Writing Down Your Thoughts Will Make You a Better Thinker

So many things happen around us each day that it's nearly impossible for us to remember them all. Although, our thought process is quite complicated, still it can be fascinating enough. All we need to do is maintain a journal, and daily write down all the things that happened throughout the day. Once we make this our habit, we will find that our thought process has improved, and can remember all the details, which otherwise we would not have recalled under normal circumstances.

However, make sure to write down your thoughts in a casual manner, and do not analyze them too much. This way you will be able to write down your exact thoughts and will have the freedom to know how you feel about certain topics.

For instance, if you are writing about a special event which you want to remember for times to come, then make sure to pick up all the minor details of that event and write down whatever you remember about it. This will allow you to once again cherish all those moments with clear pictures in mind.

To improve your thought process, make it a habit of writing down something each day. Most of the individuals prefer to write at a day's end, which helps them to relax and settle down in the evening. On the other hand, there are those who love to write in the morning, which helps them get inspiration for that day. However, if you do not like the idea of writing down about the events, which take place on a daily basis, then you can make it a habit of writing about your dreams and later interpret them.

We all have certain goals in our life and we all want to accomplish them. By writing down such goals we get a step closer to achieving them. We become more focused towards our goals, as we have in writing that what we need to achieve and what we must work towards. However, keep in mind to place such information in a place that is in clear sight, so that you can go through it each day.

Set a fixed time to write it down each day. It really doesn't matter whether you write it for 20 minutes or 2 hours, but what really matters is to follow this routine on daily basis. You can write about other subjects too, and there's no need to worry about the grammar or sentence structure. Your focus should be towards making your mind work freely and write whatever is in your mind.

In fact, there is a therapy that helps people write down their thoughts. It allows them to clear their mind of other irrelevant thoughts and write down the info that is relevant to the subject matter. Besides, many individuals found such therapy quite helpful in relaxing them and reducing their stress. However, keep in mind that it's not necessary to completely rely upon such therapy. The whole process should be natural and you have to casually write whatever you remember. The more you make this a habit the better will it be for you to read them again and enjoy them.

Article Source: Writing Down Your Thoughts Will Make You a Better Thinker

What is the Path to Success?

Self Improvement – The Clear Path To Success

By Don Weyant/Founder SelfImprovementBrain.com

As the Self Improvement saying goes, "the wiser I become, the more I know how much more there is to know."

The tools I share worked for me. They are not the only way, but a way: a way that has guided me towards a level of internal peace and an unconditional love of self. This kind of love transcends judgement and blame. 

It doesn't mean goody-goody, nicey-nicey.

It does mean balanced sharing, acceptance of self and reality in all moments, service in a non-judgemental state, compassionate loving allowance. 

Important as the journey of unfolding the inner love through self-discovery and enlightenment is, it is as important to enjoy life, to be able to develop the ability to laugh at our antics, play with our children, to have balanced sharing, laughter, and a joyful outlook on life while having the time of our lives all along the way. In short 'lighten up'.

Do not get caught up in the process of attaining your dream where you forget to live life.

Smile, laugh, and play like a child in the mystery of the breath that supports life. If your focus remains in attainment, you will always be attaining. See your dream as a reality. A reality you are already living internally by allowing the adventure to empower self through the passion of living wholly your moment-to-moment experiences.

Unfold an expanded level of self-awareness by being aware of the reality you are creating.

Continue and build upon the knowing that all that is created is for purpose and good. The purpose is to learn what you are requiring to learn so you can project an expanded level of the internal love. Discover within the created situation what it is you desire to know.
Check yourself emotionally; are you holding onto any fear? 

If so, remember: fear creates losses.

If not, go beyond the quest, so you can see yourself as you desire to see yourself. Have faith that whatever is for your highest good will be given unto you. Then follow your heart, your first inclination of direction. 

Through your daily prayers and meditations, continue to ask for guidance, offer your concerns to a higher source, then go about your day in full faith that your highest good will unfold in perfect timing.

