3 Hot Tips To Seize YOUR Goals

Before you decide whether a single goal fits into your goals program, you should work that goal through a process that can help determine whether you should be pursuing this goal at the current time. This can take considerable time but it can save you much time and frustration by eliminating goals that are not for you at this time and helping to identify what you need to focus on now.

1. Target in on your goal: Your goal must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Remember: Some goals must be big and some goals must be long-range.

Significant goals must be broken down into smaller parts to ensure daily accountability. For example, if you want to lose 50 pounds this year, you can break that down to a goal of 4 pounds a month or 1 pound a week and then figure out how many calories you need to cut out or burn off to achieve that weekly weight loss.

2. Identify how you benefit from the goal: People often fail to reach their goals because they concentrate on the costs rather than the benefits. "If I lose the weight," they reason, "I'll have to give up this and do that." Or "If I quit smoking, I know that I'll gain weight and be miserable and difficult to get along with."

Instead of concentrating on the negatives, think of the benefits that you're going to enjoy. As you set goals, make a list of the tangible rewards that will be yours when you reach each goal. Each time you begin to ask yourself whether pursuing a goal is worth the effort, simply take out the list of benefits and read them aloud again.

3. List the obstacles that stand between you and your goal: You need to identify obstacles in order to be realistic and avoid being surprised. People have experienced many times that they had no idea that pursuing such-and-such a goal was going to be so demanding, require so much effort, take so long, and involve so many unexpected pitfalls. Careful planning in advance eliminates much of this disappointment, but you must understand that you can't always see the roadblocks ahead. That's why commitment, attitude, responsibility, and focus on the benefits remain constant necessities. Patience is also extremely important. Just remember that by keeping yourself focused on the goal, you can see the benefits and not just the obstacles.

Very few people get excited about obstacles. A mammoth traffic jam when you're in a big hurry or a bad cold just before a long-planned vacation doesn't create excitement in your life. Disappointments or setbacks of any kind are seldom viewed with enthusiasm. Yet those very difficulties should generate excitement, if for no other reason than that overcoming obstacles makes you strong and enables you to soar to greater heights.

Finding Inspiration - You Don't Need to Wait For It

There's an old saying, which you have probably heard, which states that "The prettiest girl in the village is the prettiest girl in the world". You could swap the word "girl" for "boy" and "prettiest" for "most handsome" and the saying would still be true. The saying comes from a time, not that long ago, when many people didn't move much from the place they were born. For them the village was their whole world, and correspondingly they judged everything in relation to the environment they were familiar with. They had very little sense that there might be prettier girls or more handsome men living just a few miles away.

In these days of TV and the internet--the medium by which you're reading these words--it seems almost unbelievable that people once had such closed worlds. Now we have a completely open world, and the village is, for all intents and purposes, the world. Through the power of the internet, we live in the "global village". So in a sense it's no longer true that the prettiest girl in the village is the prettiest girl in the world… and yet it is true, because now the village is the world. We can see almost what we want from where we want.

Looking for inspiration in the wrong place

And yet despite all this, most people still do have a "village mind", and it isn't the mind of the global village either. They don't live in a physical village, but they live in a mental one. They go the same route to work everyday. They read the same newspapers everyday. They watch the same TV programs everyday. They go the same places. They even use the power of the internet to mostly find out more about the things they already know. In short, they live a life of routine… and one day they have a dull feeling that things could be better, more fun, more exciting… And then they look for inspiration--to do something, to achieve something, or just to feel better. "If only I could find some inspiration…" they say. And then they carry on with the same routine of work, TV, sleep… and wonder why the inspiration never appears.

It's true that inspiration comes from within. And so do some types of motivation--intrinsic motivation. But before there's any type of inspiration, there has to be something to grab onto. There has to be something in the environment that fires that passion. It's no accident that some of the greatest poetry and music have found inspiration in the riotous colors of nature, in red, pinks and greens. Liveliness in the environment is what inspires us, what fires our passion for life. It's difficult to be inspired by the color grey. If you're living a life of dull routine, following your habits without thinking, you're trying to be inspired by the color grey. It might not be an actual color you can see, but your mental landscape is grey, which is the same thing, if not worse than actually living in a physically grey environment of rain-washed concrete.

