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June 30, 2011

Failure Leads to Success

At first glance, would you be able to tell the real gold from a fake one?

Just like majority of people, you probably won’t be able to tell since both have the same look, unless you have prior knowledge that one is real.

The same thing can be said of failure. In one glance, all failures might look the same because these lead to negative consequences and emotions. It is possible that hidden among these failures is one disguised as a nugget of success.

You have read in many e-zines, articles, and books that failure is a part of success. Failure is often camouflaged as success and acts as a guide towards success. This article emphasizes that failure is inevitable in your trek to accomplishment. In fact, it is the critical ingredient to success.

How do you deal with this critical ingredient?

Actually, all failures have the potential to become success stories. It is just a matter of using failure to your advantage. In this case, practice makes perfect. As you encounter more failures, you will learn what works and what does not.

For each failure, you are one step closer to success. This is the reason why you must not give up easily should failure occur. Intense belief in your capabilities motivates you to continue in pursuing what you are after.

You must not be afraid of failure; think of failure as a tool for success. Use failure as a tool in digging your mine of success. “So what if I fail! I may have failed now but that doesn’t mean I am completely abandoning my success goal. More failures? Bring them on! More failures mean more lessons that can be learned.” This is the attitude you must keep in your mind and heart to keep you going for the goal.

What if your resources are all used up? What if you are going bankrupt and accumulating debts? What if your assets are turning into liabilities? This is where your determination and intense belief in yourself come to the picture. If you sincerely believe you are going to make it to the top even if you have to pass through scourges of failure, go for it!

Make the most out of failures and learn from them. Try to keep track of your failures by listing them on a piece of paper. Use this list to find out the different causes of failures, and solutions you have used to overcome them.

Ask yourself: What did I do wrong? How can I do better? Asking difficult questions forces you to maximize the golden learning opportunity present in every failure.

Imagine yourself caught in the middle of a storm. What do you usually do?

When you are in the middle of a storm, you stop whatever you are doing and try to protect what you still have. You wait out the storm in a safe place and wait for the sun to shine. Amidst any turbulence, you must have the confidence that you will survive.

Failure is like a storm. It passes swiftly. It provides the opportunity for you to stop to think why, how, and where you went wrong. The solution you are looking for is the sunshine after the storm. You consolidate your resources, backtrack a little, do some adjustments, and then continue pursuing your objective.

Remember, all failures have the potential to become success stories. It is just a matter of using failure to your advantage. Failures make you wiser and may help you detect that hidden golden nugget of success.

Fear of Success

It is well documented that many people fail to achieve their goals in life due to the phenomenon known as "fear of failure" but are you aware that a major factor that is often overlooked, is a state known as "fear of success"?

Fear of failure will lead many people into inertia - the inability to make decision or take action in case they receive rejection or negative outcomes. This mental state is fairky easy to identify and there are many tools in the personal development industry to help combat this plague and reprogram the mind for success. However, the fear of success is much more subtle, harder to spot and also harder to eradicate.

Perhaps you have this tendency in your life. Here are some indications of a fear of success mentality.

Studying and trying to implement self-improvement techniques and/or personal development tools but your life does not improve or may even get worse.

You settle for less than you feel you deserve or are capable of achieving.

You start new projects full of enthusiasm and optimism but wane in your efforts or stop short before you have completed them.

You expect things to go wrong no matter how well the situation appears to be at the moment.

Can you identify your own patterns in the any of the above statements?

The fear of success can also make you behave in ways that hold you back. Look at the list below. These are ethe symptoms of the fear of success.

Procrastination - putting off what needs to be done or not doing what you know will bring you closer to your desired result. Everyone suffers from this inner 'demon' at some point in their lives (although some of us suffer from it more than others!).

Procrastination is a 'success killer'! How can you expect to reach your destination if you do not take steps towards it? Strive to do little things each day that will bring you small steps closer to your goal. This is why having a personal development plan is an essential ingredient in the fight against procrastination. Take action! Any action! Refine your steps as you go along but do not sit and do nothing. Taking action is one of the key aspects in personal development.

Can't see the forest for the trees! - this is almost the opposite of procrastination but has the same effect on your personal development. The aforementioned saying is well known but have you ever given it real consideration?

Don't get caught up in your plan believing that it is more important than the materialized goal! For many years I got caught in this trap. I started to think and act as though my plan was more important than my end result and thus missed many opportunities to alter my path and reach my goals more quickly! Let go of your ego and allow the Universe to show you a quicker route to your goal. Remain flexible.

Thinking that the time is not right - have you ever waited until the timing was perfect before starting a venture? Have you ever waited until you had more information on a better plan?

