Even the successful need Holidays!

This will be my last post before Christmas. I am fortunate enough to have my parents visiting from Canada and need to devote my attention to them and make the most of their visit.

Success in relationships means sacrifice. Remember to put things aside for a little while every so often to spend with the ones you love.
Time is the most precious of all things! Give some this Christmas!

Have a Wonderful Christmas!

"In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure."

Bill Cosby

Do I need a Life Coach?

Have you ever asked yourself this question? Maybe, you have wondered what could a Life Coach possibly do for you? It is so acceptable in todays society to have a Personal Trainer, or even a Shrink, but a large portion of the modern world still think its crazy to have a life coach. Is it the insecurity of admitting that one needs guidance? I dont know. It seems ok to get help looking after your body, or even admit to being crazy, but wanting to improve your life..Hmm..I'm not sure.

It's all a bit silly really. Most of the people I coach are all quite successful, they have achieved a fair amount of wealth, and status, but are still looking to improve. Whether it be a relationship, a career move, or to find greater fullfilment from life, they are the majority of my clients. These people are open to constant growth and development. They are the leaders, the motivators and usually fantastic coaches themselves. So why do they pay for guidance? Because they know that they are personally biased,that they can't see all the angles, that two is better than one, and that life is way to short for trial and error.

I am not insisting you go out and get a coach, but if you want to be successful in life then you have to open your mind. Ignorant disapproval will get you nowhere, because coaching comes from peers, from family,friends, co-workers. If you think you know it all you have already failed.

I wish you a great Christmas and hope you have planned to share with others less fortunate, even if it is just your time!

"Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new."

Albert Einstein.

Success through Self-Awareness!

It is one of the most important little tools that us Human Beings can use to alter the course of our lives. Self-Awareness is one of those human-defining skills that we all are capable of using but only few actually do. It is a simple technique that can be understood very quickly, but performed very rarely. If you can learn to use this little trick, it will put you ahead of the game and on the path to SUCCESS.

Self-Awareness is simple to understand, it is the ability to be mentally aware of what we are doing at any particular moment. It is like stepping out of our bodies and watching ourselves interact with others as if we were watching a TV show. Take home movies for example; you are watching yourself interact with people and things in the third person, and normally it is quite embarrassing or awkward because you look and act completely different to what you thought you were acting like at the time. We have all done it, cover our eyes with embarrassment and say " I cant believe I did that" or " I can't believe I said that". The funny thing is we are the same person, so why didn't we think we were acting funny then, why did we behave the way we did?
Because we were not self-aware at the time!

Self-Awareness takes practice and time to perform. I don't mean being withdrawn and analyzing everything around you and come across as unnatural and emotionally disconnected.No, I mean being comfortable, and behaving naturally while understanding and controlling your responses. 'Think before you speak' how many times have you heard that phrase! Well that is part of it, it is listening and adjusting your response based on a quick overview of the situation, the people involved, and the possible outcome.

Successful people are very good at this, and it makes their conversations and communication more effective. They say the right things at the right time to the right people to get the right outcome. The real success comes from also being aware of your body language and tone! Full awareness will allow you to be a better communicator, and a have greater success at creating rapport and influencing people. Learn to be more aware and reap the rewards.

"Seek first to understand, then to be understood."

Stephen Covey

Make your Christmas a Success!

I had a fantastic day today! I spent the whole day with my wife searching for the right Christmas tree and decorating the house. You see, today was a great success. Not only did I enjoy time with the woman I love, I also got to catch up with her about issues in my work and in my mind. It was a great day and we sometimes forget the importance of the simple things in life.

It is very easy to get wrapped up in chasing wealth and success, that we forget that part of being successful is to be able to spend quality time with the ones we love. If we are blinded by the pursuit of wealth, that we neglect the reasons we want it for in the first place. Having an unrelentless drive, Persistence is vital, but it also must be applied to relationships, especially the ones you value.

So, my message to you today is to take the time to just 'be' with the ones you care about. Listen to them, and understand there needs! It makes your life bigger and brighter when you can share your goals and plans with others. It also makes the obstacles and problems lighter and more manageable. To truly succeed your whole house must also be succesful.

I will leave you with a thought! In this time of celebration and plenty, remember that their are alot more people in worse positions and with alot less than you a have now. Take the time this christmas to give something to those who really need it; Those who's only goal this christmas will be to find some food. Start your christmas by asking yourself what you can do for others, not what you would like for christmas. You have the capacity to make all your dreams come true, so give hope to those who are lower on the ladder and help them to succeed, even if it is just for 1 day.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Mahatma Ghandi

SUCCESS is for the Bold

SUCCESS is for the bold!

