of goal setting is the gratification you feel when you set a goal, stick to a plan, and achieve it. You only have to do this once to know that the fulfillment and pleasure you derive from achieving your goals is a strong catalyst for returning to, and relying on, strong goal-setting techniques and methods again and again.

And, once you start setting goals and meeting them, you will quickly notice an improvement in your confidence level, which will have a positive impact on every area of your life. In working to achieve your goals, you will also soon have a better understanding of your strengths, while simultaneously developing a stronger sense of accomplishment, one that grows with every single goal achieved. Now, talk about a great return on your investment!

To effectively set goals, you must first understand that the process actually takes place on a variety of levels. It is best to start with the bigger picture here, or your life-long goals. These goals are then broken up into smaller goals, which, of course, represent your day-to-day goals (and act as stepping stones on the path to life-long goal achievement, or success). These smaller goals oftentimes can be broken down even further, in an effort to provide you with all the steps you need to take to achieve your goals – both immediately and in the future.

Once you start this process (and stick to it) it won’t take long for you to see the results, which include being able to break down even the most complex life goals into stepping stones that you can tackle every day, until you reach the bigger picture, or have achieved your lifetime goals.

And, once you have set the large, lifetime goals, you may find that the process becomes even easier (and more beneficial) if you break down the goals into specific categories. For instance, you may want to take a piece of paper and write on it various columns with headers such as career, financial, family, etc. Then, take a minute to organize your lifetime goals accordingly.

Thankfully, there is a great deal of information and a full array of resources that you can rely on as you work to set and achieve your goals, including tips, techniques and the methods used by some of the most successful people in the world who, just like you, started out by obtaining some useful information and then moved forward with a list that helped propel them to high levels of success and happiness.

Just like you can, these people simply decided what they wanted to achieve and took the time to start the process by setting the goals needed to achieve their overall plan – a process that has created some of the world’s most successful business people, most celebrated athletes and most recognized public figures.

by James Manktelow and Kellie Fowler

Stuck up or suffer, Choice is yours

How To Psychologically Disarm Those Who Try to Make Your Life Miserable
What I am about to share with you can totally change your life. And no, it is not sucking up. It is a secret weapon that is your greatest source of power. Use it to your advantage. Let me explain.
 
Isn’t it annoying when you can’t get along with your boss, colleagues, or subordinates? Would you agree with me that spending 8 hours with an annoying person is not fun? That is very stressful. Isn’t it?

Years ago when I didn’t know better, I would advise you to quit that job and find another one. But you will probably meet another person just like that person wherever you go.
 
You might say, “I don’t like to suck up. I want to be my own boss.” Well, losers call it sucking up but winners call it making friends. Besides, if you are planning to be your own boss one day, be ready to suck up to your customers. That's called customer service.

You see what I mean? As the owner of your business, you better be prepared to go out your way to please the customer. And that’s the only way to be successful in business.
 
Having said that, I want you to know that the people who tend to get on your last nerve sometimes suffer from attention deprivation—low self-esteem.

What I mean by that is although they may appear as if they are confident and in control on the outside, they are probably feeling very small on the inside. And therefore in order to feel better, they have to flex their egotistical muscles.
 
Wouldn’t it be exciting if you knew how to control, dominate, and reduce them to their lowest denominator? That, my friend, would give you an unfair advantage. Do you agree with me? Are you excited to learn how to take charge and be in control?
 
Here Are 4 Powerful And Proven
Ways to do so:
 
1) Acknowledge the person…and the personality. Years ago, I worked for a jerk that used to push everyone around - everyone except me. Why? I found a way to undermine his bullying. I would subliminally slip words into our conversations that would imply he was in charge. The best part is, he didn’t know what I was doing.

Doesn’t it thrill you to know you can control any situation by feeding someone’s ego?  Just by making my former “boss” think he was superior, I could easily pull his strings like a puppet. I could see a complete transformation in his behavior towards me. I literally controlled him and his actions. And I would laugh on the inside every time. Do you think you could try this?
 