Change your environment

Luckily, most of us can change our environment without too much trouble. We can make a sweeping change to our physical environment by moving to live in a different place. But we can make small changes in our environment which can have profound effects on our mental state--and spark that inspiration we need. If you want inspiration, don't think it has to be a huge change in your life that brings it you. Just going to a different place every now and again--such as a new park or a different place for vacation--can change your outlook. Joining a local club or society can introduce you to people with radically different interests than yours--and radically different outlooks which can shake you out of your dull thinking.

If you've been thinking about starting a business but need inspiration to actually get moving, join the local Chamber of Commerce or go along to meetings of local business people. Most times these things are easily accessible and can really give you a mental boost, and help you shake off mental tiredness. They can also be fun. Try reading a book that might take a bit of thought to understand. Try not watching your usual TV programs and watch something else instead, something educational. Try not watching TV at all…

If music is your thing, try listening to a different type of music, even if you're sure you won't like it. I was inspired by hearing Beethoven's 5th Symphony--which sparked a love affair with classical music that is still alive years after hearing that piece. I can't remember what prompted me to play that piece of music. It was an old cassette recording--remember them?--that belonged to a friend, and one night, feeling bored I put it on and just decided to give it a go. Within minutes I was transfixed, and a whole new world of inspiration was opened up to me, and I still think Beethoven's 5th is one of the great pieces of inspirational music.

Once you look around, you'll find there are a thousand things that are waiting to be discovered, all of which can be inspiring--inspiring books, inspiring movies, inspiring music. You'll find that there are thousands of villages in the world, each with their own pretty girls and handsome men. And it's all within much easier reach than you might think. When you want opportunity, you just have to go and find it.

Go and see the world

For my money, The Remains of the Day is one of the most inspirational movies ever made. In essence it's a story about a butler too frightened, too stuck in routine of servitude, to take chances and do what he wants. As a result he does nothing with his life. There is a scene at the beginning of the movie when all this is foreshadowed. The new master of the house, an American millionaire played by the late Christopher Reeve, asks the butler: "When did you last get to see the world, Stephens?"

"Well, in a way, sir," Stephens replies "The world always used to come to this house, if I may say so…"

Of course, in reality, Stephens has never seen the world and the world never has come to him because it never comes to anyone. We have to go out and see it. Next time you find yourself looking for inspiration, think of this. Are you waiting for the world to come to you? Or are you ready to go see the world?

To quote Einstein: "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." And you can't expect to find inspiration by doing the same things that caused your inspiration to dry up in the first place.

Understand That Hidden Strength Inside of You

Let me ask you this question (it may sound silly to you though) Now, do you think you can be a killer?

Feeling hesitant to answer? Perhaps let me answer it for you. Yes, you are definitely capable of becoming one. Each and every one of us has the potential to be a killer.

Let's picture this scenario. I am sure you have got some very loved ones of whom you cherish deeply? Now, there is this mad guy armed with a knife threatening their lives. In front of you lay another knife, would you pick it up and fight to save your loved ones?

I am sure you will, wouldn't you? And for all you may know, because of your great love for them and anxiousness to save them, you may unknowingly end up killing the mad guy. Even if he may be the one to first stab you, I am sure you would forget about all the pain fighting on, never giving up till your very last breath?

Now, why is this so? Nobody in his right mind would confront a mad guy armed with a knife.

But at this very critical moment, there is not time for any hesitation. Any second of delay in decision, you may just lose your very loved ones. And what that is happening is that inside of you, there is another you who is being woken up to take over full control of the situation to make that very decision to tell you to just go, go for it!

At this very second, that great courage and strength just uncontrollably grew within you; that courage of the tiger and the strength of the bear that never happen before just bestow itself onto you. And this courage and strength is way times of what you would normally have.

Amazing, isn't it? But to take a second to just think about it, it is just you.

You see. This is a gift of human kind, the hidden strength of human emotions. Inside each and every of us lives a hidden strength of unbelievable powers. Along with the changes of our emotions, this great power manifests itself. It is just that we don't know how to control it or rather, to correctly control it.

You may not have realized this. Many and I must emphasize, many of us are in fact already experts with this hidden strength. But sad to be saying, experts in the negative way. You may just be one of them.

For some reason or so, many just always choose to believe in the negatives. When met with some obstacles and problems in life, they simply just let the wrong emotions take over them; triggering their hidden strength in the wrong way. Sometimes, the emotion grow so strong that they unknowingly just destroy their own life; ending their lives for some.

