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

John C. Maxwell: 5 Reasons Why Dreams Don’t Take Flight

Recognize the things that trap our dreams—and overcome them.

John C. Maxwell

A lot of us never see our dreams come true. Instead of soaring through the clouds, our dreams languish like a broken-down airplane confined to its hangar.

Through life, I have come to identify five common reasons why dreams don’t take flight:

1. We have been discouraged from dreaming by others.
We have to pilot our own dreams; we cannot entrust them to anyone else. People who aren’t following their own dreams resent us pursuing ours. Such people feel inadequate when we succeed, so they try to drag us down.                                                                   

If we listen to external voices, then we allow our dreams to be hijacked. At some point, other people will place limitations on us by doubting our abilities. When surrounded by the turbulence of criticism, we have to grasp the controls tightly to keep from being knocked off course.

2. We fall into the habit of settling for average.
Average is the norm for a reason. Being exceptional demands extra effort, sustained inspiration and uncommon discipline. When we attempt to give flight to our dreams, we have to overcome the weight of opposition. Like gravity, life’s circumstances constantly pull on our dreams, tugging us down to mediocrity.

Most of us don’t pay the price to overcome the opposition to our dreams. We may start out inspired, but through time we fatigue. Although never intending to abandon our dreams, we begin to make concessions here and there. Through time, our lives become mundane, and our dreams slip away.

3. We are hindered by past disappointments and hurts.
In the movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise plays Maverick, a young, talented and cocky aviator who dreams of being the premier pilot in the U.S. Navy. In the film’s opening scenes, Maverick showcases his flying ability but also displays a knack for pushing the envelope with regards to safety. Midway through the movie, Maverick’s characteristic aggression spells disaster. His plane crashes, killing his best friend and co-pilot.

Although cleared of wrongdoing, the painful memory of the accident haunts Maverick. He quits taking risks and loses his edge. Struggling to regain his poise, he considers giving up on his dream. The incident nearly wrecks Maverick’s career, but he eventually reaches within to find the strength to return to the sky.

Like Maverick, many of us live with the memory of failure embedded in our psyche. Perhaps a business we started went broke, or we were fired from a position of leadership. Disappointment is the gap that exists between expectation and reality, and all of us have encountered that gap. Failure is a necessary and natural part of life, but if we’re going to attain our dreams, then, like Maverick, we have to summon the courage to deal with past hurts.

4. We lack the confidence needed to pursue our dreams.
Dreams are fragile. They will be buffeted by assaults from all sides. As such, they must be supplied with the extra strength of self-confidence.

In Amelia Earhart’s day, women were not supposed to fly airplanes. If she had lacked self-assurance, she never would have even attempted to be a pilot. Instead, Earhart confidently chased after her dream, and she was rewarded with both fulfillment and fame.

5. We are missing the imagination to dream.
For thousands of years, mankind traveled along the ground: by foot, by horse-and-buggy, by locomotive and eventually by automobile. Thanks to the dreams of Orville and Wilbur Wright, we now hop across oceans in a matter of hours. The imaginative brothers overcame ridicule and doubt to pioneer human flight, and the world has never been the same.                                                                                                                                              

Many of us play small because we do not allow ourselves to dream. We trap ourselves in reality and never dare to go beyond what we can see with our eyes. Imagination lifts us beyond average by giving us a vision of life that surpasses what we are experiencing currently. Dreams infuse our spirit with energy and spur us on to greatness.

Never stop dreaming!

