5 Tips On How To Live A Successful Life

Everyone is constantly seeking the secrets to true success - and most people have their own opinions of what true fulfilment is. There is no one clear-cut formula, although here are some tips on how to live a successful life.

Learn, Discard, Create. Absorb what is useful, Discard what is not, Add what is uniquely your own. All throughout life, we are educated and forced to learn things about life. Not all of these things will be useful for our future. Take into your heart everything you know will be good for you. Then, discard the expendable information, because they only confuse the mind. One should note that the reason these things are taught in school is because you and your classmates will have different roles in the future. Your algebra might be useful to a future architect classmate, but absolutely useless to a newspaper writer. It is up to you to discern which information is good for you, and which ones are not. It is a known fact that we must seek proper training and education in order to be experts in anything we want to be, so embrace education and learning. Then, after acquiring proper knowledge, apply what you learned to your life. Add a dash of uniqueness and make your life your own by adding your personality. This way, you know that the knowledge you acquired, combined with application in real life, plus your additional perspective makes for a life lived to the fullest.

Go beyond your limitations. Most great people who made a major impact in the world were told that they cannot do it - either they were too poor, too inexperienced, too unattractive, or too weak to make it as a success in life. Don't let your limitations you were given to dictate your future. Learn to break the barriers. Be open to change, and believe you can do it. If anything, use these initial setbacks to motivate yourself into doing more than you thought possible. Think positive, because an attitude of positivity greatly influences your actions - and of course, the results of your actions.

Set goals. Ever gone through a phase of your life and realize that you don't really have a goal? Always have something to work at - to work for. This serves as the itinerary of your life. Every major or minor decision you make should be geared towards the fulfillment of that goal. And when you set goals, be patient and be flexible. Don't be discouraged by delays or minor setbacks. No success is sweet if it took almost no effort to get it. Don't snap at people if you don't get our way. To be a successful person, your goals must not only be for your own benefit, but for the good of everyone in your life. And to really be successful, you must be in harmony with everyone else. No real success is borne out of the misery of others. Remember karma - you reap what you sow. Don't step on anybody's toes on your way to the top. It's lonely being alone on your pedestal.

Create your own destiny. You are the master of your life - it's no one else's life but yours. In other words, only you can work towards your own success - because if you merely relied on others to achieve your goal, then all you did was watch, not work. What good is success if it were merely handed over to you on a silver platter? That's not real success, but mere inheritance. And usually, since you did not work hard for your "success," it's easy to lose it. People who work hard for things have the general tendency to value their achievements more. It's easy to spend an entire cash gift in minutes, but you take longer in planning and deciding how to spend your hard-earned money. It's exactly the same in life - it's hard to let go of a fulfilled dream and let it dwindle into nothingness, especially if you sweat blood to achieve it.

Have a clear conscience. Have integrity. This is probably one of the most ignored aspects of success. What good is success if you achieved it in not-so-good ways? Always strive to be the best person you can possibly be, because it is better to be unsuccessful and poor, than be successful financially but dishonest. This last tip is the tip that will give you inner and emotional success. It's the one which will give you peace of mind. As Zig Ziglar said, "Money will buy you a good comfortable bed, but it will not buy you a good night's sleep."

Self-Confidence - Don't Leave Home Without It

"Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings."
- Samuel Johnson

As a child, I was quiet and shy and I thought Self-Confidence was 
something you either had or didn't have - like being tall or having 
red hair. Actually, I thought it was something that the "lucky" 
people had. Fortunately for me, I learned that Self-Confidence is 
a quality that can be developed. In fact, I find Self-Confidence 
to be a wonderful byproduct of understanding and applying the Law 
of Attraction. With the Law of Attraction, you can enjoy the Self-Confidence 
that comes from knowing who you really are, from knowing how life 
works, from knowing how to make your dreams come true. With the 
Law of Attraction, the Self-Confidence is available to everyone.

Having lived without a lot of Self-Confidence in my younger years, 
I can tell you - Life is MUCH better with it. Self-Confidence opens 
doors. It allows you to live fully, to get in the game, to play 
full out. With Self-Confidence, you apply for the promotion, start 
the business, say YES to opportunities. With Self-Confidence, life 
is richer and fuller and a whole lot more FUN!

