5 Common Myths About Success

By Brian Tracy 

Every single person has the ability to achieve success. Unfortunately, there are success myths out there that define what success should look like.

The truth is, success looks different for each person. Whether it be in life, relationships, career or all of the above, what does it look like for you?

I have identified the 5 most common success myths that may be limiting you from living your dream life.

Myth 1: Being Rich, Thin, & Happy Is The Ultimate Goal

The first is believing that being rich, thin, and happy should be your ultimate goal.

These are not goals, they are wishes and fantasies common to all mankind. A goal is like a beautiful home. It is carefully designed, revised continually, upgraded regularly, and worked on constantly.

You need to be specific and have clarity about your goals. Most importantly, if it is not in writing, it is merely a dream or a wish, a vague objective with no energy behind it.

Myth 2: You Must Attend A 4-Year University

The next myth is believing you need to go to a 4-year university.

I understand college is expensive. Especially with the direction our economy and education system is going. As many of you know, I never attended college and barely graduated from high school. I joke around constantly that I was in the bottom half of the class that made the top half possible.

With the rising cost of a college education, this topic has come into the limelight even more so over the past few years. Many individuals are wondering whether it makes sense to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a college education. Is it really a necessary step to success?

For some of us, we don’t know what we want to do for our career in the long term, and that’s okay. I worked odd jobs here and there, and plenty of manual labor jobs before I ultimately discovered what I wanted to do for my career.

The best thing you could do for yourself is to not live your life based on what others think you should do. Do what you feel is best for yourself.

Just because one person went to college and is successful does not mean that that is the only path to success. Determine what is best for you and your future goals and then pursue that no matter what the journey looks like.

Myth 3: You Need More Money

Another myth about how to be successful in life is believing you need more money.

We’ve heard these before: “If only I had more money, then I would be happy” or “Money is the root of all evil.”

It’s as if little green pieces of paper somehow have the intrinsic power to erect buildings, create computers, inspire students to read, make people happy, or worse, to corrupt people. The reality is that money has no intrinsic value whatsoever.

People have intrinsic value. Money is nothing but a representation of stored value. The more value you provide for others, the more currency will flow into your life. Focus on serving others, rather than on money, and money will flow to you naturally.

Myth 4: Expect Success And It Will Come

Next, many of us believe that you have to want it to make it happen.

Now, this is partially a myth. It is true that you have to have clarity and a burning desire for what you want in life. Practicing the Law of Attraction is one of the most powerful techniques you can use to become a successful person. You can ensure desirable outcomes and better results in your life.

Your expectations become your own self-fulfilling prophesies.

However, it’s not enough to just want or expect success. The key to success is the willingness to initiate and take action. Don’t wait for someone else to do something. Be action oriented.

Do something. Do anything. But get busy. Get going. Do something every single day that moves you in the direction of your most important goal at the moment.

Develop the discipline of doing something 365 days each year that is moving you forward. You will be absolutely astonished at how much you accomplish when you utilize this formula in your life every single day.

Myth 5: Success Is “Having It All”

The last myth is believing success is having it all — the six-figure CEO job, the family, the beach house, etc.

Like I mentioned earlier, many of us think that someone else’s definition of success is valid for us. We often feel a little uneasy if we’re not successful doing something that someone else thinks we should be successful in.

Many people allow their parents to influence their choices of career and find themselves miserable as a result.

The fact is that life and success are very much like a smorgasbord. If 100 people went to a smorgasbord and each put food on their plates in the quantity and mixes that each felt would be most pleasing to himself or herself, every single plate would be different.

Even a husband and wife would go up to a smorgasbord and come back with plates that look completely different.

Success is the same thing.

It is composed of a great variety of ingredients, including physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. Each person requires a particular combination of these ingredients in order to feel the very best about himself, or herself and life.

What Does Success Mean To You?

Define what success means to you. Start with a positive and fresh mind, and compile a list. Disregard the 5 myths. They do not always measure up to success and may be limiting you from living your dream life. The key is to believe in yourself.