Again ACTION is the key to the door to success. Taking small steps forward are better than taking none or waiting to see if your foot is landing on the right spot! Even if your actions take you away from your goal you have at least gained insight and knowledge about what does not work!

Being a perfectionist - this is similar to the point above and has the same effect, namely, that you never really move forward. No matter how good a job is when its finished it can always be improved! I have heard many great musicians tell how they hate listening to their own songs because they can find a million things that need improved. Yet, we still enjoy them. I think a classic example of this is "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Paul Simon. This song is hauntingly beautiful yet Mr. Simon does not think its good enough!

Seeing only problems - how do you use your focus? Do you constantly see only and all the problems involved? If you are this way inclined it is pointless trying to change overnight! However, you can use this mindset to your advantage while you strive in your personal development to acquire an opportunistic frame of mind instead.

"How can you use seeing only problems to my advantage?" you say. "Easily", is my reply! Look at the problems and prepare a plan to deal with them. Every time you overcome one congratulate yourself. Use them as a gauge for your achievements. If you keep seeing more problems remind yourself of how well you dealt with the others. Look at how far you have come! If you see a problem ask yourself, "how best can I overcome this challenge?" or "how quickly can I rectify this situation?". The quality of your questions are important as I have outlined in a previous article. Use the problems as fact finders. Is there a real problem now? If so then deal with it. Is it a potential problem? If so then create a contingency plan in case it does occur but don't get caught up in it just be prepared.

Enjoy the journey, follow the above guidelines and you will achieve success. Eventually your fear of success will dissipate and you will have moved a long way forward in your personal development.

June 26, 2011

Brain Function and Exercise

Better brain function with exercise? The evidence is clear. Not only can you get long-term benefits for your brain from exercise, but you can boost you brain power in the next ten minutes. Exercise can help your brain work more efficiently and actually make you smarter.

The thinking ability of subjects was tested in one study. After these tests, the subjects ran on a treadmill for thirty minutes. When their hearts returned to normal resting levels they took the follow-up tests. During all tests the subjects were connected to an EEG (electroencephalogram), in order to track their brainwaves.

Researchers found that exercising had increased the speed their decision-making. It was considered a significant difference (beyond normal statistical variation). They also found that the subjects answered more accurately after the exercise than before.

Participants were between 18 and 24 years old, but researchers think the findings will hold true for other age groups as well.

One study showed that just ten minutes of moderate exercise each day can improve mood and reduce fatigue. Brain function specifically wasn't tested, but it seems likely that less fatigue means better brain power.

Best Exercise For Brain Function?

The research has focused more on the duration of exercise more than on the specific type. Aerobic exercise seems to be the common element in the studies that have shown improvements in brain function, however. It's likely that running, bicycling, swimming, dancing and any other aerobic exercise will have the same effect.

Notice that ten minutes of exercise is apparently enough to have effects on the brain. Also, while most scientists probably expected to find better brain function from long-term exercise programs, the study using treadmills showed an immediate effect. In other words, get up and run around, and you can be smarter ten minutes from now.

Some people find that walking is a great way to boost brain power. There are the aerobic benefits now being proven by recent studies, but there seems to be something more. It may be due to it's rhythmic and relaxing nature that many people report their clearest and most creative thinking when walking.

We already knew that exercise was good for sleeping better, a healthier immune system, weight control, and a lower risk of heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Now you can add brain power to that list. Why not take a walk today for better brain function?

June 22, 2011

Behaviors Causing Stress

Do you believe in predictions? Well, if you were educated you would know that no man or woman could predict our future. However, we all have the ability to predict our future. Sounds contradictory does it. Behaviors help us to determine how our lives will turn out. Behaviors are the manner in which we conduct our self on a daily basis. Behaviors are organisms that react to stimulus producing action and response.

Behaviors are formed when we first arrive in the world and the more we practice a certain behavior the more attached that behavior comes. How does behavior cause us stress? It depends on the person and the teachings the person endured throughout his or her lifetime, but many of us lack in development in one way or another. Since, we have religion, law, parents, teachers, siblings, employees, employers, peers and so forth playing a part in our life we often become confused since all of us have our own beliefs.

The best teacher in the world is your self. If you take the time to study, learn, listen, hear, practice good, and so forth you will have the ability to see your future is successful. You have a stress management that is surpassing any other management scheme, since no one can lead you if you choose to reject. It is good to take other people’s beliefs into consideration, however, investigating and collecting evidence that proves a fact is more beneficial than accepting everything your are taught or told.

For example, I am a logician. I take extremely complex problems and break them down to simplicity. This means I analyze each problem carefully weeding through the pile and eliminating any areas that produce negative results. I also collect and gather evidence to support my claims when I am finished, and this is a healthy practiced behaviors, since I do not lie, steal, or do anything that will cause another person harm.