Understand this. This hidden strength can greatly bring you up but at the same time, it can to a great extent bring you down too (Principle of Yin and Yang) Use it in the wrong way and it can result in terribly undesired outcome.

If you can let emotions bring you down, you can definitely let emotions push you ahead just further in life.

Understand the power of this hidden strength. Learn to control it. Put it to correct use and you can certainly achieve greatness in life.

8 Things You Need To Know Before Manifesting

1.Reflection. Start with a reflection of what you wish to manifest. Ask yourself if this is what you really want. Some people tend to wish haphazardly. While I do not doubt that you will eventually get what you wish and the universe will not complain with all the orders you send, the fulfillment of your wish may cause some negative effects in your life. It may cause you grief, unhappiness & frustration. So before writing down your order, reflect on it first. If you are just starting out, make some simple wishes.

2. The illusion of control. Another thing to keep in mind before you start manifesting is avoid making a wish where you wish to take control of someone else's life. Each one of us has been granted a free will, to attempt to control another person is a clear violation of that person's right. Imagine how it would feel if you were manipulated by another person.

More so, if you maintain a thought of becoming in control you will end up becoming controlled yourself. The more you keep obsessing a thing or a person, the more you will be controlled such that all your decisions, choices and actions are made with much consideration of that thing. Even if you know that you will not benefit from that action, you will still do it if you think it is a way of controlling the situation.

3. All creations start with a thought. It originates in the mind. Nothing can be made without it being visualized in the mind first. Once you start to think a thought and put a very powerful emotion with it, it is already a combination that will start a chain reaction towards its fulfillment. No this is not to say that it will just assemble itself into something tangible, its creation will come about by a set of orchestrated designs through opportunities. So open your self to opportunities, do not hold on to a design on how it should be done.

4. The subconscious. Our mind has 3 levels of consciousness. The one we are in when we are awake is the conscious mind. The conscious mind is filled with active thoughts passing every second. If you have noticed, there is never a moment that your mind is not thinking. We think all the time and the quality of these thoughts has a profound effect on our entire life. Most people's thoughts is on problems & lack, no wonder most people at poor, over stressed & over worked.

The 2nd level is the subconscious mind. The subconscious is the gateway to the realization of your creation. Whatever thought it is fed will become the reality of that person. The subconscious operates when the mind is relaxed such as during meditation or hypnosis. It is the principle being used in self-improvement or to treat smoking through hypnosis. In hypnosis, the subject is put into a trance. In this state, the conscious mind is at rest making the subject open to suggestions.

The subconscious will accept anything that it is being fed. Even during waking hours, the constant repetition of a thought will cause it be embedded or retained by the subconscious mind. Constantly thinking of lack coupled with constant complains & verbalization of lack will lead the subconscious to a belief that there is indeed lack. You will create what you always think about. Lack = lack. Lack cannot be equal to abundance.

You do not need to be in a relaxed mind in order to program yourself for lack. You know why? Because most of us made a habit of thinking only this negative thought. In addition to that, we affirm it daily with our complaints and power it with emotions of frustrations. On the other hand, a positive thought is just so hard to believe in the midst of our conceived reality. If we so believe in the present reality, it is hard to think abundance without saying "Yeah right!"

5. Openness. Whatever you desire will be manifested in ways which you may not expect or planned. Your job is just to make known what you want to manifest, how it is going to be manifested is the job of the universe, God or whatever power you conceive the "source" to be. You can only think of one, two or three ways but the "source" can find or design so much more. So be open and do not limit yourself to what is present in your reality.

6. Giving. In order to receive you, must give. The mechanism that triggers the act of receiving your desires is the act of giving. If you give more, you are creating a consciousness of "having more" because you are giving. The "having more" consciousness will manifest in your reality as abundance.

7. Let Go. I have read that manifesting is like planting a seed. If you keep on digging it to check on its development, it will never grow. Seeds need to be planted on a good soil, watered frequently, given sunlight & be allowed to grow. Same with a wish, once you have already sent it out let it manifest on its own. Give it the time to grow and become what it is suppose to be.

8. Give thanks. Make a habit of giving thanks for whatever you receive, however small. A certain author of a book mentioned that whenever she had to write a check to pay her bills she would put a message of thanks because she can pay her bills. Be grateful for the things you receive & be grateful for the things you have to give. Most of all, be grateful for the things you can conceive with your mind even if you cannot conceive it with your senses yet.