Article Source : John C. Maxwell: 5 Reasons Why Dreams Don’t Take Flight

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

Even your biggest heroes were unknown before they started

Even your biggest heroes were unknown before they started.
Everyone starts somewhere. It doesn’t matter where you start. Some people start with better opportunities than others. Some people start with less but the fact is all the people that you have heard of are people who started. They started as unknowns and they built their success from that. This is how they became our hero’s.
When you develop self-belief you are able to dream- -These dreams turn into events and opportunities to make those dreams real. This vision is born in the mind and developed in the mind first before it can appear in the world.
Think about your biggest heroes and think about what they had to overcome to achieve the status that they did. Think about how they were able to do this. This is a key part of becoming self-empowered. This is a key part in living the dream. Learning to focus on having something that seems far, far away is the key. Developing this is not an easy task, but then, what in life is?
What did our heroes learn?
Learning to do something new almost always takes time and effort. The results may not be what you wanted them to be. What this really means is that you haven’t convinced yourself that the impossible is possible yet. Your sub-couscous still thinks that you can’t achieve it. This is where the commitment to success has to take root. This is where the vision has to be practiced and made strong. Each day you need to tell yourself that you are going to achieve your goal. Each day you have to build that belief that you can accomplish it. The stronger your self-belief- - the bigger the results.
You have read many stories of your heroes struggling to succeed and you think to yourself, “How could anyone say no to that person”. It is amazing that some of our hero’s found the strength and belief to keep going but they had a vision and that vision was undoubtedly attainable for them.
Most things don’t happen overnight.- -Life is a journey and it is to be enjoyed in each moment throughout the journey. Every step you take toward your goal is one step closer your journey’s end.
The problem is that a lot of people take the first few steps and as soon as they stumble they decide that it is too hard and give up. If you don’t convince your subconscious that you will succeed then when you stumble it will feel like you should quit. You get the result that you expect. The key is to expect nothing but what you envisioned.
When you are armed with this self-empowerment you gain a confident that no matter what happens you will find a way to succeed. This is what our heroes knew. They knew that they would draw the things and situations needed to succeed.
Their vision will come to be in the real world. Before you knew who your heroes were they knew where they were going and they stayed focused on it.
They taught themselves to believe.







Article source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/even-your-biggest-heroes-were-unknown-before-they-started

5 Ways Entrepreneurship Helps You Grow As A Person

Entrepreneurship has been one of the best personal development tools I know. It’s not something I expected when launching a business more than 13 years ago. But I treasure this added bonus. For those considering starting a business, here are five ways entrepreneurship helps you grow as a person.

1. You will become more patient. I was never known as a patient person. I was all about speed, getting what I wanted when I wanted it. Then I started a business. 

Entrepreneurship helped me flex my patience muscles — not that I really wanted to! I had to learn how to wait for a result. While I’ve had many successes in business over the years, nothing has happened as quickly as I would have wanted or expected when I started out. The patience I learned in business helps me in my daily life. In fact, I got to practice patience in business so that by the time I had children, I wasn’t that “now, now, now” person of my teens and early 20s. I could be a more patient, in-the-moment parent.

2. You will become a better problem solver. Being in business means you are solving problems. Many problems can arise on any given day — some of your making and some not — all demanding answers. Being in business forces you to evaluate a situation, look at available options, and make a decision about a suitable solution. This can help you in real life outside of the office because you can be the fixer in your daily life. No damsel in distress for you. In fact, you may find that others seek you out for help with their sticky situations. 

3. You will gain more confidence. Business helps you gain more confidence, especially if you are a solopreneur or run a small team. Because you must wear so many hats, certainly in the beginning, you realize you are a lot more capable than you thought. Or, if you’re not capable when you start, you soon increase capability because you have to! You don’t have the luxury of not knowing how to do a thing. You have to figure it out. And that boosts your confidence as you accomplish more and more over time. 

4. You will be stronger. Well, we’ve all heard the saying, “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” It’s true for business. The challenges you face and successfully overcome reveal to you a strength that might have been hiding. Of course this same strength helps you in life outside of business because it allows you to more easily manage the stresses, tough times, and challenges you face on a day-to-day basis. 