Before we wrap up, I’d like to leave you with a thought to share with you friends and followers:

“It doesn’t matter where you’re coming from; all that really matters is where you’re going. And where you’re going is only limited by your imagination.”

Now I’d love to hear from you, so my question today is: What limiting belief are you going to change to become successful?

Leave a comment below and I’ll be sure to follow up with you!

The only way to move toward a goal – no matter how big or small – is to take action. 

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Learn to Reward Yourself for Success With These 3 Steps

By T. Harv Eker

Have you ever felt guilty about accepting a reward? I’m not talking about getting a hand out here, but actually being comfortable and feeling good about finding a way to reward yourself for your hard work. Ready on to learn how to fully celebrate your successes and remove all guilt in your life!

Celebrate Success by Learning to Reward Yourself

If you’ve ever felt like you “can’t” or “won’t” reward yourself for your hard work, I’m going to give you three simple steps to follow to remove all guilt… so you can celebrate each of your successes and feel great about rewarding yourself.

1. The golden rule of rewarding yourself

When it comes to finding ways to reward yourself, follow this golden rule: do what works for you.

That’s it!

For most people, they don’t have a ‘play jar’ to spoil themselves. They don’t take time for themselves. They don’t focus on loving themselves.

They don’t focus on that feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment for more than three seconds before it becomes doubt, judgment and “What’s the next thing?”

The reason I incorporate rewards so heavily into my “Ultimate Life Makeover System” web class is because number 1, many times it’s tangible. When you buy that dress you’ve wanted or that jacket you’ve wanted and you see it in your closet all of the time, you’ll say, “Wow, it’s worth doing the things I committed to doing!”

And number 2, rewarding yourself for your accomplishments gives you the motivation, drive, and self-confidence to keep moving towards your goals with momentum.

Many people won’t give themselves a little reward here and there, which is why it’s so important to take the time to do this consciously.

Here’s the simplest way I teach to do this: Set an action and a deadline for that action to be completed,, set a reward, and when you complete that action, take your reward! Then… repeat this over and over and over again.

So, what works or WILL work for you when it comes to patting yourself on the back for a job well done?

2. Redefine rewards

If you believe that you should only get a reward for doing something difficult, then you need to rethink this belief immediately.

The bottom line is if you associate rewards with something difficult, you created that belief.

In other words, you were taught that if you do something unpleasant or difficult, you deserve and should get a reward.

But then what if you don’t do something difficult? Well, you don’t get one… right?

This is faulty thinking, and something that holds a lot of people back. You can and should get rewarded for accomplishing things you actually enjoy doing, too.

For example, if you ENJOY your work, and you are successful with it, guess what? You should be REWARDED for that!

You shouldn’t have to do work that you hate, and that is unpleasant and difficult simply to make money because you’ve linked rewards with unpleasantness.

If this is something you believe, then very unconsciously you have linked getting rewards from unpleasantness—and this singular belief is holding you back from enjoying your work, your life, and blocking you from experiencing true happiness.

3. Move beyond “either/or”

If you associate rewards with pain and suffering, then you’re living in an either/or world.

Remember what I said in my book Secrets of the Millionaire Mind: most people live in an either/or world. Either it’s money or happiness, money or spirituality, money or health, money orfree time, money or this, money or that.

It’s either/or.

How about we do what we love? How about we enjoy what we do? How about we do very pleasant and wonderful things and we get a reward as well?

Imagine this is your new rule: I can do what I love and get rewarded.

I can do what I enjoy and get rewarded in all kinds of ways, not just satisfaction and accomplishment (because the mind doesn’t hold onto these for longer than 3 seconds).

Instead, write down what you want in your life including all the “luxuries” you’ve ever dreamed of. They could be material. They could be any kinds of things, but you’ve got to allow yourself to enjoy them.

I’ll tell you why many people don’t do this: it’s because the conditioned, fear-based mind doesn’t want that. Because if you’re really nice to you and really good to you, then what is your mind supposed to do?

