Habit Is as Habit Does

Let's begin with the painfully obvious truth:

• Successful people have successful habits.
• Losers in life have loser habits.
• Habits are behavior, and behavior never lies.
• Your habits determine you're your past, present and your future.
• If you want change in your life, you must change your habits.

Let's do a simple fill in the blank exercise to determine how well your current habits are serving you.

Here's a health related example with two possible answers:

• My health, exercise and eating habits have... turned me into a firm, energetic and unstoppable powerhouse.

• My health, exercise and eating habits have... turned me into a flabby, lethargic and unmotivated person.

Now, take a few moments to answer these questions regarding your habits.

1. My savings and spending habits have...
2. My sales and marketing habits have...
3. My relationship habits have...
4. My parenting habits have...
5. My time management habits have...
6. My demonstrated leadership habits have...
7. My communication habits have...
8. My work habits have...

So, how did you do? Are your habits helping or hurting your performance?

The one true path to success and happiness in life is to change your behavior by replacing your bad habits with positive habits that move you in the direction that you want.

It's easy for me to say that if you keep doing what you've been doing, you'll keep getting what you've been getting, so change your behavior.

And that's exactly what I'm going to tell you to do-just change!

I want you to look at your results year to date, right now-- today and determine what habits you must change in order to secure a better tomorrow.

Don't procrastinate as that's a destructive habit that is definitely not worth repeating as it bears no desirable fruit and most likely will lead to regret and missed opportunity.

Everything Counts!

[source: personalstrategicplan.com, by Gary Ryan Blair]

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Personal Story with an Olympic Gold Medal Winner

American wrestler Rulon Gardner defeated Alexander Karelin (the greatest Russian wrestler of all time) in the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympic Games. It’s gone down in history as the “Miracle on the Mat.” At the time of this Olympic match, Karelin had NEVER lost a wrestling match in 13 years… and for six straight years the Russian “Karelin” hadn’t even given up a single point!

This is unheard of in wrestling. Just think of that…six years without giving up a SINGLE POINT in any match!

It was one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history, especially when you consider that Rulon was raised in humble beginnings on a Wyoming farm, one of 9 children. (he happens to now live near our “Land Office” during part of the year).

Anyway, I first met Rulon last summer because of a charity we are both passionate about. The charity invited us in to do some filming in a studio, because they wanted to post some stuff to their website.

I’ll never forget this day for one special moment that took place.

You see, a producer guy had written out some lines for us to say via teleprompter into the camera. And I’ll never forget when it was Rulon’s turn in front of the camera.

After like 14 takes, he still couldn’t read the first sentence. People in the studio were kind of looking around, fidgeting and pretending not to notice. And then finally Rulon yelled “cut”! He said, “That sentence just comes off as too negative…I don’t like anything with the word “can’t” in it…can we please change this sentence to read more positive?”

(the opening sentence written for Rulon had the word “can’t” in it)

How do you argue with a 300 lb. man in the room with a gold medal around his neck? You don’t! And as soon as the teleprompter dude changed the sentence, Rulon read the more positive version in one take, and just smiled all the way through it.

You could feel this good vibe just dance around that studio room. It happened to give me a case of the goose-bumps - & I could tell it did to everyone else.

I'm not a "walk on hot coals" kind of guy. But I will say this. There is an energy that halos around an Olympic gold medal, and the person wearing it. If you've ever been around one, you know what I'm talking about!

After filming, I got a chance to hang with Rulon and I asked him about that match in Sydney. He told me that for months leading up to the Olympics, he never allowed a negative thought to once enter his head, not one. And as I sat there staring at his gold medal he went on to say we can do and be whatever we want in life. And that the only reason he beat Karelin was because he never had one negative thing cross his mind.

I just got the goosebumps again about this whole experience, just thinking about it and writing this to you!

Anyway – I just wanted to share this encounter with you – it's personal and special to me. And it’s still fresh in my mind and it’s a clear reminder of how much we’re capable of.

We all have a “Karelin” in our path that looks impossible to beat. But if you relentlessly remain positive – you can do the “impossible”. The only person holding you back is you!

Remember this, the next time you run up against a wall or the next time you think something is impossible.