Self-Confidence starts with seeing something you want to do and 
giving it a try. Michael Jordan wasn't born knowing how to play 
basketball, but he had a desire to play and it turned out he was 
pretty good at it. Lance Armstrong wasn't born with the skill and 
endurance to win the Tour de France seven consecutive times, but 
he got on the bike and built confidence along the way. Self-Confidence 
is a quality we all possess - a quality we can develop from the 
inside out.

Self-Confidence - like everything else - is a choice. You can CHOOSE 
to be more Self-Confident. At those times when you feel insecure, 
uncertain, or powerless, remind yourself that you're in charge and 
you can choose how you feel. You can choose to feel self-assured, 
certain, decisive, and positive. Here are seven ways to adopt an 
attitude of Self-Confidence:

• To be a confident person, ACT like a confident person. Think 
of someone who appears to be brimming with confidence and BE like 
them.

• Ask yourself: "What can I do to feel more confident?" 
Choose one thing you can do today to increase your feelings of Self-Confidence 
and do it. Take the first step. "A journey of 1000 miles..."

• Look your best - even if you work at home, even if you're 
a stay-at-home mom, even if there doesn't appear to be any real 
reason to care about your appearance. It's a way to respect yourself 
and you'll be ready to answer the door when opportunity knocks.

• Because belief is just a thought you keep thinking, keep 
thinking thoughts such as: "I AM a confident person. I radiate 
Self-Confidence. I project an aura of Self-Confidence." Think 
and FEEL these kinds of affirmations and your Self-Confidence will 
go through the roof!

• Focus on what you love and appreciate and value about yourself. 
Once you get focused on your positive aspects, you'll realize how 
great you truly are!

• Notice when you DO feel confident. Maybe someone gave you 
a compliment, thanked you for a job well done, asked you for a date. 
FEEL the satisfaction, the pleasure, the confidence. The more you 
FEEL it, the more Self-Confidence will become your dominant vibration.

• Here's an exercise to amp up your Self-Confidence in an 
even bigger way. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, relaxing your 
body to completely. As you relax and breathe slowly, summon up the 
FEELING of Self-Confidence from your core. Let this feeling flow 
throughout your body. Now imagine yourself in a situation where 
you want to feel supremely Self-Confident. Perhaps you see yourself 
making a presentation at work, submitting your manuscript to a publisher, 
or interacting with others at a social event. Visualize yourself 
feeling and behaving with ease and grace in this situation. Play 
the scene over and over again in your mind as you FEEL self-assured 
and empowered. Savor the joyful, powerful, fully alive feeling of 
Self-Confidence. As you open your eyes, set your intention to be 
able to summon up this wonderful state of Self-Confidence whenever 
you desire.

As you know, Self-Confidence is an inside job. It's about trusting 
yourself, believing in yourself, knowing, loving and respecting 
yourself. If there's something you want to do, summon up your Self-Confidence, 
align your Energy and go for it. Self-Confidence: Don't leave home 
without it!

Isn't Goal Setting a waste of time, is It Really Important?

The importance of goals cannot be overstated. Goals are an exceptionally strong motivational tool that provides us with a target that we can focus on.

Goal setting is indeed very important if you want to live a planned life. Whether its personal goals or professional goals, goal setting will lead to self-improvement and teach you the benefits of being disciplined.

Goal setting, however, is not a simple task and takes some experience.

So how should we go about setting goals that provide us with the maximum benefit?

1. Understand goals know full well, what a goal is.

For example, setting a goal like 'retire at 45' is significantly different from setting a goal to finish the first three chapters of the book you're writing within a month.

The former is more of a personal mission statement rather than a goal. While the distinguishing line is not that thick, understand that goals should have measurable targets and a timeline over which major constraints can be mapped and planned for.

2. Set your targets.

Given the understanding of what a goal is, the next step is to establish measurable targets for each of the goals you are setting. The target would usually be in the form of a deliverable with certain characteristics.

If there are multiple deliverables, map them out with the requirements of each deliverable and prioritize them.

3. Identify resources.

Identify the resources available with you that will be required to achieve the above targets. The most important measure, typically, is the 'personal hours' that you think will be required in the completion of each task.

In addition, identify any other resources (for example, hardware, additional personnel etc) that might be required to be procured by you for the tasks.

