If you think you don’t need to worry about stress because it is part of everyone’s everyday life, think again. Individual stress burdens have increased so much recently that calls to the National Suicide Lifeline are now at an all time high, making it more critical than ever to manage your stress levels yourself if you want to avoid disastrous effects on your health.

The reason is clear. Everyone experiences stress differently. They perceive stressful situations differently and react to the stress they feel in different ways. A situation which you can cope with easily may cause someone else intolerable anxiety. Simply put, the amount of stress you feel and the way you experience it could be making you ill.
Read the rest of «Stress – Why Should You Care …»

Peter G. James Sinclair has this past year been a prolific contributor to Pick The Brain, and his articles always attract a lot of great comments from our readers – so please allow me to share a little bit more about him with you.

But before I do that, Peter recently asked me for an endorsement and this is what I wrote:

‘Peter is one of the most passionate and intelligent self-improvement bloggers I’ve had the pleasure to work with. He tirelessly aims to produce compelling and thoughtful content and he succeeds, whole-heartedly. He is an inspiration to me and most definitely to his ever-expanding audience. If Peter created it, I endorse it. It’s just that simple.’

For many years Peter was his worst enemy.

Any success that he ever pursued was sabotaged by his own mindset.

His own brain declared – who are you to think that you can have ever experience true success? What right have you to succeed? Success happens for everyone else but it’ll never happen for you. You’re too young. You’re too old. You don’t come from a successful family. And on and on and on it went relentlessly.

That’s when he decided that he needed to change – and when he started to partake of motivational and inspirational books, listened to personal development speakers and signed up for courses that would help him take charge of his limiting thought processes, he positioned myself for future success.

It worked!

Then as he started to interview other people about their challenges – they came back with the following questions that harassed them:

• Why am I not getting success?
• Why do I struggle with being motivated and staying motivated and focused?
• Why do I struggle with disappointment and failure?
• Why is it so hard for me to stay motivated when I feel so overwhelmed by different directions and possibilities?
• Why do I battle with self-doubt, lack of discipline, previous setbacks and knockdowns, and lack of reward for effort?
• Why do I struggle with my own self worth?

This inspired Peter to help others. For if it could work for him, then he knew that it could definitely work for them.

So for well over two years he put together a program that was specifically designed to help individuals to overcome their own self-sabotaging thought patterns and assist them in breaking through the success barrier that may have resisted them to that point in their life.

Called Self Development Mastermind and consisting of 6 modules, 24 videos, 24 audios and 24 text presentations (over 12 hours of instruction) along with 6 Positive Action Sheets that allow the participants to apply what they learn immediately to their lives, it is a powerful tool for anyone who wants to initiate positive change in their life.

In Module 1 – YOU INC. you will learn how to clearly define and position yourself for your own personal success and begin to discover and identify your uniqueness, along with the true value of who you are and what you can become. You will learn how to cast off the chains of restriction that may have held you back to date, and be freed to be yourself; to tap into the enormous resources available to you in your own brilliant mind.

In Module 2 – YOUR PASSION you will learn how to define and discover your passion. You will dig deep in the pursuit of your passion and be provided with the keys to living a passionate life. In addition this module touches on how you can begin to turn that passion into a financial resource if you wish. For there is nothing better than to live your days doing what you love, and to be paid for it. Work is no longer work – but rather a joy if you have the courage to pursue your passion.

In Module 3 – YOUR MOTIVATION looks at the motivational foundations required to build a motivated life. Building blocks are provided along with powerful strategies and tactics designed to assist you in living a motivated life 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. In addition you’ll learn of the motivational fortifications that you need to put in place so that others, who may not be as motivated as you are, will not be able to derail you from achieving your exciting future.

In Module 4 – YOUR SUCCESS focuses on your success – the discipline, the development, the determination and the destiny that is yours if you apply the principles taught throughout this powerful course. Everything you are taught in this program has been birthed in the real world. This is not theory. These are tried and tested principles that have allowed people to live successful lives throughout the generations. Do as they have done, and then you can be all that you were created to become – magnificent.

In Module 5 – YOUR LEADERSHIP it makes it very clear that in order for us to lead others, we must first and foremost lead ourselves. The lessons and the qualities of leadership, as presented in this module, will equip you with the ability to use the power of leverage in your life to create momentum in all that you pursue, while at the same time position you to experience leadership longevity. Not a flash in the pan leader. But rather a leader filled with integrity and one who commands the respect and admiration of their peers.

