How to Turn Life's Lemons Into Lemonade

By Pierre Pinkerton

This article is a shift in terms of focus. Although relevant for the fields of business development and growth, the theme of this article is on personal development before business development.

I've always been a huge fan of sales gurus and personal growth experts like Zig Ziglar, Earl Nightingale, Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, etc. While initially thinking these guys were full of 'it' and irrelevant; now, with time and experience having matured me to a reasonable level (I hope), I've come to not only attest to truths that these guys and others live by and teach, but also their beliefs and wisdom are very relevant and timeless.

One of the core truths taught and deeply ingrained into my subconscious is the following: failures in life will either strengthen and motivate you to grow and develop or they have the very real ability to break you down.

What do I mean when I say failures in life? Well, quite simply, these are the moments in our lives that the results and outcomes come totally different and often more severe than we had anticipated. Whether it's a job loss, divorce, eviction, bankruptcy, failed job interview, a blown investment, or being defrauded by someone, we all face these challenges at one time in life or another.

The key that I've learned about these negative life events is that you have A CHOICE in how you respond. The thing that keeps most of us in 'ruts' of negativity, isolation, and hopelessness is that we allow ourselves to be motivated by fear in a wrong way. Rather than thinking about how worse and severe a negative life event can become, why not choose to be motivated by the fear of the situation to take hold of hope. Choose to take a strong hold of hope and never let go no matter how bad it hurts or feels.

Now here's another underlying truth in being motivated by the fear of negative life events: don't labor your mind or put a heavy burden on yourself for solving your problems overnight; instead, relax, rest, and remain positive. What I've learned and continue to grow in is that more than likely the answer needed to resolve the problem(s) is right under your nose or floating somewhere in your mind. How do these 'uh huh' moments happen? Truly in the most odd ways possible to be completely honest. There's no secret formula (or at least one that I've found that works) or secret sauce that induces these moments, but here's one way to put yourself in the state of mind to increasing their frequency: relax, live life, serve others well, listen more than you speak, forgive completely, and love sincerely.

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How To Fail The Majority Of The Time And Still Get Rich

By T. Harv. Eker

Have you ever heard that old quote, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”?

This was said by ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky, and is a quote I always keep in mind. It’s a simple premise, but one that resonates with me to the core.

I recently stumbled across an email I wanted to share with you, which had a similar idea — although this time it was referencing basketball!

But the truth is, both Gretzky’s quote and what I’m about to tell you can — and absolutely should — be applied to your financial success.

The Email That Could Change Your Life

The premise of the email was this:

The author researched the top 10 starters for the Eastern and Western All-Star basketball teams to find out how much money they made this year — which came to a whopping $224 million. Not bad for 10 players.

But the interesting thing was what he discovered about their average field goal percentage. By the way, if you’re not into basketball, this is the number of shots taken that fall into the basket, versus those that don’t make it in. Basically, how often the player is making the shot.

So now you’ve got these 10 guys making tens of millions of dollars a year each, and you’re probably thinking that their percentages are somewhere near 100%, right? Or surely around 90% or 80% at the very least?

Nope — almost the opposite.

The author found that these 10 All-Star players were an average of 48.8% from the field.

Isn’t that crazy? That means that these 10 superstar athletes aren’t even making shots half the time. Compared to the 100% success rate the average Joe needs to achieve in his desk job, being an NBA ball player sure sounds like a breeze!

The Truth Behind All Epic Success Stories

But of course, it’s not quite this simple. And when you think about it, pretty quickly you can see why.

These high-level athletes — just as any CEO, entrepreneur or successful individual — spend their whole lives training to be the best. Not so they can have a perfect score percentage, but so they have the skills and experience to even get to play on that court.

See, although these athletes make their jobs look easy, it’s anything but. They’ve put in copious amounts of blood, sweat and tears behind the scenes to get to that point.

The years of training and commitment, missing out on parties, staying focused, and constantly honing their skills are why they’re at the level they’re at today — and this drive is priceless.

It’s the amount of time they spent improving themselves before the big game which commands their huge paychecks.

Now, ask yourself: what are you doing to improve yourself outside of your job?

Beyond the basic requirements you need to meet to get your paycheck… how are you going above and beyond?

What Does This Mean For You?

The truth is, success isn’t a one-hit wonder; it’s a slow burn.

Seemingly “overnight successes” are generally people who have been grinding for years before they made it big — even if it seems like it came easy.

So much of the success in the moment comes down to the hours, weeks, months, and years of dedication that have been put in before the first big paycheck.

On top of this, achieving the success you’re capable of relies on a thirst for growth, and the motivation to constantly better yourself.

And the rest is gravy!

As these big shot ball players show you, you don’t have to be perfect to get to where you want to be. In fact, you don’t even need to get half of the shots you take in.

