One common phrase I often hear is:

The money I get paid, is for time.

If that really was the case, and you got paid money for time.. how easy would that be! You could sit at home all day, and get paid for time!

What you receive the money for, is the amount of VALUE that you add to the business, within that time. The business values your time, at the rate that they pay you. The guy down the office who gets paid twice as much as you? The business values his time at twice as much as yours!

So as opposed to thinking “That’s all they pay” .. no, Its all they pay YOU.

So, If we were to think of the simple Time-Value concept, How would we go about an increase in salary?

Well, We could work twice as many hours! instead of 40 per week, work 80.. I’m pretty sure that would get you recognised, and a few extra ££.

Or perhaps we could just wait till the next pay rise? Wait…… Tick.. Tockk..

OK, no.. So, using the concept above, what about if we added twice as much value to every hour that we work.. Its pretty likely that it wont be too long until your earning twice as much!

Simple as that.. You are rewarded for the value that you add to the business within a certain time.. Double the value that you add to that hour, and receive double the reward.. simple maths..

Its important to work hard on yourself, and understand that you are the one that can add double the value, as opposed to blaming your Job, blaming your colleagues, or your policies and rules.. Blame YOURSELF.

The change has to come from your personal behaviour and discipline. I have never once in my career path asked for a pay-rise, or progression, I have simply constantly increased the value that I add to the business, and this has become recognised again and again. Not by staying late, working extra hours.. I actually arrive after most, and leave before most, its by having a firm solid personal philosophy, and discipline.

We hear it all the time…

You must set goals in order to be successful in your own business. Its the secret of the wealthy. Its the difference between modest success and explosive success, etc.

Do you agree?

I’m here to tell you it’s only half true…

Setting goals and writing them down is one thing. Anyone can do that and many people do. But most never, ever achieve their goals.

I’ll tell you exactly why shortly but first you must know this…

Despite your best efforts, you will never achieve the success you are looking for if you never actually set goals for yourself and your business in the first place. Let’s at least agree on that.

Ask yourself, “What goals have I written down for myself and my business?”

Most people never set goals for themselves or their business at all. One day leads to another and the days continue to disappear without success.

How can you get to where you want to go if you don’t know where you’re going?

The biggest roadblock to goal setting is YOU. Setting goals requires you
to actually write down your dreams and put a date of accomplishment on
them.

Do not get in the habit of working your business without goals. This leads to apathy and an empty checking account.

Goals are the lifeblood of your business. Written goals that is. Statistics have shown over and over that small businesses fail within the first five years. You do not want to become a statistic; you want to become a success.

So how do you become successful at setting goals?

The first step, obviously, is to write down your intentions or exactly what you want to achieve. What intentions do you have for your life and your business? Write them down. When would you like to achieve them by? Put a date of accomplishment on your goals.

Get a pad of paper and start writing NOW. Be bold and write them all down. Your intentions are now your goals.

Think BIG! You must be clear…

You now have goals with deadlines. Your first step is accomplished but this is only half of the battle. Now comes the tricky part. Gut check time…

Do you feel as though you can achieve your goals? Do you actually believe you can achieve your goals?

Ahhhh, the look I see you giving your computer screen right now could melt ice. “Of course I believe I can achieve my goals” you say. “Why else would I have written them down?”

Well, writing them down is all fine and good but if don’t actually believe deep down that you can achieve your goals, then they are meaningless. And THAT is why most never achieve their goals with their business endeavors.

If you do not believe you can achieve your goals…You can’t.

You say you can. You wrote them down. But…

If you do not truly feel you can achieve your goals with absolute certainty…You won’t. You must be crystal clear. Period.

Tough pill to swallow, I know. So how does one go about doing this?

This is where your mindset comes in to play - the other half of the battle.

Let’s take this whole goal setting process just one step further now. Pay close attention here…

In your mind, see the goals you wrote down as already accomplished. What does it look like when it has been completed? You’ve nailed it. How does it make you feel? How has your life changed?

Go to that place right now (the outcome) and WRITE DOWN that part in addition to the goals you want to achieve. Get into the state of mind as having already achieved the goal instead of always wishing or hoping for it like everyone else does.

Assume the feeling of the outcome. Stay in that state of mind as often as possible. Once you actually feel the outcome you will then, and only then, be able to attract the goals that you wrote down.

This is a fundamental principal that has stood the test of time. DO NOT take it lightly.

So, it’s really a two step process, yes?