Manifesting is a wonderful gift to help us achieve our ultimate potential. History has shown us the men & women who achieved more than we thought possible. They were not specially favored; the only difference is that they know how to use the power of their minds. This knowledge had been known for centuries & had been used to attract success & abundance. Whether you are experiencing small successes or none at all, manifesting is at your disposal you only have to choose.

Do You Know Anyone With BDSI Disease?

Chances are if you are around many people at all, you are associated with someone who has BDSI Disease. This stands for Big Dreams Small Initiative Disease.

Many of us know someone who dream of all the things you see in the movies...big houses, yachts, travels, fancy cars, the works. But very few people have the initiative that it takes to make the changes in their lives that are required to achieve their dreams. They just assume that they have to come into some inheritance or win a lottery in order to achieve their dreams.

What they are missing is the knowledge to find the right business vessle to carry them through to those dreams. Along with the right business, they also need the initiative that it takes to make a plan and take action to achieve what they want from life.

Most people are in a dead-end J.O.B. that is doing nothing but getting them by paycheck to paycheck and making their bosses rich. What they fail to ask themselves is how their bosses came to be in the positions they hold. Most of them didn't inherit these positions and most didn't win lotteries to get there. Most of the successful business owners saw a dream, wrote out a plan and took the necessary action to achieve their goals. Some of them may even have a minimal investment in their businesses but have built from the ground up without a lot of debt.

This happened because they did research on their business to find the necessary information that they needed to build a successful business. Three key factors they had to explore was

1) Marketability- was their product or service marketable and what was the size of their target market?

2) Profitability- was their a good profit margin in their product or services and was this profit ongoing or temporary? And

3) Stability- would this product or service remain stable through the future and was there room for continual growth?

There are other factors but these were 3 of the most important factors they had to accomplish before becoming successful. They did not sit around a table just talking about how they dreamed of starting a business and what they wanted to accomplish just to go home and return to their every day J.O.B. for that week - to - week paycheck.

Many people do this in their daily lives without even realizing it. People love to dream but when approached with an opportunity to achieve their dreams, they refuse to take the necessary action to make it happen. This is what I refer to as the BDSI Disease because it is easy to dream but it isn't so easy to have that initiative that it takes to reach your dreams.

If you have dreams, you should be open to that opportunity that will be your vessle to achieve them. And most of all, once you find the right opportunity, have that initiative that it takes to use that opportunity to its fullest to reach your goals. If you are open to opportunities, you can do the research needed to determine if it is the right business for you and if so, then act on it and put your best effort into building it toward success. Just remember in order to cure the BDSI Disease all you have to do is apply the R.P.A. (research, plan, act) rule. Write down your goals, both short term as well as long term and figure out what you need to do to reach those goals and write that list. Then highlight each one as you achieve it. You will be surprised how much this will boost your initiative and keep you pushing for those goals.

Don't just sit back and talk about your dreams! Get out there and make them happen. Then, teach others how they can do the same in their lives. If you teach enough people to be successful, you, in turn, will also be successful in your life.

© 2007 Bonnie Ramsey

Footsteps In The Hallway

What would your life be like of you only worked 4 hours a day, four days a week and could adjust your schedule to fit around your day? Oh, and by the way, add about 8 vacations a year to that schedule, to places like Cancun, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Australia, and South Africa. Most people work a minimum of 50 hours a week and may get 2 weeks out of a year for vacation. You might as well give your life away.

Back in the day when I had a job, I would wake up at 5 or 6 am depending on where I had to go. I would be gone all day long, out of town, and would return close to 6 or 7 pm. So did I get anything accomplished? Sure I did! I downed a whopper, large fries, and large drink. I made my boss a ton of cash and got paid just enough to provide a roof over my families head and food on the table. The thing that really gets to me is that I chose to be there. I placed myself in that situation and gave my life away to another person. I was a modern day slave. Working for peanuts and was sacrificing my time, my freedom, and my ultimate potential.

Now, as an entrepreneur, I do work around 4 hours a day, 4 days a week, and make a ton of money doing it. I have had so many memories that are so special to me that I would have missed out on if I had remained on the path I was headed down. Something that may seem small to you but is sweet to me is the sight of the wet footprints of my kids going down the hallway after their bath. I love waking up in the morning to my kids jumping on the bed. Every morning I have breakfast, at our kitchen table with my family, every day of the week, unless is just happens to be breakfast in Cancun. Gee, wouldn't that be a bummer.

