Tony Robbins: It Is Your Choice

Take control of your decisions and your life with these strategies.

Tony Robbins

What is the single force that shapes the quality of our lives? What power do we have that can change everything? As you and I both know, the answer is the power of choice. During the past 30 years I’ve had the privilege of working with an incredibly diverse group of people, from presidents of countries to professional athletes, from managers to moms, from gang members to high-powered business executives. I’ve had the unique opportunity to see people in the midst of real challenges, whether it’s the professional athlete who wants to regain his competitive edge, the business leader who wants to expand her influence or the political leader who struggles with a difficult decision.
I may not have all the answers (who does?), but after working with so many people and observing the patterns that make them succeed or fail, one thing I am sure of is this: It is our decisions, not our conditions, that determine the quality of our lives. Take a look at your own life. Are you where you want to be? Are you as healthy or financially secure or as happy in your relationships as you would like to be? Or, even if things are going well, are you looking for that extra edge to retain the competitive advantage? Perhaps you feel that in spite of your success, there’s more out there for you, but for some reason, you haven’t grasped it yet. Your first instinct may be to blame the economy, or the housing market, or someone who has treated you unfairly.
Before we go any further, we need to understand that we are where we are today because of the decisions we’ve made—decisions about what to focus on, decisions about where to place our priorities, decisions about what things mean and decisions about what to do. For example, if your business or career has been affected by the recession, do you feel that you are being punished or challenged to find a new path? What are you going to do about it? Are you going to give up or give more? No matter what we have experienced in the past, our history is not our destiny—we all have the power to make new decisions today.
Here’s another way to look at it: Success is a result of good judgment; good judgment is a result of experience, in most cases. And what about experience? Yes, experience is most often a result of bad judgment. So here’s the good news: The experience gained from bad judgment and bad decisions is unbelievably valuable—it’s priceless! So don’t waste time beating yourself up over poor decisions you’ve made; learn from the experiences. Really, failure is actually one of the best ways we learn. When people succeed, they celebrate. When they fail, they ponder. They stop and think, What happened here? What could I have done differently? It’s only through self-evaluation that we learn how to make better decisions. So, when you make mistakes, learn from them; use your experience to improve your judgment and make better decisions.
The Path to Freedom—Financial or Otherwise
We’re living in extraordinarily difficult times. Every day we read about and experience more challenges, often related to things we can’t control, whether it’s the economy, the environment or unemployment. We can allow the stress and uncertainty caused by these events to overwhelm us or we can transform our lives by making different decisions. One of the decisions we can make is to live with a mindset of abundance. What I mean by this is if we live as though wealth has more to do with what’s in our minds than what’s in our wallets, if we understand that how we feel is more important than what we have, we can discover an immense sense of freedom and happiness. Think about it: Do you know anyone who has a lot of money but doesn’t feel free, doesn’t feel loved, doesn’t feel like he has a choice? Sure you do. You may even feel that way yourself. That feeling happens when you’re not in control of your emotions because you’re looking for someone or something external to fill internal needs. I don’t care what you’ve achieved or how much money you’ve earned, if you live with an attitude of scarcity and limitation, if you wait for someone or something else to fulfill you, you’re not going to be happy. You must make the decision to live with a mentality of abundance, and you will experience true freedom.
It’s Your Time
Everything that happens in your life—what you’re thrilled with and what you’re challenged by—began with a decision. Your life is the outcome of the decisions you’ve made and the actions you’ve taken as a result of those decisions. Different decisions produce different results. If you want to control the direction of your life, you must consistently make good decisions. It’s not what you do once in a while that has an impact on the direction of your life—it’s what you do consistently. Make decisions today about how you are going to live in the years to come. For your decisions to really make a difference in your life it’s imperative to decide what results you’re committed to—and know specifically how these results will transform your life. It’s equally critical to decide what kind of person you’re committed to becoming. Get clear about what you want to be, do and have, and what your life will be like after you accomplish this. With that clarity, you’ll find it becomes easier to make the kinds of decisions that will move you in the direction you desire. What are your standards? What will you demand from life? Decide today if you’ll accept life as it is or if you’ll live your life on your own terms, at the edge and at the highest level.

