Choosing Positive Self-Talk to Conquer Any Ambition

Do you feel as if you may be constantly talking yourself out of achieving success? The instant you begin to set in place aims for yourself, do you suddenly have nagging feelings about how you aren't capable of the task or how you just aren't qualified to carry it on?

If you have ever before gone through either scenario, you have got to shift how you answer to your internal dialogue. Rather than obeying your destructive commands, you can use positive self-talk to resist the negativity and beat virtually all stressed thoughts.

Preparing Goals and Sticking with Them using Positive Self-Talk

Are you, at first, full of enthusiasm when you first set goals for yourself? Are all of these thoughts then followed by uncertainty and self-defeating thoughts that stop you in your tracks well before you even make a start?

It can be very difficult to get the most from yourself when you are always talking yourself out of becoming successful. It is disheartening and discouraging, to have all these feelings always plaguing you. A lot of us, believe it or not, don't even realise we have them! All we know is that we don't have the self-assurance to follow our plans and arrive at our ambitions.

However there's another way!

Positive self-talk is a highly effective way to set aims and make sure you adhere to them, even when you've never been able to do this in the past. The way this works is that you figure out what goal is very important to you, and you plan the logistics of how you're likely to attain this goal. When self-doubt starts kicking in, you will react with statements and affirmations that establish your achievement while not giving up to the destructive stress. Seeing that you're reading through this page, it's very clear that you're no quitter and you're most certainly not a failure, so begin believing in your self!

Re-Programming Your Mind

Affirmations are, in essence, positive statements that re-program your mind for the positive. The instant you have a self-defeating thought you'd be ready to counter the negative with an encouraging affirmation. An example of a positive affirmation is: "I'm deserving of great achievement," or "I see myself in the champion's circle." What this does is replace negativity with thought processes which will assist you to move toward your goals instead of further removed from them.

Positive self-talk is much easier to implement than you might believe. You might not be aware of the extent of the negative talk presently in your mind. Yet, as soon as you start off with positive self-talk, you are going to all of a sudden realize that you're self-sabotaging the goals you set for yourself right from the moment that you make them. This practice can open up your eyes to just how much this inner dialogue has been interfering with your life. You'll really feel confident that you can now set targets and exceed them.

Through positive self-talk you'll be able to very easily set long and short-term goals for your self. And as soon as you use affirmations, you'll possess accessible tools to help you to propel yourself further than ever before. Learning to hush negative thoughts with positive thoughts is a superb move towards setting up and attaining long term goals in no time.

NLP in Action - How To Create Super Motivation (Part Two)

At some point, don't we all wish we had more motivation?

More motivation to quit a bad habit, more motivation to get started on an important project that will bring us more success in our life, or even more motivation to clean out the garage so our spouse will be happy.

We all have a list of things we want to do or things we wish we would stop doing, but we just can't find the motivation to do so. Well the good news, as many researchers in the field of NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) have made clear, is that such motivation can be created. And it can be created in a matter of a half hour or less.

The key is to create new links or pathways between certain behaviors and things we find either pleasurable or thins we find painful or uncomfortable. That's it, at the root of our motivations are the two triggers of pleasure and pain.

In the first article in this series, I put it like this: 

Every change we create in our behavior results from changing how we associate that behavior to either pleasure or pain. Our mind automatically creates these links, with or without our conscious awareness that an association exists.

Let's start with a simple example. Suppose you really enjoy skiing. You live for winter and that beautiful white powder. And when winter finally comes, you cannot wait to get on the slopes.

Using NLP conditioning, you can create a link between the pleasures you derive from skiing to any other activity you want to motivate yourself to do more of. Suppose you are also a college student and you are having difficulty motivating yourself to study. If you want to create a motivation to get yourself to study more, you can actually link studying with the same sensations you get when you are skiing.

In other words you can create an association between skiing and studying so that you find studying just as pleasurable as you do skiing.

In order to create this association, you must first break your target behavior (studying) into its individual components. These could be, finding a quiet place to study that is conducive to good learning. Gathering all your materials together so you will not have to leave. Actually sitting in the chair and opening your books, etc.

In the process of doing this, you may find that one particular component is what you put off doing. Perhaps it is just simply getting to the library to study. Throughout your day, you may engage in all kinds of other activities that prevent or delay your getting to the library (by the way, if all this sounds like I had experience in these kinds of avoidance behaviors, you would be right).

If you find a particular behavior is what you have been avoiding, you can focus your efforts on this one target activity. Continuing on with our example of getting yourself to the library and finding a quiet corner to study, create a strong visualization of yourself going to the library, finding a table and sitting down to study.

Create a visual image of yourself doing this very clearly. In the next article, we will discuss how to then create an association with the pleasure you derive from skiing to create that same pleasure with your studying.

