The Top 10 Ways to Be Successful in Both Business and Life

10. Letting your gut-instincts keep you safe. This is more than street-smarts. I believe that gut instinct is not just some strange source but 1- the spiritual essence of us and our connection with the source of life, but also 2- it is a lifetime of observation and learning from experience. I surely have experienced life and I have spent my life observing people. I have the ability to peer into the insides of people. My mother could do it. She would make these statements about people she barely knew and she'd hit the nail on the head about their very essence. I too have this ability. The thing is it's not always something you can verbalize but your gut tells you some things right off the bat. This is a very useful thing in the business world and I believe we all have this ability but not everyone taps into it. Being able to read people doesn't mean that you immediately run or become best friends, it means that you proceed with caution filing away the info you've got on hand right now. If there is something queer about a business proposition, keep this up front as you examine it. You know in your gut when something's right and when something's not right.

9. A lifetime of self-examination - I cannot stress this enough. We are a work in progress. You will make mistakes, your attitude will change and you will grow. But if you don't take the time to examine yourself and your attitudes along the way, you run the risk of becoming stagnant and brittle. And brittle is a good candidate for crumbling dust. Examine your relationships with people, your business practices, not just your finances. In the end, it is your relationship with people that makes you successful in both life and business. If you find yourself having the same issues arise, it's time for some self-examination. What are you doing to contribute to this issue? What can you do to create a change?

8. Open mindedness to new ways of thinking. How many times have we seen people, throughout history, hold on to what they believe is the ONLY way to think, to find the world moving on without them? It was generally thought the automobile would never catch on; after all, weren't bicycles and trains more than enough? It doesn't mean you have to change your way of thinking or embrace it, just examine it, educate yourself about it and recognize that it may be here to stay.

7. Open mindedness to new technology--This relates to number 8 but in a business capacity, it is even more important. A pencil and paper may be your preferred method of working on finances, but you had better know a few things about technology or you and your pencil will be left behind. Sure you can hire others who know, but what you don't know CAN hurt you. Read! You can learn so much about anything by reading. And if you were tech savvy you would know the internet is the greatest addition to the library in regard to learning about everything!

6. Being streetwise and book-smart - There is nothing more important than having a reasonable balance of both. Naivety can cost you and not being educated to the level you need to function well in your chosen environment can cost you as well. Don't leave your street-smarts at the door in business environments but temper it with real knowledge as well.

5. Education and constant re-education -- I am not talking about college degrees here. Though they are a great start, you must continue to educate yourself. Take part in seminars, read everything, surf the net. Even when you think you've got it, press on.

4. A willingness to give back - First, take care of yourself. Put yourself in a position to give back. I've had the privilege to hear so many people speak about their ideas for new businesses. The first thing they say is that they want to help people and that they want to give away what they've got. Andrew Morrison, from Small Business Camp and believer that questions are more powerful than answers (see his book "21 Questions that Will Build Your Business in 90 Days") always asks the question, "Where's the money?" because if you can't support yourself, if you have to close your doors because you are bankrupt, how can you realistically help others? Sure there are exceptions to this, but most people have been able to give back and help others because they helped themselves. When you've helped yourself, GIVE BACK! I've seen many people become selfish and bitter in this regard. "I had to do it for myself! Nobody helped me!" They begin to dole out help in a miserly manner, looking for something in return including gratitude. They also give with suspicion. They suspect that those they give to will use it to steal something from them. If you watch closely, here is where they will begin their descent. If you feel like you got where you are on your own, look carefully I say, because you did NOT get to where you are without help. And much of it was given unselfishly and without restraint. Give generously and from the heart and don't look back! (CAUTION: DON'T ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE DRAINED DRY BY THOSE WHO LIKE TO PLAY UPON THIS NOTION EITHER)

3. Love and caring for yourself - Here is a simple analogy. When you board a plane you are treated to a demonstration of what to do in case the oxygen masks drop from above. The first instruction is to put your mask on first. This is especially important because if you don't take care of your need first, you will not be able to help others and that includes your children, your spouse or anyone else. How does this relate to business? Create the situation that best helps you first. Put yourself in a position of power or at least close to the ear of power. Do a great job, first for you. Excel for you. Then assist others, speak up for others, do for others.

2. How you treat people -- I believe in this. I don't think you really have to right to abuse people. Some people think that certain groups of people are okay to abuse. I am not speaking from a standpoint of race here either. These people think that it's okay to abuse "the help" i.e. countless waiters and waitresses, assistants, maids, children. They also think it's okay to abuse what they deem "fat people" or people they believe are "ugly". They believe it's okay to treat "telemarketers" with disrespect when these are just people doing a job (I'm not talking about rude or abusive telemarketers either!). I believe that the golden rule is truth that still stands, because truth will always stand. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you, or your daughter or son, or spouse, etc. I urge you to read "How to Win Friends and Influence People", by Dale Carnegie, over and over again. Study the lives of the charismatic. Success was written in their everyday dealings with people. Not on a superficial level but on a deeper connecting level.

1. Commitment to the journey - Here is what I believe is the number one key to success for an entrepreneur. Are you committed? What I am trying to say is that in all of my observations, and from my own experience, I find that the journey is always the same. It's a long road of self examination and improvement, skill examination and education. It's making judgment calls about people, things and situations. You continually correct the "course" until you are headed in the right direction. To trust your gut, to keep the faith, to make it through tough times, takes practice. The question is can you stick it out? Do you quit because the money is low? Do you quit because you can't find the right people? When do you say it's over?

Commitment to the journey. It is the key to success. Because you will always see things that make you want to run. But you have to put your faith on the table. You really have to stand against all odds. It takes courage. And when you do this, you will succeed. As Goethe put it:

Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness concerning all acts of initiative (and creation). There is one elemental truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans--- that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves all. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issue from the decision, Raising in one's favor all manner of incidents and meetings and material assistance which no one could have dreamed would come his or her way.

What Is Success?

Success is about getting all that you wanted to have. It's finding that you have achieved your goals or fulfilled your plans and it's waking up in the morning feeling victorious rather than feeling defeated.

The feelings success brings will make you walk proudly in the streets with your head up high while being happy and satisfied.

How to Be Successful in Life

Contrary to common beliefs, there are no successful or unsuccessful people but instead there are people who have the potential to succeed and who do things that helps them realize this potential and there are people with the same potential who don’t do those things.

The only thing you need to do to succeed is to do exactly what successful people did. When you go through all of the information below you will acquire the mentality of a successful person and this will help you reach success.

What Makes Me Unsuccessful?

If you really want to be successful then you should have a solid understanding of certain concepts that can limit your potential and that can make you unsuccessful.