Its job is to look for the problems; to mainly look for what’s wrong. You must consciously step in and stop this in its tracks!

By unlinking rewards from unpleasantness, and instead believing that you deserve to be rewarded for ALL the great things you accomplish, you’ll begin operating on a higher energy plane – and living a more abundant, happy, fulfilled life in the process.

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The Role Your Subconscious Mind Plays In Your Everyday Life

By Bryan Tracy

The subconscious mind – something that has a huge effect on every action, but is constantly overlooked.

Instead, the focus is often on our conscious mind, which contains the critical thought function of our brains. The subconscious is the powerful layer underneath. It encompasses the awareness of all things the conscious mind cannot recognize.

Once the subconscious is tapped into, this remarkable part of the brain plays many different roles in your everyday life.

The Memory Bank

Your subconscious mind is like a huge memory bank. Its capacity is virtually unlimited. It permanently stores everything that ever happens to you.

By the time you reach the age of 21, you’ve already permanently stored more than one hundred times the contents of the entire Encyclopedia Britannica.

Under hypnosis, older people can often remember, with perfect clarity, events from fifty years before. Your unconscious memory is virtually perfect. It is your conscious recall that is suspect.

The function of your subconscious mind is to store and retrieve data.

Its job is to ensure that you respond exactly the way you are programmed. Your subconscious mind makes everything you say and do fit a pattern consistent with your self-concept. This is your “Master Program.”

The Unquestioning Servant

Your subconscious mind is subjective. It does not think or reason independently. It merely obeys the commands it receives from your conscious mind.

Your conscious mind can be thought of as the gardener, planting seeds. Your subconscious mind can be thought of as the garden, or fertile soil, in which the seeds germinate and grow.

Your conscious mind commands and your subconscious mind obeys.

Your subconscious mind is an unquestioning servant. It works day and night to make your behavior fits a pattern consistent with your emotionalized thoughts, hopes, and desires.

Your subconscious mind grows either flowers or weeds in the garden of your life. Whichever you plant is based on the mental equivalents you create.

The Preserver Of Balance

Your subconscious mind has what is called a homeostatic impulse. It keeps your body temperature at 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. It keeps you breathing regularly and keeps your heart beating at a certain rate.

Through your autonomic nervous system, it maintains a balance among the hundreds of chemicals in your billions of cells. Your entire physical machine functions in complete harmony most of the time.

Your subconscious mind also practices homeostasis in your mental realm. It keeps you thinking and acting in a manner consistent with what you have done and said in the past.

The Comfort Zone

All your habits of thinking and acting are stored in your subconscious mind. It has memorized all your comfort zones and it works to keep you in them.

Your subconscious mind causes you to feel emotionally and physically uncomfortable whenever you attempt to do anything new or different. It goes against changing any of your established patterns of behavior.

You can feel your subconscious pulling you back toward your comfort zone each time you try something new. Even thinking about doing something different from what you’re accustomed to will make you feel tense and uneasy.

One of the biggest habits of successful men and women is always stretching themselves or pushing themselves out of their comfort zones. They are very aware how quickly the comfort zone, in any area, becomes a rut. They know that complacency is the great enemy of creativity and future possibilities.

Tap Into Your Subconscious

Remember, for you to grow and get out of your comfort zone, you have to be willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable doing new things. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly until you get a feel for it. Keep trying until you develop a new comfort zone at a new, higher level of competence.

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Work Hard In Silence And Let Success Make The Noise

By Sergei VanBellinghen

To be successful, you have to be able to work hard in silence and let success make the noise. When people are putting forty hours work week, you need to put eighty to a hundred hours a week, which in turn improves your odds of success. It sounds crazy, but it pushes you to be extraordinary.

But what pushes some people to work so hard? How is it possible to have so much determination or even the discipline? Is it conceivable to achieve your goals in a shorter period of time?