But you do need to take a shot — and be ready for when your moment comes.

Your Next Steps

As I mentioned earlier, the success you’re capable of relies on a thirst for growth, and the motivation to constantly better yourself.

This boils down to two important steps:

1. Don't QUIT!

You WILL reach any dream you strive for as long as you focus on it and don’t quit.

How badly do you want to achieve your dream? A simple wish won’t cut it. You need to have a big enough goal that will motivate you to keep going, even during times when all you feel like doing is give up!

2. You Must Be Constantly Learning And Growing

The best kind of learning comes from real life experience. I hope you agree.

And when it comes to success, it’s no different: Experience is the best teacher.

The problem for most people is that their experience is full of struggle, frustration, dealing with one step forward and two steps back, and so on.

So you can either learn from your own experience and pray you’ll figure it out….

OR you can learn from someone who has been where you’re at and has found a formula to make millions and millions and millions of dollars.

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How to Stop Being Unmotivated and Find Your Why

By T. Harv Eker

A question I frequently get asked by students from around the world that is so simple, yet very powerful is: How do I go from being unmotivated to motivated?

Unmotivated and Unsure? Find Your Purpose

The answer always boils down to just three letters and one word: Why?

Many people are unmotivated because they don’t have a why that resonates with them. They don’t have a REASON for being motivated. In other words, the lack of motivation is a kind of inertia.

The law of momentum states that a body in motion will tend to remain in motion and a body at rest will tend to remain at rest unless acted upon by an outside force. This means you’ve got to get yourself moving in the direction you want! Furthermore, that’s why you’ve got to have your why. You need to have your reason for why you want to do what you’re thinking of doing.

This can relate to wealth, health, relationships, moving cities, and changing jobs; it could be about anything, but the bottom line is you’ve got to have a why.

Jim Rohn once said, “The bigger the why, the easier the how,” meaning that if we have a good enough reason or a good enough purpose for doing something, the how will come. You’ll get it done, even if it doesn’t make sense right away.

There’s a story I once heard about a slender woman who was driving with her son. Something happened with the tire, and while the son was trying to fix it, the jack fell and it pinned him under the car. He was losing his life, but somehow this woman lifted up the corner of the car for him to get out. How crazy is that?

Scientists have done research on this. It turns out we have the extreme and unique ability to push ourselves in times of need. It’s the why, or our reason, that prompts this ability.

Miracles can happen when you have a big enough why. Why is whatever you want important to you? For example, why is money important to you? Or why is wealth important to you? Why is freedom important to you?

My ‘Why’ 

People ask me this question all the time. They say, “Harv, you went through so much struggle early on in your career. Why didn’t you give up?”

The answer is because I had a bigger why than any struggle that I could entertain or have come over me. My why, although not overly enlightened, was very simple: I needed to prove something to my parents.

I needed to prove that they were wrong when they told me I’d never amount to anything, and that I’d be broke and begging them for money.

Again, my why is not enlightenment, because it stems from fear. However, once I started getting a little bit of a financial security, my why turned into something different.

I wanted to be able to do what I wanted with my time, my energy and my life. I didn’t want to have to be beholden to anyone or anything, and I just wanted to be free. All I wanted was freedom, so that became my why. Then I became fully financially free.

Let me give you one more clue here about your why, because it’s one of the most important things you can ever discover. First, your why should have two sides to it. First is you. Your why should serve you. Second, your why has to be bigger than you. Whether it’s for your community, your country, or the people in your business, your why needs to be big.

If you have those two why’s, one for yourself and one to help others or the world, you’ll be motivated.

Without a why, you’ll be unmotivated. It’s as simple as that.

What is your why? Why do you do what you do? Further, why do you want to be successful? Why do you want freedom? Leave me a comment below, I would love to hear from you!

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Forget Excuses - Remember Self Motivation

By Darren Russell

The internet is a wonderful thing and since its introduction to the world it has created an abundance of money making opportunities for anyone looking to make an income from home.

A lot of individuals who have gone on to make substantial incomes from online businesses started with zero or limited knowledge of how to do so.

Today more than ever there are a good number of internet entrepreneurs and businesses offering genuine online business opportunities.

So with all these opportunities available why do only a handful of people succeed while the majority either give up or just move from opportunity to opportunity without ever getting close to success?

The reason most people fail is down to personal development, the need to identify and set goals, then be able to systemically carry them through to conclusion.

Add to this the ability to keep yourself motivated when things don't always go the way you planned and you find a cocktail of characteristics that the majority of us have to work hard to maintain.

Everyday when you wake, you have a very important choice to make...

You have to choose what to do with your time and the choice you make will determine whether by the end of the day you will be closer to where you want, or at the same point you where when you woke up that morning.

Too many people say they want to change their lives for the better, some even set goals and maybe have a small idea of what they need to do, but sadly the choice they make when they wake in the morning is the same one they have been making every day up to that point...