Successful people avoid these harmful concepts and so should you:

• False Beliefs: False beliefs are incorrect ideas you hold about something or about yourself. An example of a false belief could be “I can never find a job in such a country” . False beliefs act as limiters to your true potential and so to your success. Getting rid of false beliefs and knowing more about them is the most important task that you should do if you are serious about success. False beliefs can not only limit your success potential but they can even ruin your life. Some people stay broken for years after a breakup just because they have some false beliefs about love that they acquired from the media. In my book How to get over anyone in few days i explained how getting rid of false beliefs such as "the one" and "the soul mate" can help you recover in few days. This happens because the mind refuses to recover if it believed that it will never find a replacement for the person you broke up with.
• External Locus of Control: This is the way of thinking that makes a person assume that everything that happens to him is the result of external factors. For example: saying that an exam was too hard when you don't do well or claiming that high unemployment rate is the reason you can't find a job are examples of external locus of control. The flip side to that way of thinking is Internal Locus of Control which is the way of thinking that makes you believe that you are in charge and in control of everything that happens to you. None of the successful people have an external locus of control so if you are serious about success you should learn how to change your way of thinking from being based on external locus of control to being based on internal locus of control.
• Lack of Persistence: What is good about having many qualities and skills if you lost hope in succeeding after failing once or twice? The only people who succeed in life are the persistent ones. Those who continue working right to the end until they get what they want even if everything was against them and even if they failed many times. If you want to be successful then read the guide to persistence to learn how to stand up again even if you failed hundreds of times.
• Lack of Flexibility: Flexibility is the ability to adapt to external conditions. It's the ability to try something else or another method when your current method fails. The more flexible you are, the more you will adapt to changes and the higher your chances of success will be. Read this guide to learn how to be flexible and how to change your methods when they don't work.
• Lack of Planning: If you don’t have goals or plans then you are going to be a part of other people's plans. If you don’t plan to be the team leader at your work then someone else in your team will do so and if you don't plan to get that high paying job then someone else who planned and worked for it will take it from you. If you don’t plan you will get swept away by the people who do. They will fill the positions, make the money and get the fame while you'll just be a spectator. planning is an essential item in the success toolkit. Read this guide to learn everything about planning and goal setting.
• Lack of Self-confidence: If you don't have a high self-confidence then most probably you will be too shy of presenting your ideas and you may give up your dreams as soon as someone tells you that they are not possible. You may fear taking any risks and so ignore many opportunities that could have made you successful. If you want to increase your chances of being a successful person, then you must build your self-confidence. You can build it from scratch using the ultimate guide for building self-confidence.
• Thinking that you lack resources: In my book How i did it i explained how i managed to make a website that generates thousands of dollars/month in less than 2 years with an initial investment that is less than 50 dollars!! Don't fool yourself by thinking that you lack resources because if you are serious about success you will do it without having any resources. This website is one of the examples of successful businesses that required no resources at the start up.
• Success related Fears: The types of fears that can affect your ability to succeed are the fear of failure and the fear of success. While they both seem to be complete opposites still they can have the same effect on you which is preventing you from trying and so leading you to failure.

The Road to Success

If you have already been through the previous guides and have prepared your toolkit then it's time to know how the road to success looks like so that you don't find unexpected surprises.

The road to success will probably be full of rejection, pain, hard work, disappointment as well as many other discouraging things but when you reach its end you will feel really happy and victorious.

You will feel proud of yourself for overcoming all of these obstacles and for reaching your goals in spite of the many things that stood in your way. You will be tremendously happy and satisfied and you will experience the feelings described at the beginning of this article. In short, you will receive the reward of being successful.

Farouk is not only holding several degrees in psychology but he is also an MBA holder, a stock market investor and an entrepreneur. The information you are reading now can dramatically increase your chance of increasing your wealth and becoming reach. If you have any doubts regarding these statements then read The book How I did it was written by Farouk and it explains how he managed to make a website that generates thousands of dollars/month in less than 2 years without paying a penny.

10 Powerful Success Strategies

1. Know what success is. If you don’t know what success is (for you), how can you possibly create it? Success is different things for different people and one person’s success (a pregnancy for example) might be another person’s catastrophe. That’s because success (or failure) is not so much about the situation, circumstance, event or outcome as it is about what that “thing” means to the person in the middle of it. In order to create success, you must first define it – and far too many people haven’t. Be very clear about what you want and don’t want for your life. Clarity produces excitement. Excitement produces momentum. Momentum produces behavioural change. Behavioural change produces different results and eventually, the internal vision becomes an external reality. Giddy-up.

2. Get comfortable being uncomfortable. Some people will live a life of second-best, of compromise and of under-achievement simply because they are (1) controlled by fear (2) always looking for the magic pill or shortcut and (3) not prepared to do the tough stuff. People who always take the easy option are destined for mediocrity. At best. Constantly avoiding the discomfort means constantly avoiding the lessons and the personal growth. Pain is a great teacher. Not always what we want, but sometimes what we need.

3. Seek to be righteous, not right. The need to be “right” speaks of arrogance, insecurity, ego and stupidity. It’s also synonymous with failure. The person who constantly needs to be right will miss out on much of what life has to teach him and alienate himself from others. Arrogance repels, humility attracts.

4. Seek respect, not popularity. It’s been said that our nature is “who we are” and our reputation is who people think we are. When the two are synonymous, we’re usually on the right path.

5. Embrace mess. To embrace mess is to embrace life because life is messy, unpredictable, unfair, uncertain, lumpy and bumpy. So get used to a little chaos. Embrace it even. While others succumb to the messiness and unpredictability of the human experience, make a conscious choice to be the calm in the chaos.

6. Don’t become your parents. Or your boss. Or anyone but you. The enormity of conformity is a problem for the wanna-be success story. Sure, your parents are great and by all means respect them, love them and learn from them, but please don’t become them; that’s just plain ugly and a little bit tragic. Listen to, and learn from other people, but think, act and decide for yourself. And no, you don’t need anyone’s approval or permission; you’re big now. It’s okay.

7. Use more of what you already have. Imagine what you could achieve if you took all the knowledge, intelligence, opportunities, time, skill and talent that you currently have and absolutely milked it. What if you already have more than enough talent to become wildly successful? Well, you do. There go the excuses. And that voice that’s telling (some of) you right now that you don’t have what it takes to become successful, that’s called fear. Not logic, fear. Not reality, fear. Unless of course, you allow that to become your reality. Be mindful that the voice in your head (the very loud, annoying and persistent one) is rarely a reflection of your potential and mostly a manifestation of your insecurity.  And no, you’re not alone in your self-doubt; it’s a universal condition. Many people fail, not because they don’t have what it takes, but because they don’t use what they already have. Successful people typically don’t have more innate potential, luck, time or opportunity than the next person, but they consistently find a way to use much more of what they have at their disposal. While the majority are rationalising their lack of decision making and action taking, these guys are finding a way to get the job done. The question is not “how much ability do you have, but how much will you use?”.

8. Be an innovator, not an imitator. Not too many sheep succeed. Baaah. Sometimes it’s a good idea to build your own team rather than join someone else’s. Don’t let your fear stand in the way of your potential to create, innovate or lead. When I set up Australia’s first commercial personal training centre, most people told me it wouldn’t work. Glad I didn’t listen.