5. You will become more resilient. Inevitably in business, not everything will go your way. In fact, you might fail at something. Whether it’s a project, an initiative, or at business itself, some failure will show up to knock you down. It won’t be fun, but if you’re able to get beyond it, you can go on to success later. What’s more, the failures, disappointments, and tough times will hone your ability to bounce back. Or bounce higher. Better. 

You will be more resilient as a result of your business. This same resilience can help you in your private life because it equips you to deal with the losses, setbacks, and trials you may face there. 

So there you have it, five ways business helps you to grow as a person. And you thought you were only chasing financial wealth in business. You may find that the wealth of personal growth is a more prized possession.

Article source: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/5-ways-entrepreneurship-helps-you-grow-as-a-person

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

Top Habits of Motivated People

Many unsuccessful people are not necessarily unsuccessful, they simply have not found their strengths within their natural abilities yet. People become highly motivated when they find their purpose in life. Everyone has a burning drive inside of them. For some, they need to learn from others to find it. For others, the drive comes naturally and pushes them to do great things.
Following is a list of what naturally, highly motivated people do differently and what they can teach us.
1. They don't dwell on adversity.
Highly motivated people don't dwell on problems. If they mess up on a speech in public, fail a test, or do something embarrassing, they don't try to push it away. They don't let their mistakes stop them from achieving their goals. They learn from their experiences, good or bad, and move on towards the goal.

2. They read, A LOT.
Highly motivated people are always learning. Reading allows one to take in the knowledge of some of the smartest people who have ever lived. Highly motivated people don't spend much time watching reality TV - they do, however, spend their time reading.


3. They focus on goals and dreams.
Highly motivated people are always working for something. They know what they want, and they search for ways to achieve it.


4. They are grateful.
Being grateful keeps us humble. There is no room for the ego in an inspirational, motivational life. Try to write down 5 things you are grateful for every day.


5. They are not restricted by limits.
Highly motivated people are driven to go above and beyond; they are trusted by others, focused, and have great confidence in their own abilities.


6. They look at the upside.
Instead of focusing on what's NOT working and bad experiences-which so many of us tend to do-they instead focus on what IS working and their successes.


7. They are authentic.
They are true to themselves, despite what others think. They don't live their lives solely to please others.


8. They don't give up.
When they stumble over that proverbial bump in the road, they analyze the problem, come up with a plan, take action, and overcome it.


9. They don't blame others.

They never blame others for their failures. They understand that ultimately they alone are in charge of their actions and choices and no other.


10. They surround themselves with motivators.
Their friends are those who are trustworthy, positive, supportive, and are people who bring out the best in them, unconditionally.


11. They surround themselves with motivational and inspirational stimuli.
Books, video, music, art, nature, in short, anything that brings and sustains positive energy.
In closing, we leave you with one final motivational and inspirational quote:
"You can do anything you wish to do, have anything you wish to have, be anything you wish to be."


STAY MOTIVATED!

Suggestions for other motivational resources are available at http://www.globalmotivators.com for you convenience, as well as links to other great motivational materials.


~ Robert Collier
Article source - http://EzineArticles.com/8996309

Always Invest In Yourself First

The best investment anyone can make, if not the only one that will directly make the most impact in your life, is to invest in yourself. This is a key to success if you want to achieve any type of goal in your life, business, career, or anything concerning your life. Too many people invest in so many other things but always forget to invest in themselves which support the premise that there are only a few who are truly content in their lives.
It is not too late to make a positive change in life since there are a few easy things you can do to invest in yourself today. One quick action step is go and get some exercise. Go for a brisk walk, take the stairs, or jog for lunch. You will feel better, increase your productivity and energy levels, and reduce stress. Another simple and worthwhile thing you can do is pick a more nutritious lunch rather than going for that greasy burger. Your body is your investment so put junk bonds in it and watch that investment tank or go for the highly rated nutritious foods and watch your investment flourish. In life, like your body, what you put in is what you get out.