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.

Get EXCITED! There Is Alot To Be Excited About - Always

I was talking a client the other day that shared with me that having read something that I sent to him that he was not excited, when he knew he should be - got me to thinking about the sadness I feel for those who are waiting for circumstances to shift before they get excited about their lot in the world.

I train people to discipline where their thoughts are focused daily - if we were to orient our thoughts - every thought we have everyday towards what we THINK, SAY, DO, BE in alignment with our ultimate game then we cannot but not win our game - sadly most people do not know what their game is. Excitement is not a by product, it is a choice. Excitement has a powerful resonance and if we live in gratitude for what a profound privilege it is to be alive, we would not squander one minute focusing on anything else but what forwards our game.

How many books do we need to read that state 'Be careful what you think for your thoughts create your reality'. If we are to believe this then we would quickly own how powerful we truly are in our resonance to only ever focus our thoughts towards the main game plan.

Most people listen to what I term static frequencies. Using the analogy of the radio, when we are travelling in our cars we would never stay on the static channel, we would always tune into the music, so what is your music? The disempowered static frequencies I speak of for human beings is 'Fear/Issues, Problems, Challenges/Confusion and the Inner Critic'. How on earth can we hear our intuitive voice through these frequencies? I have said it before and I will say it again, we were born fearless, intuitive and connected and then we learnt that life was not safe. The journey to raising ones awareness and coming home to being whole and complete requires one to reclaim their birthright - I cannot teach people to become intuitive, fearless, connected, I only need remind them to re-access what they came in with!

From a fabulous book entitled 'Ask and It Is Given', Jerry and Ester Hicks state:-

Why is it taking me so long to get what I want?

• It is not because you do not want it enough
• It is not because you are not intelligent enough
• It is not because you are not worthy enough
• It is not because fate is against you
• It is not because someone else has already won your prize

The reason you have not already gotten what you desire is because you are holding yourself in a vibrational holding pattern that does not match the vibration of your desire. That is the only reason - ever!

I truly align with this statement.

So I ask you today, why are you not excited about your life? What's stopping you generating excitement for everything that is transpiring in your life right now, the good, the bad and the indifferent? I choose to be excited for I know how powerful that resonance is to what I attract moment by moment. I have achieved a level of conscious competency with being THAT DISCIPLINED in where my thoughts are focused, for I know that I am the creator of my reality.

Circumstances shifting are not where your happiness and or excitement lies. Happiness and excitement are generated from choosing it! Like every other empowered emotion. I choose to be happy, I choose to be excited regardless of circumstance. The vigilance in being this disciplined comes from leading a committed life. I get people want to feel happy, want to feel excitement, but there is a big difference being committed to being happy, being committed to feeling excited. The difference between wanting something and being committed to something are RESULTS! Pure and simple. Most of us are waiting for the circumstances in our lives to change before we change, I am here to tell you, it is the complete reverse!

Your interpretation of what is not working in your life is only your interpretation. If your life is not exemplifying how you would like to be, it is because you are not committed (yet) to it being any different - here's the litmus test - if you did, it would be that way by now.

I welcome everything into my life as a lesson for my growth as a spiritual being. I resist nothing, I accept everything as my own creation. My mantra in life is this "if everything is perfect just the way it is and just the way it isn't who do I need to be being in this moment?'. Believe you me there are a lot of things that have happened in my past and in my current reality that do not occur as perfect but if I apply this life mantra I get to see the part I am playing in what I am attracting it.

So I will leave you with this simple formula for results:- Focus everything you DO, SAY, BE, THINK in alignment with your ultimate game. I know what my ultimate game is with crystal clear clarity - what's yours?

Giving Your Brain A Workout To Enhance Your Self Development!

Whеn undertaking self development fοr thе first time, wе firstly need tο reawaken ουr brain, wе need tο exercise ουr mind regularly. Thе fact іѕ whеn wе become stressed οr depressed ουr brain becomes very relaxed аnd lethargic tο ѕау thе lеаѕt. It doesn’t want tο corporate whеn іt comes tο аnу changes wе mау wish tο mаkе bе thеу physical οr mental.

Whеn wе exercise ουr mind аnd ουr thουght processes via self development techniques іt mаkеѕ υѕ feel healthier, more alive аnd more importantly іt gives υѕ thе nесеѕѕаrу gеt up аnd gο needed tο achieve ουr goals іn life аnd become successful.

Really self development іѕ a form οf meditation іn thаt іt helps υѕ focus οn аnd face thе stresses аnd tribulations іn life аnd mаkеѕ υѕ seek out thе necessary аnѕwеrѕ needed tο relieve thаt stress οr those tribulations.