If the guy who has the gold medal around his neck can't even say the word "can't" -- how should you be thinking and talking to yourself about what you want to overcome?

I've got some pics of this right here:

http://spilnk.com/1582-1247-86432-396716/www.masterincometrader.com/olympics

I hope you enjoy them a lot. And I hope this finds you well!

Until next time,
Preston James

[Source: masterincometrader.com, Traders Edge Network]

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Read All the Books

All of the books that we will ever need to make us as rich, as healthy, as happy, as powerful, as sophisticated and as successful as we want to be have already been written.

People from all walks of life, people with some of the most incredible life experiences, people that have gone from pennies to fortune and from failure to success have taken the time to write down their experiences so that we might share in their wealth of knowledge.

They have offered their wisdom and experience so that we can be inspired by it and instructed by it, and so that we can amend our philosophy by it. Their contributions enable us to reset our sail based upon their experiences.

They have handed us the gift of their insights so that we can change our plans, if need be, in order to avoid their errors. We can rearrange our lives based on their wise advice.

All of the insights that we might ever need have already been captured by others in books. The important question is this: In the last ninety days, with this treasure of information that could change our lives, our fortunes, our relationships, our health, our children and our careers for the better, how many books have we read?

Why do we neglect to read the books that can change our lives? Why do we complain but remain the same? Why do so many of us curse the effect but nourish the cause?

How do we explain the fact that only a small percent of our entire national population uses the library card they possess - a card that would give us access to all of the answers to success and happiness we could ever want?

Those who wish for the better life cannot permit themselves to miss the books that could have a major impact on how their lives turn out. The book they miss will not help!

And the issue is not that books are too expensive! If a person concludes that the price of buying the book is too great, wait until he must pay the price for not buying it. Wait until he receives the bill for continued and prolonged ignorance.

There is very little difference between someone who cannot read and someone who will not read. The result of either is ignorance. Those who are serious seekers of personal development must remove the self-imposed limitations they have placed on their reading skills and their reading habits.

There is a multitude of classes being taught on how to be a good reader and there are thousands of books on the shelves of the public libraries just waiting to be read. Reading is essential for those who seek to rise above the ordinary. We must not permit anything to stand between us and the book that could change our lives.

A little reading each day will result in a wealth of valuable information in a very short period of time.

But if we fail to set aside the time, if we fail to pick up the book, if we fail to exercise the discipline, then ignorance will quickly move in to fill the void.

Those who seek a better life must first become a better person. They must continually seek after self-mastery for the purpose of developing a balanced philosophy of life, and then live in accordance with the dictates of that philosophy.

The habit of reading is a major stepping-stone in the development of a sound philosophical foundation. And in my opinion it is one of the fundamentals required for the attainment of success and happiness.

To Your Success,

Live a Beautiful Life

[Source: jimrohn.com, by Jim Rohn]

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Peace of Mind Tips and Advice

Most people would be glad to have some peace of mind in their life. They would be happy to forget their troubles, problems and worries, and enjoy a few moments of inner calmness and freedom from obsessing thoughts.

What is peace of mind? It is a state of inner calmness and tranquility, together with a sense of freedom, when thoughts and worries cease, and there is no stress, strain or fear. Such moments are not so rare. They may be experienced while being engaged in some kind of an absorbing or interesting activity, such as while watching an interesting movie or TV program, while being with someone you love, while reading a book or while lying on the sand at the beach.

Such and similar activities take away the mind from its usual thoughts and worries, and bring some temporary inner peace.

The question is, how to bring more peace of mind into our life, and more importantly, how to experience it in times of trouble. You might also ask whether it is possible to make it a habit, and enjoy it always and under all circumstances. First, you need to learn to bring more moments of inner peace into your daily life. Later, you will be able to experience these moments in times of trouble or difficulties too, when you most need inner calmness and tranquility.