“What you hold in your mind with energy and focus will tend to be created in your reality.”

Read that again.

The great Joe Vitale wrote that in his recent book: “The Attractor Factor - 5 Easy Steps For Creating Wealth (Or Anything Else) From The Inside Out.”

When I first started reading this book I couldn’t put it down. Its already made a huge difference for me and it can for you.

I suggest you go out and grab yourself a copy right away. This will put what I just said into perspective and allow you to go out and nail the other half of the battle when it comes to goal setting so that you can achieve just about anything you want with your business.

Remember, success doesn’t happen to the uninvolved. Success happens to those who are not only persistent in reaching their goals, but to those who make a decision to reach their goals, get clear on what they want, and already feel themselves victorious in the so called goal setting battle…

A bit deep, I know…But without question, the difference maker.

You should never be without goals. Keep your intentions and your goals before you. Be clear, feel the outcome, and stay focused on the end result.

Take action.
P.S. Be sure to pick up a copy of “The Attractor Factor” by Joe Vitale at your local book store. There is no doubt in my mind that this simple yet powerful read will be the difference maker for you in the all important goal setting process.

Anxiety depression is actually characterized by all sorts of irregularities and erratic behavior from the person who is suffering from it, this is usuallu due to certain stress triggers that may tend to easily cause a person undue jitters and stress. Also, a lot of people who tend to get easily nervous over stressful activities are actually prone to having anxiety depression, its just a matter of being strong-willed when it comes to facing difficult and stress-prone activities. It may be pretty hard to overcome at first, but trying to be calm and cool in times of extreme pressure is what’ll actually save your mental health from going totally downward spiral.

When it comes to effectively curing one’s self from a mental illness, one must keep in mind that you have to be actually honest with yourself and assess what kind of depression or mental illness you actually have, go to reputable psychiatrist to get yourself diagnosed correctly as well as be able to get the right depression treatment for yourself. Here are the various types of depression:

Manic or Bipolar depression - characterized by sudden and extreme changes in one’s mood wherein one minute he or she is in an elevated state of euphoria while the
next minute (day or week) he or she is feeling to be in a personal hell.

Postpartum depression - characterized by a prolonged sadness and a feeling of emptiness by a new mother wherein physical stress during child birth, an uncertain sense of responsibility towards the new born baby can be just some of the possible factors why some new mother go through this.

Dysthimia - characterized by a slight similarity with depression, although this time, it’s been proven to be a lot less severe, but of course with any case, should be treated immediately.

Cyclothemia - characterized by a slight similarity with Manic or Bipolar depression wherein the individual suffering from this mental illness may occasionally suffer from severe changes in one’s moods.

Seasonal Affective Disorder - characterized by falling in a rut only during specific seasons (i.e. Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall) studies however, prove that more people
actually fall in to a rut more during the Winter and Fall seasons and lastly, Mood swings, wherein a person’s mood may shift from happy to sad to angry in just a short time.

But the type of depression that has actually been proven to be quite common among people is anxiety depression, which is actually characterized by the state of being overly anxious about things. Anxiety, a supposedly normal behavior that’ll actually help a person adjust more to a certain stressful activity like first date jitters or a grueling exam the following day. Anxiety actually helps you get psyched up towards facing certain “difficult situations”; anxiety therefore is actually a good thing. Anxiety depression however, is simply the opposite, not to be easily dismissed as a “case of the nerves”; Anxiety depression is in actuality an illness that can be caused from the biological makeup of an individual, or in other words, a hereditary illness.

Also, there are actually various types of Anxiety depression, each having its own unique characteristics. Take for example Generalized Anxiety Disorder or GAD, this kind of Anxiety depression is a lot more complicated than the average Anxiety depression, in spite of possibly being a day-to-day habit for those who suffer this kind of Anxiety depression, Generalized Anxiety Disorder actually makes the individual quite more paranoid than usual, anxiety attacks are more frequent, even absurd at times. They can even be anxious even when there’s no apparent reason that calls for them to behave in such a way. People suffering from Generalized Anxiety Disorder actually shows a lot of symptoms, from lack of sleep, to being unable to relax, getting tired easily, cannot concentrate on what they’re doing and even suffering from depression.  This kind of Anxiety depression is still curable; just a little work will actually do the trick.

Consult a reputable cognitive behavior therapist who’ll help give the individual the therapy that he or she needs to help him or her loosen up, also prescribed medicines are sort of a must to help these individuals battle anxiety attacks, help them calm down and relax.