- See more at: http://www.success.com/article/anthony-robbins-it-is-your-choice#sthash.ZEvWRmPI.dpuf

“You Are Here” By: John C. Maxwell

Learn to Change: “You Are Here” By: John C. Maxwell

“You Are Here” By: John C. Maxwell

Are YOU Ready for CHANGE? Follow my mentor John C. Maxwell’s advice, and you will be better prepared for needed change!

“If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?” Have you ever been asked that question? Most of us have. And what’s interesting is that I’ve never met a person who replied, “Nothing. I’m perfect just the way I am.”

For most of us, it’s not a question of if we want to change, but how. We want a better tomorrow. We have desires, dreams, and hopes. Maybe we have a habit we want to break. Or a goal we want to reach. Or a skill we want to develop.

We know instinctively that if we want our life to be different, we have to become different. In other words, we need to grow.

But if all we needed was a desire to grow, we’d all be improving every day. So why aren’t we? I believe it’s because the idea is overwhelming. Maybe you don’t know what to do first. Or you don’t know how to be strategic.

One thing I’ve learned in over 40 years of teaching leadership and personal growth is that growth doesn’t just happen. It requires intentionality. It requires concrete action steps. We all need a plan.

Going on a Growth Quest

Over the next few weeks, I want to talk to you about growth. I want to give you the tools to move forward in the areas where you want to grow. To do that, I’ll be sharing my thoughts via email, along with some video teaching I’ve recorded. You can sign up to receive those emails later in this post.

I believe that if you apply what you learn, you’ll be able to pinpoint the areas where you want to grow and change, and create a plan for becoming who you want to be.

“You Are Here”

If you’ve ever been to a large shopping mall, you’ve probably looked at a map by the entrance, to figure out where to go next. One thing that map always has is a large arrow pointing to one location, with “You Are Here” written above it.

A GPS system has something similar, with a marker to show where you are, and a route to where you want to go. (And GPS is usually accurate, except for those times when it directs you to a vacant lot or dead end street!)

Maps can be confusing, and if you don’t know where you’re starting, you have no frame of reference to get where you want to go. It’s the same with personal growth. To create a plan to be all we can be, we need to know who we are right now.

That’s why I’m excited about a tool created by my team that will show you where you are, so you can come up with a plan for getting to where you want to be.

Growth Quest Quiz

Click to take the free Growth Quest Quiz. In less than 5 minutes, you can see where you’re strong, and where you might need to grow.

You’ll get your results immediately via email. With the knowledge of where you need to grow, you’ll have your starting point. And taking the quiz will automatically sign you up to receive the rest of the emails in the series.

In my next email, I’ll share two secrets that I consider the bookends of growth, along with some specific things you can do to speed up your progress wherever you are.

Let’s get started! I’m excited about sharing practical tips for becoming the best you, that you can be. Click here to take the quiz.

Article by: John C. Maxwell.

Zig Ziglar’s Timeless Guide to Motivation

“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.”

Last week, at the age of 86, one of the most motivational people in the personal development world passed away.

Zig Ziglar served in the US Navy during World War II and after the war he worked as a salesman. Later on he started writing books and he held seminars and live events on how to become a better salesman and on motivation and self-improvement.

Today, as my own small tribute, I’d like to share five of my own favorite motivational lessons that I have learned from Zig Ziglar.

1. You have to keep the motivation up.

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing – that’s why we recommend it daily.”

So true for many things in life. It’s not like you can hit a light switch and then you are changed for life. The most meaningful and important things tend to need continued effort.