As you can see from my example, my problems were minimized, since my behaviors are positive and my stress level is not controlling my life. We can review behaviors and teachers to grasp hold of a better understanding how behaviors cause stress. For example, his or her parents teach a child that speaking out of term in inappropriate. The child is punished each time he or she disobeys the parent.

We see a series of problems developing, since this teaching will tell the child during his or her development that it is not ok to speak up when someone hurts, violates, or induces other types of fears on this person. The person will go through life with the fear of punishment if he or she asserts self. How can we help this poor wrongfully taught individual find a way to reduce stress and avoid stressors? First, our parents are important people in our life that we believe in most cases that will not lie to us and believe these people have our best interest at heart. Now we see another problem, since this person will trust the parents before listening to someone else that tells him or her that they are safe and it is ok to speak your mind.

We can teach this person to practice self-talk first since self-talk is an approach that helps us to rely on self, rather than others. Self-talk is a method that tells us that we have control and that we have a right to determine what we think, feel and believe. The method teaches us to take responsibility and learn communication that is effective, since our thinking habits are in the process of change. We can also help the person by offering him or her the tool known as visual display.

Visual display is helpful since it allows us to stroll back into the past and review our learning so that we can sort through the facts and eliminate the lies. It teaches us to display a pictorial event in our mind and then role-play to see if what we were taught is true.

Think of a time in your life that you spoke up and no one hurt you or punished you for your action. Think about how many times this happened and what the consequences of your behavior led to. Practice these techniques daily to learn a new method that benefits you and your life. If you do not see prediction by now in behaviors, then you probably never will.

June 18, 2011

Anger Management Strategies And Advice

This article looks at strategies and gives advice to help people control their anger. I am sure that we all become angry from time to time and want to lash out at the people who are annoying us or who have let us down. This is course is not the answer and the article gives tips on how we should be responding to these situations.

I used to easily become angry and could not believe the way certain people were treating me. I wanted to teach them a lesson which would help them to mend their ways. The only way I could think of responding was by shouting at them, threatening them or by using violence against them.

I will give you an example of a situation where a person basically cheated me out of a large sum of money. I was looking at turning my front garden into a driveway and I had a number of people around to the house, all of which gave me a quote for the work.

I decided to accept a quote from John who seemed a very nice and trustworthy man. Him and his team spent a couple of days laying the drive during which I was keeping them well supplied with foods and drinks, we all got on very well.

He advised me not to park my car on the new drive for a few days to let it settle and become hardened. I waited a week and then drove my car onto the new driveway. To my horror the driveway dipped and I later found out from a friend that they had not put any hardcore (I think that is what it is called) down.

I tried to contact John but he did not answer his phone, I went round to see him and he would not answer his door. I became more and more angry and started to plan my revenge.

Walking away

I had many options through the courts which I could and did pursue. It was a lengthy process and John basically did not have any money to repay me despite eventually admitting responsibility.

I have now decided to let nature take its course and to walk away. This is not just from the situation above but from any similar event.

When me wife annoys me, I will just walk away to compose myself. I was once told to count to ten which is certainly a good idea. Being angry, like the way I always used to be, is not good for my health and causes me to become stressed, to become depressed and to lose sleep.

I now see people as apples in a bucket. Out of ten apples, three will be rotten. Instead of feeling angry at the rotten apples, I feel sorry for them.

I firmly believe in God and have now decided that I do not need to seek any form of revenge as he will be judge and jury on judgement day. At this stage these people will have nowhere to hide.

Living life this way is far easier for me and I only wish I had had this approach and form of anger management technique, years ago.

June 4, 2011

As I Lay Me Down To Sleep …

What do you do before you go to sleep at night?

I don’t mean brush your teeth and change into your nice blue pajamas with the little white sheep on.

I mean what do you do in your head?

Do you think about anything specific? The next day? The day you’ve just got through?

Or do you tap into an incredibly powerful part of you and set it to work, so that it gets the whole night to work on things for you so when you wake up you have answers to questions you asked?

I bet you’d like to know how to do that wouldn’t you?

Well, the good news is, it’s simple, so easy, even I can do it!

Okay, I’ll tell you … here’s the secret.

When you go to sleep at night, it is only your conscious mind that sleeps. Your sub-conscious mind keeps on working. If it went to sleep, you’d have a few problems as it controls important things like your breathing and heart! So naturally, it keeps working and is “awake” all night long.

Now your sub-conscious mind just happens to be rather good at processing information and connecting random dots to make works of art.

So when you go to sleep, focus your mind on the things that are bothering you and ask your sub-conscious mind to help.

