How valuable are you?

The 7 Habits of Highly Impactful People - Habit Number 1: Values

You want to have impact in your business and life, right? 

Here’s the thing: you already do! But it’s not necessarily the impact you want to have. 

Having a positive influence in your business, community, and even the larger world takes disciplined effort. When you make those efforts habits, you’re on your way to big impact. 

In this series of 7 articles, I’ll share what I’ve learned from years of coaching people who want to have impact, and from my own work and research. You’ll learn the 7 habits of highly impactful people. 

These habits pay off hugely, not only in how much impact you have, but financially in your business too. Consciously impactful businesses mightily outperform those whose focus is just profit. 

Before we get started with the first habit, let’s spend a little time to be clear what we’re talking about here. 

What does it mean to be impactful?

1. Impact starts with you: While most of us want to create a positive impact through our business, in order to have impact, you have to start with you. How do you show up in the world? How do you want to be with people? What do you want to offer them? That has impact.

2. Impact is much more than your get-to-do list: To be impactful, you must first understand your larger mission or purpose in your business. I used to call it your Big Why. I now call it your Impact Purpose. That’s because the impact you want to have guides every aspect of your business. 

3. Your intentions will determine your impact: Author Gary Zukav wrote, "It is wise for us to become aware of our intentions and choose them according to what we want to produce." Whatever your intention is about your impact, whether it's conscious to you or unconscious, that's what'll play out. 

This series of articles is about making intentional choices related to the impact you want to create in your business and personal life.

Habit #1: Get Clear About Your Own Values 

A universal habit among some of the most impactful people in the world is that they became clear about their own values. 

Whether you’re aware of it or not, your behavior arises out of what you hold as most important, what you value. When you are clear about what values are the most important to you, you can use that awareness to have impact from that deeply rooted and grounded foundation. 

Here’s a practical exercise that will help you start to get clarity about your own values. 

Set aside some quiet time for yourself and start writing down value words that are deeply important to you. To start, write down whatever comes to your mind. You can always edit this list later. 

Think of situations in your life or business that were really powerful experiences. What values did you demonstrate in those situations? 

Here are some value words that may help you in creating your own list: 

• Honesty

• Integrity

• Professionalism

• Doing quality work

• Humility

• Kindness

• Fun

• Joy

• Compassion

• Treating people with respect

• Adaptability

• Dependability

• Creativity

• Warmth

• Balance

• Curiosity

• Freedom

• Persistence

• Resilience

If some of these values resonate with you deeply, you can certainly add them to your list. You may have others: spend some time and create your own unique list of values. 

Your list of values are not simple words but something much more. I call them ‘Pull Priorities’ because they draw you. They pull you forward toward the impact that you want to have. 

They come from inside of you and they don't push you like an outside force imposed on you. Like someone else’s ideas about what they think should be important to you. 

They give you a grounded center to work from and they help define you and the impact you want to have. 

To achieve mastery in the first habit of highly impactful people, revisit this list of your Pull Priorities regularly so that you are always clear about what you value. You can even post your Pull Priorities on a wall so that they're front of mind. 

Measure what you’re doing against the values you decided were important to you. Are they aligned? 

Keep the habit of clarity around your values and they'll help you with every other habit of highly impactful people that we're going to talk about in the upcoming articles. 

It’s an ongoing process to become impactful, both personally and with your business. Following the 7 habits of highly impactful people will increase the positive influence you have on the people in your work and life.

original article source

Achieve Your Goals - What is Your Why

Achieve your goals in 12 months, what's your why? Now Today we are going to be looking at taking action! This is where the rubber meets the road. No more stuffing around.

So first things first. I want you to write down your goal for the next 12 months.

Where do you want to be in 12 months? Do you want to stay where you are right now? Then don't do anything. Do you want to better yourself and live a life of your dreams? Ok then time for action.

Here are some examples of goals you may relate to -

Do you want to save say $10,000 for a trip overseas? Save $50,000 and take the entire family? What about starting a charity? How about you lose 20 pounds in 12 months? And while your at it get fit and healthy? I don't know what you want but you do. Once you have it in your head and you are feeling inspired, write it down.

Now the second thing i want you to do is to work out your ‘why'. What does that mean? Your 'why' is your reason, the thing that will get you waking up early and jumping out of bed with a spring in your step. It's what will make you stay up late at night. It is your inspiration.