Now, if you want to start your day with getting your motivation up here are two quick tips:

• Spend 3 minutes with remembering your successes. If you lose your motivation or it is low in the morning then it is easy to get stuck in looking at your failures and so you get stuck in inaction. So instead, sit down for three minutes and just remember your successes. Let them wash over you and refuel your inspiration and motivation.
• Make a list of upsides. Take a few minutes to write down all the benefits you will get from achieving something, like for example getting into better shape or making more money. And be sure to include very personal reasons and benefits. Like being able to travel to your dream destination or spend more quality time with your son or daughter. Put that list somewhere where you will see it every day until you reach your dream.

2. Failure is not permanent.

“Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”

It is very easy to start thinking of mistakes or failures like permanent things. Like they are you and you are a failure or loser.

But these things are just like successes not permanent. Things go up and down.

So don’t identify with the failure. Take some time to accept that it happened but try to not beat yourself up about it or make it bigger than it is. You don’t have to be perfect. And no one who tries to go outside of his or her comfort zone can avoid failures, mistakes and low points.

And remember…

3. Learn what you can from your low points.

“If you learn from defeat, you haven’t really lost.”

You only lose when you give up and go home or when don’t learn anything from a defeat.

If you keep going despite bumps in the road and temporary defeats then you are still on your way towards your dream and goal.

So don’t revisit the past too much. Instead, learn what you can from the defeat and keep moving forward.

Ask yourself:

• What can I learn from this?
• What do I need to do or not do to avoid winding up the same negative situation again?
• And what is the hidden opportunity within this situation? (there is often one if you just take a little time to look for it)

4. Look at your world and the people in it through an open and positive lens.

“The way you see people is the way you treat them.”

And the way you treat them they tend to treat you.

Now, you may not become best friends or get along splendidly with everyone.

But with a positive and open attitude towards the world and the people you meet and know you’ll feel more inclined to listen, get to know them better and to help out if you can. And over time things tend to even out. You get back what you give.

For more openness and positivity towards others try these two questions:

What parts of this person can I see in myself? How is he or she like me?

This one can help you to shift your perspective from what is different and what you feel the need to judge to what the two of you have in common instead. It tears down the mental barriers between the two you and you can feel closer to and more understanding and appreciative of this person.

5. Get the ball rolling today.

“If you wait until all the lights are “green” before you leave home, you’ll never get started on your trip to the top.”

You can wait for everything to be just perfect before you get started but that usually results in years passing you by before getting going. Or you may never get started.

Beginning something can of course be scary and uncomfortable as you step into the unknown.

But you can make it a lot easier to get started and to keep going. Here are three of my favorite tips for that (they are my favorites because they are so effective for me):

• Take one small step forward. Instead of focusing on everything you have to do to reach your goal just focus on taking one small and practical step today. Nothing more. But make it a small step that isn’t just about reading more about what you want. Make it step that matters and pulls you forward. Book an appointment or set up a meeting. Create a budget and see how much and what you can save each month to be able to go on that trip you dream about.
• Or take an even smaller step. If that first step feels too big and you start to procrastinate then come up with an even smaller step you can take. Then take that step.
• Just take care of today. Don’t look too far ahead or you may start to procrastinate. Or your mind may play tricks on you and you become worried or scared. To feel more comfortable while still making progress step by step go smaller and focus on just taking care of today. Nothing more. Tomorrow will come in time. And then you will take care of that today too.

Using Your Time by: Zig Ziglar

Using Your Time by: Zig Ziglar

I’m frequently asked how I can be so productive in the business world and still have time for my personal and family life. The answer is that during my frequent travels I am an absolute “workaholic.” When I get home I am then free to do things with my family and enjoy my personal life.

As I write this, I’m returning from a speaking engagement in Memphis. On the flight to Memphis I spent the entire time planning the presentation I was going to make. While there I was busy but still managed to read for an hour before bed. On the return trip I wrote notes for articles. I started dictating this article before I left Dallas and later gave it to my Executive Assistant, Laurie Magers. On the way home I stopped by my office, picked up my mail and headed home to take my wife to lunch. After lunch my son and I, along with a friend, played 18 holes of golf. After the golf game my wife and I had a long, quiet dinner, during which she had my undivided attention.

