Motivation Articles, Essays, Tips and Advice

“All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought.” - As A Man Thinketh

How many times have you heard the expression that most people spend more time planning their vacation than they do planning their life. I would expand that expression by adding that most people spend more time “thinking” about their vacation than they do thinking about what’s important in their life.

The power of “definitely directed thought” (the power of purpose) is why I love the story of John Goddard so much.

When he was fifteen-years-old, Goddard was inspired to create a list of 127 “life goals.” By on count, the “young seventy-something” has accomplished 109 of those Plus 300 others he set along the way!!

Here’s just a few of the ones he’s reached:

He climbed the Matterhorn, Ararat, Kilimanjaro, Fiji, Rainier and the Grand Tetons.

He retraced the route of Marco Polo through all of the Middle East, Asia and China and was the first man to explore the whole length of the world’s longest river, the Nile. He also boated down the Amazon, Congo and others.

He has been to 120 countries, explored the underwater reefs of Florida, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Red Sea, visited the Great Wall of China, the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia, and the Everglades of Florida.

He has flown 47 different types of aircraft, and set several civilian air-speed records including one at 1,500 miles an hour. He flew an F-106 to an altitude of 63,000 feet, making him the only civilian to pilot an aircraft that high, a record which he still holds.

And I’m just getting started. But I think you get the point.

Okay, maybe it’s been awhile since you were fifteen, and maybe coming up with 127 life goals is a bit intimidating at this point. But how about 10? How much would the quality of your life improve if you accomplished just one life goal in each of the next ten years?

You won’t ever know if you don’t start now — and you don’t ‘Write’ them down.

More than just one of the greatest adventurers the world has ever known, Goddard is an incredibly wise person, as this quote of his demonstrates: “If you really know what you want out of life, it’s amazing how opportunities will come to enable you to carry them out.”

And that’s worth thinking about.

(excerpted from Day by Day with James Allen )
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Vic Johnson is a popular motivational speaker, author and Internet Infopreneur who has created some of the most visited personal development sites on the Web. His flagship site AsAManThinketh.net has given away over 200,000 eBook copies of James Allen’s success classic. You can grab a copy for yourself here.

*brought to you by GetMotivation.com

I’m pleased to announce the additions of self-improvement experts James Arthur Ray and Jack Canfield to our Motivational Speakers Hall of Fame. You may recognize both James Arthur Ray and Jack Canfield as both were featured in the movie, The Secret. Jack Canfield is also well known as the co-creator of the Chicken Soup For The Soul series of books.

That’s all for now… and remember … It’s your life, LIVE BIG! Josh Hinds

Let’s play a little game…

I want you to picture in your mind a rich person. Right now, in your mind, picture
a rich person. Do you see a rich person? Describe the rich person.

Now, in your mind I want you to picture a
second rich person. Do you see this rich
person? Notice both of these people. Notice two rich people. Describe what
you see.

And finally, I want you to picture a third rich person. Picture all three rich people in your mind. Describe what you see. What are the characteristics of these people? What do they look like? Act like? What do you notice about these three rich people?

Answer this question…

Were any of these three rich people you?

Did you picture yourself as one of the rich people?

If not, why not?

Do you understand it is imperative for you
to see yourself as a rich and successful
person? This is important for two reasons.

First, other people will see you and treat
you how you see and treat yourself. Second, you will behave in the manner that you see and expect of yourself.

One the most powerful messages I learned from my business coach, Randy Gage was success is created in the mind first.

Success is created in the mind first.

If you believe you are smart, you will behave intelligently. If you believe you are sexy, you will behave in that way. The funny thing about this truth is it doesn’t even matter if what you believe is true! Ha! Your subconscious kicks in and obeys whatever you program it to believe about yourself.

The people who create successful businesses create them because THAT IS WHO THEY ARE!

Sometimes it matters little what they are selling, marketing, or promoting, the successful person becomes successful because success is what they created themselves TO BE.

What about you?