2) Ask for their advice. When you ask for someone’s advice, he or she automatically feels a sense of worthiness. All you have to say is, “I need your advice on…Or what do you think of…" Do you really need their advice? Not really. But ask for it anyway. It will make them feel valued. And it will cause them to let their guard down and in turn have a better attitude. Power!
 
3) Make him or her feel important. Remember that you may be dealing with a person that has a huge ego. Every now and then you have to stroke that ego. Imagine that the person is walking around with a tattoo on his or her forehead that says, “make me feel important today.”

In most cases a sincere compliment can do the job. But some others may require a little stroking. By the way, everyone in this world craves one thing…the need to feel important. Some of us just go about it in different ways. By your making this person feel important, you have conquered the ego. Power!

4) Get the person to talk about him or herself. This should not be a hard one. The world is full of talkers. I am one of them. But good listeners are too few and far between. And you know what? There are many wounded souls out there. They need someone to give them the gift of listening.

I remember attending a social gathering where I consciously decided to listen. One lady commented that I was a very good conversationalist. And guest what? She did all the talking. I was just a sounding board. When you give others the opportunity to get things off their chest and/or their weary mind, they feel indebted to you. Power!
 
There you have it my friend. People around you might say that you are sucking up. But if you use what I have just shared with you wisely, you will rise to a position of power and fame in no time. You will have better relationships; you will be much happier. And those who criticize you will simply continue to live frustrating lives at

 
the mercy of others.

Have fun!

By  Rene Godefroy

The Four Thieves Of Personal Development

Nothing is worse than having a goal, but being mugged en route to your desired destination. The sad truth is the barriers to your dreams are

usually self-created. Personal development is hindered by four main

thieves operating on a daily basis within your life.

- Attitude
- Motivation
- Habits
- Time

Everything you do is a choice. You could call it taking personal

responsibility for your life, and the results you're getting. If your life

isn’t flowing in the direction you wish, then perhaps it is time to

dissect these four areas in a self-evaluation.

Attitude: Accomplishing great things in your life is impossible if your

thoughts and words are contrary to it. When you wake in the morning are you happy to have the new day? Has your mind closed down to the potential each day brings? Doing an attitude self-check is essential to personal growth. Without maintenance on your attitude daily, it is near impossible to embrace opportunities which bring dreams closer to reality. If you take a good look around you, you will see people stuck on auto pilot, caught up in stoic repetition. An indifferent attitude is almost worse than a bad attitude. As you grow older, it becomes even more necessary to feed your mind, wash your belief systems and do daily maintenance checks on your attitude. Being unaware of poor thoughts is a sorry excuse for not being able to reach out for your dreams. Attitude accountability is reaching out for resources and self-help tools purposely. By not doing so, this thief surely will steal your joy of self-discovery.

Motivation: Simply put, motivation is having an “iron will”. If you do

not mean to do something, you won’t. You might dance around thoughts of doing something while melting away on your couch, but until you actually initiate your will through actions, it is only fluff. The hard truth is you are the biggest poser in your own life if you have no motivation to accomplish a dream or goal. No one said finding motivation would be easy either. Every single person has or has had difficulties with motivation. It remains a number one challenge in personal development. There will always be the little voice inside you telling you to get motivated later. Until you make up your mind to exercise your will now, motivation will elude you, keeping it thief number two in personal growth.

Habits: Habits keep you in your comfort zone. Habits provide security.

They feel safe, whether they are good habits or bad ones. They can also keep you from moving on into new and uncharted areas of growth. Which habits do you possess? Are they a part of your problem or part of your solution? Sometimes poor habits become so ingrained into who you are, you don’t even notice how they rob your dreams. Developing new habits that are in sync with your goals, is the key to personal development. You must emit behavior which supports the results you want. The reason they are called habits is because you do them over and over and over. To keep this thief from robbing you, you must find ways to eliminate unproductive habits, and replace them with habits that serve you.