Realize that any form of doubt is created through the limiting aspect of the mind, drawing from past experiences, or future fears of what ifs. Limitations that in reality, have nothing to do with the moment now.

Create your dream through the knowing that your worth is not from anything external you place in your life, yet you are worth all things.

Employing a trust that crates a position of strength stability, abundance and the peaceful power that refined unconditional love (love in its purest form) always supports. 

Creating from fear, a sense for of one's perception of love, may be a motivation to act (i.e., if I don't do this, I won't eat). 

It is however, the ability to move through the fear that dis-empowers self, so you can expand your levels of self-realization, inner fulfilment, and abundance in all areas of life.

Article Source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/self-improvement-the-clear-path-to-success

We all need a little help in life to inspire us and push us closer towards our goals

Whatever goals you have be it financial, spiritual, or personal; we all need a helping hand to inspire us and keep us on track.  Here is a a great article on why you should consider a life coach.

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Life Coaches help you with ways to Inspire Yourself for moving ahead in Life

Finding a life coach if you belong to the international black community is not that difficult nowadays. However, there are still things to think about before you hire someone to help you get through a phase of life or understand your spiritual being in great detail. There are concerns you need to understand and find solutions for. Your life isn't turning put the way you thought it would and you are seeking answers for your failure all over; however, if you aren't spiritually inspired, you may find it difficult to find solutions for problems that are giving you a really hard time. These are the situations when you are looking for ways to inspire yourself, but you aren't able to find any.

Life coaching can be the answer to all the questions hitting you hard all the time. The feeling of discontentment and the feeling of being lost in a world that has nothing for you are some situations that would require someone to be with you and help you let go of yourself.

As you look for a life coach, make sure you find someone from the African-American community, who will have the knowledge of problems that are specific to this community.

A lot of people confuse life coaching with counseling; however, the basis of both of these has a stark difference. Counseling helps people in dealing with their psychological and mental problems by carefully studying their history. On the other hand, life coaching is something that believes in creating newer opportunities and helping a person see life with a more positive frame of mind. When you start asking yourself - why is this happening to me, why has God put me in this miserable state and why did he even sent me on this earth; you seriously need a life coach to get you out of this hazardous situation. With time and proper coaching, you will develop a frame of mind that will help you finding a way out of these tough situations, and leading a life of happiness and fulfillment.

All you need to do is to conduct an introspection of your inner self, start taking responsibility for all your actions and to bring the drive back into your life to do better things. When you will be able to let yourself be and get your act together, it will be smooth sailing as usual for you.

Spiritual Life coaches empower you to tread a path that brings you happiness, health and wealth.

Article Source: Life Coaches help you with ways to Inspire Yourself for moving ahead in Life

How easy is it to think positively?

How To Start Think Positively?

Positive Thinking is the possibility thinking, which holds a magical power within it.

The first step of positive thinking process is to avoid negative thoughts. Initially, you may get difficulty to always think positively. It will take some time, one or two months. If negative thoughts come to enter into your mind, tell them" I am a positive thinker, I don't allow useless fellow like you". You can't stop negative thoughts, but you can control. You should have complete control of your mind.

If you are committed to your thoughts, you could see the power of the positive thinking. Once you start thinking positively, it will get accelerate, then you could concentrate more on your goal. Everything depends on our thinking, if we think that is possible, 100% possible. Always think like a winner and make winning a habit. Even under any circumstance, don't think negatively. Try to mingle with positive people and get some positive points from them.

Build up strong desire and determination to be positive and optimistic. Making yourself open to the new possibilities plays a vital role in thinking positively.      

Positive thinking is like a search engine, if you enter a right keyword, you will get results of accurate pages, likewise if you think positively, you will see dozens of new possibilities. Stop negative forces, remove negative thoughts and start thinking positively. Begin your day by seeing your face in the mirror with a pleasant smile and do the same before going to the bed.