In Module 6 – YOUR ACTION instructs you on the power of developing ‘do it now’ action, how your life will be defined by your actions, and how you can begin to demand from yourself successful actions that will make a massive difference in both your life and in the lives that you touch in the days ahead. By applying the principles taught here, you will become renowned as the one who gets things done.

Along with this Peter is adding 8 incredible bonuses – Daily Motivational tools, books, motivational posters for your desktop along with some amazing interviews with some extremely successful people (and I’m honored to be one in this auspicious company of people) – all designed to reprogram you for success.

If you’re wanting to effect positive change in your life, then may I encourage you to check out what Peter has on offer today at Self Development Mastermind.

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement| PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement

Cut it out … please. I’m so tired of hearing people whine instead of appreciating what they have. You and I have a lot. We have way more than most people around the world. Yes… others may have more, but so what!

Here is what WHINE means to me…

W – Wrapped up in their issues (self absorbed)

Whiners are wrapped up in their own issues and they want everyone to know it. They are so “happy” that they have someone who is listening to their problems. They really believe that all of their defeatist, self serving, petty complaints are interesting to others. If you listen to whiners you are just giving them attention they don’t deserve.

Winners are people who inspire, infuse enthusiasm in us and who give us ideas, strategies and support to go to the next level. They share their experience, strength and hope.

H – Helpless and Hopeless

Whiners are helpless and hopeless. They want to drag you down into their tar pits. They want you to feel bad for them. However, they really don’t want you to help them. It is like they put oil on their bodies. Every time you reach to support them they slip out of your hands. They like being helpless. They love not having hope. They love wallowing in their own tragedy. You can point out 100 ways that they can change and grow and succeed. They don’t want to hear it, they like being whiners.

Winners are people who gladly accept your help. Not only do they reach out and grab your hand, they use their feet, bodies and minds to help you life them up. They help you help them. Winners see hope, they see hope in the smallest moments and take hold of those moments as messages of better times to come.

I – Insecure

Whiners are insecure. If they don’t have a tragedy to share they think they may lose you as a friend, support or coworker. They see their whining as a tool to keep people close. They don’t believe that they are worthy of friendship, love, or real support. They believe that they are only as good as the next whine fest.

Winners are secure. They look at their past and know that they have gone through tough times before. This too shall pass. They know that they have within them the power to overcome. They are winners.

N- Negative Thinker

Whiners feed off of negativity. They look for negative messages to validate their position. They love proving people wrong… “See I told you it wouldn’t work” Whiners love pointing fingers at others, blaming others for the state of affairs while taking no responsibility for their own actions.

Winners are optimists. They see their potential and the potential of others. Their positive attitude increase their ability to see opportunities. If things don’t work out as planned they shrug their shoulders and move on.

E – Eliminate Whining

Whining doesn’t help you at all. It hurts you. Every whiner has within them the possibility of becoming a winner. If they chose to change their thoughts, behavior and rewards. You would be surprised to learn how many winners were once whiners. Make the choice to be a winner. Our world needs more winners and a lot less whiners.
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Pegine Echevarria is a motivational speaker and author – a nationally recognized expert on success, leadership, and team building. Visit her at Pegine.com.

-what do you think of the ideas above? Do you agree or disagree — why? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Motivation Articles, Essays, Tips and Advice

The first ten years of my life were spent in Owen Sound, Ontario. It’s a small town a few hours north of Toronto. I can vividly remember spending the summer days with my family at Harrison Park where there was a really great swimming pool.

I would watch as the older kids went up the ladder to either jump or dive off the high diving board. They were having a great time. Wanting to be accepted by the older kids, I too went up the ladder … reluctantly, but I climbed it.

I will never forget the terror that gripped my mind and body when I looked down. Unfortunately, all the coaxing in the world wouldn’t have been sufficient to get me to jump off that board! There was no way I could do it. Feeling defeated, I climbed back down the ladder trying desperately to hide my embarrassment.

That was the first time in my life that I can recall coming up against the Terror Barrier. Unfortunately, not only did I lose out on the excitement and thrill that would have been gained by jumping … I also lost a little self-respect.

If you think back, you will probably be able to recall the first time you came face-to-face with the Terror Barrier. Did you step through it to freedom or back into safety, imprisoned by your own fears?