The first thing that pushes certain individuals to work hard is hunger. Even if intelligence is a valuable tool, there are a lot of smart people out there that cannot fight their way out of a paper bag. But when someone has a hunger that does not go away, to be more, do more, get more, and never ends, it becomes a person who is the best at what they do.

I believe that everybody has that hunger, but for some people, it has been lifeless for a long time. The reason being is that they are afraid to try or to fail. It is human nature to protect yourself from the fear by lowering your expectation. But you get what you tolerate. While some people accept their fate, others decide that enough is enough.

Therefore, when you decide to make a change, it is the beginning of a breakthrough. You then create a different vision for yourself. Some of you are already doing it right now. More than ever, it is a time to begin working hard, in silence, and inoculate yourself with positive words.

When you work hard in silence, you create a different and new you which then become unstoppable. You have to replace the negative garbage which is polluting your mind and replace it with optimistic thoughts. If not, you will slowly die at age 25 and will not get buried until you are 75.

Get a Clear Vision and Work Hard 

If you are reading this article, it is because you are different from everyone else. To work hard, you need a clear vision of where you are going and what you want. You have to focus on you, and not try to convince people who do not believe in what you see the future to be.

When you go outside and look for pigeons, it is pretty easy, but if you are looking for eagles, it may take you a few minutes to find them. The fact is that when you reach the top and let success make the noise, it feels kind of lonely but you have to remember, you eat better.

There are times, and days such as certain mornings where it is better not to think, but to get up, work hard, and in silence. Do what you have to do. Then read or learn something new. But there are other times when you have to think and get really creative. You need to keep a clear vision of what you want and grind. Then make a dollar into two, invest it and grow your net worth.

Roll Up Your Sleeves and Work Hard 

The reality is that reading a book, going to a conference, having a great conversation where you get this golden information is fantastic. But what makes mastery is execution on the ideas. No concepts work unless you are willing to roll up your sleeves, do the practice, invest the time, put the effort, and work hard.

We have all observed a lot of people, who love reading the books, showing at the courses, doing all of the online training but nothing ever changes. And they do not know why it does not work, why their lives do not improve or why their thinking stills the same.

Well, it is because ideas do not work if you do not execute on them. You have to work hard. If you look at any great entrepreneur, leader or performer, there is one thing that makes them prodigious, and that is their grit. It is their hunger, determination, and perseverance to practice that makes them who they are. Successful people are willing to make all the sacrifices.

Work Hard with Passion and Shift Your Mindset 

And yes, they are passionate. So you also have to be obsessive. Do you know the root of the word passion? It is "suffering." Therefore you have to be willing to suffer and work hard for your vision. You got to feel the pain to reach the top and be one of the best in the world.

You have to be able to suffer the laughter and ridicule of your critics and cynics to get to a place called success. And as you get to that area, let victory speaks for itself. For all of it, you have to change your mindset. And in this shift, you must accept appreciation.

The truth is that often, everything is about getting, so what we focus on is somewhat what we do not have. Therefore, you have to shift your mindset from focusing on what you lack to the connection of the growth and goals you want to achieve. You have to work hard every day until you accomplish what you desire.

Work Hard by Practicing Repeatedly 

No matter what is going on in your life, I know that there will be things that knock you down, stuff that sucks or reasons to be unhappy but there is always a reason to bounce back. How do I know that? Well, I do also have them in my life; we all do. But it is how you deal with what is happening.

There is no magic button to build self-confidence. Hard work and repetition is the key to confidence. Let me remind you of the ten thousand hours rule. There is no secret formula other than practicing the same thing over and over until you master it.

The problem is that you cannot expect to have confidence or mastery tomorrow. But you can build confidence if you put yourself in a situation where the skill you have to learn is getting you under pressure, and you are pushed to work hard. It is your ability to practice and keep trying that makes you an expert.

Work Hard and Let Success Make the Noise 

Most people have a problem with repetition, and it is that a lot of them bail after a little bit of failure. Have you ever bailed after the first bit of adversity? At times I know I did. There is nothing to be ashamed of. We are all used to repeat something, but you just have to practice and work hard at your craft if you want to master it, and never accept failure.