Time: The word speaks for itself. It is a universal container for holding

all of our life meaning. Finding time, not enough time, out of time…and

to each and every human is a lifetime. This is your food for thought: at

the end of your life, how will you have defined your journey in regards to

time? Did you make time work for you or did you do time? Each moment

belongs solely to you, to your choices and to your dreams. Respect the

value of each moment life gives you for all things meaningful. We all get

the same 24, but some folks just seem to squeeze so much more juice out of their 24 than the rest of us. How do they do that?

There are tools available to help you beef up security against these 4

thieves. Most of them involve changing your thoughts, feelings, limiting

beliefs, etc. The answers to the challenges in each of these areas lie in your "Inner Game" Or, to put it another way "It's all in your head"

By: S. Denham

The Magic of Positive Thinking

Yes, there is magic in positive thinking! In aviation, the word attitude means the angle at which the plane meets the wind, whether the wings are level with the horizon, and whether it is climbing or descending. The pilot who fails to take responsibility for the attitude of his aircraft is in serious trouble.

And likewise, any person who has not taken charge of his or her own beliefs and attitudes runs a similar risk. The key to cultivating and maintaining a positive mental attitude is to take control of your thinking and avoid negative minded people. It’s a challenging task to develop a calm, focused mind, but well worth the effort.

Every setback and failure you experience also comes with a great opportunity. When one door closes, a window of possibility opens.

The key is to look for the opportunity and avoid dwelling on failure. Think thoughts of defeat and you are bound to feel defeated. Your attitude is not determined by circumstances, but by how you respond to those circumstances. Your mind determines your attitude; you always have the choice to respond either positively or negatively. What happens to a person is less important than what happens within them.

The great inventor, Thomas A. Edison, was known for his positive mental attitude. In December 1914, the Edison Laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey, was almost entirely destroyed by fire. Edison lost $2,000,000 worth of equipment and the records of much of his life’s work. The morning after the fire, as the 67-year-old inventor walked among the ashes, he was anything but defeated. Looking around, he remarked, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God we can start anew.” Yes, there is magic in a positive attitude!

I recommend that you read the following books and consider adding them to your personal success library:

How I Raised Myself From Failure To Success In Selling - Frank Bettger

The Magic Of Believing - Claude M. Bristol

You’ll See It When You Believe It - Dr. Wayne W. Dyer

What It Takes To Succeed In Sales - Jeanne & Herbert Greenberg

The Power Of Positive Thinking - Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

Positive Action Plan - Dr. Napoleon Hill

The Master-Key To Riches - Dr. Napoleon Hill & W. Clement Stone

Psycho-Cybernetics - Dr. Maxwell Maltz

Creative Living For Today - Dr. Maxwell Maltz

Article by: John Boe,

The SMARTEST Goal Setting Techniques

For some time now the SMART techniques for goal setting has been used by authors, trainers, coaches, etc. to create a foundation for actualizing goals. They work and have proven themselves over time so that they are published and reiterated a thousand times over. They truly are "smart" - specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and tangible or timely.
As a trainer in employment transition training skills I have discovered that goal setting is a mandatory topic in every workshop that I facilitate. The group is always challenged by me to be very specific with their goals. This is where the SMART technique proves to be very effective. I have added a new dimension to this effective process. It is called the SMARTEST goal setting technique that I use to fire up one's commitment to a higher level of successful goal setting.

Engaging!

In other words when your values and goals align they form a passionate attitude that light up the room when you speak of your goals. This will engage people in your dreams and attract tangible networking opportunities, ideas, advice etc. People are drawn to passionate goal setters. In my workshops I have the participants perform a self-esteem exercise that re-familiarizes them to their talents and accomplishments. This exercise builds confidence so when goal setting is discussed they are more affirming about themselves and their goals. It realigns them with their values hence engaging them into their dreams and ultimately enrolling others with their support. Your enthusiasm is contagious!