9. Do what most won’t. If you want to achieve what most people won’t (happiness, joy, calm, wealth, optimal health, balance) then don’t do what they do. If you want to be like the majority, then do what they do. Producing different results comes from doing different things. Simple really. And effective. Most people won’t persevere, won’t finish what they start, won’t find the good, won’t do what it takes, won’t question their long-held beliefs, won’t be solution-focused, won’t do what scares them and won’t “be the change” they want to see in their world. Choose to be different.

10. Be like water. Powerful. Gentle. Adaptable. Ever-changing. Being static in a dynamic world – like the one you and I inhabit – is a recipe for disaster. If you can’t adapt, you can’t succeed. Our practical, three dimensional reality, and everything in it, is in a constant state of transition, while some of us are in a constant state of “same”. Statues don’t succeed, they just get crapped on.

20 Qualities for a Successful Life

How do you define a successful life? Is it by how much money or stuff you have amassed, or is it by the legacy you leave behind? All too often we equate a successful life with material possessions. Yet, there are millions of people out there who lead successful, fulfilled lives who may be of modest means. They may not be rich in the financial sense, but they are rich in life and values.

So what are the things we should strive for to make our lives successful and have a positive impact on those around us? Here is a list of traits that I think defines what true success in life is all about. Does your list differ?

1. Sincerity. Be sincere in your actions. Don’t try to deceive or impress others. Be yourself, and do what you feel is right based on your values and beliefs. You will be surprised at how people accept you when you stop trying to be someone you aren’t.


2. Unfeigned. Be genuine in what you do; your actions speak louder than your words. Don’t falsify or embellish events that may have happened. Don’t say one thing and do the other.


3. Wholehearted. Be enthusiastic about what you do. Show it. Be committed to life and everything that you set out to accomplish in life. Devote yourself to your family, friends, and community and commit yourself to being the best father, husband, wife, mother, friend, and neighbor you can be.


4. Honest. Be honest in your dealings with yourself and with others. When others interact with you, let them see someone who is reputable, respectable and genuine. Do what you say you will do and never use fraud or deception to get ahead in life. Let ethics, morals, and honor be your compass.


5. Heartfelt. When you do something for someone, or they do something for you, let your thanks and emotion be openly and outwardly expressed towards them.


6. Hearty. Be someone who displays an honest, warm, and exuberant personality to those around them. Let your feelings show and let them be genuine when they do.


7. Humility. Don’t lead a life thinking you are better than others or are superior to those around you. Modesty and humbleness will leave a far more ever lasting impact on people than trying to show off.


8. Personal integrity. Always follow your heartfelt values, and never let a situation or anyone steer you away from doing what you know is right. Be someone that people can look up to and respect and not someone who trades his or her moral values for material gains in life.


9. Incorruptibility. Let it be known that you stand firm for what you believe in and that your morals, values and actions are not for sale. Don’t let outside forces corrupt the person you are.


10. Sound. Show good judgment and sense in life. Don’t let prejudices or emotions cloud your judgment.


11. Whole. Be focused on what you want to achieve in life. Give everyone you interact with your complete and undivided attention.


12. Courtesy. Practice good manners even though others around you may not.


13. Civility. Graciousness and respect go a long way in life. What is more, they are viral – when people see you doing it they are more apt to practice civility themselves. Be kind to others and extend courtesy towards them. Don’t interrupt people when they speak and don’t dominate the conversation.


14. Wisdom. Gain from the wisdom that is inside you. Understand the inner qualities of people and learn how to understand situations that might be different than we are used to.


15. Charity. Practice kind, gentle, and compassionate treatment of others – especially those who may be undeserving. Learn to extend a hand to help others, even though they themselves may not have helped you.


16. Empathy. Be aware that each person is different and may have different values and beliefs than those that you hold. Be understanding of the feelings and thoughts of others without having to be told or reminded of them.


17. Sympathy. Share your feelings with others and understand the emotional situations that people go through. Put yourself in their shoes.


18. Compassion. When someone is in distress, reach out with a genuine interest in helping alleviate their suffering.


19. Altruism. Think of others without thinking of yourself. Do good things for people without expecting something in return for yourself.


20. Magnanimous. Be generous in life. Give of your time, money and wisdom. Share with others so they can see the true joy and adventures of life themselves.

There are the qualities I think helps lead a person to life a successful life. Clearly everyone's views will differ, as they should. What are some qualities that you think define success in life?

The Secrets To Becoming Highly Successful In Life

The aim of this article is to provide an outline of the attributes you require to become incredibly successful, so you can decide how you need to improve to increase your levels of success. Each attribute will be dealt with in depth in future articles and e-Books, but this is a great starting point if you truly want to become hugely successful.

The first thing I want to say here, is that I’m talking about being successful in all areas of your life. This article’s not just about being successful in work or business, it’s also about being successful in your relationships, all aspects of your home life, your hobbies and interests, your health and fitness… in fact just about anything you want to be successful in!

So, as you read through this article, simply apply the thoughts and ideas to the area(s) of your life in which you want to achieve success… or more success!

OK, let’s get started – have you ever known me to hang around – of course not! And I’m not going to disappoint today, either!

This may shock you… or it might not… but there is no secret to success! What? I can hear the cries from far and wide! Don’t believe me? That’s probably because so many gurus, coaches and so-called experts have created this great mystery behind success… usually down to their own self-interest! Create a mystery… create a problem… then cerate a solution… and charge people for it! Look, we all need to earn a living, but why the mystery? Let’s just be honest with each other and help each other and this world of ours will be a much better and happier place to be!

OK, you want a secret? This is it…

You can achieve success in any area of your life… as long as you have the desire to do so and as long as you’re prepared to learn a few new things along the way. Add to that the ability to set goals, a touch of confidence and success is yours for the taking! Weh-hey!

Oops, I’ve let the cat out of the bag… it’s not a secret anymore! Aargh! OK, if it’s not a secret, you’re probably wondering why some people are so successful and others are failures! Your words… not mine! Actually, there’s no such thing as a failure… just a lesson learned. Ask Thomas Edison (inventor of the electric light bulb). Well, OK, so you can’t ask him now… he’s no longer with us… but his quote is so famous and makes my point well! He was asked how he carried on with his research when his experiments failed so many times. And his answer?

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work”.

Now, you can be picky about the 10,000 times, but the point’s made perfectly! Each time Edison “failed”, he just learned something that didn’t work. He didn’t see it as failure, he simply took another step towards his eventual success! How cool is that? So, what can you take from that? Have you just learned something? Can you take a leaf out of Edison’s book and start learning today? Sure you can! And in doing so, you’ll be well on the way to becoming successful yourself!

OK, so let’s get back on track and explore what it is that makes some people successful… whilst others fail miserably! Aargh! There I go again, talking about failure! Now this is important! If you accept failure as failure, then of course, you can fail. It’s only by treating “failure” as a lesson learned that you all of a sudden cannot fail! Does that make sense? I hope so, because it does to me! Lol!