And you know what, I chose this for myself. I created this! This is how I pictured my life and I am living it to the fullest. I have myself to thank for that for making a simple choice, as well as the business I am involved in. This business creates millionaires and allows you to truly live the life of your dreams. I am a living, walking testimony of that.

Personal Development - What Does That Really Mean?

When we talk about Personal Development several things come to mind. For some this can mean many different things. For instances some:

• To get a better job

• Make improvements in a relationship

• Learn how to set and keep goals.

• Learn how to manage their time and be efficient

• Change their physical appearance

• Create a better financial platform

And the list can go on. Regardless of the reason most of us are looking for ways to improve our lives and be happier. However most of us don't get what we want because we don't know exactly what it is that we want. Most of us fail because we never begin. Most of us need to change the way we see ourselves. Some of us just need a little boost of confidence.

A good self image is a constant and continuous journey. All of us have quality personal assets. We are just unsure of what they are so they need to be discovered. Some of them us are unaware of how to use them. There are countless ways to achieve the discovery of those qualities.

Listening to audio messages, sometimes several times, is helpful and can prove to be quite educational. If you do not reinforce the information you receive, the chances are likely that you will not act upon it. Remember intending to do something does not mean it will ever get done. We must actively participate in the process of developing those qualities we have.

Another thing that can be done is to read books. There are a large number of books on the market for self help and self improvement. Personal development involves self growth as well. There is one book in particular that can give you a mountain of insight and help you to find lessons to achieve the success you desire in your personal development. This is just an incredible book with excerpts from some of the leading success speakers who share valuable information to help you on your road to improvements for your life. Your life is worth investing in so do what I did and take a step to a fuller and happier future.

Motivate Yourself to Self-Improvement & Business Success

I'm going to let you in to the three secret keys to motivation and self improvement. Only when you possess and understand these keys will you truly find personal or business success.

1. INSPIRATION.

Inspiration is crucial to staying motivated and improving oneself. If you are not truly interested in your business, your motivation level will not ever be high and you will not be able to sustain your performance for very long.

If you take an honest look at your inspiration level, do you find you are excited about going to work or is it an obligation? You might be surprised at the number of people who choose to enter or start a business that looks good on paper, but in reality does not interest them in the least.

These individuals will grow weary and uninterested pretty quickly because they have no inspiration or passion to sustain them during the difficult times they will encounter as a small business owner. I believe that many franchises fall into this category; don't be mesmerised by the apparent income promises.

If you do not like your work, then think how you can re-focus your small business to better match your needs. Or consider making a change entirely. Without inspiration, there will not be sufficient motivation to even attempt self improvement.

2. SETTING GOALS.

Short and long-term goal setting is vital for any business owner. If you do not set goals, you would have no definite purpose on which path of self improvement to take.

How could you possibly be motivated if you were unsure about the direction of your company?

Take the time to put your goals in writing. A business plan may sound daunting, but it is really nothing more than goals, strategies, implementation timings and a budget. Write your own business plan and update it at least annually.

In "management-speak" aim for some "quick wins" and include "mini-goals" that can be accomplished in a matter of hours, days or weeks as well as the more ambitious "grand-goals" that may take years to complete. Refer to this plan throughout the year.

But can a business plan really help motivate you? Of course it can. Written goals will make you feel more professional and certainly more connected to your business. It will also free you from having to reinvent your business goals every single day. But don"t be afraid of changing outdated goals.

3. NETWORKING.

Another key factor in getting and staying motivated is networking with other small business owners. No one person possesses all the knowledge.

However, when a number of people begin working together, the challenges are waiting to be conquered and several minds together bring faster results. Seeing how others approach common problems is both motivating and a form of self-improvement.

Make it easier on yourself by connecting with others either in your community or online. Even when businesses are not related, you will often find common ground and ways to work together.

Many successful entrepreneurs report that finding the right networking group was a turning point in the growth of the business. Working together, a networking group can help its members generate more qualified sales leads and solve problems faster and more efficiently.

Sharing ideas, expertise and experience is also an invaluable aspect of motivation and self improvement. Your own personal network of business owners will help re-energize you when the travails of running your own business seem too much.

With your networking team to rely on, you can accomplish more in less time and probably have more fun in the process. You will feel better motivated to accomplish self improvement when you know you are not alone.

With these three keys you can motivate yourself to self-improvement & business success.