Once you start thinking positively, don't look towards bad past incidents. Your attention should only be towards what you want to achieve. Read the biography of successful persons, that effectively inspires you, and fill up your mind with positive thoughts. Note down good things by the end of everyday.

You should have at least a single objective or goal, which helps you to adapt to the positive mindset rapidly. Objective means what is your quality or interest. Only having objective or goal is not enough in this case, you also need to work wholeheartedly and with dedication towards fulfilling reaching your goal. Always think "what I can do".

Meditate daily at least for 10 minutes (preferably in the early morning), during that period, think about your that day's works and also think "how I can do that works in the best possible manner". Try to be cool, calm and enthusiastic. Love and respect yourself, which is key to start thinking positively.

Article Source: How To Start Think Positively?

When things get tough financially - Stop|Assess|make a plan to transform

Sometimes we find ourselves in situation that will cause us to panic, the key thing to do if we find that we are in a place of difficulty is to pause for a moment, and assess the situation, think about what are the causes of this situation and how you can take yourself out of this situation.   In terms of financial hardship then you should be looking at whether you are spending too much and find ways to boost your income.  Ask yourself,  'How can I increase my income'? and think about possible opportunities around you.

Here is a great article with little strategies that can help you if you are struggling financially in a tough economy

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How to Improve your Personal Finances in Today's Struggling Economy

While the economy has rebounded considerably in many areas of the country since it crashed a few years ago, many people continue to struggle. Some of the most common reasons people struggle financially relates to high debt levels, low savings balances and insufficient budgeting efforts. If you are committed to the goal of improving your personal financial situation despite the struggling economy, you may be wondering what steps you can take to accomplish this goal. The good news is that improving your personal financesmay be easier to accomplish than you might think, but it will require regular effort on your part. 

Monitor Your Finances Daily
Many people have already created a budget, and if you have not already done so, now is a great time to complete this important step. However, many people who have a budget do not use it as the excellent resource that it can be. A budget can tell you how much money you have available to spend until the next pay period as well as how the rest of your funds are allotted. If you are like most people, you may spend money every day on groceries, gas, meals and more. In order to remain on track with your budget, it is important to get into a routine of monitoring your finances daily. Once your budget is established, it should only take a few minutes of time to review your financial standing so that you are aware of your status going forward.

Consolidate Debt
Debt is a common issue for many people, and this debt may be from credit cards, student loans, car loans and more. When you have too many payments to keep track of, it may be easy to overlook a payment. It can also make you feel stressed out when you are regularly bombarded by bills in your inbox or mailbox. A great idea is to consolidate some or all of your debts into a personal debt consolidation loan or a home equity loan. Take time to explore the options to find the best solution for you. You may be able to lower your interest charges, lower your monthly debt payments and pay the debt off more quickly in some cases. 

Take Advantage of Low Interest Rates
Even if you do not consolidate your debt, you may be able to lower your interest rate with some debts. Interest rates are very low currently, so refinancing your car loan, your student loans or even your home mortgage may benefit you. This can lower payments and may make it easier for you to lower your debt balances as well. 

Automate Your Savings
While it is important to focus on lowering your debt balances and making your debts easier to manage, it is also important to save money on a regular basis. If you are not currently in the habit of saving money, the best way to do this is to create an automatic transfer of funds from your checking account into a savings account on the day your paychecks are scheduled to be deposited. You can start small, and you can increase the amount of money that is transferred as your budget allows. Another variation on this is to use a share builder program to make regular stock purchases. This is a smart idea after you have a small nest egg accumulated in a rainy day fund.

Use Personal Checks That Are Best for You
Tracking your spending is also important, and many people will use personal checks to pay for different items over the course of a month. The best personal checks to use are those with carbon copies or that have stubs on the side that allow you to jot details for each check that you write. You can also make your finances fun by choosing a unique check design. 