Attitude
If I had to pick out one thing that makes some people successful and others failures, it would be attitude. People who achieve outstanding success approach things in a totally different way to those who are unsuccessful. Their attitude is one of “never say die” and they also expect to succeed. Failure doesn’t even enter their mind for a split second. All they see is the finishing line… and breaking the tape! Creating a winning mindset is so important to becoming hugely successful.

Just do it!
You won’t see too many successful people wondering what to do next, either! They have an attitude of getting on with things, rather than talking about what to do next. They won’t be pondering about what will happen when they try things, they simply get on and do it! They’ll try things out. Learn from the results and then move on to the next step. They’ll keep doing that until they’ve reached their goal. Problems will be resolved. Obstacles removed or hurdled. Nothing gets in their way. Nothing!

The big question now is, “How do you become hugely successful?”

Now there’s a tough one! But, since we’re working on becoming an incredible success, I’m sure we can get past it! Oh yeah!

OK, here’s a list of attributes I think you’ll need if you’re going to become a huge success in life. Take a look and see if you agree with me. As you read through the list, tick off those that apply to you already and highlight those where you think you need a bit of work to improve. If you can think of any more that you think should be added, please contact me and let me know! You see, I’m willing to learn. I’m learning all the time!

OK, You’ll need to have:

• a vivid long-term vision of where you want to get to in life
• set high, but achievable goals
• a desire to be or achieve the best – 2nd best just isn’t an option
• a belief in yourself and that you control your own destiny
• a high level of drive and energy
• strength of purpose
• motivation
• the ability and willingness to learn from your mistakes
• a clear way of measuring your success
• a willingness to celebrate your successes – Oh yeah!
• the ability to work on your own and make your own decisions
• the ability to work with and learn from others
• great self-confidence
• a willingness to take some risks
• a desire to achieve excellence!

Now, that’s quite a list, isn’t it? If you have all those qualities in abundance, you have no real need to read this article! However, my guess is that you probably have some of them, but in varying degrees of abundance! What that means, is you’re probably getting some successes in your life, but with a little bit of work on yourself, you could achieve so much more! So, if you want to achieve incredible success, read on and we’ll take a look at how to start work on the things you need to improve.

Create A Vision Of Your Perfect Life
This is crucial to your success! How can you achieve something, if you don’t have a clear picture of it in your mind? Think of it this way. If you had a bow and arrow in your hands and a target somewhere in the distance and you were then blindfolded and spun around a few times, what would be the chances of you hitting the target? Pretty slim, I’d say! Take your blindfold off, pick out the target… aim… fire… bullseye! OK, so you may need to learn some lessons before you hit the bullseye, but don’t forget, that’s what successful people do all the time… so get some lessons booked!

Set High But Achievable Goals
I strongly suggest you do this with the help of a good coach. A good coach will help you set goals appropriate to your skills, goals which are challenging, but achievable. It’s important not to limit yourself by setting easy goals, but it’s equally important not to set goals that are out of your reach, because you’ll soon become disillusioned and will then give up on your dreams.

Look, if I was to set myself the target of running 100 metres in 5 seconds, I’d be setting myself up for a fall. If I was to set myself a target of running 100 metres in 20 seconds, it would be way too easy… even for me! The secret is to come to a target that challenges and pushes your limits, but gives you hope of success. That’s where a good coach will help, by asking pertinent questions to enable you to set the right goals for you. If we continue with the analogy above, 20 seconds may not be a challenging goal for me, but for others it would be just right and for some it would be downright impossible!

A Desire To Be Or Achieve The Best
Look, we all know that everyone can’t be the best! The idea here is to achieve the best you possibly can! That makes you a winner. That makes you an incredible success! If you have the desire to achieve incredible success in everything you do, then that’s exactly what you’ll achieve! Second best just isn’t even an option, because, if you do fall below your high expectations, you’ll learn and improve… and keep improving until you’ve reached your goal!

Look you’re not aiming for perfection here, but you’re aiming for pretty damn close to perfection! As a golfer, you’re never going to get a hole in one on every par 3 hole you play. You’re probably not going to land within 5 metres of the hole every time, but you can set yourself a target of hitting the green just about every time. Now, we all know that every so often you’ll miss the green, but by setting the goal high, you’ll hit it more often. Each time you miss, you learn a lesson, so you can do better next time.

Believe In Yourself
One things for sure, if you don’t believe in yourself, nobody else will! I’m not talking about being boastful or arrogant here, just being confident in your own ability to “get the job done”. If you go around telling others how great you are, you’ll lose a lot of friends and make even more enemies! So don’t go there! Listen, just because you shouldn’t go around boasting about you talents to others, it doesn’t mean you can’t tell yourself exactly how wonderful you are! Don’t go over the top though, well not too much, just keep it at a level that builds you up so you know you’ll be successful.

Certainly, it’s extremely important not to be critical of yourself. That’s just a recipe for disaster and will almost certainly lead to failure. Nothing more needs to be said on that… do not put yourself down… ever!

You Control Your Own Destiny
OK, I’m going to offer my apologies to anyone whose religious beliefs suggest that life’s all mapped out for us and that we simply have to tune into “God” and He’ll lead the way. I’m sorry, I just don’t see life like that! I do believe in a greater power, a creator if you like. We can call this creator, “God”, “The Universe”, maybe. It doesn’t really matter.

Everything and everyone is linked by a force, which is why The Law of Attraction works so well. But, we control how The Universe works for us by our thoughts and actions, not the other way round. Why would we need free minds, if our future was mapped out already? You better believe you control your own destiny or someone else will do it for you! And that would not lead to incredible success!

A High Level Of Drive And Energy
If you have a clear vision and have set yourself challenging goals, this will come naturally. You’ll leap out of bed raring to go each and every day! Well maybe, but I reckon there are other things that need to be worked on here. Sure, your drive will be improved with a clear vision and challenging goals and to a certain extent this will energize you. However, you’ll also need to work on the physical side of things. A good dose of exercise, relaxation, sleep and a healthy diet are all essential here! In short then, look after both body and mind if you want to Achieve Incredible Success!

Strength Of Purpose and Motivation
When you’re creating your vision and setting your goals, it’s vital they fall within your beliefs and values. This is vital to becoming successful. If you set goals that fall outside your core values, then you’ll lack the motivation to see them through.

Let’s say one of your core values centres around your family and doing lots of fun things with your kids. If you then set yourself a goal that takes you away from home for 4 days each week for the next three years, then that goal’s in conflict with your core values, meaning you will create inner conflicts as you strive to achieve success. It’s almost inevitable that you’ll fail to reach you goal in this sort of situation.

The Ability And Willingness To Learn From Your Mistakes
OK, this is easy. You make a mistake – we all do that from time to time – you learn from it, try again and hey presto you get it right! Yeah, right! Look, that may happen once in a while, but generally life isn’t quite that simple! So you’re going to need to be prepared to try things a few times before you get it spot on, and each time you make a mistake, you’re going to have to analyse what you did and improve on it next time. You’ll need real stickability and you’ll need to be able to learn new skills as you go along.