A good objective of leadership is to help those who are doing poorly to do well and to help those who are doing well to do even better.
Jim Rohn

A novel is never anything, but a philosophy put into images.
Jim Rohn

Affirmation without discipline is the beginning of delusion.
Jim Rohn

Asking is the beginning of receiving. Make sure you don’t go to the ocean with a teaspoon. At least take a bucket so the kids won’t laugh at you.
Jim Rohn

Better understated than overstated. Let people be surprised that it was more than you promised and easier than you said.
Jim Rohn

Character isn’t something you were born with and can’t change, like your fingerprints. It’s something you weren’t born with and must take responsibility for forming.
Jim Rohn

(more…)

Just after a breakup, there are 2 ways that you can take the situation. I often see people who think that its the end of their world, and often go into a state of depression for a long time. Although this may seem like the most obvious thing to do, and natural, you may be missing one of the biggest opportunities to change your life.

When in a relationship, its often hard to get time to yourself to think, to build yourself, and to work towards your dreams. Once single, all your time is your own, every single minute of it.

Everyone has something that they are good at, and everyone has development needs, and what a perfect time to exploit and build these then after a breakup. You could consider this time as a regeneration time, you can use the time to build your skills, build your body, build your finances, and build your life.

One of the most important things to start with is to analyse why the relationship went wrong, and its even more important to find where you went wrong.
Could you have been a better partner?

Hindsight is one of the greatest tools of personal development, and can really help.

Lets say for example that during your relationship, you were in an average job, living in an average house, driving and average car..With an average body..  Pretty much like most average people..

What If, by the time you were ready to enter another relationship, you were in the job of your dreams, living in the house of your dreams, with a fantastic body, sat in your dream car? How would that be for feeling ready to enter a new relationship!

USE the time that you have just gained, THINK about all the things that you can do in it. BUILD up relationships back with family and friends. and ATTRACT more success towards yourself.. Now is the time to become selfish for a while.

By no means am I saying that a relationship is like a chore, that is wasted time.. not at all, but If you have been in one for some time, and It does come to an end.. you certainly will have a lot more time to yourself, that you will not be used to.

Set out your daily disciplines, stick to them every day.. You will start to feel an incredible sense of self improvement within days, you will start to feel closer and closer to being ‘ready’

And lets face it, It might be nice in certain circumstances to give a wave to one of your ex’s, from your new porsche !

Technorati Tags: breakup, relationship, advice

I have found, in my past, the times where I have most been motivated to make money, and better myself is when I have been totally skint! This has been one of the main times where I have stayed up all night working hard, trying new ideas, developing new business ideas.

Why not try thinking back to the motivation that you once had, when you really needed it.. and apply it to today!

Albert Einstein was an amazing physicist. He figured out so many universal principles and equations that he was way ahead of his fellow scientists at any point of time. But he is also remembered for another thing; a quality which made people call him a genius: his words.

Here are 10 things out of the numerously wonderful things he had said; 10 golden lessons that you can put to use in your everyday life.

1. A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.

2. Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.

3. I am enough of an artist to draw freely upon my imagination. Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.

4. The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources.

5. The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive. Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.

6. There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.

7. When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than any talent for abstract, positive thinking.

8. In order to be an immaculate member of a flock of sheep, one must above all be a sheep oneself.

9. You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.

10. The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.

Photo by etsu.edu.

I should try to lose weight,
I’ll try to cut down on bad food,
Maybe I should start exercising,
I could join a gym,
Perhaps I’ll try that new diet,
I’ll start in a few weeks,

None of the above are decisions, they are just fleeting thoughts or at best weak intentions, and frankly they will not get you anywhere. Making a firm decision can be very empowering because you are making a commitment. Try this for yourself:

Say to yourself ‘I suppose I should lose some weight’ and notice what happens in your mind. You may find that other thoughts attach themselves to what you have said. These thoughts may go along the lines of:

It’ll be too hard,
I don’t have the time right now,
I’ve always failed in the past,
I don’t think I have the willpower,
I can’t be bothered at the moment,

Once these thoughts have grouped together you will drop the idea of losing weight like a hot potato, although you may retain some guilt in the back of your mind for giving up so easily.