Here are a few simple things that can help you:
• Reduce the amount of time you read the newspapers or watch the news on TV.
• Stay away from negative conversations and from negative people.
• Don't hold grudges. Learn to forget and forgive. Nurturing ill feelings and grievances hurts you and causes lack of sleep.
• Don't be jealous of others. Being jealous means that you have low self-esteem and consider yourself inferior to others. This again, causes lack of inner peace.
• Accept what cannot be changed. This saves a lot of time, energy and worries.
• Every day we face numerous inconveniences, irritations and situations that are beyond our control. If we can change them, that's fine, but this is not always possible. We must learn to put up with such things and accept them cheerfully.
• Learn to be more patient and tolerant with people and events.
• Don't take everything too personally. Some emotional and mental detachment is desirable. Try to view your life and other people with a little detachment and less involvement. Detachment is not indifference, lack of interest or coldness. It is the ability to think and judge impartially and logically. Don't worry if again and again you fail to manifest detachment. Just keep trying.
• Let bygones be gone. Forget the past and concentrate on the present moment. There is no need to evoke unpleasant memories and immerse yourself in them.
• Practice some concentration exercises. This will help you to reject unpleasant thoughts and worries that steal away your peace of mind.
• Learn to practice meditation. Even a few minutes a day will make a change in your life.

Inner peace ultimately leads to external peace. By creating peace in our inner world, we bring it into the external world, affecting other people too.

[Source: Unknown, by Remez Sasson]

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7 Tips to Help You De-stress & Handle Your Problems

Life would be so wonderful if it weren't for other people. Let's face it, people will upset you. They will say things that will hurt your feeling.

And no matter how well you plan, problems and challenges will pop up. You will be stressed out. But it's your responsibility to do something to feel better.

Here are 7 tips that can help you right away:

1) Don't just sit there. Move! According to many psychologists, motion creates emotion. You might notice that when you are idle, it's easier to become depressed. Your heart rate slows down, less oxygen travels to your brain, and you are slumped somewhere in a chair blocking air from reaching your lungs.

I challenge you right now, regardless of how you are feeling, to get up and walk around at a fast tempo. Maybe you might want to go to an empty room and jump up and down a little bit. It may sound silly but the results speak for themselves. Try it now for a few minutes. It works like magic.

2) Smell the roses. How do you smell the roses? How about investing some money to go on that one trip you've been dreaming about? Visit a country with lots of exotic places to jolt your imagination and spur your creativity. You need to detach from your daily activities and venture a little bit.

3) Get some company. If you're like me, you have many acquaintances, but you only have a few true friends. This isn't because I'm introverted. It is because I'm very selective about who I let enter my territory. I have worked too hard to build my house - my dream - and I won't let anyone destroy it for me in the blink of an eye.

When you're feeling down, call your true friends and share what it is that you're going through. Ask for their advice or input. While their advice or suggestions may be helpful, often you'll find that simply verbalizing your problems will help you feel better.

4) Help others cope with their problems. It is very therapeutic when you engross yourself in helping others. You will be surprised how many people's problems are worse than those you may be facing. You can offer others assistance in countless ways. Don't curl up in your bed and let depression and stress take hold of you.

Get out and help somebody. There are many charitable organizations that can use your help right now. My dear cousin Barbara reads to the blind. Call the National Federation of the Blind so that they can tell you how to get involved.

5) Laugh a little. By now you've heard that laughter is a good internal medicine. It relieves tension and loosens the muscles. It causes blood to flow to the heart and brain. More importantly, laughter releases a chemical that rids the body of pains.

Every day, researchers discover new benefits of laughter. Let me ask you this question: "Can you use a good dose of belly-shaking laughter every now and then?" Of course you can. What are you waiting for? Go to a comedy club or rent some funny movies.

6) Visit third world countries. Nothing is more humbling than to visit a poor country and see first hand what other human beings go through just to survive. Most people who have taken such trips come back with a deep and profound sense of gratitude and appreciation.

They realize how much they've taken for granted without ever realizing it. I encourage you to travel whenever you can afford to do so. You're not too busy. Do it for you. Your life will never be the same.

7) Wear your knees out. If there were one sustainable remedy I could offer you when the going gets tough, it would be prayer. Many people, depending on their faith, might call it meditation. It doesn't matter to me what you call it, as long as you have a place to run to.

Mahatma Gandhi said, "Religions are crossroads converging upon the point." Well, I don't often discuss religion, and I don't know what works for you; but Christianity is the way I know. However, I am sensitive enough to respect your faith. My whole point is that when everything else fails, prayer works!