To be honest, that’s no problem… learning is so much fun! Especially when it takes you nearer to achieving your goals!

A Clear Way Of Measuring Your Success
This sounds easy… and to be honest it is! Provided you set the right goals! OK, here’s the deal. Each time you set a goal, you ask yourself this simple question, “How will I know when I’ve achieved my goal?” At work, that may be when you’re made a Director of your company. At home, it may be when you’ve finished building an extension on your house.

The next question’s maybe a little more difficult to answer. “How will I know if I’ve been hugely successful?” OK, this is s bit more subjective. At home, you may decide that your extension needs four walls and a roof that doesn’t leak to make it a successful achievement! OK? Does that make sense? To create incredible success, you’re going to have to achieve your goals with style and flair!

A Willingness To Celebrate Your Successes – Oh Yeah!
This one’s so much fun! Every success has to be marked with a celebration or reward. It may be a simple reward like a bar of your favourite chocolate or even something like a cup of coffee. But for major successes you’ll need to think of a special celebration! Maybe a meal out in the best restaurant in town, or tickets to a show… your choice! But, whatever you do, celebrate every success, no matter how small… and celebrate in style!

The Ability To Work On Your Own And Make Your Own Decisions
If you’re going to become a hugely successful person, you’ll have to make decisions and you’ll have to make them, sometimes, on your own. You see sometimes, others will disagree with you, they’ll advise you one way or the other and sometimes you’ll have moral dilemmas or maybe even social issues to consider. But, what you have to consider, is that the decision ultimately has to be made by you, for you! So make it! Then live with it!

You’re also going to need leadership qualities, which will mean working on your own at times. Doing what you think is best. Doing what you want to do. Doing whatever it takes to move yourself forward in the direction of your goals. Look, you’re pulling the shots… it’s your life. So you’re going to have to take control, make decisions and get out there and do it when you don’t always feel like doing it!

The Ability To Work With And Learn From Others
The one thing about becoming incredibly successful that many people learn the hard way, is that you cannot do it on your own! Every hugely successful person has had support, help, advice, coaching and much more from others as they’ve strived for excellence. And each and everyone of them will acknowledge that they couldn’t have achieved their success without the help of others.

So, learn to work with other people. Listen to their advice… you don’t have to take it… but listen to it… consider it… then either take it or discard it. Find people who have qualities and skills that you need. Learn from them… and teach them your skills and qualities. You must give as well as receive.

Find a guru, coach, a mastermind group, a support group, anything or anyone that’ll support you. Find people who are like-minded, people who want you to succeed. Network with them, build contacts, support each other. Give and you will receive. Receive and you will give.

Be open to ideas from others. Consider them. Modify them. Use them. Give ideas to others. As you do that, your subconscious mind will create other ideas for you to use. Everybody will gain.

Great Self-Confidence
I could write a book on this one… well actually I have… well almost! I’m adding the final touches right now… so look out for it very soon! Look, this is a huge area and one that needs a lot of discussion. But for now simply work on building confidence by celebrating every success. As you do that, you’ll realise you can do things well, very well and that will build your confidence.

You’ll also find some articles on this site to help you build your confidence… just click on the confidence link on the left of each page. I’ll be adding lots more soon. The thing to remember here, is that without confidence, you’ll limit your success levels drastically. So, if it’s a problem with you, find a way to boost it as fast as you can.

A Willingness To Take Some Risks
Now, this may sound like a contradiction, but believe me, this is one of the most important things you’ll have to learn to do! You can achieve limited success by taking the easy route, by making the easy decisions, by plodding along. But, if you want incredible success, you’ll have to take some risks… calculated risks of course. Some of them will come off, others will fail, sometimes miserably. But you’ll learn when they fail and you’ll grow so much faster when they come off!

With all risks, calculate the possible return if they succeed and the downside if they fail. Then visualize and focus on success! Easy!

A Desire To Achieve Excellence!
Now this may sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how many people are scared of success. You see, the more success you have, the more people will expect you to succeed. And that brings pressure. Or at least it can bring pressure.

Just remember, you’re doing this for you. Not for anyone else… for you. So their thoughts and expectations are irrelevant! Your thoughts and expectations are the only ones that count. Whether others perceive you as a success or a failure doesn’t matter in the slightest! There you go… pressure relieved!

OK, to finish off then… aim for excellence in all you do. Do the best you possibly can. Always want to be the best. Always want to do your best. Aim for the stars, always. Look, if you aim high and don’t quite make it, you’ll still have achieved incredible success! And that’s what you’re aiming for… isn’t it?

Say Thank You For Success in Your Business and Life

One of the first things many of us were taught as kids was to say "Thank you." It is one of the first things we taught our daughter, and we still sometimes remind her when she is excited about something and forgets. We'll ask her, "What do you say?" She will then always say those magic words, that along with the other magic word, "please" mean so much and can do so much for us. They are so important, take so little time to say, and can add to our personal and business lives, so why don't we say them or hear them more?

Are people's mom's not teaching them any more? I don't think so. Are we getting lazy? Maybe. Are we too used to typing "tx" or "ty" instead of writing it out? Maybe that's it. We get so used to using the abbreviations that in actual conversation we forget. I'm not sure. And what about sending actual hand written thank you cards? How many people still do that? I know that I do, and that I help my daughter send them too. I've always believed in them, and I guess the one good thing is that if less people are sending them, mine will make a greater impact and stand out more. If for no other reason, this should be enough to get you to say thanks more and start sending cards. It will help get you noticed. Besides, it's the right thing to do.

Why does it get you noticed? It gets you noticed because saying thank you is giving recognition and acknowledging others for their contributions to you. People appreciate appreciation and recognition is a great motivator. A sincere thank you can make a lot of difference to both your personal and business relationships. And there are many ways to say thanks, depending on the situation, so be creative with your gratitude.

Personalize your thank you notes and comments. Let the person know what you are thanking them for, and use the thank you as an opportunity to connect with the person and further your relationship. Make the thank you about the other person, express acknowledgment for the act and offer thanks. Don't turn it into a sales pitch or something else. Save the other message for a separate correspondence.

Make it a habit to send written thank you notes and to say thanks more often to those that do things for you. Besides advancing your relationships and leading to more success, it simply feels good to acknowledge others and say thanks. Be creative, enjoy doing it, and always remember to say thank you.

5 Reasons Why People Fail to Achieve Success In Business and Life

The #1 reason people fail to achieve success and abundance in MLM or in life is they have too much pain linked to having, it. Obscured somewhere deep in the mind, possibly even hidden deep in the sub-conscious, there is this powerful negative association that lingers. These negative associations manifest themselves in various conscious and subconscious ways, that include: self-sabotage, approach avoidance, fear, anxiety, or general disinterest towards wealth, success, and achievement. Often people are not even aware they are suffering with such an affliction. They never seem to get clear with their heart about what they really, really want, and they never begin to germinate their intentions. If you don't address these issues they will dog you every step of the way throughout your life as you wonder why you feel less than abundant, less than happy, less than fulfilled. This "comfort zone" is designed as a survival mechanism but it maybe setting your success level thermostatically far below what you really want in life. If you knew how restrictive your comfort zone can be you probably wouldn't refer to it as comfortable at all. I know it is ironic but it is the way your brain functions.