Many people feel challenged by their current financial status, but keep in mind that improving your personal finances is something that is accomplished with baby steps. Every day presents an opportunity for you to pay off more debt and to increase your savings balances with the decisions you make. Tracking your progress on a monthly basis can help you to see the progress you are making and can help you to stay motivated to stay on track with your efforts.

Article Source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/how-to-improve-your-personal-finances-in-todays-struggling-economy

Dream Blockers

Dream blockers, you have them, I have them, we all have them. These are the people in our lives that try to deter us from following our dreams. These people are normally compromised of our, family members, friends, relationship partners, co-workers, etc. Unlike any average hater, who is always hoping for your downfall and they don’t wish to see you succeed in any area of your life. The Dream Blockers manifest their “hate”(the reason I put quotations around hate is because the dream blocker is still hating on you, but it’s not in way that’s meant to demean you, but in a way they feel like they’re helping you) in a different way. I call this the “realest” way.

These are the people who are constantly telling you to be responsible; you don’t need to worry about that because you’re doing well over here. Here are the more common one’s I hear on a day to day basis, “Are you sure you want to go after that job you already have stability in this one.” Or “Why do you want to major in that? Are you even going to be able to find a job or even be able to make money doing that once you graduate?” You know just here recently I have been talking to a lot of people about getting the courage to follow their dreams, but the number one reason why they won’t commit is because the dream blocker(s) are holding them back. But there has to come a time in our life, where we ask ourselves am I a me pleaser or a people pleaser?

Now before I get all these comments talking about, “Bre I work in a customer service environment where I have to make people happy all the time, so what are you talking about?” I’m not talking about that. However, what I am talking about is not living your life as your own, but in a way other people control it. I’m going to let you know something guys, you only have ONE life to live, and when you look back 10, 20, 50 years from now. What will you see? Do you want to be known for taking the risk for following your dreams or do you want to be known for playing it safe because that dream blocker was always in your ear?

So, I’m going to close with this. Guys don’t live your life trying to keep someone else happy. You live your life in a way where you are concerned about keeping yourself happy. The life you have is nobody else’s but your own. Ultimately when it comes down to going after your dream, it’s going to be your responsibility to go after it regardless if anybody is in your corner supporting you or not. Of course it’s not going to be easy, but with a lot of hard work and determination anything is possible. And remember if nobody else believes in you I do. Also, always keep this in the back of your head, there is no such thing as tomorrow all you have is today. So, with that in mind let’s get to work on our dreams.

Article source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/dream-blockers

How To Become The Person You Want To Be

I've got a bit of news for you.

That version of you, the previous one, the one you keep referencing, is old news.

If you're spending time reminiscing about who you were before, identifying with that version of yourself, then you are seriously limiting who you can become.

Who you were and what you did last year, last decade, or even last night is no more.

Often we draw from our past to describe ourselves in the present, when that might not be who we are today, or more importantly who we want to be today.

In order to transform yourself into who you want to become, you've got to drop your attachment to the details of before – unless of course you'd like them to continue.

Do you find yourself saying things like:

"Oh, I've worked at the X,Y,Z company for 20 years and have my own business on the side (but I'd like to leave that company and work for myself fulltime)."

"I've been coaching and consulting for 10 years (but I'd really like to expand my focus)."

"I've got an MBA and used to be a manager for a big-wig law firm but now I'm a health and fitness consultant."

When you frame everything with who you used to be (or where you used to work) instead of speaking exclusively about who you are now and what you're working toward, you shackle yourself to the past.

This does not serve you.

It's time to toss out those antiquated ideas you have about yourself and look excitedly inward and forward to identify who you really are.

You have the power to redefine yourself.

You are the creator of your life and the part you play in it.

Speaking of play, let's play a game.

Take a moment to quiet your mind and focus. Then answer these questions:

• Who are you today?
• Who are you becoming?
• What excites you about your life at present?
• What thrills you about your vision for the future?
• What feelings are your favorites? Joy, laughter, accomplishment? What else?
• How do you cultivate those feelings in your life today? Can you create a list?(Hint: Keep doing those things)

Spend some time bathing in the sweetness of the emotions you just cultivated.