The Terror Barrier is a real entity…
Now, I could waste a lot of breath telling you that the Terror Barrier is a figment as gauzy and hazy as the smoke from an extinguished campfire. But you’ll tell me differently, because fear can feel like a very real entity. What you think in your head is often acted out in your body – when faced with their Terror Barrier, people will actually break out in a cold sweat, find themselves covered in sudden hives, and even feel their hearts palpitate.

Your perception is your reality! That’s how soundly your paradigms of “no” and “it can’t be done” are grounded in your Mind. Your comfortable mind will do anything it can think of to back you away from the “danger” of the unknown, just as it had me backing down those diving-board stairs.

In James Allan’s classic, “As A Man Thinketh,” he mentioned that fear can kill a person faster than a speeding bullet. While coming up against your Terror Barrier might not kill you physically, it certainly kills something inside you – like it did that day I stood on the diving board.

How to be a wrecking ball on your own Terror Barrier…

1. Bulldoze through it scared. That’s right … just keep marching, no matter how badly your feet want to stay rooted to the ground. Refuse to permit this negative demon to control you, your emotions …your future.

2. Remember – the Terror Barrier rears its ugly head every time we attempt to make a major move in life into an area we have never traveled before. It’s as natural as day and night. Where before you used to let it stop you cold, now you can simply shrug and tell yourself, “Oh, there it is again. Well! This must really mean something great to me!”

3. Then, further remind yourself that it might be an unknown, but the other side of that Terror Barrier will have you that much closer to your goal. I’d encourage you to fall in love with THAT feeling of accomplishment, get wrapped up in it! I often say that if your goal doesn’t scare and excite you at the same time, you’re going after the wrong goal!

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” That is excellent advice. By following her advice you will liberate yourself from the crippling emotional state that the Terror Barrier causes.

Do it scared. Begin to visualize yourself successfully being a wrecking ball on that Terror Barrier of yours. Mentally see yourself winning. Remember, perception IS reality!

To your success,
Bob Proctor
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If you enjoyed the article you just read from Bob Proctor, you’ll definitely want to take a moment to learn more about his life-changing program Six Minutes to Success! – click here!

-share your thoughts and feedback on the ideas above below in the comments section.

Motivation Articles, Essays, Tips and Advice

One of the great things about a life crisis is you get to find out what works. When life is easy and no major challenges are on the horizon, you can read all about affirmations, pray, meditate, firewalk or just read self-help manuals written by big-name gurus. Then life throws you a major health challenge, the end of a relationship, the death of somebody close to you and an unexpected job loss. Now what?

Will you turn to a book, seek professional help, and meditate some more or just fall apart at the seams? This is when you get to find out what really works and what doesn’t. Here are a few ideas that have worked time and time again for people who wanted to turn their lives around after experiencing a life crisis.Tactic 1 – Run Toward, NOT Away If there is no growth without discomfort, why do so many people run away when things become uncomfortable? They avoid public speaking, they panic when the partner they know is wrong for them threatens to leave and they beg to keep the job they don’t even like. When my father was diagnosed with a terminal illness and when my marriage ended, I was taking the situation to the end and imagining myself coping. Well, not just coping but moving on with my life and being happy. Everything must come to an end and real peace of mind comes when you accept this.

Tactic 2 – Come Back to the Center The center is the core of YOU, where you sense all your feelings and experience your emotions. A Course in Miracles says that we are never upset or angry for the reason we think. When I lost the job I hated, looking back I wasn’t really upset about that after all, I was frightened that I would end up broke and destitute. I had become comfortable in my crappy job. If you come back to your emotional center and dig deep into the emotions you are feeling, you will eventually realize that it all comes back to the same fear—the fear of death.

Tactic 3 – Do What You Don’t Want to Do During a life crisis, you will be tempted to crawl into your bed and pull the sheets over your head. You may even want to turn to alcohol, drugs, food or something else to help numb the pain. Instead, do this:

• Feed your body fresh, organic food
• Exercise every day, even if it is just walking
• Read books that inspire you
• See a comedy show and laugh

If you have some spare cash, get a nice haircut and treat yourself to a new outfit. The temptation will be to neglect yourself, but you must do the opposite and invest in yourself.