I remember the first Christmas after my divorce. The first one I would spend alone - ever. There would be no gifts to give that special one. There would be no gifts to receive from that special one.

Then one day, the postman brought a package to my front door. I tore it open and found a little blue gift box tied with a white satin ribbon. I lifted the lid to reveal a beautiful silver necklace.

Who do you think sent me the gift?

The card read, “To Princess Lisa. From Princess Lisa!”

Yep! I’m the one who sent the necklace to me. While that may sound silly to you, I knew I needed to remind myself, especially during that difficult time that I am loved. I am lovable. And everything was going to be alright.

I want you to be the greatest encourager for yourself in both business and your personal life. I want you to see yourself as a confident, capable, successful entrepreneur right now!

Success comes from BEING successful right now.

What habit can you create right now to help you BE a successful entrepreneur? What is your “way of being” to ensure your success? Maybe it’s with follow up. You can create yourself to be phenomenal
at following up with leads. You are the “Follow-Up-King!” You create a system and always return calls and emails within 24 hours. It’s not even an effort for you because it is WHO YOU ARE.

Or you could choose image. You are the diva or divo of fashion and integrity from the inside out. When people look up the word “classy” in the dictionary, your picture is there! You always look your best and epitomize business etiquette. You are on time and treat all business colleagues and clients with respect and integrity. It’s not an effort for you, for you have created yourself to BE integrity and fashion.

What about encourager? You could create yourself to be a master encourager. You are the walking, talking, faith-filled, modern-day Pollyanna. You see possibility all around you, in every situation, and with all people. This is not an effort for you at all, for you have created yourself to BE possibility and encouragement. It is who you ARE.

Do you get this? It is in the BEING that success is found. The BEING actually creates the doing.

I love entrepreneurship. I love listening to people’s business ideas and encouraging them in their business plan. So I decided to take this love of entrepreneurialism and put it out in the world–not just in words, but in real actions that come from my BEING entrepreneurialism. So, two years ago I decided that whenever I met someone who told me about a business idea, I would get their name and address and send a card with a $100 dollar check in it. The card would read, “May this small token of cash be the large token of faith I have in you and your entrepreneurial dream!”

I have done this with a bartender in Iowa who wants to be a singer, a school teacher in Florida who has a dream of being a published author, a waiter in Hawaii who told me he wants to be a professional speaker, a secretary in Paris who wants to be an ambassador and build libraries in orphanages in Southern Africa… and many, many more. The response has been amazing!

The bartender called me after receiving her check and cried, “I’m putting the $100 toward a new guitar, and I want you to know that every song I’ll play with that new guitar, I’ll play in your name!”

The school teacher emailed, “I’m now signing up for a writer’s course and will send you my first draft!”

The waiter in Hawaii wrote, “I’m putting the $100 toward my membership in the National Speaker’s Association.”

The secretary in Paris called me and said, “I made a copy of the check and posted it in my office. It reminds me that my ideas matter and my dream will make a difference!”

It has been an incredible benefit to me to BE encouragement and watch my belief and love of entrepreneurialism extend out into the world beyond words and phrases.

My love of entrepreneurialism is out in the world because it is WHO I AM!

That’s not the end of the story…

Last year I was speaking to a large direct sales company and told them my commitment to entrepreneurialism. I also shared with them my big vision of a world cruise on a luxury cruise line to promote my book, Don’t Mess With the Princess! Two weeks later, I received a card in the mail with a $100 and a note that read, “Lisa, may this small token of cash be the large token of faith I have in you and your entrepreneurial dream!”

What about you?

Who do you choose to create yourself to BE? How can you reflect that in your business? Make it a part of your day and you will extend yourself into the world effortlessly and be greatly rewarded for it.

You make a difference on the planet because you chose to follow your true desire and stay committed to it. You have a profound impact on the world when you know you are created for success and you show up every day boldly willing to BE the success you were created to be!

Make it a great week. Be blessed,
Lisa
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Lisa Jimenez, M.Ed., has helped thousands of top salespeople shatter their self-limiting beliefs and finally get the breakthrough success they want. When it comes to personal productivity and creating unstoppable momentum — there is no one better for your salespeople than Lisa. Visit her website for business building success resources by Lisa Jimenez.

