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Average Sucks!

The very first "motivational speaker" I heard as an adult was a gentleman named Mort Utley. I experienced his speech in May of 1989 in Nashville, Tennessee, at the end of a week of Sales School with the Southwestern Company. I was 19 years old and had just finished my freshman year at the University of Wisconsin, and Mr. Utley's speech was the final component of my formal training to sell educational books door-to-door for the summer. I was absolutely coming out of my skin with an indescribable combination of intense excitement and great fear. Mort Utley's speech made one... Read More

Five Tips for Perfect Transition Decisions

You're considering a new career, new place to live or new business, retirement, or any other move. You ask, "Will I be happy?" If you remember the old, old song, "What will be" may not be the answer you're looking for.There are no one-size-fits-all guidelines, but there are five questions that can help you anticipate how you'll enjoy what you get.1. "Did I choose to make this move or am I being pressured?" When you feel in control, you are most likely to be happy after you make a move. When you feel you have few or no options, begin... Read More

What Am I Going To Do With The Rest Of My Life?

Unexpected life changes. Anticipated transitions. Long, sleepless nights. What do these three things have in common? The ability to provoke one of the most haunting questions in the library of human introspectives: "What on earth am I going to do with the rest of my life?" While I can't pretend to answer to this question for anyone other than myself, I can offer those in this position some basic tips on how to ensure that their future turns out as bright as their class valedictorian said it would be. Take Time To Create A Map Too often, when faced with... Read More

Make The Second Half The Best Half

Something happens when you come to the intersection called mid-life; you can look back in retrospect and see your life from an entirely different context. For many this mid-life review brings about a sense of urgency that ignites what is formally called "the mid-life crisis". It's where we can trace the effects back to causes that were initiated by our own poor decision, our inattention to important details, our recklessness, our fear, our misplaced priorities, and our ignorance. It can be a pretty bleak experience to really understand, maybe for the first time, that your life really could... Read More

Life Versus Lifestyle

There is a difference but what constitutes a life and what constitutes a lifestyle is pretty ambiguous. One thing that seems pretty clear to me is the lifestyle is observable while a life can have many internal aspects to it. A lifestyle can include people, material things, environments, how we spend our time, energy, and money. A life includes things like our beliefs, our values, our commitments, our soul's dream, and our vision. If you choose a lifestyle first you could wind up with an empty fortress. If you choose the life first, you will design your lifestyle to... Read More

The One-Two Punch for Success: Authenticity and Alignment

Have you ever felt as if you are beating your head against a wall? You repeatedly try to reach a goal but you never seem to achieve it. Instead you are struggling rather than moving forward and achieving your goals with grace and ease. You are not alone. The struggle to move from what we don't want to what we do want is, unfortunately, a fundamental struggle for many individuals. Believe it or not, it is very common for people to struggle against what they want and to actively limit their good. In order to have what you want,... Read More

The Reasons Why We Fear Success

In the book, The SHOCKwealth System?, it is discussed that there are four fears that must be overcome in order to experience true success. One of those fears is the fear of success itself. The Fear Of Success is the self-sabotaging fear. Have you ever come close to actualizing a goal that you have put forth--- only to walk away from it or sabotage it when it appeared that victory was finally near? The fear of success is what I refer to as ANTs (Automatic Negative Thoughts) and WORMS (Deep seated, unconscious beliefs and fears that act like computer viruses)... Read More

The Gravitational Pull of ANTs, WORMS & FEARS

What is an ANT? An ANT is an acronym for Automatic Negative Thoughts. What is a WORM? A WORM is a metaphor for deep-seated, unconscious beliefs that lye dormant in our consciousness analogous to a computer virus that only activates when a certain button is pushed on our keyboard. What is a FEAR? A FEAR is False Evidence Appearing Real; an optical illusion that makes you believe it is impossible to move beyond this point so why even try. FEAR is a lie! ANTs are pre-conscious thoughts, beliefs, ideas that keep us trapped in our comfort zone. They exist... Read More

Control Your Fear Before It Controls You

"Fear Factor" is one of my favorite TV shows. It highlights the courage of the participants to engage inthe most fearsome and disgusting acts. Most of the contestants are willing to sacrifice theirdignity for the sake of the prize money. So what doesthat imply? It implies that with the proper mindset,determination, and will power, you can conquer your fear. Everyone has some sort of fear. It may be brought aboutby any one or more of the following reasons. 1) by a traumatic past incident (like being bitten by a dog)2) by the influence of other people 3)... Read More

Live Your Life To The Fullest

Do you sometimes feel that you're living a boring life? Youjust can't seem to find anything exciting. You wake up in the morning, then do the same old rituals. You go to the office or to school. You meet the same people,do the same job, travel the same road, booooring. Nextday, same story. Do you want a change in your life? The solution is YOU!You're the master of your destiny. You decide if you wantto have a change or not. Take the situation of a high school graduate. He have 2 choices - to continue through college or earn... Read More