The only way to effectively overcome this obstacle if you suffer from it is to reset your inner success thermostat for success and abundance. A good MLM company, system, or sponsor will be of supreme benefit here. You have to eliminate the obstacles to your success in this industry. Get to work enlisting a competent trainer and get yourself to the mental gym.. The only thing you have to lose is your chance of success.

The #2 reason people fail wildly successful in life and in our industry is they refuse to make their reasons why a burning desire! The Compelling Reason Why isn't there. A compelling reason why is both the heart and the heartbeat that sends blood and oxygen rushing to every essential success muscle in your body. It's the fire that burns within. Without blood and oxygen your success will atrophy and die! Without this fire to heat you you'll freeze to death on the icy plains and never reach the Promised Land. You must find your compelling reason why and become willing to pursue it with unbending intent. This is why doing a compelling reason why exercise is so vitally important.

The #3 reason people fail to reach success in MLM and in life is they have no definite plan or there is no proven strategy being employed to take you there. Elements of the success equation are missing entirely or at least in part in their plans. Not having a formula, system, or effective plan to follow is the equivalent to going nowhere fast! If you are happy going nowhere, that's fine. But if you are simply unwilling to invest in yourself, and your business, and go to the necessary lengths, don't kid yourself. Your success is simply not important enough for you to make any significant lasting headway. Until your success and abundance becomes important enough, you will continue down the same road, achieving the same similar results as you are accustomed to.

The #4 reason people fail at success and abundance in life and in MLM is that they don't follow through by taking the right kind of consistent daily actions. Momentum never gets established. Daily focused right action is required. Even baby steps in the right direction established as a daily habit accomplish a great deal more over time than short bursts of achievement. Short unsustained bursts are a "rabbit-habit" not a success habit. The effect of baby steps sustained over time far outweigh the effects of more infrequent bursts of intense accomplishment. Consistent small baby steps are building the habits necessary overall to succeed. The tortoise beats the hare when it comes to success.

The #5 reason why people fail to achieve great wealth and success is that they let setbacks along the way derail the process. They are the MLM whiners who after 90 days in the business are ready to quit due to some adversity on the roadway toward success. They turn setbacks into crisis and then allow these to become their downfall. Business, financial, or life setbacks and crises must be turned into opportunities for growth and valor. They must be weathered. You can do this, but it requires faith and a positive mental attitude. It requires training. You must absorb the lesson that life is presenting to you, and you will grow. You must realize you are on the right path. You must learn to treat all failures as educational opportunities, and learn to discern the messages and meanings in them. Turning your back or quitting won't help. It simply won't fix it.

Try not to take it all too personally. Accept the fact that these learning opportunities will come, and develop the attitude necessary to prosper when they do. Success is built upon a thousand foolish blunders; failures turned into experience, fortitude, and know-how. The most successful people have also made the most mistakes - so why should you be thinking you're different- like you're born into special circumstances or something? I'm not trying to scare you... I'm just trying to inoculate you a little so when the inevitable setbacks come you're not alarmed or taken out of the game entirely. You see the key is to grow in wisdom, independence, and experience. Realize that when setbacks and disappointment comes it is another benchmark, a milestone along the road to success. Learn not to be afraid to stumble, blunder and do it again if necessary to gain another priceless piece of the puzzle. Realize now that mistakes, hardships, and failures are a part of the process - not the end. Don't quit and don't whine about things, instead gain the mindset and fortitude of a true entrepreneur. Get right down to where the rubber meets the road and accept this philosophy as it pertains to your own journey toward successful entrepreneurship, wealth and abundance.

Getting Your Business And Life Going

If you find yourself going in circles and not getting anywhere with your life, personal or business, this article will help give you the power to break the endless loop.

Look at every part of whatever you want to do and find the part or parts that are being done wrong. For example, if it is your business, you would examine the marketing, employees, pricing, production, debts, expenses, etc. If it is personal, you could objectively review your attitude and character, if you are open minded, and I mean really open minded, not just think you are. Do you treat people with respect, do you think you are always right, etc. For personal issues like this, you will need someone who knows you to give you their opinion as yours will be flawed.

In a business situation, the problem is usually a combination of both a business issue and your character. If it is an aspect of your personal life, although the problem is found in your character, it probably is expressed and can be found in how you work or run your business.

It takes beginning with an assumption that everything you are doing is wrong. In business, accept that you are not capable nor adequately skilled in your field, nor in how to be a true entrepreneur. You are basically a kid who knows nothing at all. Without this sincere attitude, you will not be able to see the objective reality.

Next, you must be willing to take out the garbage and wash the floors or do anything and everything that is required to run the business. That is what I did for my stores even though I was the owner and had employees. In a relationship, you should be happy to help in any way the other person needs without thought, just respond immediately to any need.

This puts your ego in its place as a servant rather than immature master who wants to be the boss and thinks itself more capable than it actually is, or, above doing the dirty work. That attitude is guaranteed disaster. Certainly, Donald Trump can be as arrogant as he wants, but he was born into wealth. You do not have that head start and cannot afford to be selective of your tasks.

If you want to start a new business, you have to do it all yourself or you will not understand it well enough to make it succeed. When there is a problem, if you have to pay someone else to fix it, they will not do a great job, and you will spend all your capital, thus ending up with no money at the end of the year. 

Find something that you can do entirely on your own to build up some capital and experience. If you cannot do it, then your first step is to learn how, get the skill to a high level, then start the business. As the business grows, then hire people to work for you.

Your life is in your hands, make sure they are clean and ready for hard work.

Imagine that you are operating on your own body, which is where you live. In this case, it is the body of your world which you are operating on, that means your life including business and personal relationships.

Our consciousness lives within our body. Nothing mystical or special about it, simply the objective fact. I am conscious but I am limited and restricted to my body. I cannot go anywhere or do anything other than with the use of my body, so I live within my body, my body is my world.

My body lives within the larger body of my life. My life comprises my home, my work, the company if I own the business, and of course, the relationships with the people close to me.

If I do not like someone, and I am in a good mood but then meet with that person, all of a sudden my mood may change. It is like going from the warm dry house out into the snow or rain, I get wet and cold, i.e. in a negative mood. My body has changed its physical condition based on entering the larger body of the environment. Likewise, coming in from the cold, I enter the body of the house and am warm and dry.

The environment, the body I am in at the moment, can be the climate and physically felt (the body of the planet), or emotional and mood altering (the events or people I am with, the body of my thoughts and emotions). Of course, your mood can be altered by the weather. All these things are the bodies your physical body goes in and out of at all times.

I live in my physical body and my body lives in the body of the building I am in or the body of the world and the weather at the moment. The climate of that building or the weather is effected by the people near me or in the room. Thus those people make, and in a way become, the body my physical body presently resides within.