Now ask yourself again:

What do you like about who you are today?

What excites you about who you are becoming?

Do this exercise daily until you find yourself routinely paying attention to the positive aspects of where you are now and what you're building.

Start describing yourself in terms of the person you are becoming. You don't have to say them aloud to anyone else, but begin to speak to yourself in those terms.

Begin to identify what you want to accomplish and then start communicating as though it's already appeared.

Tap into a vision for yourself that stirs those positive emotions you cultivated during the exercise above. Just be sure the vision you choose elicits a feeling of excitement and positive anticipation, not lack or impatience.

The future is yours to construct. It is a blank slate.

Start creating that wonderful future now. Start here. Start today.

Start with looking inward and asking "Who do I want to become?"

Then speak as though you already are.

Who are you becoming?

Article Source:http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/how-to-become-the-person-you-want-to-be

Courage: It’s the Secret to Getting Everything You Want in Life

By Preston Ely 

When I was in seventh grade, I got beat up by a skinny little girl with an umbrella.

To paint that picture perfectly clear, I’m saying a girl about 3/8 my size took her umbrella and beat the ever-living crap out of me with it. In front of people. It was a Hello Kitty umbrella to add insult to minor injuries. It seemed a little immature to bring a Hello Kitty umbrella to school at that age, but I was in no position to judge.

When I was in junior high, I got beat up by a fifth grader. Bad. I got beat up bad by a fifth grader. Like blood-and-black-eyes bad. I wish this was a joke, but it’s not. It’s history—my personal pathetic history.

All throughout school I did everything I could to avoid fights. I mean, if a skinny little seventh grade girl could do that much damage with a plastic Hello Kitty umbrella, just imagine what a regular boy my own age could do to me with some more normal, heavier inanimate object! Screw that, I laid low. If someone wanted to fight me, I just gave them money. I’m not kidding. I did that a few times.

Now the question you’re asking yourself, which I’d like to answer as quickly as possible so I can get to the part in the story where I learned mixed martial arts and sparred with professional UFC fighters, is this:

“Why were you such a sissy, Preston? I’ve actually never heard of anyone being so much of a sissy as you’ve just described yourself as being.”

Great question. The answer is that my physical impotence was an outward manifestation of my inward lack of courage, the ability to take risks and act in the face of danger either without or in spite of fear. For whatever reason I just didn’t have any.

My lack of courage spilled over into my young adult life and resulted in dysfunctional relationships, financial chaos, emotional instability and a bunch of other stuff that sucks.  And the reason is because it takes courage to be successful in life. I’m tempted to say it’s the root cause of success, but every time I think I’ve figured out the root of success I find something even rootier. Let’s just say it’s one of the core fundamentals.

Eventually I started to work hard to develop this missing attribute. Once I got it solidly in place, everything changed. I now walk with my head high, wallet thick and heart happy. Anyone who pulls that umbrella gimmick on me again will have a serious problem.

Here’s how to go from being wussbag to warrior in 3 easy steps:

1. Figure Out What Happens When You Die

I was at a doctor’s office the other day, and a young intern was asking me questions. I could tell something was wrong.

“Are you OK?” I asked.
“Sure,” he replied. “Just a little nervous about school.”
“Do you have some fears about something?” I queried.
“Of course. Everyone does. Don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. Let me ask you a question. What’s the worst thing that could possibly happen to you on any given day?”
“I could die,” he responded.
“Right. Well, if you know where you’re going when that occurs, and that place happens to be better than this place… then what is there really to fear?”
“Sir, you just made my day,” he said.
“Well, me making your day just made my day. So it’s a great day. Best of luck to you,” I said as he walked out the door with a new look of courage on his face.

Many psychologists believe the fear of death is the number one underlying motive for everything we as humans do. I suggest you get rid of it.

2. Hang Out with Courageous People.

Duh.