Naturally, I decided I was going to experiment with this on myself and see what it would do. For a number of weeks I used to say this to myself every single night when I put my head on the pillow, before I went to sleep.

“I ask my sub-conscious mind to work on all of my issues and challenges in life and replace them with positive, empowering programs.”

I did this for a couple of days and to be honest, I didn’t really feel much.

I decided to keep it up because I was curious what would happen if I did and if it really would be effective.

Anyway, about day 3 or 4 I started to feel a bit perkier than normal. I found myself feeling a bit more positive, more bouncy and I started to do things that I had been putting off for ages (and by ages, I mean months!).

I didn’t really think anything of it, but kept my experiment up. About a week after I started I was feeling really good and very bouncy and full of life.

Again, I thought nothing of it, not connecting my pre-bedtime intention with this change.

Then one day a friend happened to ask me if I’d been taking happy pills because I was annoyingly positive and then it hit me.

Every night for the last ten days or so I had been setting this intention and gradually I had been feeling better and better. It wasn’t a massive change all of a sudden, just a series of small changes.

I smiled at my friend and jumped around very excitedly sharing with her what I had been doing and the results it was having for me.

Of course, she was really excited and has been doing exactly the same every night since and is still shocked by how such a little thing is having such a big difference.

So, when you go to sleep at night as you set your alarm clock, set your intention too, and wake up and feel the difference!

June 3, 2011

"Life With Woody" 10 inspirational quotes than can improve yourself

It might take a little coffee or probably a few rounds of beer or any other booze you could get your hands on when it comes to relaxing after a hard day's work. Well, yeah I'm guilty about that one as well, unless I'm caught dead wearing a lampshade over my head after a few rounds of vodka… half-naked! Okay, bad example and I apologize to everyone reading this after getting nightmares about me in that state of drunken stupor.

Just don't ask how it happened, please.

But what's really interesting is that how do people go through the usual part of life when faced with vein-popping stress? I mean, the new age thing like Zen or yoga is one of the good things and it actually works. Is there room for the intellectual side of people who can actually smell the roses-in-a-can while on the move? It kind of had me thinking that there really must be something in this 'mind-over-matter' thing.

Humor is indeed the best medicine there is whenever you are. I mean anyone can pay good money to listen to a comedian just to make you wet your pants after laughing so hard. Despite of what's been happening, and to those who has gone though the ordeal, it's better to just laugh while facing the troubles with a clear mind than anger with a clouded vision. One of my favorite celebrities of all time may have to be Woody Allen. Now this is one guy who gives you the in-your-face bluntness that he pulls out with gusto, even without even trying. You can talk just about anything with a man, and he's bound to mock the subject and you'll end up laughing rather than being upset about it.

Woody Allen has this to say:

1. "Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons." It sounds good to me, I mean the practicality of all things does involve money but it doesn't have to take an arm and a leg to get it.

2. "I believe there is something out there watching us. Unfortunately, it's the government." 'Nuff said.

3. "There are worse things in life than death. Have you ever spent an evening with an insurance salesman?" This happens to be one of the classic ones. I mean the issue about life's little problems isn't all that bad, until 'he' shows up.

Sure, relationships can get complicated, or does have its complications that probably any author about relationships is bound to discover it soon. We follow what our heart desires, unless you're talking about the heart as in the heart that pump blood throughout your body.

4. "Love is the answer, but while you're waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty interesting questions." And if you want more, just keep on asking!

5. "A fast word about oral contraception. I asked a girl to go to bed with me, she said 'no'." It sounds, 'practical', I think.

And when it comes to everyday life, he really knows how to make the best out of every possible scenario, and it doesn't involve a lawsuit if he strikes a nerve.

6. "Basically my wife was immature. I'd be at home in the bath and she'd come in and sink my boats." I never had a boat in my bathtub before. Just staring at it while soaking in hot water makes me seasick already.

7. "I am not afraid of death, I just don't want to be there when it happens." If it rains, it pours.

8. "I am thankful for laughter, except when milk comes out of my nose." It could get worse when you're guzzling on beer… or mouthwash, and it happened to me once!

9. "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans." At least he doesn't smite us with lightning, and I'm thankful for that.

And despite of what may happen to all of us in the next ten, twenty, or even thirty years, I guess we all have to see things in a different kind of light and not just perspective. I can't seem to imagine life without any piece of wisdom that could guide us. Whether we're religious or not, it takes more courage to accept your fears and learn how to deal with them is all that matters when it comes to even just getting along.

And to sum things up, here is the last nugget of wisdom to go by… however, whenever, and wherever we may be.

10. "The talent for being happy is appreciating and liking what you have, instead of what you don't have."

Ciao!