Developing Your Personal Philosophy

Rohn: 7 Tips for Developing Your Personal Philosophy

Your philosophy is the greatest determining factor in how your life works out. This is how to build a meaningful one. 

Jim Rohn

August 9, 2015 

Jim Rohn was broke at 25 and a millionaire by 31. How does an Idaho farm boy make it to Beverly Hills? This is how…

At 25, there was nothing in my bank and I needed to provide for my family. As I was considering what to do, I met John Earl Shoaff, a wealthy entrepreneur who became my employer for the next five years. He revolutionized my life and taught me the importance of developing my personal philosophy, to look for those few things that make the most difference and to spend most of my time doing those things. It isn’t a complex or mystical process but a principle that can make a difference in how your life turns out.

While there are many puzzle pieces for success, without developing a sound philosophy the other pieces are of little value. So as you go forward on this journey toward success, remember to:

1. Set your sail.

The winds of circumstance blow upon all of us. We all have experienced the winds of disappointment, despair and heartbreak, but why do people arrive at such different places at the end of the journey? Have we not all sailed upon the same sea?

The major difference isn’t circumstance; it’s the set of the sail, or the way we think—it’s what we do after we’ve set our sails and the wind decides to change direction. When the winds change, we must change. We have to struggle to our feet and reset the sail in a manner that will steer us in the direction of our own deliberate choice. The set of the sail, or how we think and how we respond, has a far greater capacity to destroy our lives than any challenges we face. How quickly we respond to adversity is far more important than adversity itself.

The great challenge of life is to control the process of our own thinking.

2. Learn from success and failure.

The best way to establish a new and powerful personal philosophy is to objectively review the conclusions you’ve drawn about life. Any conclusion you’ve drawn that isn’t working for you could be working against you. The best way to counteract misinformation and wrong data is to input new and accurate information. Gather information from personal experience. If you’re doing something wrong, evaluate what you did wrong and change things.

Seek an objective, outside voice about how you are and what you’re doing. An objective opinion from someone you respect can lead you to early and accurate information about your decision-making process. Listen to the freshness of an outside voice—someone who can see the forest and isn’t lost in the trees.

Observe the successes and failures of other people. If people who failed were to give seminars, it would be helpful. You could see how people mess up and you wouldn’t do what they did. Past failures and errors prompt us to amend current conduct so we don’t replicate the past.

Study from people who do well. Each of us should be in a constant search for people we admire and respect and whose behavior we can model. It’s far better to deliberately choose the people we will permit to influence us than to allow bad influences to affect us without our conscious choice.

3. Read all you can.

People from all walks of life who’ve had some of the most incredible experiences have taken the time to write of these experiences so we can be instructed and amend our philosophies.

The contributions of other people enable us to reset our sails based upon their experiences. Books offer treasures of information that can change our lives, fortunes, relationships, health and careers for the better.

There are two books you need to read to build your philosophy: Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason.

4. Keep a journal.

A journal is a gathering place for all of our observations and discoveries about life. It’s our own handwritten transcript that captures our experiences, ideas, desires and conclusions about the people and the events that have touched our lives. The past, when properly documented, is one of the best guides for making good decisions.

The very act of writing about our lives helps us think more objectively about our actions. Writing tends to slow down the flow of information and gives us time to analyze and ponder the experience. The intense scrutiny of journal writing can enable us to make refinements in our philosophy that are truly life-changing.

Jot down what you learn and be a buyer of empty books. It’s the small disciplines that lead to great accomplishments.

5. Observe and listen.

Pay attention during your day, watch what’s going on. Surround yourself with people you respect and admire. Find people whose personalities and achievements stimulate, fascinate and inspire you, and then strive to assimilate their best qualities. This is called the skill of selecting. Don’t waste your time on the silly and the shallow.

One of the major reasons people don’t do well is because they keep trying to get through the day while a more worthy cause is to get from the day. We must become sensitive enough to observe and ponder what is happening around us. Be alert. Be awake. Often the most extraordinary opportunities are hidden among seemingly insignificant events.

Be a good listener. Find a voice of value and stay for a while. With so many voices vying for your attention, you need to develop the skill of selective listening and only dial into the radio station that appeals to you. If a voice is not leading to the achievement of your goals, exercise caution in how long you listen.

6. Be disciplined.

Every day is filled with dozens of personal crossroads, moments when we’re called upon to make a decision regarding minor as well as major questions. These decisions chart a path to a future destination. With careful mental preparation, we can make wise choices.