Tactic 4 – Avoid Pity Parties Your friends and family will not want to see you suffer and at times like this, you will be thankful for a support network. When I was having my major crisis, I would spend every night on the phone with friends and relatives talking about what I was going through. Here’s the thing though; is talking about how terrible you feel helping you at all? Sometimes we can fall into the trap of becoming a victim in the story of our life. If you can, share your problem with a professional counselor or hypnotherapist who is there to help you move on with your life. Spend the time with your family and friends doing fun stuff.

Tactic 5 – A Full Life Is…? Do books change your life or just change the way you look at your life? Either way, a book that had a profound effect on me is ‘The Road Less Travelled’ by M. Scott Peck. The first line of the book reads ‘Life is Difficult.’ Does that sound obvious to you? You could have knocked me down with a feather when I read that short sentence. Of course, but then when did we buy into this notion that life was supposed to be all roses? Maybe it is the movies or TV that makes us think this way. If you live a full life, then you will experience great suffering but also great joy. This is life and it is how it is supposed to be. You will lose friends, have health challenges, have your partner walk out on you, but you will also love, travel and meet some very special people who touch your life. Enjoy the ride.

Paul Browning is a writer, Internet marketer and survivor of rock bottom. He is also the author of 7 People Saved My Life, a survival manual for anyone trying to cope with a life crisis.

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement| PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement

Many of us want to be successful but come across a lot of challenges along the way. Most times the challenges we face can be controlled by us. Sometimes we forget that it is the simple things that are stopping us from getting the success we want in our lives. Below I have listed five things that you must not do in order to make sure that you get the success that you deserve.

Constantly criticizing people

The more you criticize people, the less attractive you will come across to others that are around you. Criticism is a sign that you are insecure and lack self-confidence. If you are jealous of other people’s success, no one is going to help you and guide you towards having the successful life that you desire.

Blaming other people for your failures

If you start pointing fingers at other people for your failures in life, you will not get anywhere. Many of us have a habit of blaming our family and/or other people for the things that have occurred to us in the past. If you keep doing this you will see opportunities fly by you and see others get ahead in life while you sit there feeling frustrated.

Dreaming about other successful people

It is always great to hear stories of other people that have achieved great success. However many people make a habit of living and dreaming about someone else’s life rather than focusing on their own goals. When we do this our perception of reality gets distorted and we don’t pay attention to the things that are important to us in the present moment. There is nothing wrong with reading autobiographies and going to motivational seminars, but many people make the mistake of trying to follow the exact same path as someone else took. Each individual that you look up to achieved their success following their own path. Remember that you have your own unique story to tell.

Not taking the extra step to get closer to your goal

You may have talent, but if you are not willing to put in the extra hours to get what you want out of your life then you are going to have a hard time excelling. If you own a business and your client needs some extra servicing, sometimes you may need to go out of your way or stay at work after hours to help them. If you feel annoyed and frustrated working after hours, it is going to show a lack of enthusiasm and you will not get any referrals. If you need to work on improving your dating life, you may be required to put in the extra time to meet different members of the opposite sex. However if you don’t put in the extra time, you are not going to improve your dating life.

Letting other people make decisions for you

Lack of leadership can have a huge impact on your success in all areas of your life. Many people don’t take the step to make their own decisions and they have no control over their lives at all. When other people see that you lack leadership skills they will start pushing you in different direction and make choices for you. You need to spend time thinking about what is important to you and what your core values are so that you can start making your own decisions.

Nabil Gulamani is in sales and helps businesses nationwide with their Direct Marketing. During his free time he blogs about self-improvement and personal growth to help people improve their overall lifestyle. You can visit his Self-Improvement blog www.successatreach.com

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement| PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement

Let me start off by saying that being nervous can be a good thing. Being nervous suggests that you may be stepping over the boundary of your comfort zone, which as Timo Kiander outlined in his post last week is something we should all be striving to do.

However, sometimes the negative association we have with being nervous can actually prevent us from raising ourselves to new levels. One solution is to reduce the intensity of your nervousness so that it does not limit you from reaching your potential.

Over the past year I’ve carried out a lot of research around the topic of how to control nerves for a book that I’ve recently launched on the topic of meeting new people called Get Noticed. Some of the most interesting insights I gained came from a meeting I had with a public speaking coach who taught me two very important things.

The first thing I learned was that in order to take control of your nerves you need to detach whatever it is that is making you nervous from the situation. Those things may be physical traits or doubting emotions that make you nervous, regardless of what they may be, you must find ways of reducing the focus on these elements and highlighting your strengths instead. Secondly, you have to be prepared and confident about what you’re doing.