Determination and persistence are great tools to use. So, you have to persist. All I care about and all that matter to you is what your mindset is like regarding today and your future. Keep your 'why' in your mind, work hard in silence and let success speak. You can, you will, and you must.

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How Triggers Impact Mental Health

By Donnisha Sambrano 

Most of the psychological triggers are caused by external events, circumstances and stimulus, such as sight, sound and smell. Some of these triggers can invoke the feeling of distress and flashbacks of traumatic events. Though most of the triggers are innocuous in nature, some of them can turn quite threatening. Because of their innate tendency to evoke traumatic memories and emotions, it can turn more challenging for people to wrestle with these triggers. More than a warning bell, it can turn into an obstacle capable of instilling fear and inhibitions.

Psychological triggers among individuals coping with addiction and psychiatric illnesses are more likely to induce the feelings of anxiety, panic, discouragement, or other uncomfortable states of emotion. Moreover, the exposure to these triggers increase the risk of re-engaging in unhealthy behaviors and negative thinking among people with mental disorders.

Therefore, it is essential to know the ins and outs of these triggers. By developing the ability to identify triggers and implementing measures to reduce their impact on life, a person can significantly dissuade the aggravation of the symptoms of psychiatric diseases in the long run. In fact, triggers can influence moods and behaviors even among individuals not affected by mental disorders.

Although a person cannot predict, identify and avoid all triggers, building effective coping mechanisms can prevent negative effects by strengthening a person's ability to exercise control over them.

Though reacting to triggers is a normal thing, one should keep this point in mind that most reactions are built subconsciously over a long period of time. Some forms of coping are very maladaptive in nature that can cause a person to be in a constant state of anxiety and distress. This not only worsens his or her mental health symptoms, but also prevent him or her from exploring more adaptive ways to deal with their triggers.

Understanding how triggers work

As such, a person's reaction to triggers is not understood well. However, it is believed to emanate from the sensory memories and the formation of habits. When a person perceives patterns that resemble his or her traumatic experiences, it is very likely that he or she is probably already responding to a trigger. After certain time of the traumatic event, the person's efforts to cope with the incident coerces him or her to form certain habits.

Most of the times, these habits are not beneficial to the person and over time it can become deeply ingrained or his or her second nature. Such individuals are unlikely to be aware of the psychological impact of their natural reaction and the habits they demonstrate, especially when the trauma is fresh in their mind. Therefore, it is essential to keep a check on one's potential triggers to avoid serious consequences, particularly on mental health.

Among various types of mental disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has a large number of psychological triggers. Some of the negative life experiences, such as death, injury, sexual assault or other debilitating incidents, can lead to the onset of PTSD in people. When the brain links certain sight, sound, smell, circumstances and places to the sensory memories of the traumatic event, it could potentially trigger his or her memories of that incident and coerce him or her to relive it again.

Triggers also play a crucial role in dictating the chances of a relapse among individuals with substance use disorder (SUD). People with mental health problems and SUD aware of their unique triggers for relapse should plan their day to avoid some places or people that can reignite distress and cravings.

Correspondingly, they could find ways to controlling their thought so that their mind and body does not give in to the pressure of a trigger. It is unlikely that a person will be able to stay away from his or her triggers at all times, but it could significantly reduce the hardwiring of their negative automatic responses.

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How To Banish Your Fear Of Success In Just 3 Simple Steps

By T. Harv Eker

Have you ever wondered why you haven’t reached the level of success you want in life?

Many of us are afraid of failing, at least some of the time. But fear of failure is when we allow that fear to stop us doing the things that can move us forward to achieve our goals.

But for a lot of people, it’s not a fear of failure holding them back…

It’s a fear of success.

When you’re afraid of success, you can find yourself getting very close to your goals – and then suddenly falling short. You might not even know why — or what you’re really afraid of.

Recently I had a conversation about this with a student during one of my Tough Love Mentoring calls, and I discussed why this happens… and the three steps you can take to identify, understand, and overcome your fears today.