3. Write a List of Every Single Thing You Are Afraid Of. Do Them All.

Scared to ask people out on dates? Go to the mall and ask out every single person you see all day long. They’re just people, not vampires. Usually. You’ll be over your fear by probably the 10th rejection or so. Here’s a good pick up line that I just made up ... “Excuse me, do you happen to have directions to Build-A-Bear? My compass is broken. As a matter of fact, I’m building this for a little homeless child that the government is ignoring for some reason. Maybe you should definitely help me build it. C’mon.” Then just grab their hand and walk them to the store. Trust me, this will work. I’ve got a good feeling about it.

Scared of heights? Go bungee jump at the county fair. You have a better chance of getting shot by gang members at that fair than a tragic jump.

Scared of public speaking? Join Toastmasters.

Scared of reading the very very best, most entertaining yet highly educational articles on the Internet? You’re facing that fear right this second! Congratulations!

It wasn’t until I was well into my adult years that I realized I was still scared to fight. I was rich, happy and healthy, but I decided I needed to face my biggest fear … fighting.

So I did what any abnormal personal would do in that situation… I paid a professional UFC fighter to beat me up on a regular basis—literally. I told him if I wasn’t bleeding or bruised significantly at the end of each session, I would stop paying him.

I got black eyes at least once a week. I got a broken nose that leans to the left now. I got broken ribs. I got beat up so bad that I literally cried like a baby one time—in front of people.

But I also got courage.

The cool thing about courage is that if you gain it in one area, it trickles over into every other area of your life. Ever since I learned how to pretty much kill a man with my bare hands, things like “speaking in front of people” have gotten a lot easier.

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” –Muhammad Ali

Preston Ely

Preston Ely is founder and CEO of RealEstateMogul.com, an Inc. magazine "Fastest Growing Company." He has built and sold multiple businesses and was recently voted one of Fast Company's "Most Influential People On The Internet." He makes $0 a year teaching success principles; he makes millions of dollars a year applying them to his own life and businesses. He writes articles for SUCCESS.com for the fun of it. Check him out at PrestonEly.com.

Article Source Courage: It’s the Secret to Getting Everything You Want in Life

8 Ways to Balance Your Workload for Max Productivity

How to make the most of your time on the clock

Denis Waitley

The drudgery and routine of our daily lives presents the greatest danger to our dreams. Why? We run the risk of losing our focus and motivation to achieve what we want most. By re-energizing and renewing ourselves frequently, though, we can avoid burnout and become much more motivated and productive.

Balance and consistency are the keys.

Enjoy the process, not just the result. Don’t fight the passing of time. Don’t fear it, squander it, or try to hide from it under a superficial cosmetic veil of fads and indulgences. Life and time go together. Do enjoy each phase of life. Do make the most of each day and draw maximum joy from each moment.

Good time management means that you maximize the daily return on the energy and mental effort you expend. Here are eight ways to maximize your time productivity:

1. Write down in one place all your important goals and priorities. Write down every commitment you make at the time you make it.

2. Stop wasting the first hour of your workday. Having that first cup of coffee and socializing at the water cooler are two of the costliest opening exercises that lower your productivity.

3. Do one thing at a time—well. It takes time to start and stop work on each activity. Stay with a task until it is completed.

4. Don’t open unimportant mail. More than one-fourth of the mail you receive can be tossed or deleted before you even open or read it.

5. Handle each task only once and never more than twice. Don’t set aside anything without taking action. Carry work, reading material and your laptop with you everywhere you go—convert downtime into uplink time.

6. Spend time planning your to-do list—20 minutes at the beginning of each week and 10 minutes at the beginning of each day.

7. Set aside personal relaxation time during the day. Don’t work during lunch. It’s neither noble nor nutritional to skip important energy input and stress-relieving time. Throughout the day, ask yourself, What’s the best use of my time right now? As the day grows short, focus on projects you can least afford to leave undone.

8. Take vacations often, mini-vacations of two or three days, and leave your work at home. The harder you work, the more you need to balance your leisure time.