Here are six tips taken from Get Noticed on how you can destroy your nerves:

Detach What Makes You Nervous From the Situation

1) Focus on the objective of the situation

We often get nervous over silly things like what other people are going to think about our looks. A good solution to prevent this is to focus on the objective of the situation opposed to focusing on how the person in the situation may be feeling. For example, if you’re going to a job interview, think about what they’re looking for and how you can achieve the job offer through ticking the boxes in their mental checklist.

2) Have a friend with you

An excellent way of detaching yourself from a situation is to have a friend or someone you can talk to help you focus on the objective. If you’re nervous about meeting someone, talk to your friend before hand and then analyze how it went afterwards. This will help you focus on the outcome of the interaction from a more rational ‘outsiders’ perspective.

3) Keep yourself busy

One of the main things that make us nervous is having the time to be nervous. For events that are non-optional and inevitably going to make us nervous, the best technique to limit nerves is to distract yourself.  Keeping your mind focused on things that don’t make you nervous will stops your nerves from intensifying as the event gets closer.

Be Prepared and Confident

4) Know what you want to say

Ask any public speaker what their best tip for delivering a great presentation is and the chances are they’ll tell you ‘be prepared’. Knowing what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it prevents you having to think on your feet and worry about what comes next. If you have a job interview coming up, prepare yourself with answers to likely questions the interviewer may ask.

5) Be positive and assume the best

When we think about something, we tend to manifest it into our reality. Everything you’ve ever done, from walking into a coffee shop to buying a new car, began in the form of a thought. Think positively about what it is you’re nervous about and you will notice yourself become less nervous and more likely to succeed.

6) Wear an outfit you feel confident in

When you look great, you feel great. Dressing well shows others that you respect yourself and the people you’re around. Wearing well-fitted clothes that project your personal tastes and styles helps to fill you with confidence and reduce your nervousness.

I’d be interested in hearing your tips on how you tackle nervous situations and whether any of these tactics have been effective for you. Feel free to drop me a tweet at @MarcusATaylor or leave a comment in the comments section below if you have any questions!

This guest post was written by Marcus Taylor. Marcus is a co-author of the book Get Noticed and head of social media at SEOptimise.
PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement| PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement

Are your dreams secretly preventing you from living the life you REALLY desire?

Most people have dreams, but their dreams are holding them back. Dreams aren’t bad in and of themselves. In fact, dreams are great.

They only become a problem when you use them as an excuse. When you tell yourself that you could never go after your dreams, or that you don’t have the connections, money, or talent to do what you deeply desire.

Most people use their dreams as an excuse.

What you think you have to do to realize your dreams is often not the right path at all, and the dream you have right now may not even be the dream you really want.

You don’t know all the possibilities that exist, so you cannot possibly know what the best life for you is, can you?

Why Your Dreams Are Holding You Back

I have dreams.

You have dreams.

We all have dreams.

The problem is that many of the dreams we have block us from seeing all the other possibilities available to us. We put on blinders and focus only on what we think is right and we miss everything else.

Before I started my online business and began doing what I love, I had a predetermined path in my mind, and I thought it was the only way there.

The problem?

I didn’t think I could walk that path, because I wasnít good enough, I didn’t have the connections necessary, and I was scared out of my mind.

Or, so I thought.

When you look at successful people, you’ll often see that they got to where they are in an unconventional manner.

What’s really going on is that the concept that we call dreams is holding us back by limiting our perspective.

We have no idea of how our dreams will manifest, or if the dream we think we want is the one we’ll want five years from now.

The solution is to think smaller.

What to Do About It

Keep your dream in mind, but don’t get too attached to it. Instead, I’d like to invite you to enjoy the present moment a tad more than you have.

You have your plans, and you have your vision, which is fantastic, but now it’s time to return to the here and now.

The way you do this is by focusing on what the next smallest step is that you can take toward what you want.

You will know what the right next step is because it will feel good. For example, today I woke up and felt like writing this article. It felt good, so here I am.

Now, beware that you will sometimes be afraid of your next step. Another example from my life would be if I was creating my next product.

That generally scares me because Iím not sure if people will like it. However, the problem is that the step is too big. I need to break it down into smaller parts.

When I do that, it becomes something like this:

1. Come up with a product title
2. Research and outline the product
3. Fill in ideas in the outline

Even those steps are too big, but can you see where I’m going with this? Itís not the task that scares us, but our thoughts about it. When you break things down, you can see yourself taking action.