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I believe we would all agree that having a winning feeling is prerequisite to achieving outstanding results. A person can’t possibly expect to win if they’re constantly focusing on failure!

The real secret here is to capture that winning feeling of success as often as you can to create the environment necessary to succeed.

If you’ve been a little down in the dumps, feeling insecure or perhaps not feeling as confident in your ability as you’d like, I have a great tip for you. My suggestion to anyone looking for a success track to run on, or to a person who is looking to get back on one, is to start capitalizing on short-term victories.

That means specifically focussing on tasks you can achieve daily. The principle is to start with an adversity over which you can succeed, and gradually take on more and more difficult tasks. Nothing succeeds like success.

Another technique used by many people in developing or maintaining a winning feeling is what we call the reflection method.

Think back during a time where you were really successful at something… we all have times to which we can relate. It could have been a sale, a particular speech, a school play, or standing up to the town bully. Each one of us can reflect back on a moment in time to recapture that winning feeling.

Professional sports coaches often replay winning games of the past for their team prior to a big game to stimulate and create a winning feeling!

Years ago, a good friend of mine had left his job and a company that he had worked with for many years. He was one of the top VPs with his company and had done extremely well. He had left because he wanted to start his own business. I told him he could use one of our offices until such time as he was ready to open up his own office.

In any event, I happened to be in the office one afternoon and Grant, who normally was very upbeat and positive, was really having a difficult time. After a few moments of small talk, it became apparent what the problem was. Grant had hit the terror barrier and the possibility of starting his own company was overwhelming him… he just didn’t think he could do it. Here’s a man who had risen to the top of his field, made a high six-figure income for years… and yet was still having doubts as to his ability to start his own company.

I asked Grant to go home, get a notebook and start to write down all of his accomplishments; as far back as he could remember. The look on his face was priceless – I’m sure he thought I’d lost my mind.

I told him that the accomplishment could be small or large… it didn’t really matter. The point was to focus on something positive. I still remember him asking, “Well, what if I only fill half a page.” I just smiled and asked him to do his best and start writing.

Monday morning came and Grant was back in the office with a notebook full of accomplishments. I smiled and said, “You must have been fairly confident, you picked up a good sized notebook!” We both had a good laugh. Grant went on to build a multi-million dollar financial planning company and later franchised the operation to extend across Canada and the US!

This is a great exercise for anyone needing a bit of a boost. What would give you a winning feeling of pride and satisfaction?

Remember… a winning feeling is a confident feeling and one that forgets misses, and reinforces successful attempts.
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If you enjoyed the article you just read from Bob Proctor, you’ll love the Insight of the Day — every weekday it’s a short, uplifting message to help get your day off to a great start. It’s extremely short, so it fits perfectly into people’s busy lives. Go here to receive the Insight of the Day.

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The word “affirmation” is often misunderstood… and therefore, greatly neglected.

It is vitally important to know, and review if necessary, the ingredients of successful affirmations.

An affirmation is this:
A positive declaration stated in the first person and in the present tense that describes specifically what you want to be, what you want to do, what you want to have, and/or how you want to live your life.

To better understand — and thus apply — affirmations, look at each ingredient:

* positive
* a declaration or statement
* about yourself
* in the first person (I …)
* in the present tense (I am …)
* specific
* and about what you want to be, to do, to have, etc.

Now that you know how to make your own affirmations, use them to encourage, motivate, and change you for the better, enabling you to go further and reach higher than you’ve ever dreamed possible!

Do it now!
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A millionaire by age 27, Paul J. Meyer launched his dream business: Success Motivation Institute, Inc. (SMI), dedicated to helping people develop their full potential. The product line has expanded to include 26 full-length courses and programs in leadership development and management training. He is considered by many to be the founder of the personal development industry. Many of Paul’s life changing materials are available at www.PaulJMeyer.com.

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