Achieve your goals.

An example would be ff you wanted to save $10,000 and I said to you why do you want $10,000 and your answer was 'just because' then you will never have it. But if you said ‘I want $10,000 so I can travel around the world and take my partner because we have never been and I have always wanted to go and takle her'  then you will make that happen. You have a cause, a why, a reason that will inspire and drive you.

Your cause must be bigger than you are. It will be the cornerstone for your life. Without a cause that is bigger than you, you wont do anything.

Do you want to achieve your goals in 12 months?

1. Write down your goal

2. Write down your 'Why'

3. leave a comment below with your goal and your why

Over the next 12 months let us work together and make it a must to get to that goal.

Don't waste your time. Don't procrastinate any longer, don't over analyze and get analysis paralysis! Just do it.

Focus your mind, gain clarity and work it, take action on achieving your goal and act like it is already here.

I wrote a facebook post not long ago and I made the bold statement that people who read don't take action. I really believe that. So if all you do is read, stop! Instead take action on your goal. Don't read, just do!

In summary - 

Write down your 12 month goal.

Write down your ‘why', your reason for achieving this goal.

Leave a comment below with your goal.

There is no more at the moment. Just do that. It's not hard. In the coming weeks I will lead you step by step to attaining that goal.

Like I said, stop procrastinating and do it now!

Live with passion!

Achieve your goals in 12 months, What is your why? Just do it!

Article Source: Achieve Your Goals - What is Your Why

How Can You Reach Your Goals?

Many individuals decide to just look at others and feel sorry for themselves because they have not been able to accomplish anything that really mattered. Even though this is a very dangerous perspective on life, it can also help you realise that you need to set some goals. Of course, you might need some encouragement, but you should be able to rely on yourself and on the people that you care most about.

One of the biggest mistakes that you could make would be to blame others for your failures. You are the one that can do something about what happens to you. If you really want to reach a certain goal, you need a strategy. First of all, you have to make sure that you set a realistic goal and that you do not set yourself up for disappointment. Another mistake that you could make would be to expect too much from yourself. You need to know what your limits are. This does not mean that you need to be limited, but that you should try to extend them day by day.

Everyone needs encouragement. The good news is that you can be the one that does this for yourself. You should not rely on others when it comes to your self esteem and on what you can or can not do. Now, when it comes to reaching your goals, you should start by setting one that will challenge you a little bit. For instance, if you have decided that you want to eat healthier, you could start by replacing your mid-afternoon snack with a healthy one every other day.

At first, you might be tempted to give up. However, due to the fact that it is not that difficult, you will soon be able to eat healthy snacks every single day. Another tip that you should keep in mind is that every single person has their own pace. You should not rush into anything. Give yourself time to adapt to the changes that you are making. So, if you have just started replacing that snack with a healthy one, you should continue with the same routine for one or two weeks before you go any further.

The key to reaching your goals is to combine all of the above and to make sure that you do not give up. Even though you might feel bored or do not feel like doing all the hard work anymore, you should think about your motivation and opt for some encouragement techniques. What were the reasons that stood behind your decision of eating healthier? Maybe it was the fact that you would feel better, that you would become healthier and even thinner. Every time you reach a certain goal, it would be a good idea to set another so that you continue challenging yourself.

When it comes to reaching your goals, you will need to opt for some encouragement. That is why it would be a good idea to visit our website. Here you can find all the right pieces of advice that will help you become a better you and find your inspiration!

Article Source: How Can You Reach Your Goals?

Don't Limit Yourself: Work Your Mind

Often times people get into a rut and begin to put themselves in a box.

Becoming comfortable with the way their life is, but not being happy with their lives in general.

Not knowing how to change their lives, not knowing how to grow, and not knowing how to expand as a human being.

Believing that the world they've created around them is the world that they live.

Technically it is, but it doesn't have to be.

Don't limit yourself.

Earlier today I was having a discussion with a friend and I mentioned to them about a new book I purchased.

Their reply to me was,"You read books?"

Yes I read books!

The comment really hit me hard because I got away from reading daily like I used to.

Not to undermined anyone that doesn't read, but like most things when you make it a habit it's tough to do without.

Get yourself into the habit or doing things differently if you are dissatisfied with you life.