[Source: villagehero.com, by Rene Godefroy]

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Talking To Yourself

One of the most moving experiences of my life took place on Sept. 13, 1997, when I was autographing books... One lady who asked for an autograph had such a compelling expression on her face that I knew I had to listen carefully to what she had to say.

She shared with me that when she got the self-talk card that was included in one of my audiotape programs, she couldn't even read the first list of qualities that she was supposed to claim.

Throughout her life she had been so beaten down by her family and husband that it was impossible for her to believe that she had the character and success qualities that I identified.

It took two or three weeks of listening to the tapes to build herself up to the point where she could look herself in the eye and claim that she was an honest, intelligent, goal-setting person... She continued to claim additional qualities until she could go through the entire list of 60- plus positive qualities.

As a result, her demeanor and attitude changed dramatically. She started standing up straight, smiling, and even laughing.

Then something truly fascinating happened. Her husband watched her new attitude emerge... and decided maybe claiming the qualities could do the same for him. He started claiming the qualities and he, too, started to change.

"He especially changed in the way he treated me," the woman told me. "Today we're getting along better than ever and are happier than we've ever been." The first part of her story was interrupted by tears. She was very emotional. In the last part of her story, as she talked about the changes in her husband and their relationship, she smiled.

The most important opinion you have is the opinion you have of yourself, and the most important conversations you will ever have are the conversations you have with yourself... The reality is that you cannot consistently, consciously claim all the qualities on the self-talk card without changing.

[Source: zigziglar.com, by Zig Ziglar]

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The Power of Humility

Humility invites us to surrender our own willful struggles and seek partnership, guidance and direction from God in service to the greater good of humanity. It opens us up to levels of consciousness where we understand that, in our highest form, we are merely instruments of the Divine.

In choosing to set aside the arrogance, stubbornness and fearful thoughts of the individual mind, we nurture humility and transform the way in which we view the world. With humble hearts and egos in check, we receive the gift of our own inherent worthiness and gain access to the expansive realms of the collective will.

In the blessed state of humility, we pray for assistance, and become spiritually malleable, ready to be shaped by God’s hands for the fulfillment of our soul’s desire and purpose.

Today's affirmation : God can do for me what I cannot do for myself.

Keeping your EGO balanced is key to Success in Life ... a lesson in humility is what we need to learn every day ...

Let's look little deep inside , the best way to introspect and reflect ... ask yourself few questions and journal your thoughts ...

Where or how in your life are you displaying the arrogance of your ego? Where or how are you feeling puffed up, standing in judgment of others, or trying to impose your will on situations?
________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

What are the fearful thoughts or non-serving beliefs are causing you to be stubborn in situations or to believe that you know what’s best for yourself and everyone involved?

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

What would be different if you brought humility and asked for God’s help? How much more peace, clarity and creativity would be available? How would giving up your ego’s will help to move you closer to the fulfillment of your soul’s desire?

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

What internal structure or practice can you put in place to support shifting out of the arrogance of the ego and into God’s hands?

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

What is an action you can take or a structure or practice you can put in place in your external world to support you in nurturing new levels of humility? What do you need to do differently or how do you need to shift your actions or communications to allow humility to develop and grow in your life?

________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________

[Source: Unknown]

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Focus on Your Primary Aim

As we go through life we have many goals we wish to accomplish. Sometimes our wants are so numerous they seem to overwhelm us -- we don't know how to do them all at once.

The solution? Focus on our goals one at a time until we accomplish them all. Carry a list of your goals with you everywhere. Individuals will be on your path, who - when you show them your goals - may be able to help you achieve them.

Action Step:

To see our dreams come true we need to discover the natural talents we were born with. Think about the things that you love to do, things that make you feel like a million bucks, things that you really don't have to try too hard at to be successful.

For example, when I stand in front of an auditorium filled with thousands of people, and speak to them about fulfilling their dreams, my mind and body are filled with energy -- so much that I'm practically buzzing all over.

When I'm speaking to people I'm so excited I can hardly stand still. Speaking and writing are my right livelihood. I love it and it loves me.

To discover your strengths, ask yourself a few questions, like:

1. What are some activities that I excel at without a lot of effort, study or preparation?

2. What do I do well that most people find difficult?

3. What skills do I have that makes people make "wow!" comments and compliments?

4. If I had all the money I could ever spend -- meaning money is not a concern -- what would I do?

Take this list of activities and on a scale of 1 - 10 (10 being what you feel you're most talented at) rank these activities. Your biggest rewards will come from the activities you've ranked 7 and higher.