How To Use The Past, Future, And Present In Attaining Success

Did you know that your past, present, and future can affectdirectly or indirectly your outlook in life? THE PAST Have you ever done something that is so regrettable you couldn'tforgive yourself? Have you ever made a mistake that up to the present time you're still blaming yourself? Are you still torturingyourself with the thought that only if you could've done it differently, you're living a much better life right now? Good news for you! You don't have to keep this burden in your heartfor as long as you live. Release it. Set yourself free. If you keep bad... Read More

Creating A Life You Love

Imagine that right now, right here, today? there is within your grasp not one but several opportunities to redesign specific aspects of your life so that the sum total is a life you absolutely love. Then imagine that the only thing standing between you and your opportunities is a closed mind, fear, habits, concern, worry, drama, or perhaps mental, physical, and emotional clutter. Do you know what a default is? It's what you get when you don't choose to get something else and for most of us a default life is average and mediocre with sprinkles of joy in between.... Read More

Wait, Thats Not on the Map

Back from my amazing summer excursion, a month long drive through Spain! Well, I mean, I didn't do any of the driving, my partner did. See, I only know how to drive an automatic and since we have a stick here in Belgium, my partner kindly agreed to do all the driving. In total it ended up being close to 5000 kilometers and he did beautifully without so much as a complaint. Nice, huh? My part in this adventure was to be the navigator. A role that I take with great relish and responsibility! I had my several large... Read More

Self-Improvement Secrets

* Perfectionism is a time waster.Strive for excellence on important issues and ordinary best for everyday tasks. Do not waste your time on needless details.* Be flexible.Organize things the way they work for you. The principle of organizing is to be able to find what you want when you want it.* Simplify.No matter how much you seek change, it is impossible if there is no room for change. Busyness and over spending leaves you feeling overwhelmed, stressed and yearning for a simpler life. Letting go of clutter and attachments can be painful. Ask for help. Consider a trusted friend, family... Read More

Vision -- What Are You Doing Today Towards Achieving Your Vision?

Every man who accomplishes things sees first in his mind what he wishes to do. He puts away all doubt. It makes no difference how small or how large the thing you want to do may be; if you have an unlimited confidence in your ability to do it, you will do it. - Charles FillmoreBy definition, vision is a future orientation, a broad stroke picture that serves as the basis for making decisions or taking actions towards achieving the vision. In order for a vision to become a reality, there are certain elements that must be present.Most importantly, the... Read More

Tools for Constructing the Road to Success

Too many times in the pursuit of our dreams, we loose sight of the total picture and instead settle on a small piece of it. A job, any job, whether it is in the conventional job market or any one of a number of work from home ventures all require the same thing - people of vision.Vision sees the entire portrait, balanced, controlled, and proportionate while focus concentrates solely on one aspect of the portrait. Don't misunderstand, having focus is not a bad thing as long as it doesn't loose sight of vision.In building your road to success you must... Read More

Job and Life Rules to Follow

Decide which game to play. Is winning that important all of the time? Jump in, ready or not. Take risks, you may not be able to tomorrow. Keep on truckin'. You know the highway, keep up with the flow. Grab opportunities. Can you recognize one or are you always thinking about it? No excuses allowed. Of course not, don't whine either. Ignore naysayers. They don't know any more than you do. Never personalize. It's just a game, your next boss may be around the corner. Whistle while you work! Don't yell fire when you're downsized. Smiling helps a... Read More

Three Key Behaviors That Determine Our Success

Success is a journey and along the way we need to correct our course by unlearning the behavior that derails us and invite in a new behavior to continue our success. If you feel you want to change your success, take a measure of your current key behaviors.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Listening ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Listening is not a passive activity. It is unfair to the person who is speaking to have a person there in body but not in mind. Just because we are the person being quiet does not mean we are listening. As a listener we must be in the present and taking... Read More

Five Formulas for Committing to Success!

1. Clear vision + Intention + Purpose + Focus = Success! A vision is many things: the original blueprint of the successful outcome you desire, a thought picture turned into visual action, a full expression of you! If you are given a vision, then it is within your power to make it happen, if you choose. You would not have been given the vision without the ability to make it come true. Visions are so powerful, it is essential that you know exactly what you are visioning and why. Intention and purpose are partners. Your purpose, or... Read More

The 2-Word Phrase That Conquers Adversity and Breaks Through Obstacles

"All the adversity I've had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. . . . You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you. " Walt(er) Elias Disney (1901-66)American animator, showman, film producerThroughout our lives we are often faced with Obstacles or Adversity. All too often however, we let our obstacles become our adversity or our adversity become our obstacles.If you look back on your life, you may see this as well.What I've found is a simple two word phrase for... Read More