My mind determines what my hands do as well as the words my mouth utters. My hands and mouth are effecting the larger body that my physical body is in. If they are dirty, and they ruin the business or home life, my whole life becomes infected and ill.

This is why I say, keep your hands and mouth clean, and you will always have perfect health in the larger body of all the things in your life.

Consciousness is cleanliness. Consciousness is awareness and respect. To succeed in your life and goals, be aware, respectful and humble. This can be summarized in one word; realistic.

Doing Business -And Life- With Love

The evolution of consciousness takes so many different forms and shapes. Clearly there are many paths to the same place. Yet, there is one doorway those who choose awakened living all share. Eventually, as we unravel our resistance, and release our blocks to our own Magnificence we find ourselves standing at the entrance to our own hearts. And at some point, we must, walk in.

Yesterday I gave a workshop to introduce a group of budding business owners to the principles of Aware Entrepreneurship. For many of them the old forms of business don't work anymore. Hard sell tactics are of no interest. Managing with worry and fear only increases their stress and depletes them and they know it. Putting the bottom line before personal well-being no longer makes sense.
These are people who know that they want to stay connected to their hearts as they proceed in their work. They understand that they have unique gifts to offer and they want to build venues for their contributions without sacrificing their joy or their health.

So they are faced with a dilemma - How to build businesses that allow them to stay connected to their essence while getting things done in the world?
In my work I help individuals and groups build a foundation for conscious enterprise beginning with this action:

Stop the Internal Violence You Do to Your Own Self.

The most primary personal and professional work you can ever do for yourself, your colleagues, clients and customers is to release any unloving attitudes or behaviors you inflict upon your own self.

Be Kind: Replace Harshness with Tenderness

Be Present: Cultivate Acceptance of What is Happening Right Now

Be Inclusive: Cherish All Aspects of Your Self

These may seem like little things and yet by practicing them you can change the whole atmosphere of your life - both inside and out. Once you have established kindness, presence and the inclusive embrace of all that you are you will have a loving home base to work from. From here you will find that you naturally extend the same kindness, presence and welcome inclusiveness to those who choose your products or services. The path of heart is the best foundation for healthy relationships. It also contributes to the blossoming of health. It sets the stage for wealth - and opens the door for the fulfillment of purpose.

Love is the real force and the fuel that helps us to release struggle. The Choice to Love - self and others and life itself! - provides us with a way to link peaceful living with wordly success. They belong together.

Business and Life Goals - How to Set Creative Goals That Literally Draw You to Success

What life goals are you pursuing? Are you wanting to shed some pounds, or perhaps wanting to lower your blood pressure, or just have fewer and fewer headaches? Or, are you simply wanting to attain good health? Can you see a difference?

Look at another major area of challenge for many folks--finances. What financial goals are you going after? Are you wanting to get out from under all these bills that seem to come in so frequently, or are you wanting to reduce your large mortgage or monthly car payment? Or are you simply wanting to achieve financial freedom-whatever definition you put on that term? Can you see the difference?

Yes, the differences are subtle. They are small. To some they may seem trivial, largely semantical, and maybe even nonsensical. But I would like to propose that the differences are huge and will have a major impact on whether or not you ever attain your goal.

Running From or Running To?

You see in one case they are stated as what you are running from, trying to avoid, unsatisfied with, etc. In essence, they are stated from a rather negative point-of-view. On the other hand, the other goals are stated in a more positive manner, i.e., what it is that you are running toward, wanting to bring into reality.

Did you know that most people can't answer the simple question, "What do you want in life?" They can easily tell you what they don't want, but can't begin to tell you what they do want. Their response to the question will always be stated in terms of what they don't want. Isn't that sad? Where is their focus? Obviously, it's on what they're dissatisfied with. I'm sure you've heard that what you focus on multiplies and grows. Are you beginning to see the problem here?

When defining a goal, you want the focus to be on where you want to be rather than on where you are. Don't misunderstand me, both are important, and a little later we'll talk more about the importance of really getting a handle on where you currently are. But for the goal articulation step, the focus should always be on what it is that you are wanting to see.

Simple, Three-Step Approach

I recently was exposed to a new goal setting approach for business that made me realize that it's not only applicable to our network marketing business, but also to our coaching business, and to almost any other area of our personal lives where we want to move from our current reality to a desired future. The process is called the creative process and has been developed over the course of several years by Robert Fritz, widely recognized as an expert in the area of structural dynamics.

Step 1

It's an incredibly powerful process while being amazingly simple at the same time. You start by stating your goal or desired future. And of course, that's what we've been talking about up until now. It must be a goal stated in terms of what you want, not what you don't want anymore. I won't go into it in this article, but a goal should be a SMART goal to be effective (SMART = Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time specific).

Step 2

Next, you need to articulate the current reality, or where you are now, at this moment. I believe you can see the necessity for this--for example, if your goal is to go to Chicago, it would be helpful to know whether you're in Virginia Beach or in Los Angeles. Otherwise you're feet might get pretty wet. It's in this step of articulating current reality that it's entirely appropriate to state what you want to move away from.

In actual point of fact, the more dissatisfied you are with your current reality, the more power (Fritz calls it "structural tension") you will have to move toward your goal. So there is an actual advantage in making what you don't want sound as unlikable as you can while still being truthful about it.

Step 3

Then finally, the last step in the creative process is to define a few action steps (along with dates) that will move you toward where you want to be. They don't have to be big, gargantuan steps...they could be quite simple and small steps. An amazing fact is that, over time, the even the smallest of steps will add up to that big gargantuan step. If you're not too sure about what steps to take, follow the Nike commercials, "Just Do It!" Just do something...anything. Action is the magic key to goal attainment. Of course the action has got to be moving you in the right direction.

Failure not Allowed

And that's the beauty of the creative process. What if you find your action steps have been taking you in the wrong direction? Simply stop doing those action items and replace them with ones that are going in the right direction. No failure! No condemnation! It's just a learning process. It's growth! You've learned that what you were doing is going in the wrong direction. Just make the change. No big deal. Isn't that simple? And empowering?

All you need to add is a little support in the form of accountability and you're off and running toward fulfillment of another goal. Hallelujah!

Become Successful - 5 Keys to Influential Success For Your Business and Personal Life

Is it true that you can become a necessity to other people around you? Yes, you can become significant and enhance the lives of others. You become an influence when you demonstrate consistently, the behavior and skills that people admire the most. These same skills will also help you to insure success in your life.

Key of Attitude...Enthusiasm is contagious! Positive Attitude is the most important law in becoming influential. It is you in every case who will determine how you will face every day. The people around would rather associate with someone who has a positive attitude. You will find that the most successful of people will demonstrate an attitude that is positive.

Key of Self Confidence...The first sixty seconds are the most critical when you meet someone face to face. They are the most lasting impressions you will make and critical when you are looking to be appreciated. Your ability to clearly state your goals to others will directly affect the chances you will have of achieving them. A successful professional will pay close attention to their appearance and their body language. A person of influence does not feel that they are entitle to success but are willing to earn success by being their best.