To be a success in life you must be bold! There is no room at the top for those who are to shy or embarrassed to stand up for themselves and be heard. Success in everything you do will be determined by the environment around you! If you are a pushover, you will always be pushed over, if you act like a victim, you will always be the victim, especially if the fear of making a comment, asking a favour, requesting what is rightfully yours are the reasons for the hat you wear! Don’t think that if you just stay quiet, agree with everything, and do your job well that eventually someone will notice and reward you! Sorry, it’s not going to happen! Don’t kid yourself; it takes a very specific type of attitude to become a success.

Everyday, life is happening all around us, but the way we deal with it ultimately determines our destiny. It is your ability to handle and bend the environment around you to suit your goals that brings success. Having the confidence and discipline to tackle the issues around you that will give you faster access to your goal is vital. If you deserve a raise then tell them, if you disagree, then express yourself, if you are cheated then speak up! There are very few shy and timid successful people! Why, because the environment around them determines their course. They allow the environment to drive their life toward whatever? Definitely not toward their goals!

If you happen to be a shy and timid person, and want to succeed then your first goal must be to become confident and assertive. Visualize yourself being that person. Use Persistent, Effective Action. Give yourself rewards, and enjoy the new challenges. Replace the fear; instead imagine how it would feel to be old and regretful! You don’t have to be loud and bubbly, you just have to be confident and maintain your integrity at all times. Stop making excuses about how bad things keep happening to you! Bad things don’t happen to people, things happen, whether it’s bad or good depends on how you deal with it! Be bold, expect more from yourself, and expect more from others. Live life!

“Fortune favours the bold.”
Virgil

NO FEAR!

You hear it all the time, FEAR! It almost brings a skeptical perception attached to it. It instantly reminds me of a televangelist preaching to thousands of brain washed desperate souls. "What is your FEAR!? I can rid you of your demons- relieve you of your FEAR." Just put some money in an envelope to help me buy my new yacht he means! Life can sometimes seem unfair, but remember it is all about how you perceive the situation. The sad part is that some people who have not been coached or guided in times of desperation, can be conned by those who abuse their knowledge of human psychology. It is those people that tarnish the image of Personal Development, and the life altering power it can have. Great coaches and teachers will always help you succeed, and yes you do have to invest money for their time and knowledge, but they will enrich your life and not drain it!

The truth is , 'fear' is a huge obstacle on your path to success, and it is one that will prevent you from achieving the life you deserve. In most cases it is the fear of Success itself that prevents people from living magnificent lives. Maybe it will make more sense the other way around. It is the comfort and understanding of failure that prevents people from succeeding, being uncomfortable and feeling anxious is scary, but that's what it takes!

Going after what you want is full of uncertainty, hard work, and risk. People try new businesses, or try to go after the new career; they get a hint of motivation, particularly around New Years, and try to change their life! The problem is, as soon as an obstacle appears such as a rejected business plan, or someone else gets promoted they begin to feel the uncomfortableness, the uncertainty! Basically, they are scared that they will not be able to overcome the obstacles, so they give up. They decide to fail, when the only thing that they were afraid of was failing in the first place! It doesn't make sense if you think about it. If your afraid of failing, why do you give up and fail anyway?
Because your probably even more afraid of what would actually happen if you went for it and succeeded! How weird would that be?
Think of Smoking for example, it is the perfect example! People give up quitting because they are afraid that they might actually succeed. To the smoker it is frightening trying to imagine a life without smoking. "What would I do with my hands? What would I do after a coffee? What if I go out for a drink?" They are more scared of how uncertain their life would be without smoking that it is much easier to keep smoking!
The human mind is a funny thing.
Keep learning!

"Courage is not the lack of fear but the ability to face it."

Lt. John B. Putnam Jr

Change your mood instantly!

Today I thought I would pass on a way to instantly change your mood! Any time... Any place! A quick simple solution to cure your blues without having to take any drugs, or visit any doctors. Remember the information I give you here can have an immediate positive effect on your life , however , I am just giving you basic principles and techniques. Imagine the power and effectiveness these techniques could have if you invest in reading and learning more about them. Imagine the success you could have if you had the knowledge. For now a simple explanation can get you started, and hopefully intrigued.

First we have to understand a few things, a few basic principles. I will keep this short and leave the complicated science stuff out of the equation.