Shifting Goals!

There is an important notice that can be placed on every human being. It would read…"During the course of your life the most constant thing you will experience is change". Your goals will shift. I venture to say that if they don't you are not working your goal, they are not "smart" enough or they lack focus. Bold statement and I know there are always exceptions to the rule. I trust when you are so focused on a goal it draws in other possibilities that can shift your original goal. You might still hit the bull's eye but it will on a different target. Knowing this can take the pressure off those who are perfectionist or believe with an unhealthy vigor that they must stick to a particular goal. Be flexible! Caution with shifting goals - I am not endorsing constantly changing your goals every other week or month. I'm talking about how life circumstances and your focus attracts opportunities not originally seen at the time of the creation of the original goal. I do congratulate those that stick with a goal for years, achieve them and are happy. This is also a possibility.

Team Effort!

Part of my responsibilities as a trainer is to encourage that the participants enroll a person that will hold them accountable to their goals - another words an "accountability coach". Our world is wrought with a lack of accountability. There are people who can not follow through with agreements set with others let alone the agreements they set for themselves. Through a team effort you will be more sensitive to upholding your goals for you will report your successes and failures to your coach. I realize that friends or family members are usually chosen as part of the support team and are not professional coaches. Therefore, I give them some easy guidelines that will make them more effective as an amateur coach. Tell your coach not to accept reasons or excuses for a goal that was not accomplished. Instead they can assist you in renegotiating the goal that was broken. In other words recommit to it if there still is value in it. Conversely, celebrate your successes when goals are achieved. Also, meet with or call your team or coach on a regular basis with a set appointment. This adds more structure to your goal and increases the chances of success.

There is no better life than that which is lived in pure self-expression. You might as well get the most out of your self-expression by knowing what constitutes effective goal setting. Therefore, infuse into your goal setting regimen an engaging attitude, acceptance of the shifting human condition and a system that allows for accountability through a team that supports. You will add structure, vitality and commitment to the fulfillment of your dreams and be an example for others to follow.

By John Koze

Is this a right time To Start Working On That Dream Is Now?
Most of us are hesitant to start anything because we are afraid we might make a mistake or fail. Go ahead make mistakes! Don’t wait for more experience or to be good enough to start. You don’t have to be good to start, but you have to start to be good.

Some may tease and laugh at you. They will warn you, and recite all the reasons why you shouldn't take the risk. These will be the ones to wait around patiently hoping to say, “I told you so.” Brush them off. If you let these people influence you in any way, you will never, ever be ready to go ahead and start making your dream a reality.

You will never have enough money, enough time, enough support, or experience to start. But once you muster up the courage to take that giant step forward and start, the rest will fall into place. But only YOU can make it happen! Start NOW with whatever you know, whatever you have, and wherever you are.

Don’t let money be your handicap. You don’t need money to make the phone call, attend that networking event, or go as a guest to an association meeting in your field. How about volunteering a few hours a week to work for someone in the business arena that you're thinking about? Do you see what I mean? You have so many opportunities out there. Do something!

Be sure to keep a good database. Record your contacts and touch base with them every three months. And guess how much that will cost you? Zero. Most computers already come with a database program. All you need is a little time which you can choose to create right now.

Your assignment: This month, write down what kind of resources you will need and which people can help you make your dream a reality. Be creative! Go for it.

The Top 10 Best Ideas for Setting Goals

You cannot pick up a book or participate in a training program today without the author or instructor teaching the power of goal setting. Yet, most people today spend more time planning a two-week vacation than planning their lives by setting goals. It's been said that achieving goals is not a problem--it's SETTING goals that is the problem. People just don't do it. They leave their lives to chance...and usually end up broke by the time they reach retirement.

I thought that since this is such an important ingredient for developing a successful network marketing business, this was a good time to share with you some of the greatest thoughts about goal setting that I've discovered over the years.