The development of a sound philosophy prepares us for making sound decisions. When we eat healthy foods, we experience positive results in a short time. When we start exercising, we feel a new vitality almost immediately. When we begin reading, we experience a growing awareness and a new level of self-confidence.

New disciplines practiced daily will produce exciting results. The magic of new disciplines causes us to amend our thinking.

7. Don’t neglect.

Neglect is the major reason people don’t have what they want. If you don’t take care of things in your life, neglect becomes a disease. If you neglect to do good things with your money, you probably neglect to do good things with your time. If you don’t know what’s going on with your health or your bank account, you could be at risk.

Set up new disciplines to change your life. Don’t neglect. Everything is within our reach if we will read books, use journals, practice the disciplines and wage a new and vigorous battle against neglect.

Build your philosophy. Commit yourself to a new journey and say, I’m going to change my life. Once you do, you’ll never look back.

Article Source Rohn: 7 Tips for Developing Your Personal Philosophy

The Essential Element in Your Personal Strategic Plan

our purpose or your mission in life provides you with a sense of direction and focus. It is the essential element in your personal strategic plan. If you are without a mission you are like a boat adrift in the sea without any wind at your sails. The waves or life events just rocks your boat from side to side.

Clarify Your Mission

To clarify a mission for yourself you must first clarify your values and be certain of what rocks your boat. As an example, if you value lifelong learning and personal development, then your life will reflect that both in your occupation and personal life.

To expand on this further, consider someone who has retired and has a substantial pension whereby he can construct his day in whatever way he chooses. If that individual values personal development and lifelong learning, instead of lying around all day and letting his brain deteriorate, he would endeavor to learn something new, perhaps do some writing, join an organization, and make a contribution to society.

Have a Set Definite Objective

If you value the life a life of riches and living a life of luxury, you must have a set definite objective - - that is of becoming rich. It will be necessary to set a dollar amount that you want to achieve by a certain date, such a focus will provide you with a mission or a purpose to your life. You will need to envision this mission, embed it in your subconscious mind and let your actions be guided by this mission.

This particular focus will require you to set aside certain pleasures, or fleshly desires, in the interest of realizing this mission. An athlete who is devoted to becoming the best in his profession will practice his craft relentlessly, often at the expense of hanging out with his friends or playing video games. If he has the natural abilities and willingness to put in the work, he will not only rise to the top, but his income will also rise to meet his expectations.

Consistently Learn and Improve

If you are in sales, you must not only know your product in and out, but consistently study the sales process itself and how to identify the elements in the sales process that would best sell the product to your customers. Beyond that you must identify the characteristics of your best customer and the best approach to engaging and selling this customer. And finally, you must set some sales goals, broken out into a monthly basis, and begin your effort.

And for a final illustration, let's say you want to be a great parent for your children. In this effort you must learn the unique differences in your children, conscientiously identify their strengths, and consistently praise their efforts in mastering academic tasks, carrying out household chores, and establishing healthy relationship with their peers.

Overall whatever your mission is in your life, once established, it will give you a focus that will help you to set priorities, and live a life worth living. You can then look back and be proud of your accomplishments as you continue your journey.

Want to expand on your personal strategic plan? Read 3 Essential Steps to Becoming Productive at You Control Your Destiny to continue your worthy ideal. Will Barnes is a nationally sought after speaker and leadership consultant who has helped thousands of individuals and organizations to excel.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Will_Barnes/170374 Or

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9231899

You'll make a complete revolution when you watch this

How to turn my life around theme


If you watch Jim Rohn's video and you do not feel the least bit of inspiration to turn your life around then something must be wrong somewhere.  I have started to watch a piece of this video daily.  Its my little coach for the extra push I need sometimes.

It's a little bit long but I would suggest you watch a piece daily........


I hope you enjoy it the way that I have.  I am longing forward to my best year ever now and 2016

Taking the first step towards what we were born to do

Taking the first step require us to realise that we all great in our own right and once we make that decision to move forward, then there is no stopping once we stay focus.

"Our mind is always more powerful than we think"

I've found this great article:

How to identify your first self-empowerment goal

As soon as you've made that decision, it's time to target where you like to change your life. What goals do you desire to set? And most importantly, what is the first goal you're intending to tackle?

You may have career goals like going back to school, getting a promotion, or starting your own company. You may have personal goals like finding a partner or spouse, improving your finances, or buying a home.

Usually, the key to success with any goal is to focus and take manageable and small steps. If you want to start a business then you'll ideally make a list of the steps required to achieve that goal. Each step can then be a smaller and more attainable goal.