What If You Don’t Know What Your Next Step Is?

If you don’t know what your next step is, do nothing until you feel compelled to act.

Whenever I try to force myself to do anything, it doesn’t end well. I almost feel like there’s a divine timing to everything. Iím not religious, but thatís how it feels.

Instead of forcing myself, I simply allow myself to rest in that space of not knowing. It’s not always easy, and often it’s frustrating as hell, but there’s not much else I can do.

I could try to force progress, but it would just make me more miserable.

I’m at a point in my life where I’ve realized that there’s no rush to get anywhere. All I have to do is to enjoy the here and now.

Happiness comes from within me, not from out there. No goals, accomplishments, or dreams will make me happier than I allow myself to be.

This realization isn’t always present, because like you, I’m human. Sometimes I hate life and the perceived obstacles in front of me, but that’s just how it goes.

Some days will be better than others.

But it always comes down to what you do with them.

Henri writes at Wake Up Cloud, where you can get his FREE life-changing course right now:†Find Your Passion in 5 Days or Less. And if you liked this article, you may like,†21 Things You Can Do to Change Your Life Forever.

PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement| PickTheBrain | Motivation and Self Improvement

Variety is the spice of life. But if you – like me – view the world as an exciting buffet of opportunities to learn, try and create new things, you know that variety can be dangerous.

The problem is that it’s easy to get distracted from the goals and commitments you’ve already made. Rather than seeing things through to completion, you abandon the goals and projects you’ve already started to chase after whatever new thing has just caught your eye.

I call this “shiny object” syndrome, and it has derailed the success of many people who could be very successful – if they only could maintain their focus long enough to complete a goal.

If you frequently abandon commitments in favor of new interests and projects, here are five techniques I’ve found helpful in evaluating new opportunities.

* Postpone Your Decision. It’s easy to get swept away with excitement when you stumble across something new and exciting. Try waiting a few days before making a final decision about whether or not to commit to the new opportunity. During this self-imposed cooling-off period, you’ll probably find that your enthusiasm wanes and you’re better able to evaluate whether this new opportunity will move you closer to your goal.

During your waiting period, make a list of all things you could possibly do with your time, including both the new opportunity and your existing commitments. Ask yourself where you would schedule time for the new activity or project. You’ll quickly see that there’s not enough time for everything you want to achieve, and you’ll see exactly what you would have to give up to squeeze the new opportunity into your schedule.

* Use Review Board. I’m constantly coming up with new projects that I want to do, as well as fielding exciting joint venture proposals from colleagues. Rather than making the executive decision to take on a new project and then delegating the work to my staff, I now seek my team’s buy-in first. If they say that taking on a potential new project would require sacrificing a more important existing goal, the idea is put on hold.

If you don’t have a staff or co-workers, create your own review board. Ask people you trust and who understand your goals for input before you commit to taking on any new projects or work.

* Inner Board of Advisors. Create an imaginary group of mentors that you can turn to for advice. Simply create some quiet time, close your eyes and ask your board for advice about the opportunity you are considering. Your inner board of advisors can include anyone – alive or deceased, famous or not, people you’ve met and people you’ve only read about. Mine includes author and activist Helen Keller, as well as President John F. Kennedy. Although both are deceased, I get very distinct guidance when I ask for their help and open up to their wisdom.

* Forced Choice Technique. Write a list of all of the things you want to do. Then prioritize your list using a forced comparison. With this technique, you compare items one at a time, from the top of the list to the bottom. Start by asking which you would rather do – item 1 or item 2. Take the winner and compare it to the next item on the list. Then compare that winner – let’s say it is item 3 – and compare it to item 4. Once you’ve done a forced comparison with all items on the list, you’ll have identified your number-one priority.

Now go back to remaining items on your list, and start the forced comparison process again with the first two items. Repeat the entire process until you have prioritized the entire list of activities. This will help you gauge the importance of the new activity or project you are considering in comparison with everything else you have already committed to.

Finally, ask yourself the following two questions: “What is the most effective use of my time now?” and “What’s the most important thing to do today?” This will help you maintain focus in a sea of choices.

* Muscle Testing. Your body never lies. So when in doubt about your enthusiasm for the fun opportunity you just discovered, simply ask your body for its input. The easiest way is to use the standing body lean. With this process, you stand and ask your body to show you a “yes.”