So, here goes...The Top 10 Best Ideas For Setting Goals:

1. Make A List Of Your Values

What's really important to you? Your family? Your religion? Your leisure time? Your hobbies? Decide on what your most important values in life are and then make sure that the goals you set are designed to include and enhance them.

2. Begin With The End In Mind

Tom Watson, the founder of IBM was once asked what he attributed the phenomenal success of IBM to and he said it was three things:
The first thing was that he created a very clear image in his mind of what he wanted his company to look like when it was done. He then asked himself how would a company like that have to act on a day-to-day basis. And then in the very beginning of building his company, he began to act that way.

3. Project Yourself Into The Future

The late, great Earl Nightingale created a whole new industry (self-improvement) after a 20-year study on what made people successful. The bottom-line result of his research was simply, "We Become What We Think About."

Whatever thoughts dominate our minds most of the time are what we become. That's why goal setting is so critical in achieving success because it keeps us focused on what's really important to us. He then said that the easiest way to reach our goals is to pretend that we had ALREADY achieved our goals.

That is, begin to walk, talk and act as though we are already experiencing the success we seek. Then, those things will come to us naturally through the power of the subconscious mind.

4. Write down The 10 Things You Want This Year

By making a list of the things that are important to you, you begin to create images in your mind. It's been said that your mind will actually create chaos if necessary to make images become a reality. Because of this, the list of ten things will probably result in you achieving at least eight of them within the year.

5. Create Your Storyboard

Get a piece of poster board and attach it to a wall in your office or home where you will see it often. As you go through magazines, brochures, etc. and you see the pictures of the things you want, cut them out and glue them to your storyboard.

In other words, make yourself a collage of the goals that excite you...knowing full well that as you look at them everyday, they will soon be yours.

6. The Three Most Important Things

Decide on three things that you want to achieve before you die. Then work backwards listing three things you want in the next twenty years, ten years, five years, this year, this month, this week and finally, the three most important things you want to accomplish today.

7. Ask Yourself Good Questions

As you think about your goals, instead of WISHING for them to come true, ask yourself HOW and WHAT CAN YOU DO to make them come true. The subconscious mind will respond to your questions far greater than just making statements or making wishes.

8. Focus On One Project At A Time

One of the greatest mistakes people make in setting goals is trying to work on too many things at one time. There is tremendous power in giving laser beam focused attention to just one idea, one project or one objective at a time.

9. Write Out An "Ideal Scenario"

Pretend that you are a newspaper reporter that has just finished an interview about the outstanding success that you've achieved and the article is now in the newspaper. How would it read? What would be the headline? Write the article yourself, projecting yourself into the future as though it had already happened. Describe the activities of your daily routine now that are very successful. Don't forget the headline. (Example: "Jane Doe Wins Top Network Marketing Award Of The Decade.")

10. Pray & Meditate

As you get into bed each evening, think about your goal before you drop off to sleep. Get a very clear colorful image in your mind of seeing yourself doing the things you'll be doing after you've reached your major goal. (Remember to include your values.) And then begin to ask and demand for these things through meditation and prayer.

By Hilton Johnson

The Top 10 Steps to Set and Achieve Your Goals - Every Time!

It’s been said that everyone has goals, whether we know it or not. We have goals to keep our current job, or to get a different one. We have goals to save for the future, or to travel, take a vacation, or purchase the things we need and want to make our lives more enjoyable. An important distinction, however, is that top achievers are very intentional and focused on their goals, while many of the rest of us are not.

Top achievers know that the wording, structure, timing and format of a goal can make it’s achievement much easier – or far more difficult. Top achievers understand the basic skills for setting and reaching their goals, every time! They know how to design goals that create success. Here are the 10 most important steps to set and achieve your goals:

1. Reachable goals are SPECIFIC. Top achievers know that to reach their goals, the brain must know exactly, precisely, what they are trying to accomplish. Never word a goal with vague terms like “some” or “a little bit”, or “more”. Be specific! If you want to lose 8 pounds and reach a weight of 175, specify those exact numbers. If you want to save $200 this month, be exact. Your brain can help you accomplish almost anything if it knows precisely what you are aiming for.