1. Our Brain simply processes information based on the 5 senses.
2. Our senses supply information to the brain via the nervous system.
3. Moods/States are a result of specific sequences of information supplied to our brain by our nervous system.

Basically, our brain is like a computer, and like a computer responds to different commands. It also has been programmed over time by receiving files or information which it stores in its memory. We ,like computers have been programmed over the years to react a certain way to incoming information, and it causes us to act in the programmed manner. For example, If your computer has been programmed to do so, everytime you turn it on, it automatically dials onto the internet. A person could be programmed in the same way. A person could have been programmed by experiences to start to sweat in the presence of dogs. The computer dialed onto the internet because it recognized a specific sequence of events. It was turned on, windows came up, etc,etc, and so it dialed up. Simple. The person sweating also reacted due to a series of specific events. The person saw the dog, began to breathe shorter breathes, heard the dog barking and began to sweat.

The only difference is that we humans have emotions and feelings unlike a computer, so the sequence of specific events also triggers an emotion or state. In this case the state was fear, fear of the dog. Knowing this gives us great power. The fact that we can rationalize this sequence, the fact that humans are intelligent, allows us to be able to manipulate our own brains. We do it all the time without even knowing it, but now that we are aware, we can consciously control our states.

It takes very specific impulses to our senses to arrive at an emotion or state, and they have to be in a very specific sequence. So, by changing the impulses that we are sending to our brain we can change the way we feel! Yes, I am serious, by disrupting the sequence and triggers, we can feel like we want to feel. Try to remember the last time you felt mad and angry, think about the situation, imagine that you are there! Are you starting to feel angry? Really visualize it! Are you getting mad? Now, notice your body- did your breathing get shorter, did your brow start to tighten, did your posture change, of course it did! The feeling came from the information you sent your brain, not because of the memory, but because the way the memory caused you to physically change. Do this with a happy memory, visualize it! How is your body changing, what physical triggers are you sending to your brain.

Lets not get to deep. Think of it like this. If you hunch down, look at the floor, breathe as if your sighing, let your shoulders shrug forward. Walk slowly and heavily, frown- if you do these things you will start to feel depressed and sad! Now, stand up tall, raise your head, take a deep breath and exhale deeply, open your eyes wider, shoulders back, smile-you are starting to feel good, confident! Do you get it! The signals your senses, your body, sends to your brain is what causes you to feel a certain way. Change your input and the output changes.

So the next time you are feeling down, think about the message you are sending! Then, begin sending new messages, ones that are associated with the state you want to be in! How would a successful person sit, breath etc. This is a powerful tool, and if you take the time to learn more you will be amazed!

"If you feel like it's difficult to change, you will probably have a harder time succeeding." Andrea Jung

The Formula Works! True Story!

I thought I would share a little bit of my life experience, which proves the basic success principles of Persistent Effective Action! Every time I have applied this formula it has truly worked wonders and delivered amazing success to my life. Of course I have failed more than I have succeeded, and it has taken years to be able to have the patience to really analyze my past experiences and understand the results I 've achieved. So, with the beauty of hindsight, and the wisdom of trial and error, now know that every success I have had in the past, was due to Persistent, Effective Action- along with a huge 'Why', and no fear!
The formula works.

I opened Mambo Bar & Grill in the summer of 2000 to a capacity crowd of 500, plus a queue of 200 people who couldn't get in! I had Live Radio Coverage from the most popular station in the city and cars kept driving by to see what the commotion was all about! I was 24, and had accomplished one of my biggest dreams, and I did it with less then $10 000 of my own money!

How? Well, I had saved about 6000 over the previous few years from various ventures I had tried, and I had a few credit cards, but most importantly I had a great idea that I totally and unconditionally believed in. I also had a huge, huge why! I had met a girl and had truly fallen in love for the first time in my life, She was English and she was coming to stay in Canada- So of course,I wanted to be somebody, I wanted to show her that I was a Business man! It was my drive- It was the perfect time to make my dream come true!

I applied for loans everywhere and got rejected everytime! I asked friends for money, but none could spare the amount I was after. I tried other Business men...Nobody would bite, so I decided to do it anyway!
I found the perfect venue, and put a deposit on the rent! It was 5000! Their was no going back!

2 months later I was having a toast in my Mambo VIP room, with an English girl who is now my wife!
They were 2 exciting months, with so many stories to tell today. I will share the events in the weeks to come.

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.Live the life you have imagined."

Henry David Thoreau