Your mind is like a garden and what you put into your mind will grow and your thoughts will shape who you are and who you become.

For myself, reading helps me to shape my thoughts in a way that provides new possibilities in my life.

Honestly, it brightens my day.

Reading for 15-30 min a day can make a massive change in your life.

Reading things that motivate, inspire, challenge, and get you moving in a new direction.

Don't limit yourself on the things that you can learn.

Don't limit yourself on the people you associate yourself with.

And more importantly don't limit yourself on the things that you can do.

Become who you want to be by reading books and surrounding yourself around those who can be an asset to your life.

To be in a frame of mind that reading can't change your life and reshape your thoughts is putting yourself into a box and is an excuse for you to put limits on yourself.

Being today to see life in a bigger picture and imagine more out of life if you are someone that is feeling stuck.

Reading, working your mind, and taking action can be a valuable resource in getting yourself unstuck.

You have the power to regain control, but it's going to take some work.

It's about creating new habits and reshaping your mind.

That's what separates the winners from the losers.

Don't limit yourself!

Best Wishes!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9011573

Five Confidence Boosters for Your Success

Self-confidence is often a challenge when engaging in a new activity or venture. What exactly is confidence? And what makes it appear that some have it and others don't? It is all in the appearance, fake it until you make it. Faking it is feeling that you already are that which you want. Every professional you can think of was once an amateur that had self-doubts that we were not aware of. Yet they persevered though all odds and kept going. Having confidence in one's self is having the faith that it will all turn out okay and that you're doing the best you know how. It paid off for those them, so it will for you. While you continue to do your best there are tools you can use to boost your confidence, here are five of them:

1. Take small steps

Every day is a chance for you to take another step. Say you wanted to run a marathon. You wouldn't just get up and run the event. First you would plan and follow the plan to build up your confidence. You might want to start walking a mile or two a day and then slowly work your way up to running that same distance. Eventually you will be at the point to run the whole thing or at the very list complete it. The confidence boost gained from finishing starts with working your way up from one step at a time.

2. Keeping a daily record

It is great when you can take some action each day towards your goals. However, keeping score is an added booster to taking action. Say for example you wanted to lose weight. Keep a daily log of your calories and exercise is a great way to see how far you have come. However, what I am suggesting here is keep a daily record of your accomplishments. This is different from checking things off your to do list if you keep one. While doing that may make you feel accomplished I suggest writing down what you actually did that moved you a step or several steps towards your goals. While acknowledging your daily accomplishments at the end of the day, you may have done something towards you goal that popped up during the day.

3. Do something you enjoy doing

Do you enjoy playing golf? Crochet? Or any number of hobbies you may have done in the past and been successful at. It is a great confidence boost to do something you once found enjoyment in. One of the good things about the body is muscle memory. I recently went for a run after suffering for months from shin splints and found myself remembering how good I was at sprinting. Grant you I am not a pro runner but that brief run triggered a bit of a confidence boost for me. So, what is it you did in the past that you have neglected that would help reboot your confidence?

4. Wrap yourself in your accomplishments

Keeping a book of your past accomplishments. What are you most proud of doing? This could be anything and should include everything. Maybe it was running for class president, speaking up when you needed to or that awesome report card in high school. What matters here is that somewhere along your journey you accomplished something. It is a great tool to boost your confidence when you take a few minutes to look back. Sub-consciously you know you did these things but it is good to refresh your memory. Who know it may just give you the boost to go for that job you have been wanting or whatever it may be.

5. Extending our comfort zone.

When you challenge yourself to learn something new you expand your comfort level. It also helps to create new neurological pathways to help with problem solving and creativity. So take a dance class or a cooking class. You may find that everyone in that activity is just as afraid and nervous as you are. Nothing boosts your confidence as sharing the experience of learning something new and helping each other learn. It is a win for your brain and a way to recognize that we all share the same emotions.

While some people seem to radiate confidence and others not, we all experience doubt at times. Acknowledging that we are fearful and using tools to build our confidence can help. Most of us on the planet walk. It is because each time we fell as a child we got up and tried again. We may have our parents and others encouraging us to walk. As we walk further and further we became pros at walking and even moved up to running. To build your confidence, be your own cheerleader. And if you find that difficult find a mentor or coach who will help.The more confidence you build for yourself the more you will succeed and inspire others to do the same.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/8773172