2. Reachable goals are SIMPLE. Many people describe their goals in complex terms of retiring on the beach in Hawaii, with nice cars and lots of money, and…. Their list goes on and on. Any ONE of those things is a great goal, but the combination becomes over whelming and the brain gets confused. If you want to retire in Hawaii, just say so! If you want to increase your sales by 10% this month, say so! Keep your goals simple, clear, and focused.

3. Reachable goals are SIGNIFICANT. No one can muster the enthusiasm, hard work and courage to reach a goal they don’t really care about. A reachable goal is one you really, really, REALLY want! It’s something that will change your life, enhance your health or wealth, and make you proud. It gets your juices flowing, gets you up in the morning, and keeps you going all day long, because it is important! Set goals that are worth achieving!

4. Reachable goals are STRATEGIC. High achievers know that the best goals accomplish many great outcomes, all at one time. Running a 10K race will almost certainly: 1) feel great! 2) help you lose weight. 3) lower your cholesterol level 4) strengthen your heart 5) lower you risk of heart disease 6) increase your energy and stamina, and 7) improve your outlook. Design your goals to strategically impact as many areas of your life as possible. You’ll have more reasons to reach your goal and more excitement when you do!

5. Reachable goals are MEASURABLE. A goal without a measurable outcome is just a pipe-dream. You can’t achieve a pound of “happiness” or 6 inches of “self-esteem”, but you CAN get a new job. You CAN run a mile in under 7 minutes, or do 100 sit-ups. Someone has wisely observed that, “What gets measured, gets done.” Define your goals in terms of height, weight, dollars, inches, or hours. Then measure your progress until you achieve your desired outcome.

6. Reachable goals are RATIONAL. To reach your goal, you will need a plan, a path, and a vehicle for getting there. Your goals must make sense! When you explain them to friends and family, your goals should create excitement, draw support, and encouragement. Your goals should be just out of reach, but not out of sight! You want to stretch to be your best, not strain after impossible dreams. Set goals you CAN and WILL achieve!

7. Reachable goals are TANGIBLE. Choose goals that you can see, hear, smell or touch. Go for things you will enjoy and that you can clearly visualize. The brain has hard time going for “financial security”, but it can visualize a bank statement with nice, large numbers on it! Define your goals in terms that excite the senses, then go for it with all your heart!

8. Reachable goals are WRITTEN. High achievers always know precisely what they want, because they’ve written it down. Often, they write a short description of their goals every single morning, as a personal reminder of their priorities and their objectives. The act of writing your goals down vastly increases your chance of success. Write it down! Then, keep your notes where you can see and read them every day.

9. Reachable goals are SHARED. We are far more likely to stick to our plan and reach our goals if we know our friends and family support us. Being part of a team increases our determination, our stamina, and our courage. Caution: Never share your goals with anyone who may ridicule, tease or discourage you! The world is full of doubters and you have no time for them. But, find a support team, a group of cheerleaders, and a coach who will encourage you every step of the way. High achievers count on and work with other winners!

10. Reachable goals are CONSISTENT WITH YOUR VALUES. One of the biggest reasons people fail to achieve their goals is that they have conflict between their behavior and their values. However, when your values and your goals are in agreement, there is no stopping you! Clarify your values first, then set simple, specific, measurable, tangible, written goals that are consistent with those values. You will achieve them, every single time.

by Dr. Philip E. Humbert

The top six ways to stay motivated        
 
People often ask the same question: How can I keep myself motivated long term? This seems to be quite a common dilemma for many people so I want to address it because it can be done! Here are my tips for staying motivated.