4. Map out constraints.

The effectiveness of most goal setting exercises lies predominantly in this stage. You need to be smart about identifying constraints that will affect the overall timelines associated with the completion of a task.

For example, an employee might be going on vacation, or one particular aspect of a task might require external expertise that will be required to be availed at that point etc. While environmental factors lead to a number of evolving constraints that cannot be planned for, in-built or foreseeable constraints should be mapped to the best of your knowledge.

5. Set your goals.

Given an understanding of the targets, resources, and constraints, set your goal. The key here is to set goals that require you to stretch a little beyond your comfort level. This ensures that you remain motivated, have a competitive timeline and remain disciplined in your approach.

6. Monitor progress.

Have ready, a formal schedule and process for monitoring your progress. Quantitative targets lend themselves well to a disciplined approach towards monitoring your progress. But understand that you will not necessarily be able to defined quantitative measures of progress across all tasks that you undertake.

Where you find yourself unable to set meaningful quantitative targets, use your knowledge to set defined milestones that will help you map and monitor your progress.

7. Be flexible.

Though it may sound contradictory to the general emphasis laid on being disciplined in goal setting, a big part of being effective at setting goals is in understanding that every task is influenced by a number of factors, not all of which are under your control.

Hence, effective goal setting requires that you be flexible and adapt to changing conditions quickly.

Goal setting is one of the most powerful tools to get organized and focus your energies efficiently.

It is however, also a tool which is extremely difficult to implement and can frustrate you as you struggle to utilize it.

The key is in remembering that there are no universal solutions and you need to fine tune the process to best suit your circumstances and characteristics. Monitor your efficacy at it on an ongoing basis and you will perfect the art.

Whyfore Art Though? Finding and living Your Purpose.

It's been said that great minds have purpose while others just have wishes. At some point in your life you've probably asked yourself the question "why am I here?" I think that most people with a healthy mind often ask this question and mostly at points in their lives when they are forced to take a time out. Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living and it is from examining our lives that we can look at it afresh and get a new perspective on why we are really here.

I believe that we all have a purpose for being here. There is a reason why you are here in this universe and that there is a specific role for you to fulfil. Even though this is a belief, I do think that anyone who is in touch with their spirit (or soul or other self) will know that there is a part of you that long for more than just the day to day physical needs of life. We all long for more and this longing, in a sense is fulfilled by your purpose. Your purpose in life is not a pre-assigned role, but rather a decision that you make as a result of introspection. There is no black board in the sky on which your purpose is written. There is however feelings and experiences that you long to experience while you are here and your purpose is what will cause you to experience, feel and be that which you long for on the deepest level of being a human "being."

The original Latin meaning of the word purpose is derived from the word intention; meaning that your purpose is there by (your) design and is something that you intend either consciously or unconsciously. When you intend for something to happen you are the one that makes it happen; it is not something or someone outside of yourself. Most people spent all their lives waiting for "a sign" as to what their purpose is. They spend all their lives trying to find their purpose instead of just deciding and using the power of intent to make things happen. Nelson Mandela as a young man saw things he did not like and he decided that his purpose in life will be to rid the world of racial inequalities. This became the very reason for him living and even though his purpose lead him on a very rocky road, his purpose did not change. All this was born in a truly committed decision. His committed decision lead to a definiteness of purpose; something that did not change, despite all the odds being against him. He found a purpose that was much bigger than himself that gave him leverage to achieve the impossible.

With a strong sense of purpose you can achieve virtually anything. Purpose is what gives you the reasons for doing something. In life there is a big difference between what you can do and what you actually do and the results usually comes down to your motivation. Motivation is nothing but having a strong sense of purpose; a sense of knowing why you do what you do. When people don't know why they are doing something they will rarely do it full-out and they will rarely stick with it long term. Purpose is the engine of human motivation. Purpose give you the reasons why and in with strong enough reasons "why to" you will find the "how to's" - reasons come first and the answers come second as a result of the why.