After a few seconds, your body will start to lean forward or backward. Then ask your body to show you a “no,” at which point it should lean the opposite direction. Once you’ve calibrated yourself, ask your body whether you should act on the opportunity. The answer you receive in the form of a simple lean will reveal what truly is in your best interest.

Maintaining the focus you need to complete goals can be difficult when the world offers so many exciting things to learn, do and experience. Use these 5 tips to ensure that any new opportunities you choose to pursue will support, rather than detract, from your existing commitments. By resisting the adrenaline rush that comes from starting something new, you’ll find it easier to complete more of what you start – delivering a sense of accomplishment that’s hard to beat.
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Jack Canfield, is the founder and co-creator of book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your success tips from Jack Canfield now at www.JackCanfield.com

Josh Hinds Commentary: in the work I do coaching and speaking to entrepreneurs and small business owners this a common occurrence — that is, people moving from one great idea to the next, before really giving themselves an opportunity to succeed. Sadly, I see folks do it all the time!

My friend and colleague, Mike Litman calls this the idea avalanche — and he’s right on in this description because folks literally get buried in the “next great idea”, and end up neglecting taking ample action on anything. Use the ideas in the above article to ensure you don’t fall victim to “the next great idea” getting in the way of the success you deserve!

Motivation Articles, Essays, Tips and Advice

Friend, good intentions, no matter how well meaning they may be are simply not enough to get you to a place of achievement. Certainly, it is a good first step, but make no mistake, it is just that… a first step in the right direction.

Most people have very little problem with this part of the achievement process. They take the time to ponder and carefully think out what it is they want to achieve. Some even go as far as to layout a clear understanding of why they truly want to accomplish whatever it is that they have deemed to be a worthwhile undertaking. Sadly, however, far fewer move past this phase into what’s truly the critical component — real honest to goodness action.

Action is the “doing” — think of a beautiful boat just sitting in the harbor. Its got an incredibly powerful motor with more then enough horsepower to get it swiftly from point A to point B — but without the necessary fuel to actually power the boat, it is as useless as a bump on a log. And no matter how pretty the boat may be (or well-intentioned its designer may have been) without the fuel (i.e. in our example, the action component) the boat isn’t going to do much of anything except sit their and take up space.

The same is true of your goals and dreams. You are a magnificent person, blessed with untold talents and gifts, but unless you choose to put your blessings to work in your life you very likely are not going to benefit from them. Consider that a diamond un-mined sitting underground is still very much a diamond, but until it is brought out of the ground, polished, and crafted into some form of desirable form it’s very much like our example above of the powerful boat which lacks the necessary fuel to “bring it to life.”

Understanding this, the key then is to bridge the gap from your initial intention to do a thing and the time in which it takes you to actually get started and involved in the particular activity.

In short, your ability to develop actual action steps which will move you closer to your larger goal, and equally essential, your willingness to get started will be the differentiating factor as to whether or not you get to experience the sense of fulfilment for having achieved your given endeavor.

No matter what you want to accomplish there is always an action plan which can be mapped out to get you to where you want to go. That’s not to say it will be obvious, nor that at this point in your journey that you necessarily have the skill sets or experience to make them all work exactly right — still, take heart because you can learn, borrow, or acquire whatever skills or resources you might need.

The point to keep in mind is that life has an incredible way of filling in the details for the person who shows the fortitude to set out in pursuit of their dreams. You will most certainly find this to be the case as you become a person of action as well.

As you begin each day take a moment to reconnect with what you want to achieve. Literally envision in your mind what it will feel like to accomplish what you are working towards. See yourself, to the best of your ability doing whatever it is that is required of you. Play out in your minds eye how it will feel to achieve what you are working so hard to accomplish.

After you have played your “mental movie” of the what, why, and how you wish to achieve, take a moment to bring things together by looking over and if necessary writing/rewriting out the concrete actions steps you need to be taking in order to get to the place you want to go.

Used in tandem the components mentioned above are very effective. Leave out either one and you may find that you’re spinning your wheels unnecessarily. Leave out the action component and you’re unlikely to see any real progress at all. Everyday make a point to lead with action, fully knowing that as you do so you are moving ever closer towards your intended destination.

In summary, commit to being a person who takes action on what you deem to be truly worthwhile and you will find that, more often then not, you will meet with success along your life’s journey.

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

Josh Hinds