Get motivated every day

Zig Ziglar was once confronted about being a “motivational speaker.” The guy said to him, “You guys come and get people hyped up and then you leave and the motivation goes away. It doesn’t last, and then you have to get motivated again.” Zig reminded the gentleman that baths are the same way but we think it is a good idea to take a bath every day!

It is true that motivation doesn’t last. We have to renew it each and every day. That is okay. It doesn’t make motivation a bad thing. We simply have to realize that if we want to stay motivated over the long term, it is something we will have to apply to ourselves each and every day.

Have a vision for your life

The root word of motivation is “motive.” The definition of motive is, “A reason to act.” This is the cognitive or rational side of motivation. It is your vision. You have to have a vision that is big enough to motivate you. If you are making $50,000 a year, it isn’t going to motivate you to set your goal at $52,000 a year. You just won’t get motivated for that because the reward isn’t enough. Maybe $70,000 a year would work for you. Set out a vision and a strategy for getting there. Have a plan and work the plan.

Fuel your passion

Much of motivation is emotional. I don’t know quite how it works but I do know THAT it works. Emotion is a powerful force in getting us going. Passion is an emotion, so fuel your passion. “Well, I like to work on logic,” you may say. Great, now work on your passion. Set yourself on a course to have a consuming desire for your goal, whatever it is. Do whatever you can to feel the emotion and use it to your advantage!

Work hard enough to get results

You can build on your motivation by getting results. The harder you work, the more results you will get and the more results you get, the more you will be motivated to get more. These things all build on one another. If you want to lose weight, then lose the first few pounds. When the belt moves to the next notch you will get fired up to get it to the notch beyond that!

Put good materials into your mind

 

I can’t say this enough – listen to tapes. I still listen to tapes regularly. I buy tape clubs from other speakers and I learn and grow. Their successes motivate me to get my own successes! Read good books. Read books that teach you new ideas and skills. Read books that tell the stories of successful people. Buy them, read them, and get motivated! Buy great music and listen to it. I just did a spinning class at the club today. Whenever a good song came on I was actually able to get motivated to ride faster! It gets you going and motivates you!

Ride the momentum when it comes

Sometimes you will just be clicking and sometimes you won’t. That is okay. It is the cycle of life. When you aren’t clicking, plug away. When you are clicking, pour it on because momentum will help you get larger gains in a shorter period of time with less energy. That is the Momentum Equation! When you are feeling good about how your work is going, ride the momentum and get as much out of it as you can!

These are simple principles, that when you put them to work regularly, will change your life by keeping you motivated all the time! Get going!

By Chris Widener

Why Most People Will Never Reach Their Goals!

It's sad but true that many people are failing in reaching their goals!

Even though they sit down and ask themselves what they really want in life, write it down, break their goals into small action steps and take action - they won't achieve most of their goals.

Do you know why they'll fail? No?

It's because they forgot to identify the *Benefits* they will gain by reaching their goals!

What does that mean? Let me give you a simple example...

What happens when someone offers you a product? When are you going to buy it? Are you interested in the features of that product?

No, not at all! What you are interested in and influences you in whether or not you are going to buy is to know the *benefits* of this particular product.

You want to know "what is in it for me?" And the same happens to you when you set up your goals. You will not be committed to your goals one hundred percent if you are not clear on the benefits you will gain by reaching them.

When you are not sure of the benefits it's *very* difficult to maintain the necessary persistence, dedication and enthusiasm!

So, you always have to ask yourself *why* you want to achieve a particular goal. If you are clear on the benefits, you are willing to pay the price. Instead of setting up a goal like "I want to have a successful business," and then just taking action, you have to identify the benefits.

-Imagine how it will feel like to have a successful business
-Imagine how your family and friends will admire you
-Imagine how you make smart investments
-Imagine taking that long vacation you always wanted

By doing so you will have the necessary momentum that keeps you right on track until your goal is reached. The only difference between those who make it and those who don't is desire. And benefits and rewards create this desire! Now you have the chance to belong to those who *make it.*

by Ken Burgess