Reading a book is a good investment but if you want to make it a better investment don't just read the book, you will be better off studying the book. Study one hour a day and in a few years you could be the top expert of the subject matter you're reading. One more thing is to learn something new each day because at the end of the year you would have learned 365 new things. No matter how little you might think doing something to improve yourself might be it will all add up in the big picture. A good analogy is to reference the principle of compound interest. Constant savings through time, no matter how small the amount, will increase over the years. Obviously, the more you are able to save or invest will yield even larger returns.

The key to success in anything is just start doing it now and keep doing it because it will develop into a good successful habit. Remember, it is never to late to start investing in yourself. The sooner you start and keep doing it will translate into amazing things happening for you.

Article Source -  http://EzineArticles.com/9009101

Your Destiny is Shaped by Your Confidence

How many times have you heard people say that to succeed in life you need to have confidence in your own ability? Nothing in life is difficult if you know how to believe in yourself in any situation. Most people have this misconception that confidence is something that is either there or not. It is a natural ability that can’t be inculcated but this is not true. Believing in yourself against all odds is an art. 

Everything is controlled and perceived by the mind and if you can train your mind to feel confident, it will always remain like it. The most important thing that defines confidence in an individual is his/her self image. Self esteem plays a crucial role in determining the attitude of an individual towards a situation. It is generally observed that people, who consistently belittle themselves, tend to suffer from lack of confidence. 

They are always pessimistic in their view point and are defensive in their approach. This is why it is imperative that people suffering from lack of confidence must take the necessary steps to build up their self esteem. An improved outlook towards life will always bring about opportunities that are rewarding and prosperous. People with high levels of confidence are always challenging themselves and are never bothered by any situation in their lives. The best is that they are not worried about what others are thinking of them and are always focussed on the task in hand. This is what high self esteem can bring you:

• You feel confident about yourself and are willing to try and test new things

• High confidence means high courage, you will never back away from situations that are testing or tough. 

• You will become more aware about your personality and perceptions and will always be able to make better decisions both personally and professionally. 

• You are always in control of your life; your decisions are not influenced by any external factors or influences. 

High self esteem and confidence are virtues that can be enhanced in individuals at any age. The most easiest and effective way to build confidence and self esteem is self love. Nothing beats self love. No matter what your current circumstance is, you need to love yourself for who you are. If you have a good image of yourself in your own eyes, you will always be in control of your actions. You will trust your judgement and will always feel good about your life. 

To love yourself, you first need to release all the negative notions or beliefs you may have about your personality. You need to start doing things you are uncomfortable with. You need to take more control of your life. The potential in a person is nothing without self esteem or confidence. Your talent needs the support of your confidence to shine on any platform. People are always bound to react in a defensive mode, when the chips are down, but how they emerge from that given situation depends entirely upon the level of their confidence. So be confident and live your life to the full.

Article Source - http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/your-destiny-is-shaped-by-your-confidence

Learn To Embrace Yourself

Learn to do it... like your own company. It's really great to have others around but that's not always possible. And if it's not, then why be sad and miserable about it?

Step out... on your own. What do you like to do? Would you like to go to a movie or a museum? Would you like to learn to do something, say, for example, learning a second language?

Think about the things you like to do and then make a pact with yourself to do them. Want to see that movie? Then get up, get dressed and go. You certainly don't need anyone else to go with you... there's no talking allowed anyway.

Want to take a class? Then get online and just type in the kind of class you want and see what comes up... and then sign up!

Doing things by yourself helps build your confidence and feel better about yourself. And you never know who you might meet along the way- perhaps a new friend to enjoy doing new things with too!

The bottom line here is that things won't change for you until you change the way you think. Sitting in a chair and staring at the wall won't bring the movie to you or the class to you. But if you open the door and step out, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what could come your way.

Do it today. Get up, and try something different. Just try it. Take that first step. And after you do that, you'll find the rest of the "stepping" comes a lot easier!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7510907