Now say to yourself ‘I AM going to lose weight’ and say it with some force and conviction. Now what do you notice in your mind? You may find that saying it that way makes the thought feel stronger. The negative thoughts that you had earlier seem weaker, they are probably still there but seem more distant. This happens because when you make a decision you are giving a direct order to your mind, and your mind has a firm instruction to follow instead of some vague thought or half hearted wish.

The next step is to write out 2 plans, plan A which is based on a decision that you will lose weight, and plan B which is based on a decision not to lose weight. You need to write out what each plan will offer you. Write out your own plans based on the example below.

Plan A

More Energy ,
Improved Health,
Higher Self Confidence,
Higher Self Esteem,
Feel and Look More Attractive,
Feel Happier about Yourself,

Plan B

Less Energy
Increasing Health Problems
Low Self Confidence
Low Self Esteem
Poorer Self Image
Feelings of Anxiety or Depression

Make your lists as long as possible and then imagine were you will be in 1, 3, and 5 year’s time with whichever plan that you decide to follow. Picture how you will look and feel in the future with whatever plan you choose.

Keep in mind that both plans are progressive, meaning that both plans will evolve and not stand still. Follow plan A and the benefits will increase. You’ll become more energetic, your health will continue to improve, your self confidence and self esteem will snowball. The fact is that the more you do of something, the better you will get at it and the easier it will become.

If you follow plan B you will not be in the same position that you are in now. Plan B will also evolve, your energy will continue to decrease, your health will get worse and you often find that one health problem leads to another and another. Your self confidence and self esteem will continue to drop.

At this point you have the choice as to which plan you will decide to follow. I’ve got no right to tell you which plan you should follow, that is your decision and nobody else’s. It’s all about what you really want for yourself. If you decide to go with plan B then there is not much more for you to do apart from stop reading. If you decide to go with plan A then you have already taken a major step towards losing weight just by making that decision.

Nothing ever gets done without some sort of decision first, the world is run on decisions, decisions lead to action, and it’s only by acting on something that we can achieve it.

Once you have made your decision, decide what actions you are going to take to reach your goal. Find out what you are going to do and how you are going to do it. Write out your plan and start following it; decide that you are committed to finishing what you have started. Don’t just sit and think about it, make your decision and be happy about it.

Technorati Tags: personal, development, decision making, dicipline

Credit: Paul Duncan

Take, for example someone who’s new year resolutions were to stop smoking, diet, and go to the gym every day, they almost certainly would achieve this on the first day, or maybe more. A few weeks down the line, and its snowing outside, or perhaps a stressful day at work, a habit starts to develop.

I haven’t smoked all month, so giving the gym a miss wouldn’t be that bad..

Compensating for one discipline, by excelling at another, which inevitably leads to

Ive been to the gym EVERY day for 2 weeks now, I deserve a cigarette

 I’m sure you can already see where this can lead to, and before long, every action and decision you make, is compensated by another decision. In fact, your whole decision making process, could be overtaken by compensation.

I suppose a lot of this behaviour could be driven by taking too many life changes on at once, and rather than suceed at just one, we fail at both. It may be that after a month we are not seeing any major benefits from either, and that a cigarette, and a night in as opposed to the cold snowy walk to the gym would make us feel a lot better.

We are motivated by what makes us feel good, immediately. Eating healthy, Exercising, and working hard all give a long term benefit, that will certainly make us feel better long term, but the over riding issue is that a Pizza, and a cigarette, whilst slobbed out on the sofa will make us feel better in the short term.

Changing our mindset and philosophy, to work towards delaying our gratification is becoming harder and harder in the modern world, and disciplines are becoming easier to break.

The key to sticking to a discipline is to ‘Program’ ourselves to carry out the task in question, for instance, going to the gym. Its just something that I must do, Every day.. As opposed to seeing this as a decision every day. The decision was made right at the beginning, when you decided to do what ever you did. To continue to do it is no longer a decision, its what you must do.

We are all capable of sticking to disciplines, just as we get out of bed every day, we wash every day (If not, you may need to start more basic!)

The best way to program ourselves to these disciplines, is to practise them, every day. Remove the emotion from the discipline, and treat this not as a decision every day, but an necessity, just as breathing and blinking is.

Technorati Tags: discipline, goals, gym, smoking, compensate, compensation, compensating

StevePavlina.com has written an excellent article on how to become an early riser, or rather what worked for him to do this, but all the same most useful hints, tips and info on this subject.

Becoming an early riser is almost certainly a major step on a path to success, and I highly reccomend reading this post by Steve Pavlina.

Technorati Tags: sleep, early, wake