The point is your life will not change unless you take action...

None of your goals will be achieved unless you do something about them...

When I speak to people, I hear all kinds of excuses but the most common one by far is,..

I don't have the time!

I don't have the time... these five little words are by far the favourite excuse for many people to hide behind.

However, when I dig a little deeper and start asking some questions, I find that in the majority of cases a little lifestyle change here and there and a small sacrifice or two can free up the valuable hours you need to start making a difference to your lives.

It may come as no surprise that one of the biggest consumers of our time is television.

Latest stats tell us that the average Brit watches 24 hours of TV a week and the average American 30 hours a week!

24-30 hours A WEEK!

That's almost a full time job, even if you reduced your time watching TV by half that would free up 15 hours a week that could be better spent working on your goals and ambitions.

It's not just TV either plenty of time is wasted away on other activities, things like spending hours at the mall, going to pubs and bars, going to ball games/events, playing video games, reading newspapers/magazines, social media, procrastinating, browsing the internet for nothing in particular the list goes on.

None of the things on this list are vital to our everyday lives yet so many people are unwilling to give them up, even though they say they want to change their lives and their circumstances.

I'm not saying cut everything you enjoy out of your life...

I'm just saying if you really do want to make changes sometimes you have to make short term sacrifices in order to manage your time better and maybe even (for now) stop doing some of the things you would normally do in order to free up the time you need to make long term gains.

So lets assume you have decided to make some changes and you have managed to free up some extra hours during the week.

What do you do next?

After all you have just potentially given something up you really enjoy, something you have been doing for years.

How are you supposed to keep yourself moving forward and not revert back to the comfortable, TV watching procrastinator you were before we decided to make these changes?

Well the one thing you must have if you want to succeed is a daily shot of motivation, this is essential because if you are not motivated then it is very easy to slide back into the rut you have just pulled yourself out of.

It is especially important at the start that you get this daily shot until you build up the belief that what you are doing is working, until you can see everyday that you are getting closer to your goal and until the motivation comes without you having to search for it.

When you get to that point you will have a drive and determination that will be burning so deep inside you that you will not be able to ignore it, it will get to the stage where any obstacle that is put in your way will just be taken in your stride and you will feel like nothing can stop you from achieving what you set out to do.

So how do you get to that point? what do you need to do?

The first thing is have your goals written out in as much detail as possible and read these goals every morning as you wake and every evening before you retire, this will remind you of why you are making these changes to your life and instil some of the motivation you need to keep going.

The second thing is to make a mood board - A mood board is a visual representation of where you want to be in your life and is usually made up of images and text representing your ambitions and goals.

As with your goals make sure you look at this everyday and imagine yourself in as much detail as possible living the life your goals and mood board show.

The final thing is a daily affirmation, this is something you need to do by yourself.

Put aside 10 minutes during the day, turn off your mobile phone, the radio and the TV find yourself a quiet spot in a dimly lit or darkened room, sit down in a comfortable chair and relax.

Next repeat the following to yourself:

"I awake everyday feeling an insatiable drive and determination to succeed, I find it easy to motivate myself and I look forward with excitement to the things I will achieve during the coming day."

Close your eyes and clear your mind of any distracting thoughts, don't try to think of anything just let yourself relax for a minute or two, relax your body and let the tension drain away from your muscles.

It is not easy to do this at first so you may find it easier to concentrate on each individual body part, starting at your toes and working up until your whole body is relaxed.

With practice you will find this comes easier until you can almost do it without thinking.

Next start to count slowly in your head until you reach 20. When you do you should feel totally relaxed, almost trance-like. If any other distracting thoughts should pop into your head as you count, don't worry, clear your mind and start over.

When you are in this relaxed state concentrate on the statement you have just read, don't worry about knowing it all off by heart just repeat the key words to yourself.

Slowly return to your fully conscious state thinking as you do that you are feeling more relaxed more alert and more motivated than you were before.

The subconscious mind is a powerful thing and the whole point of this exercise is to instill these thoughts into your subconscious mind until they are accepted as fact and in doing so will become second nature to you.

You will notice that if you repeat this exercise on a regular daily basis you will start to see the results in no time at all. You will probably find that at first it is hard to get to the right level of deep relaxation but once you do start to master this consistently then the speed with which you achieve your desired effect will increase.

Source

The Power of Habit: Setting Up "Triggers" to Sustain Habits

Stay on track, or fall off...The right habits keep you on track and set you up for long lasting success. Great advice from Brendon:)

How to Embrace an Attitude of 'Hell Yeah' with Everything You Do

By Tony Fahkry  |   Submitted On May 26, 2017

How To Navigate Life

Given the many distractions that compete for our attention these days, it's not surprising people don't devote more time to what truly inspires them.