Self development іѕ аbουt relaxation, іt іѕ аbουt being аblе tο gеt ones self іntο a complete state οf relaxation іn order thаt ουr minds аnd ουr bodies саn function correctly аnd аѕ one. It іѕ аbουt taking a close look аt ourselves аnd hοw others mау view υѕ.

Self development programming іѕ a form οf mental exercise, іt mаkеѕ ουr brains work, іt encourages ουr brains tο work out via thinking аnd working solutions out tο аnу problems wе mау hаνе thаt саn bе considered аn obstacle tο ουr ultimate goal whісh іt self improvement.

Thеrе аrе various forms οf exercise wе саn give ουr brains, such аѕ thinking positively аnd coming up wіth nеw аnd fresh іdеаѕ tο hеlр towards ουr self improvement.

Wе саn exercise ουr brains bу thinking аbουt ουr deep inner thουghtѕ аnd aspirations іn life. Bу bringing thеѕе thουghtѕ аnd aspirations out іntο thе open аnd analyzing thеm tο see іf thеу аrе conducive wіth thе nеw direction wе hаνе chosen tο take іn life аnd wіth ουr nеw self development program.

Another thing wе саn dο іѕ tο take detailed notes οf ουr thουghtѕ аnd thеn wе саn write down ѕοmе goals thаt wе wουld lіkе tο achieve аnd thеn compare thе two tο see іf ουr thουghtѕ аrе іn tune wіth ουr gaols. Yου see wanting something isn’t enough, уου οftеn hаνе tο change уουr thουght processes іn order tο bе аblе tο achieve уουr goals.

Yου especially need уουr thουghtѕ аnd goals tο bе іn tune wіth each οthеr whеn іt comes tο achieving success whether іt bе financially οr spiritually. Bу writing things down nοt οnlу аrе уου exercising уουr brain bυt уουr аlѕο conditioning іt tο future changes thаt mау occur.

Bу being positive іn уουr writing down οf goals уου аrе аblе tο hеlр change уουr thουght processes аnd bring thеm more іn line wіth уουr dreams аnd ambitions іn life.

Self development іѕ аbουt changing thе past fοr a nеw brighter future. In order tο mаkе thаt happen qυісkеr уου ѕhουld continue tο regularly write уουr dreams, aspirations аnd goals οn a piece οf paper. It іѕ recommended thаt уου dο thіѕ οn a daily basis аѕ thіѕ wіll hеlр nοt οnlу exercise уουr brain bυt аlѕο hеlр shape уουr thουght processes аnd encourage thеm tο realign themselves wіth уουr goals.

A healthy аnd active brain isn’t always whаt іt ѕhουld bе аѕ іѕ a lethargic аnd docile brain. It іѕ οnlу through self development thаt wе саn obtain thе сοrrесt state οf mind conducive wіth success.

Therefore іt іѕ іmрοrtаnt thаt wе carry out thе required mental exercises needed tο reach thаt goal οf self improvement.

Top Ten Tips on How to Get and Stay Motivated

Learning how to get and stay motivated isn't always an easy task. It's especially difficult when you're dreading the task at hand and are inclined to procrastinate. Below, are the Top 10 Tips to help you get motivated - and back on track. They will also help you stay on track so you achieve your goals and be even more successful.

1. Find what drives you. Are you driven by your own needs, by the need of your family, or by someone else? How about the needs of your clients? Are you willing to work 10-hour days because your client is in a pinch or because you desire the end result? Maybe your drive comes from paying off your debt and providing a better life for your family. ACTION STEP: Find what drives you and then exploit it to stay motivated and focused. Write it down and post it at your work station where you will see it frequently throughout the day.

2. Visualize the end result. Zoning in on the end result is one of the key steps in being able to understand how to get motivated. When you accomplish a goal, you feel a sense of excitement or triumph. ACTION STEP: Visualize how you'll feel once you accomplish each goal. Make a to-do list for the things you'd like to do once you get this task out of the way. Maybe you'll take a mini vacation with your significant other, make an appointment to get a massage, or take a day off and play golf. Hang that list where it will remind you frequently of the desired result.

3. Reward yourself. Aren't rewards the biggest motivator? Give yourself a tiny prize every time you accomplish something on your to-do list. Motivate yourself with a cup of coffee, a break to read your favorite books, or the time to take that vacation. ACTION STEP: Set up small rewards for each goal you achieve. Staying motivated is a heck of a lot easier when you've got something exciting in the immediate future to look forward to.

4. Change your scenery. Sometimes, it's just difficult to get motivated when you're looking at the same four walls hour after hour. Occasionally, all you need is a change of scenery to get the ball rolling. ACTION STEP: Shake things up by changing your scenery. If it's a nice summer day, get some work done while sitting on your porch. If you live in the city, head to a coffee shop and plop yourself down into a nice cushy chair, get a latte and get to work.