Key of Work Ethic...Anything worth doing is worth doing well. I'm sure you have heard that statement before. Financial abundance is tied directly to productivity and profit is not a "bad" word. Each if us must earn our success and to do that each of us will keep our success by helping others to achieve their goals. The secret to have a good work ethic is to be who you say you are and do what you say you will do. Successful, influential people are committed to their goals and their ethics.

Key of Communication...You will find that the most successful people you will meet are great communicators. All the knowledge and skill that you acquire are not as effective if you can not communicate with others. People will judge and evaluate you b the way they hear and see you. By learning how to effectively communicate will help you to gain confidence and make a good impression. If you want to achieve the goals that you set then it is important to tell them to other people.

Ten Biggest Mistakes We Make When Trying to Build a Successful Career or Business and a Relationship

in day by day life we face a lot of challenges. Probably the most common of all is to build a career and to maintain your relationships with your family and loved ones as well as finding a partner and building a life together. These two areas are the main focus in our lives and they can be source of lots of unhappiness or the source of true happiness. Most of us live in some kind of a relationship. Some are real, then some are fake and the partners are pretending that everything is alright, but deep inside they know that this is not true and sooner or later this is going to end. Some of you know what the problem is, some of you don't, some try to do something about it, and some wait for the other half to make the first step.

One of the very common things we do is blame others or we blame external factors for not being happy in a relationship or for being single. The truth is that in most of the cases the problem is YOU.

1. You, like most of us might think that money can buy everything. Well, that might be true in some respects but money can't replace human connections.

Well money can bring us a whole lot of joy and happiness, and we can buy almost anything we want. What we cannot buy is true happiness and the knowing that people around us, especially the people who are important to us, like, accept, love and respect us for our real value as a person and not for our achievements like money, position or career. Another thing to think about is, do you indeed need that much money to be happy, is that your value at all or is it just a fake reflection of your life and a way to please yourself and others.

2. You may think that if you work harder and earn more money, your family or loved ones will be happier and more secure.

This is only half the truth, the problem in the end is that we become absolute strangers to our children, spouses, or our boyfriend, girlfriend and other members of the family. We work really hard to earn more money therefore we spend less and less time with our family and when we finally come home, we are too stressed out and too tired or even worse, we take our work home with us. Cold hard cash can't compensate for loneliness and feelings of abandonment.

3. You may think, " If I work hard enough for at least 5 years, I can finally slow down and have more time for myself and my family! "

When you take a decision such as this one, and, best case scenario, your family agree more or less with it, the question remains, how can you be sure that this is going to happen? In today's political and economical milieu it is really difficult to predict anything in the long run, in particular a 5 year plan in your work or business. You may have to change your business strategy, your workplace, probably even the place where you live, so you may find yourself with another 5 year plan before you know it.

4. You might think, "I can't be bothered now to build any kind of relationships, I need to concentrate on my career, on my business, when I'm established I will have time and money to engage in such things."

It is all well and good in your early twenties, but when you're hitting 30 and beyond, it is possibly wise to start thinking about a relationship's long-term prospects. And you may have to consider the possibility that you might have a self esteem problem. A relationship does not necessarily need more money, what it needs is more of YOU, more of your qualities as a person.

5. "I don't care, this is my way and I know what I'm doing! I don't need anybody or anything now, I'm comfortable this way and to be honest I already had some bad experience."

Fair play if this is your way. Don't bother if you really feel this way. It is your choice and it is alright. All of us had bad experiences and most of us felt this way more then once. The only difference is that we still cry and in the meantime pretend to be what we are not, or we learn from the past and think that it may be time we changed something and be happy in the end. You can pretend, play games and think that you are above every little trick that you are in a way untraceable and cool. The only question is, are you really happy and comfortable. No hard feelings and no regrets, no self-regret and no fear to start again and no fear to be alone.

6. "My way or the highway, I don't accept any compromise, any other way. I work hard and live hard! I have heard a lot of these things before and none of them are worth a dime. Things in life are not that easy and are not romantic. And it has been proven that in the end money talks and the rest will follow!"

I agree. Why not, in the end you are the Master of your own life, you decide on what and how, when and what, whom with and for how long, what the rules are and what are the rewards. But you have to bear in mind that after all this, one day you will find yourself alone, bitter, angry, disappointed and with the feeling that nobody understands you. You had your on way, you played by your own rules and you lived by your own statute. And what have you achieved? What are you in the end? Are you happy? Are you comfortable with what you have achieved? Because if not, do you think that you will be later on? Try to answer these questions to yourself as genuinely as you can.

7. You may think "My family is supporting me and they always understand me no matter what."

I don't want to disappoint you, this might be working well in the beginning, but after a while things start to change slowly and in almost all cases and painfully as well. One of the problems that may arise is that you will not receive more recognition or at least not in the way that you might expect. What is recognition? In the end we receive recognition when we bring good news or when we do something extraordinary, good or useful and beneficial. The fact that you try harder does not guarantee that you may gain in the end some kind of recognition. You are probably not there when your family needs you, they may need something but they don't want to bother you, you may need something but you don't tell them because you feel in a way guilty. This will bring the communication to an end and everybody will try to find understanding and comfort somewhere else.

8. Most of us think that their family is just the same like many other families with their struggles and fights and they survive and they are al right. Most of us might also think that without understanding, sacrifice and compromise what a relationship is after all. Some of us also think that without money, love is not worth a penny.

It is true, without sacrifice and compromise a relationship is not going to work in the long run. Another aspect that has to be taken into consideration as well is that times are changing and with time the way we live our life is changing too. We have to ask ourselves what do we consider as being a compromise and what other values do we add to our relationship. Whatever worked for the older generation is more then probably considered archaic and wont work on today's generation. What yesterday was in fashion or was a conventional fact, today is history. There are traditions and there is progress and both aspects need to be taken into consideration.

9. You might think that all you need is Power, Sex, Money We all heard these concepts of life, and mostly from men, rarely from women. If you look closely, you realize that most "successful" people are not really happy. They live their lives according to schedule, with when and how they graduate, with when and how they shall be successful, with when and how they build up their career or business, plan their marriage, their kids, and the list goes on. This encoded life after a while becomes boring and empty. You forget the meaning of life; you forget how to live. This is an illusion, the illusion that with money and power you can buy happiness, but in the meantime you live a life empty of any real feelings, a contrived and sad existence, without the power to change.

10. You may think that Coexistence, Sex and Love are three different things.

Most men and women think this way and there are many reasons why. Some of the issues are deep and painful, some of them are just little scrapes on the surface. Life is very fragile and very short. If you are not capable to find a partner to give you all the three above mentioned pleasures, you will be lost in details and never be really happy. If you want to change you can change. If you want to achieve and fulfill your dreams you can do so. Most of your life depends on you, on your decisions, on what energy and courage you use to be where you want to be.