We have a habit of tuning out anything that is not urgent.

There was a time when a person was only contactable via a phone landline, with no answering machine.

Nowadays, I can reach you through email, text messaging, instant messaging, social media, and dare I say, call you on your mobile device. Yet, this has not improved our lives other than make us more available.

Being more available equates to having less time to focus on your priorities.

As a consequence, we say 'yes' to things that don't inspire us, but provide a sense of satisfaction of having undertaken the task.

What I'm proposing is that you adopt a hell yeah attitude towards tasks instead of, it will do for now.

The idea was first discussed by the American entrepreneur Derek Sivers. He outlined how he prefers to engage in pursuits he is passionate about, instead of those he's obligated to do.

"As we become more mature and enlightened adults, we come to realize that if an opportunity is presented to us and it does not gain a near 100-percent enthusiasm and commitment from us, then the reply must be a 100-percent no," affirms motivational author Brendon Burchard in his book The Motivation Manifesto.

What if you were to adopt a similar approach?

You may avoid doing so because saying 'no' to good enough projects, goals or relationships suffices to keep you motivated for the time being.

When you settle, you compromise your self-worth because you accept less than meaningful conditions. The basis is to move from being Parked to an mindset of hell yeah in everything you do.

Consider author Larry Weidel's perspective in Serial Winner: 5 Actions to Create Your Cycle of Success: "Winners know that if you don't figure out what you want, you'll get whatever life hands you."

Time Is A Precious Commodity

When you say 'no' to requests that are low priorities, you free up time to say 'yes' to areas that serve your highest good.

By embracing a hell yeah attitude, you focus attention on what really matters.

It's vital to explore your full potential because in those moments you experience deep flow states and awaken your greatest ability.

You may undertake meaningless tasks or commit to relationships that don't inspire you because you're fearful more opportunities will not show up later. So, you take what is available now, hoping it will occupy your time until something better comes along.

It's what you devote your time and attention to, that matters.

Time is a precious commodity which many people squander. Guard it with your life and choose opportunities that inspire you, rather than just being task-orientated.

"Position your daily actions so time is working for instead of against you. Because time will either promote you or expose you," writes author Jeff Olson in The Slight Edge: Secret to a Successful Life.

Don't think you can get everything done because it's impossible. You are likely to wash over the activities without fully committing to the task.

The question arises, how will you know whether to undertake a project or say 'no'?

It's as simple as this: if you don't feel a spark of enthusiasm, it's unlikely you'll see it through to completion.

It is my experience, if something is difficult at the start and I'm lacking motivation, the idea will not succeed because I'm not bringing my whole self to it.

If you cannot say hell yeah, it's best say 'no'.

I assure you, adopting this frame of mind will yield success and you needn't buy into the fear more opportunities won't become available. In fact, more quality prospects will emerge since you are careful what you give your attention to.

You should say 'yes' to tasks that excite you, that you are passionate about and to which you're likely to bring your best work.

Manage Your Time

"Pareto points us in a very clear direction: the majority of what you want will come from the minority of what you do. Extraordinary results are disproportionately created by fewer actions than most realize," affirm authors Gary Keller and Jay Papasan in The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results.

There is little room for negotiation and no grey area when you pursue a hell yeah way of life. You commit to the task or relationship or not at all, in which case you walk away.

Similarly, it pays to know which areas you are saying hell yeah to. It may pose a challenge to apply this approach to every facet of life because of competing interests.

For example, your partner may want to visit his/her favourite restaurant and you don't feel the same way. In this scenario, diplomacy prevails to maintain a healthy relationship.

Embracing a hell yeah outlook will change your approach to life, in so far as developing a laser-like focus while managing your time. You concentrate your attention on high value areas that lead to happiness and fulfilment, with a better chance of success.

Authors Gary Keller and Jay Papasan remind us once again to choose what you give your attention to: "To achieve an extraordinary result you must choose what matters most and give it all the time it demands. This requires getting extremely out of balance in relation to all other work issues... "

Given the many events that compete for your attention, it's important to be discerning with your time.

You become inspired by your goals and projects, instead of expecting a situation will improve as you go along - it seldom does.

Larry Weidel reminds us to maintain our enthusiasm or risk it burning out: "When it comes to most of our ideas, our enthusiasm has a shelf life. We won't be inspired to go for it forever. If you can't decide what you're going to do with your energy and drive, it will peter out. Doubt will grow and overwhelm you."

Commit to life with passion and fervour, otherwise you will be pulled along by secondary tasks that are less desirable.

Life is too short and valuable to be pursuing goals that are not consistent with your greater self.

Source

Tony Robbins: How to deal with STRESS and DEPRESSION

Great advice from Tony. Such an abundant matter and brilliantly deconstructed!

6 Keys to Motivation

Top points from Brendon Burchard. The science of motivation is fascinating!:)