When you find yourself stumbling on the path to success, there are three elements you need to do if you really want to create change. The first element is Awareness. The second is Understanding. And the third? That’s where you Reprogram or Rewire yourself in order to change your conditioning.

Let’s take a look at each of those 3 steps in more detail… 

Step 1  — Awareness: Get To Know Your Fear

You may tell yourself: “I have a fear of success.”

But what is it about success that’s so scary? What’s the story in your head that’s really holding you back?

Until you identify it, you’ll never be able to move on.

So what do you do? If you have a fear of success or even failure, narrow it down.

Ask yourself: what is the belief at the core of your fear? Write down exactly what your mind is saying. I’m not talking about general terms – I want you to dig deep and be as specific as possible. What are you afraid will happen?

Some of the most common fears I hear are things like this:

• “If I succeed, everyone’s going to want something from me.”
• “I’m going to have to take care of my whole family, and I don’t want that responsibility.” 
• “I’m going to have to pay too much in taxes and I hate taxes.”

Once you nail down what you’re really afraid of, it’s time for the next step…

Step 2 — Understanding: Why Your Fears Aren’t Real

Now there’s one thing that is really important to understand if you want to be successful… 

Everything you’re telling yourself right now is complete freaking bulls**t!

It’s made up by your mind itself. Fear isn’t real.

Now I mentioned earlier that this came up during a recent coaching call. And during that call, one of my students disagreed with me on this. She told me, “Not all fear is bulls**t. I don’t believe that.” But let me explain what I mean when I talk about fear.

What is the definition of fear? It’s the anticipation of pain.

And when you’re anticipating something, is that past, present or future?  It’s not the past or the present. Anticipation is the future. But it isn’t the actual future – it’s the future you’re imagining. And guess what? The future doesn’t exist – yet.

That’s what I mean by bulls**t. It’s only imagination. It’s not real. It only feels real because you made it that way. That’s why it’s so important to overcome the fears holding you back.

You weren’t born with this fear, by the way. When you were half a minute old, you probably weren’t saying, “I’m going to have this fear that I’ve got to take care of everybody now.” That came later, as you grew up and learned to see the world a certain way.

Ultimately, you’re the one making it up.

You’re the one continuing to buy into that story. Whether it’s good or bad, everything you tell yourself is really just a story. We just make the whole thing up as we go along. And the sooner you realize that, the sooner you can let that story go.

“Fear is just the anticipation of pain. Ultimately, you are the one making it up.”

Step 3 — Reprogramming: Finally, Let Go Of Your Fears By Reframing Them

After you’re able to understand that your fear isn’t real — that it’s just the future you’re making up — the final step is looking at the story you’ve told yourself, and reconditioning or reframing it.

And by that, I don’t mean telling yourself “This belief is wrong.” Since fear lives only in your imagination, there’s nothing right or wrong about it.

Instead, I want you to ask yourself a simple question: “Is this belief helping me, or not helping me?” It’s that simple.

The truth is, you can change your beliefs any time you want to.

So every time you have a fear that’s holding you back, I want you to tell yourself, “That’s not helpful. I’m going to believe something else.”

Then, take a moment to reframe it. For example, take the fear I mentioned earlier:  “If I am successful, everyone’s going to want something from me.”

Stop and think: Where did that come from? Was there a person in your life who told you this? In this example, maybe it was your dad – and every day he would say to you, “Don’t bother trying for more because if you do, everyone’s going to want it. Everyone’s going to be a taker.”

That’s his frame. That’s his belief. But it doesn’t have to be yours.

You have the choice to let it go and believe something else. Why would you want to cut yourself off now from being successful just because you might have to worry about a problem in the future?

I always say, “Why don’t we just cross that bridge when we get there? How about you become super successful now, and worry about any problems as they come up?”

Once you stop worrying about what’s going to happen in the future and start living in the moment, you’ll be amazed at how much progress you make in a short time.

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