Once you have your top activities -- you should have 5 or fewer -- choose the one you love to do the most, because that is your primary aim. Over a lifetime, a well-chosen primary aim tends to extend itself into many possibilities.

Yours in success,

Live a Beautiful Life

[Source: markvictorhansen.com, by Mark Victor Hansen]

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How Do You Attract Opportunity Into Your Life?

Someone recently asked me the question: "How can I have more opportunities come into my life?" Good question, but I think my answer surprised them a bit.

I bypassed the obvious (and necessary) points about hard work, persistence and preparation. They actually were very hard workers. And they had the great attribute of being seekers, they were on the outlook. But I felt maybe they were missing this next and most valuable point - attraction.

I always thought opportunities and success were something you went after, then I found out that I needed to turn it around. Opportunities and success are not something you go after necessarily, but something you attract - by becoming an attractive person.

That's why I teach development of skills. If you can develop your skills, keep refining all the parts of your character and yourself, your health, your relationships, etc. so that you become an attractive person to the marketplace - you'll attract opportunity.

Opportunity will probably seek you out. Your reputation will probably precede you and someone will want to do business with you. All of the possibilities are there by working on the philosophy that success is something you attract.

The key is to continue making yourself a more attractive person by the skills you have, the disciplines you have, the personality you've acquired, the character and reputation you have established, the language and speech you use

Personal development - the never-ending chance to improve not only yourself, but also to attract opportunities and affect others.

To Your Success,

Live a Beautiful Life

[Source: jimrohn.com, by Jim Rohn]

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It's A Beautiful Day!

You hear other people say it and you've probably said it 1,000 times or more. "Life's too short."

What better reason to take each and every day and live it out loud. Now, I hear this sentiment once in a while but rarely is it put in such a way where the message doesn't sound like a commercial for Mountain Dew.

What a gift life is. Another day. Wow.

Think about it. You are the sum total of all your days up until now. Every day has gone into creating you. When you're 70, 80, 90 what a horrible shame it would be if you were to look back and think, "I didn't do so many things I wanted to do. I was mad or scared half the time."

Use today to get where you want to go.

Maybe you're behind your pre-determined schedule. Perhaps you wanted to do more by now than you have.

That's not a problem.

You've got today. How lucky you are...

Don't even think about putting it off 'til tomorrow. Even if there's no place to go or big goal you can work on today, you can do something else.

Look around. Things may be bustling, pushing, moving at cyber speed. But you can be alone in your thoughts and see whatever you want. That mountain is there just for you.

"Awesome." Your mother's voice. Beautiful. You may never hear it again. Your kids. Precious. Your friends. They love you. Enjoy it.

Is there crap? Huge difficult challenges? Sure, but you can learn from it. That's good, right? Just notice the good stuff right now.

What could possibly make today great? A bunch of stuff. And don't think that playing or lounging is the only way to celebrate your day. What can you do?

* Do your best at work - Make today your crowning achievement.

* Recognize someone else - Put a smile on some faces.

* Find out about someone else - Someone on your "team." Be genuine.

* Take some time off if you need to - There might be some roses that need smelling.

* Call someone you haven't talked to in a while. Or pay 'em a visit.

* Meditate - With no goal in mind. Just notice your thoughts.

* Look in the mirror - You're a pretty cool person. Recognize it. It's true.

* Read a chapter - learning is your ticket to where ever you want to go.

* Look at your victory log - And do something today to add to it.

* Laugh - at yourself, others, cartoons, TV shows, commercials. Just laugh.

And I'm sure that you can think of more stuff. The important point is...

Today is a beautiful day.

But if your perspective is screwed up, you won't see it. Review the list above and add to it if you like. Review it regularly and your view will change. Guaranteed.

Don't make feeling good so hard. It's not. You don't have to be at Disney World to have a good day.

Today is God's gift to you. Appreciate the gift no matter what it is that you find yourself involved in. It was given in love.

Accept it with love.

[Source: thinkrightnow.com, by Mike Brescia]

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