5. Plan ahead. Creating a realistic schedule is essential when trying to understand how to get motivated. ACTION STEP: Give yourself a set amount of time to complete each task and then move on. If you're not done before times up, save the task for the end of the day and reprioritize your to-do list for the following day.

6. Divide responsibility. You're not just an entrepreneur; you also have personal responsibilities that need your attention. If you have a spouse or children, consider delegating some responsibilities to them. Instead of using your break to drive to the post office and mail bills, ask your significant other if they have time to do it before he or she heads to work. If you usually wake up early to clean the house, give your 13-year old $20 to clean the house three times each week. ACTION STEP: Hold a family and/or team meeting to divide responsibilities throughout your household (and office) so you can free up your most valuable time to taking on the most high-impact actions.

7. Remember why you do this. You obviously became an entrepreneur for a reason. Perhaps you have a passion for what you do or it allows the flexibility you need in your schedule. Maybe your income provides great benefits to you or your family that would otherwise be minimal if it were not for your business. ACTION STEP: Constantly be mindful of why you do what you do - it's one of the best ways to easily get and stay motivated.

8. Use fear. This may seem like a dirty little trick, but sometimes it's a necessary evil to truly learn how to stay motivated. If you are unable to connect with why you do what you do, perhaps thinking of what would happen if you didn't will remind you. You may use this only as a last resort if nothing else seems to be working. ACTION STEP: Think of what you could lose if you don't get the task at hand completed. Analyze what's at stake and let the fear of losing these valuable things pump you into getting motivated!

9. Raise the Bar. Successful entrepreneurs know that constantly raising the bar is the true key to self improvement. Raising the bar each time you reach a goal will force you to advance your skills, become a strategic thinker and ultimately thrust you towards completing your responsibilities in a more efficient manner. ACTION STEP: Raise the bar every month or even every week. If you have a goal in mind, step it up one or two more notches, yet it must still be believable for you. You'll soon start to see your motivation (and your ability to achieve more) sky rocket.

10. Break a Sweat. It's no secret that exercising boosts your confidence and helps you stay motivated. Get active and clear your thoughts by taking a jog in the park each morning, swimming a lap in your pool during your lunch break or speed walking with your dog before work. Any kind of physical activity for thirty minutes or longer will help you get motivated and boost your levels of endorphins. ACTION STEP: Commit to 30-minutes per day of any type of exercise. Use your personal preference (morning, afternoon or night) to use your peak energy to the best advantage.

Follow these tips and action steps to help you get and stay motivated and you will continue to move closer to achieving your goals. Remember, it's about staying focused and disciplined, taking many positive steps forward while minimizing or eliminating the backwards steps, and committing to doing what it takes to get you where you want to be.

Learn How To Have A Happy Day

Every morning is a fresh opportunity for your life to take a new path. The day is at your disposal and can be anything that you want it to be. The real question is how to you ensure that you have a happy day?

Many people believe that they have no control over the day ahead of them. That everything happens by fate and that they are simply in for what life has in store for them. However, that is not true. There are some things that you can do to ensure that you have a happy day.

The first thing that you need to do is choose your attitude. It's easy to allow yourself to have your emotions swayed by the circumstances that you are in. Unfortunately this often leads to you feeling more negative than positive.

Rather than allowing that to happen it is better to choose your attitude and to stay strong in that choice. It is surprising how much of an effect your choice in attitude can have on your day. When you have a positive attitude you can take bumps in the road in stride.

One of the easiest ways to have a happy day is to simply put a smile on your face. When you smile it activates your muscle memory reminding you of times that were happy. That can make you feel more happy in a very short period of time. The great thing about a smile is that it doesn't take a lot of effort to make happen, yet it can bring about a significant change in your mood.

Another way to put yourself in a more positive mood is to count your blessings. All too often you may find yourself taking what you have for granted. This does not just mean material things. It can also mean those intangible things like love, faith, and security.

Take some time each and every day to cherish the blessings that you have in your life and realize how lucky you are to have them. Recognizing these things can instantly make you feel more happy and content each and every day.

To make yourself feel satisfied and happy it is also a good to finish things that you have started. It is not uncommon to have unfinished projects lying around, but these projects tend to hang over your head and overshadow everything that you do. The best thing that you can do to make yourself more happy is to finish some of those projects. That sense of satisfaction will bring a smile that you will not soon lose.

If all else fails one way to give yourself an emergency shot of happy is to take the focus off of yourself. Spend some time lending a hand to someone in need. This could be someone that you know or even someone that you don't. Sometimes volunteering to help others is exactly what you need to do to realize how much you have in your own life and how happy you should be in your life each and every day.