You can add another goal to your plan once you're on the path to achieving one goal and have taken some significant steps toward success. Many people have more than just one goal, but attempting to prioritize them both at the same time can be overwhelming.

Being self-empowered means that you have made the conscious choice to control your life-- all areas of your life. Rather than being the victim of others, of circumstance, or even of your very own negative or limiting thinking, you've decided to take life by the reins, make your personal decisions and set your very own goals.

Which goal will you focus on? Consider the following ideas and questions:

Choosing the self-empowerment goal that you target first may feel overwhelming. Enjoy the process of becoming empowered and taking control over every aspect of your life.

* What goal will have the biggest effect on your life? Sometimes one goal on your list will make the biggest definer for you. 

That may possibly be the most effective place to start.

Most often, the key to success with any goal is to focus and take manageable and small steps. If you want to start a business then you'll ideally make a list of the steps required to achieve that goal. * What goal will have the biggest impact on your life? Another option is to focus on the simplest and easiest goal. What goal do you want to focus on?

* What goal feels necessary to move forward? There may be a goal on your list that just logically comes.

Another option is to focus on the simplest and easiest goal. Create a pattern of success by starting with goals that you know you can achieve.

All things aside, what goal on your list gives you the biggest smile or sense of inspiration? What goal do you want to focus on?

Article source http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/how-to-identify-your-first-self-empowerment-goal

How to make affirmations work for you

During my reading today, I found this great article that explains the truth about affirmation and how to make them work for you.

Hope you enjoy it.

Affirmations: The secret to making them work for you!

Positive affirmations are all over the internet (specifically social media sites like Pinterest and Facebook) 

But they’re not just some fancy saying.

People believe that if affirmations are used properly, they can change your life.

How?

Well, according to theory, if you say them over and over again your mind will start believing them;

And belief is one of the most powerful predictors of success.

But do affirmations really work?

Well the answer is a little more complicated than a simple yes or no. 

Tony Robbins, Life Coach and Self-help guru extraordinaire doesn’t think so. 

He personally attests to incantations which are essentially affirmations combined with movement, intended to get an emotional charge out of you. 

In fact Tony has personally been using Incantations for over 30 years and is a big part of his personal success; which at a net worth of $480 million dollars (as of April 2015) is no small feat.

But there is another way

A secret way of using affirmations that is supported by academic research. It’s called the REINFORCEMENT 

AFFIRMATION TECHNIQUE (or R.A.T. for short)

The academic community calls them self-affirmations and according to research, it’s all about HOW you use them that make all the difference.

So in the academic World many studies have been done on self-affirmation and its impact but instead of trying to figure all of that out for yourself, here are the important points and how it can help you change your life. 

In order to achieve lasting change through Affirmations, three items are absolutely necessary:

Accepting what you’re affirming. If you affirm the following:

"I am amazing at spotting and acting on all opportunities that come my way"

Are you going to believe it? 

If the answer is no then put a big X on accepting what you’re affirming. Suddenly your affirmation becomes nothing more than meaningless words you tell yourself. You might as well say:

"I'm a green banana that leaps tall buildings in a single bound"

Motivation for Change –

Okay so you believe what you’re saying, but are you going to do anything about it? 

It would definitely be a big fat no if you’re not accepting what you’re affirming, but you’re much more likely if you do. 

Subsequent Behaviour –
So you believe you are amazing at spotting and acting on all opportunities that come your way (or that you’re a green banana!) and you’re motivated to use that in achieving financial freedom for example;

Will you follow up with the appropriate behaviour?

Well the good news is that if you affirm correctly you’re far more likely to accept, be motivated and act on it then if you don’t. 

So what does this all mean?

How exactly do you do proper self-affirmations?

Well, two things are needed. 

You NEED to believe it and you need to build support around it to move from belief to motivation to action.

Belief

In order to believe an affirmation, you have to believe it to be true in at least one aspect of your life. 

It doesn’t even have to be in the area of your life you want to improve (at first). 

So let’s say;

You want to lose weight but cannot find the motivation to exercise. Saying “I’m motivated” over and over in the context of losing weight won’t be very effective. 

But what if you stop for a moment and think about another aspect of your life where you are or have been motivated. 

For example, you are very successful in your career and you’re motivated to do the best you can in your job. 

Well doesn’t that mean you are motivated in at least one aspect of your life? 

And if you can be motivated in one aspect, isn’t it entirely possible to be motivated in other? Absolutely! 

Now the affirmation doesn’t seem so unbelievable, does it! Of course not. 