Purpose therefore gives you power. It gives you the power to persist and take action until you succeed. When you say that someone did something "on purpose" you are actually saying that he was responsible for doing it and that it is because of him that it happened. When you use your mind, your body and your emotions you have the ability to bring into being virtually anything on purpose. By intending for it to happen you can make it real. With a strong purpose you are able to tap into the unlimited resources that are within you; resources that become available because you feel compelled to make it happen. When it is a must you will find within yourself the resources to make it happen. When what you want is merely a wish, it is only a "should" that might only come together when it is convenient. Musts happen regardless of your circumstances or situation for it is your very purpose. It is your reason for being. Nelson Mandela was able to change the way a whole nation thought and he even broke down barriers all over the world from the confines of a prison cell. With a strong enough purpose nothing can hold you back.

Discovering and living your purpose is all there really is for you to do in this life. It is like the axis of the wheel of your life and it holds everything in your life together. Your purpose gives meaning to everything you do and provides you with an inexhaustible well of resources to truly achieve whatever you set out to achieve or accomplish. The ironic thing however is that when you are on purpose all the "things and stuff" do not matter for the feeding of your purpose is what you truly long for and it needs no external satisfaction other than the experience.

Great minds have a purpose and it is usually a purpose that goes beyond themselves; beyond what they will "get". With their purpose they serve humanity. You can only find that much drive to serve and uplift yourself, but when you turn your attention to a cause much bigger than yourself you can find a purpose that has immense power to propel you to do virtually anything; even that which most people think of as impossible. The human spirit is truly one of love as we will do more for others than we will ever do for ourselves. When you find something that you can serve that goes beyond your personal gains you will discover that life's greatest joys is in giving; in giving the gift the you are.

Can The Power Of Positive Thinking Really Change Your Outlook On Life?

While everybody has probably heard of the term positive thinking, not everybody believes it is something that can be used successfully. Most of the people who are skeptic about positive thinking power have never tried using it, so they just don't understand just how successful it can be nor do they understand how powerful positive thinking is. Positive thinking alone can change your entire outlook on life and so much more, if it is used correctly.

One of the best things about positive thinking being powerful enough to change your outlook on life is how much other stuff will change with it. People who sit back and focus on the negative aspects of life are often negative people; they are not very fun to be around. If you think about it, you probably have a few acquaintances that are always being negative, saying stuff can't be done. These people tell themselves often enough that things can't be done, so they have convinced themselves that it is impossible to do.

Something else interesting to note about positive thinkers is that they are the ones that people always want to be around. If you think about this, it probably already makes sense to you. Nobody wants to be around the negative people, but everybody wants to be around positive people. One reason why positive people are so fun to be around is that they are always happy and in an upbeat mood. These moods actually rub off and other people and make them feel good, which is why so many people like to surround themselves with positive thinking people. So in order to use positive thinking power to change your outlook on life you not only have to start using it, but you also need to surround yourself with other positive thinkers.

In order to begin using positive thinking to change your outlook on life you will need to learn how to use it effectively. Many people assume that all there is to using positive thinking is telling yourself a few positive words each day. However, in order to use positive thinking to its full advantage there are quite a few different things that you need to do. Positive thinking is more than just telling yourself that things are going to be fine, it is also about your attitude.

One of the most important things to do when using positive thinking is to only use positive words. This not only applies to your thoughts, but also any words spoken aloud. You want to avoid all of the negative words, such as cannot, will not, not able to, etc. Instead, focus on the positive words that make it seem like anything is possible. For example instead of saying I am not sure I can do something say I can do this. If you find a negative thought coming in, which is possible even if you are working hard, you simply need to redirect your line of thinking, kind of like that old saying "Turn that frown upside down."

Before you go out to do something, no matter how small the task might be, you will want to take the time to visualize what it is you will be doing. When visualizing the plan you want to visualize one that has a successful outcome, don't think about any kind of failure. Concentrating on the outcome that you want and having faith that you can make that outcome happen is the best thing you can do to ensure you are successful.

Moreover, most importantly you want to surround yourself with other positive people, but also other positive things. For example, instead of watching movies that make you feel sad or angry watch movies that make you happy. Reading inspirational books is another huge step to changing your outlook on life, but you can also read other books that make you happy. Just make sure you are reading one page of an inspirational book each day to help flood your mind with those positive and happy thoughts.

Now that you know how to use positive thinking effectively, you need to make sure that you are doing it properly. You are not going to be able to successfully change your outlook on life simply by spending a few minutes each day telling yourself that things are going to be fine, you have to put some time and energy into this process in order to be successful. So what are you waiting for go out there and get started!