Article source: 8 Ways to Balance Your Workload for Max Productivity

10 Things Successful People Never Do Again

We all make mistakes but the people who thrive from their mistakes are the successful ones.

Dr. Henry Cloud

“Never go back.” What does that mean? From observations of successful people, clinical psychologist and author of Never Go Back: 10 Things You'll Never Do Again (Howard Books, June 2014), Dr. Henry Cloud has discovered certain “awakenings” that people have—in life and in business—that once they have them, they never go back to the old way of doing things. And when that happens, they are never the same. In short, they got it.

“Years ago, a bad business decision of mine led to an interesting discussion with my mentor,” Dr. Cloud says. “I had learned a valuable lesson the hard way, and he reassured me: ‘The good thing is once you learn that lesson, you never go back. You never do it again.’

“I wondered, what are the key awakenings that successful people go through that forever change how they do things, which propel them to succeed in business, relationships, and life? I began to study these awakenings, researching them over the years.”

Although life and business have many lessons to teach us, Dr. Cloud observed 10 “doorways” of learning that high performers go through, never to return again.

Successful people never again…

1. Return to what hasn’t worked. Whether a job, or a broken relationship that was ended for a good reason, we should never go back to the same thing, expecting different results, without something being different.

2. Do anything that requires them to be someone they are not. In everything we do, we have to ask ourselves, “Why am I doing this? Am I suited for it? Does it fit me? Is it sustainable?” If the answer is no to any of these questions, you better have a very good reason to proceed.

3. Try to change another person. When you realize that you cannot force someone into doing something, you give him or her freedom and allow them to experience the consequences. In doing so, you find your own freedom as well.

4. Believe they can please everyone. Once you get that it truly is impossible to please everyone, you begin to live purposefully, trying to please the right people.

5. Choose short-term comfort over long-term benefit. Once successful people know they want something that requires a painful, time-limited step, they do not mind the painful step because it gets them to a long-term benefit. Living out this principle is one of the most fundamental differences between successful and unsuccessful people, both personally and professionally.

6. Trust someone or something that appears flawless. It’s natural for us to be drawn to things and people that appear "incredible." We love excellence and should always be looking for it. We should pursue people who are great at what they do, employees who are high performers, dates who are exceptional people, friends who have stellar character, and companies that excel. But when someone or something looks too good to be true, he, she, or it is. The world is imperfect. Period. No one and no thing is without flaw, and if they appear that way, hit pause.

7. Take their eyes off the big picture. We function better emotionally and perform better in our lives when we can see the big picture. For successful people, no one event is ever the whole story. Winners remember that – each and every day.

8. Neglect to do due diligence. No matter how good something looks on the outside, it is only by taking a deeper, diligent, and honest look that we will find out what we truly need to know: the reality that we owe ourselves.

9. Fail to ask why they are where they find themselves. One of the biggest differences between successful people and others is that in love and in life, in relationships and in business, successful people always ask themselves, what part am I playing in this situation? Said another way, they do not see themselves only as victims, even when they are.

10. Forget that their inner life determines their outer success. The good life sometimes has little to do with outside circumstances. We are happy and fulfilled mostly by who we are on the inside. Research validates that. And our internal lives largely contribute to producing many of our external circumstances.

And, the converse is true: people who are still trying to find success in various areas of life can almost always point to one or more of these patterns as a reason they are repeating the same mistakes.

Everyone makes mistakes…even the most successful people out there. But, what achievers do better than others is recognize the patterns that are causing those mistakes and never repeat them again. In short, they learn from pain—their own and the pain of others.

A good thing to remember is this: pain is unavoidable, but repeating the same pain twice, when we could choose to learn and do something different, is certainly avoidable. I like to say, “we don’t need new ways to fail….the old ones are working just fine!” Our task, in business and in life, is to observe what they are, and never go back to doing them again.

Article source: 10 Things Successful People Never Do Again