Is that enough to actually motivate you into action? Maybe. It depends on the person. If you’re like most people, it won’t be enough. Fortunately there is another step.

Support

What the academics have discovered is that in a lot of cases it’s not enough to simply say it. 

What they have found is that you’re much more likely to alter your behaviour with the proper support around that affirmation. 

And that means taking that affirmation (I’m motivated as evidenced in the pursuit of my career) and write down the details behind that. 

Specifically examples of times when you were/are motivated. 

What that does is it opens your mind to the possibility that this affirmation can apply in other areas of your life and now you have real-life examples to support it. 

And that’s it! Instead of taking the 10 minutes you would use to say something you don’t believe over and over again, take the time to try the Reinforcement Affirmation Technique (R.A.T.) and see if it works for you.

It has a much better chance of positively affecting you. 

Now there are some additional tips I’d like to offer:

If you can’t find any aspect of your current life where the affirmations seems to ring true, then search your past and try and find examples that provide support.

If you’re having trouble figuring out an affirmation to explore further, read them out loud and see which ones touch a nerve. If one of them does, it’s your subconscious nudging you to look into it further, because there is some truth behind it.

Finally, if nothing is working, enlist the help of someone who you can trust and have them shed some light on which affirmation(s) are true in some aspect of your life.

I hope you found this useful and I would love to hear your feedback.

Article source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/affirmations-the-secret-to-making-them-work-for-you

What is the most effective use of your time

Self development is a must for everyone who wants any kind of success as practising self development techniques generally forces us to 

1. Think about and create personals goals and visions. 

2. Take the necessary steps to turn those goals into actionable plans.

Many times we tell ourselves that we are short on time, why can't we take the next step to self motivate and move on to where we would life to be.  Just remember, if it really means something to you, then you will make the time.

What are the benefits of effectively managing your time?

- More time to do what you really want

- Improves your productivity and efficiency

- Reduces the type of risks you take  (eg. don't be late and then speed down the motor way to get to where you need to be for 9am.)

- Better decision making

- You won't get yourself stressed.

What is the most effective use of our time?

Too frequently we hug tasks that can be easily done by someone else.  Learn to delegate, delegating is the key as you can achieve two things, 1.  you get a chance to teach someone to develop a new skill or just learn something new 2. You achieve your goals without doing too much of the mundane tasks that tend to hold us back from getting ahead. 

How to Overcome Leadership Challenges

5 Ways to Overcome Leadership Challenges

An important part of creating a solid online brand and a solid business both online and offline is leadership. That said, anyone who steps up to be a leader is going to encounter challenges. One of the true tests of leadership is how you overcome the leadership challenges that will come no matter how great of a leader you are. 

Here are five effective ways you can overcome leadership challenges and become a star leader:

1. Ask yourself: “What is right with this situation?” Whenever you encounter a challenge to your leadership, no matter how bad the situation may seem, there is always something right or good about it. Make a list of all the things that are right and avoid dwelling on the wrong. Analyzing what is right can lead you to a better understanding of what happened to cause any problem or challenge that you are experiencing. Furthermore you can also get clues about how to avoid leadership challenges in the future by predicting what may happen in the future as well.

2. Search for and focus on solutions rather than problems. Make a list of all of the solutions to the leadership problem or challenge. Avoid being judgmental at first and write down anything that you could do that comes to mind. If there are other people involved ask for their opinion and then proceed solving each problem one at a time with what you have determined to be the most productive solution.

3. Learn from other successful and effective leaders. One of the best ways to become a star leader is to read books written by others who have paved the way before or to interview them or to find ways to associate with them. Take note of what they do or what they did when they encountered leadership challenges that were similar to yours. Pay attention to how they thought and what they did and worked on as a person as well as what they did with those they lead. Effective leaders are created by who you become as a person in addition to the actions you take.

4. Practice positive thinking and motivation. This can only help and improve your leadership. In addition you will be better prepared when those challenges that you know will come appear in your life. Positive thinking also helps you to tolerate and even embrace frustration, failures and challenges.

5. Ask for help. Admit it, sometimes you will need help to overcome your leadership challenges. Turn to someone who has been through the same experience that you have or something similar and ask for their advice. If the situation is severe you may even need to hire them to help you or somehow otherwise obtain assistance. Avoid thinking that this shows weakness since everyone needs help from time to time and a sign of a great leader is that they are humble and open to receiving help when needed.

Know that you can overcome any leadership challenge that is thrown your way and that in doing so you will become a stronger person and you will be viewed as someone that people want to emulate both online and offline.

Article Source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/5-ways-to-overcome-leadership-challenges