I give you these details to emphasize the fact that concentrating on my profession (job) when I’m away from my family enables me to focus on my family when I’m with them. This approach allows me to be more effective in both areas. It will do the same thing for you. Roger Staubach told me that he made his best grades at Annapolis during football season. His time was so limited because of football that he quickly learned to utilize every moment and focus on the task at hand to reach his objectives and to maintain his standing at Annapolis. Buy this approach and I will SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Zig Ziglar is a beloved author and America’s motivator. He is the author of 25 books and offers training and consulting to organizations all across the globe. To learn more about Zig and his business visit his website at www.ziglar.com

It is a Challenge to Succeed by Jim Rohn

It is a Challenge to Succeed by Jim Rohn

It is a challenge to succeed. If it were not, I’m sure more people would be successful, but for every person who is enjoying the fruit from the tree of success, many more are examining the roots.
They are trying to figure it all out. They are mystified and perplexed by what seems to be some strange, complex and elusive secret that must be found if ever success is to be enjoyed. While most people spend most of their lives struggling to earn a living, a much smaller number seem to have everything going their way.
Instead of just earning a living, the smaller group is busily engaged in designing and enjoying a fortune. Everything just seems to work out for them. While the much larger group sits in awe at how life can be so unfair, complicated and unjust.
“I am a nice person,” the man says to himself. “How come this other guy is happy and prosperous, and I’m always struggling?” He asks himself, “I am a good husband, a good father and a good worker. How come nothing seems to work out for me? Life just isn’t fair.
I’m even smarter and willing to work harder than some of these other people who just seem to have everything going their way,” he says as he slumps into the sofa to watch another evening of television. But you see you’ve got to be more than a good person and a good worker. You’ve got to become a good planner, and a good dreamer.
You’ve got to see the future finished in advance. You’ve got to put in the long hours and put up with the setbacks and the disappointments. You’ve got to learn to enjoy the process of disciplines and of putting yourself through the paces of doing the uncomfortable until it becomes comfortable. You’ve got to be prepared and willing to attack the challenges if you want the success because challenges are part of success.
Now that may sound like a full menu of activities, but let me assure you that the process of going from average to fortune isn’t really all that difficult. Thinking about it is the difficult part. Anticipating all the effort and the changes and the disciplines is far worse in the mind than in reality.
I can promise you that the challenges you’ll meet on the road to success are far less difficult to deal with than the struggles and the disappointments that come from being average. Confronting and overcoming challenges is an exhilarating experience.
It does something to feed the soul and the mind. It makes you more than you were before. It strengthens the mental muscles and enables you to become better prepared for the next challenge.
I’ve often said that to have more, we must first become more, and to become more, we must begin the process of working harder on ourselves than we do on anything else. But in addition to gathering new knowledge, new skills and new experiences; it is also important to discover new emotions.
It is how we feel about what we know that makes the biggest difference in how our lives turn out. How we feel about the chances we have and the choices we have determines the intensity of our effort. Whether we try or don’t try. Join or don’t join. Believe or don’t believe.
I’d like for you to discover some strong feelings about your life and about what you want to do with that life. You probably have much of the knowledge and a lot of the experience and perhaps most of the skills that it takes to become successful.
What you may be lacking in are the strong feelings about what you want and what you want to do. You may be one of those who have become so involved in the process of earning a living that you’ve forgotten about the choices and the chances you have for designing your own life.
Let these strong feelings help you take a second look at your life and where you’re headed. After all, you’ve only got one life, at least on this planet. So why not make it an adventure in achievement? Why not discover what all you can do and what all you can have? Why not discover how many others you can help and in the process how that can help you?
Why not now take the Challenge to Succeed!
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn