8 Habits Of Those Who Are Highly Productive.

Oracle Of Success.

   

8 Habits Of Those Who Are Highly Productive.

Ever wonder how some workplace superstars or successful entrepreneurs seem to get more done in an hour than what others are able to accomplish in a day? Fortunately, many of the habits that make these people ultra productive can be developed with enough practice.

Here are 8 habits of the highly productive people:

1. They stick to a schedule during meetings

How many times have you been in a meeting and thought to yourself, this is pointless? Why wasn’t this sent as an email? Why is everyone getting off the meeting schedule and talking about stuff that is absolutely irrelevant? People who stay on task during meetings get more done.

So whether you’re the boss, or a member of the team, make sure that the meeting doesn’t meander. Stay on agenda, get your points across, and if somebody starts to talk about where you’re going for happy hour or the newest meme circulating on Facebook, shut it down.  

“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” – Benjamin Franklin

2. They map their days like their meetings

So, you come into a meeting totally prepared. You have an agenda, you know exactly what questions have been burning in your brain, and you know exactly what you need to say to get the job done. So why don’t you come that prepared to the other events in your life?

People who plan out their day tend to be more productive. If you spend just five minutes writing down a list of the top three things that need to get done in one day, it’s more likely that it will be executed. And don’t forget that every minute spent planning is 10 minutes saved in execution.

 3. They remove themselves from the problem

People who don’t take a break from the task at hand, or remove themselves from the situation in any way tend to be too close to the problem. Therefore, the solution is harder to see. So give yourself a break, but don’t take it as an excuse to procrastinate. We all know the difference.

 4. They don’t talk about it, they are about it

A good friend of mine in college used to say, “don’t talk about it, be about it.” What he meant was when I would say vague things like, “I want to try this” or “I want to go there”, he would say to me, “don’t talk about trying it, try it.” “Don’t talk about wanting to visit a place, visit!” If you get an email? Answer it. Don’t let it sit in your inbox. That wastes more time. Either act on it, or delegate it away.

 5. Learn to say no

The biggest thing getting in the way of any person achieving their goals is taking on too much. Whether it’s too much at work, or too much at home, being a martyr in that sense is the biggest productivity buzz kill. The best skill you can learn is to learn when to tell people no.

Sometimes saying no to someone does not mean you are a bad person or a lazy person, it just means whatever they’re asking you to do will not make you the best version of yourself. The best version of yourself has time to concentrate on the projects you’ve already said yes to.

The best version of yourself has time to take that long bath you always look forward to, or to take your kids to soccer practice. While being a yes-man might seem like a good idea at the time (because let’s face it, who wants to be that guy at the office?), highly productive people know that spreading yourself too thin gets you nowhere.

 6. Sleep more

If you don’t take care of yourself how are you going to take care of anybody else? While we might think we can get more done by sleeping less, (that gives us more hours in the day, right?) but studies show that when you have a lack of sleep, your ideas aren’t as good, your brain is less sharp, and in general you are less productive. Productive people take care of themselves and make sure to create an optimal sleep environment.

 7. Make your long-term goals your short-term goals

When you make a very vague long-term goal, they are harder to achieve. Because saying that you want to be CEO of your company, or that you want to get a record deal isn’t specific enough. That gives you as a person the leeway to give up.

Now if you have a short-term goal that actually is attainable that will propel you to your long-term goal, you are more likely to attain your long-term goal because the short-term goals are easier, and the sense of satisfaction you get from attaining the short-term goals will drive you to continue to push to not only make more short-term goals but to achieve the long-term goal at the end of the road.

“All successful people men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.” – Brian Tracy

8. They make it home for dinner

We are more than our job and we are more than our goals. We are fathers, we are sons, we are sisters, we are athletes, and we are spouses. People who lose sight of that, will never make it. So whatever that means to you, whether it’s making sure that you get home every night to have snuggle session with your kitty, or it means spending time on the phone with your mom, the things that feed our soul keep us going.

And trust me, it’s easy to procrastinate when there is nothing else driving you to be the best version of yourself that you can be.

How do you stay productive? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

Thanks for reading.

9 Tips to Keep Yourself and Your Team Motivated While Working From Home.

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9 Tips to Keep Yourself and Your Team Motivated While Working From Home.

The entire world is now faced with the COVID-19 pandemic. Since this respiratory illness is highly contagious, especially in places with multitudes of people, more and more companies are now encouraging their staff to start working from home to mitigate the spread of the highly contagious disease.

For some, doing online work from home can be a breeze but to others, it would be a totally new experience and may find it a bit challenging to focus and actually be productive. The good news is that there are a few essential tips that you and your team can practice to help you balance working from home while staying productive and disciplined. Working from home requires a lot of discipline and comes with its perks. However, it is also easy to pick up bad habits along the way.

This post will give you 10 tips on how to go about it and how to motivate your remote workforce to work from home during the current COID-19 lockdown:

1. Start your day right

This means that you start your day bright and early, just as you would on your normal workday, except that you will be working from home. Encourage your team to follow this trend too. Although your home office desk could be steps away, you need to transition from the mood to a working mood.

Getting to work on time starts your day on the right footing and prevents you from slipping into the bad habit of waking up late, which could easily turn into a routine. Furthermore, the morning hours are the most productive hours for most people.

2. Dress the part

For you to achieve success, you first need to dress for success. This is one way of personifying a work-from-home ethic. Try as much as you can to avoid just rolling off your bed and heading over to your work station in pajamas. Pajamas have the slack effect and you will carry that all through the day.

You need to take a shower, look clean and fresh and clad in something functional and comfortable. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a suit. You will effectively adopt the character of what you are wearing.

3. Schedule your team tasks and goals

Creating a schedule helps you map out the activities of the day and the objectives you hope your team will achieve in that week. You need to indicate the steps you expect your team to follow to help them accomplish the set tasks.

Set goals and tasks in a way that they are achievable and manageable. This ensures that the team works within the schedule and avoids rolling over unfinished tasks. Such rollovers only lead to fatigue and stress because of playing catch up. This can be detrimental to the performance of the team

Structure the day with the standard business hours to help your team enforce some self-discipline.

“The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing” – Walt Disney

4. Focus is key

When working from home, you are bound to face a lot of distractions. You can have access to social media, the internet, TV, video games and more. Ensure that you focus on the task at hand until you finish it first.

Try and enforce discipline among your team members so that they stay focused, at least through the time they are required to work. From time to time, you will get some sudden urges to do something and that is normal. Ensure that you first finish your task before you do anything else.

5. Work out

Working from home means that you will be sedentary most of the time because there is minimal walking or moving around. Being sedentary isn’t as much of a health risk but dampens your motivation and discipline. Therefore, since you create your own schedule, include some time to work out. Working out will help in terms of boosting your energy and productivity along with getting you ready for the day.

6. Set clear expectations for the team

Working from home means more flexible hours for the team. Therefore, to ensure that they are more engaged and responsive during certain hours of the day, you need to clearly communicate your expectations. Additionally, you also need to periodically check in on them to ensure that your expectations are still aligned with their engagement.

“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain

7. Remember to socialise

This works for both you and your team. People easily get lonely working from home because they are isolated with no colleagues around them. You are bound to miss the daily banter at the tea point and the basic element of social interaction. Therefore, when you and the team are done with the day, encourage everyone to meet friends online and interact. It will help boost everyone’s psyche and productivity.

8. Earn rewards

Working from home gives you the freedom to do whatever you want. Nevertheless, for you to achieve anything significant, you need to discipline yourself to be more productive than binge-watching your favourite TV show. Instead of watching six episodes in a row, do something constructive then reward yourself with an episode then get back to work. You can also have an hour of video gaming.

9. Watch the team’s stress levels

Managing stress levels while working remotely can be a challenge. Always try your best to ensure that stress doesn’t get in the way of your team’s productivity. Always encourage the team to stick to their set schedules and find ways to resolve any arising problems to prevent future stressors. Everyone needs to understand that success takes patience.

Working from home requires discipline and focus to achieve goals, not just for you but your remote workforce too. Using the above tips will help you and the team to stay motivated to achieve your goals. 

Thanks for reading

Please comment.

6 Ways To Overcome Your Fear Of Failure As A Startup Entrepreneur.

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6 Ways To Overcome Your Fear Of Failure As A Startup Entrepreneur.

Many would-be entrepreneurs let their fear of failure stop them from starting a business. Maybe it’s because of all the statistics we’ve heard (you know, the ones that tell us that 90% of all new businesses fail within 3 years, or something along those lines).  

There are many reasons why a business fails (and just so you know, it’s not the end of the world when it does), but the fear of failure alone should never be enough to justify not starting one. It is perfectly natural to have feelings of uncertainty about what you’re getting yourself into as you become an entrepreneur. The trick is to not let those feelings paralyze you and keep you from taking action.  

The only way to truly overcome a fear is to face it. You must decide to take action in spite of your fear. Yes, that fear will reappear from time to time, but the good news is you can learn to ignore it and stay focused on building your dream.

Here are 6 strategies to help you overcome your fear of failure as a startup entrepreneur:

1. Redefine what it means to fail

One of the main reasons why many aspiring entrepreneurs allow the fear of failure to stop them from starting their business is because they view failure as something that is negative. Interestingly enough, if you study the lives of successful entrepreneurs you will discover that in most cases their careers were riddled with “failures” before they succeeded.

Failure is not the opposite of success. It is a part of success. A failure is nothing more than a result that you get that you do not want. It is neither good nor bad, it is just feedback. By learning from feedback, and continuing to take action and make decisions that produce more feedback, you eventually learn precisely the lessons you need to learn to earn your success.

“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison

2. Stop comparing yourself to others

Every industry has a select group of individuals and companies that rise to the top of that industry. One of the most effective ways to succeed quickly is to learn from their approaches and emulate them. In fact, it is wise to study the successes (and the failures) of entrepreneurs in general, regardless of what business or industry they are in. Just be careful not to compare yourself to them.

In order to build a unique business, you must hold on to your uniqueness as an individual. It is unwise to compare yourself to others for the simple reason that you are not them, and you shouldn’t try to be them either. Admire the success of others, but don’t envy them. Respect the results that other entrepreneurs are able to create, but focus your attention on the results that you want to create.

 3. Just keep going

Another effective way to overcome your fear of failure is to take action in spite of fear. When doubts, fears, or any other negative thoughts enter your mind just stay focused on taking action. Fear is a common feeling when you do things you have never done before. When you try something new, you leave your comfort zone – you enter the unknown. But instead of retreating back to your comfort zone whenever you feel fear, embrace that fear and praise yourself for having the courage to step into a new, unfamiliar experience.

By facing your fear head on, and continuing to take action, your comfort zone expands and eventually that new experience becomes a familiar experience and the fear will subside. Successful entrepreneurs have learned to use fear as a motivator to keep moving forward. Whether it’s the fear of failure, the fear of rejection, the fear of mediocrity, or the fear of poverty, they purposely use that fear to fuel their motivation to succeed.

“I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan

4. Don’t focus on problems, find solutions

Never forget that businesses exist to provide products or services that solve specific problems to the marketplace. To succeed as an entrepreneur, you must learn to embrace problems, but not focus on them. Learn to perceive every problem as an opportunity to create a solution, to fill an unfilled need.

If your employees are complaining about specific challenges, there may be an opportunity there. If your customers are having challenges in certain areas or with certain products, there may be an opportunity there. If your suppliers are complaining about something, there may be an opportunity there. The more problems that you and your business are able to solve, and the more people you are able to solve them for, the more you will be rewarded (financially and otherwise) for providing those solutions.

 5. Stay positive

Another important point for overcoming your fear of failure as a startup entrepreneur is to maintain a positive attitude always. As a leader of an organization and as the visionary for the future of your business, you must remain focused on the possibilities of the future and not so much the challenges of the present.

Expect setbacks and obstacles and know that overcoming them are the price you must pay to succeed. Your team will be looking to you for encouragement during difficult times, and so you must never fail to display a positive, optimistic attitude.

Keep in mind that a positive attitude alone will not be enough to save your business from failing (would a positive attitude alone have saved Blockbuster from failing as Netflix emerged?). It is important to acknowledge market conditions for your business and face certain facts that may not be ideal. You must operate from objective reality, but lean on your positive attitude to look for the hidden opportunities within that reality.

“Winners are not afraid of losing. But losers are. Failure is part of the process of success. People who avoid failure also avoid success.” – Robert T. Kiyosaki

6. Start small and count your successes

The final strategy for overcoming your fear of failure is to start small, achieve positive results, and build on that momentum. You may have the expression “go big or go home”. Many people have used this expression to justify taking massive action or taking no action at all. In some scenarios this is a wise approach, but for many startup entrepreneurs it is better to begin with smaller goals – goals such as setting up your website, launching a crowdfunding campaign, or acquiring your first customer – and then building on those successes.

Success breeds success. By consistently achieving positive results on a smaller scale, you build momentum. That momentum is what will help to create the larger successes later.

How do you overcome your fear of failure as a startup entrepreneur? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

Thanks for reading.

10 Lessons We Can Learn From Arnold Schwarzenegger

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10 Lessons We Can Learn From  Arnold Schwarzenegger

Tim Ferriss, the man who experiments in lifestyle design and renowned for introducing the 4 hour work week to the world, started his own podcast only less than half a year ago. He managed to pull off the unexpected and was invited to visit Southern California to interview the man himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

This podcast interview is just under 1.5 hours of pure gold, and gives you a chance to connect with Arnold through the interviewer’s incredible engagement ability.

Here are 10 lessons that open up answers on how one man can achieve so much in a short amount of time.

 

1. ‘My confidence came from my vision’

One advice you’ll find in many ‘self-development’ books without fail, is having a clear vision.

Tim mentioned about a very old photograph from the Junior Mr Europe contest, and noticed the confidence (even arrogance) on a young Arnold’s facial expression.

‘I wasn’t there to compete, I was there to WIN’

He had a clear vision, so he knew ‘why‘ training 5 hours a day, eating more food, doing 200 sit ups, plus the daily jobs in the military, was paramount and easier to persevere during the time in the trenches.

Arnold’s mind was set on being one step closer to winning Mr Universe, one day.

 

2. ‘That was my shot’

arnold schwarzeneggerGoing back to his first ever bodybuilding competition in 1965, the ‘impossible‘ was achieved by pushing through the barriers like there’s no tomorrow.

Sneaking out of the military camp (without a passport), to taking the cheapest train that stopped at every station…

‘There was this will(power) there, that no matter what it takes, even if I had to crawl to Germany…I had to be there”

He knew that was his calling, a once in a life time opportunity to stand on an international stage.

This was the beginning of his epic legacy.

 

3. ‘I felt that people were vulnerable’

The Art of Psychological Warfare. An interesting topic on how Arnold used it to his advantage to win over his competition in bodybuilding. By asking and commenting on their weak points, they would end up throwing themselves off by developing self-doubt.

Back then, he felt that any area of sport was not only a physical thing was also a mental thing which ended up being much more important.

His natural leadership skills and ‘success‘ comes down to being able to control any environment by exposing an individual’s vulnerability, and finding solutions instead of ‘beating around the bush‘.

He was curious about human psychology, the strengths and weaknesses of people and how to help build them up. One extreme example is mailing (fake) cow testicals to Politicians, for not being serious enough in life…

”10 years down the line we’ll look back at this day and laugh at it”.

 

4. ‘I never auditioned’

arnold schwarzenegger conan the barbarianReferring to his humbling beginnings as an up-an-coming actor. It was clear he wasn’t gunning for regular spots, since being the ‘blonde guy in California…looking athletic and cute‘ was the opposite to his monstrous figure and persona.

Instead, Arnold wanted to calve out a niche that would bring back the 50’s and 60’s muscle movies.

Despite the criticisms, the movie ‘Conan’ earned Schwarzenegger worldwide recognition.

 

5. ‘And of course, there were the neysayers’

Ah, ‘neysayers’. The famous word you may have heard from Arnold’s ‘6 rules of success speech‘ that people all over the world listen to for inspiration.

A lot of big Producers and Agents would say that he is too big and muscly and wouldn’t make it in the movies. Throughout his multiple successful careers, there were always doubters and it’s obvious how little Arnold paid attention to it.

 

6. ‘He believed in me’

Both directors, Bob Rafelson (Staying Hungry) and James Cameron (The Terminator) saw something in the newbie Austrian actor.

Arnold’s looks and personality had the potential to work on the camera, and without Mr Cameron’s compliment, the Terminator and the well recognised phrase…’I’ll be back’…wouldn’t exist today.

 

7. ‘I did not rely on my movie career to make a living’

Again coming back, Arnold witnessed over the years, many people who he met in the gym and acting classes were all ‘vulnerable‘ because they didn’t have much money and took up any offers to make a living.

He instead made a wise decision to invest in real estate with money earned from bodybuilding shows, seminars, and even courses through mail orders to start off investing in an apartment. That quickly led to trading other apartments, buildings, offices and, ultimately became a millionaire before his showbiz acting career.

Being financially independent allowed him to star in other genres like the comedy movie, ‘Twins’ with Danny DeVito.

 

8. ‘Franco would play the bad guy, and I would play the good guy’

Franco Columbu was a dear close friend of Arnold’s who achieved many success stories in his own right. From powerlifting champion, boxing champion and bodybuilding champion, Mr Universe and Mr Olympic.

During the late 60s, the first business venture for Arnold was actually a bricklaying business, who he partnered with Franco and made a success through the pair’s savvy marketing and personalities.

Timely enough, the San Fernando earthquake in 1971 injected a lumpy cash-flow into the business. They were also training partners in Germany, and have remained in a very loyal relationship, even till today.

 

9. ‘I should keep the two apart’

Briefly mentioning about his upcoming movies, Tim was curious as to why at this day an age, Arnold doesn’t finance his own movies and become the sole owner.

Performing and investing is two completely different businesses, and Arnold believes everyone should play their strengths – that’s why he sticks with acting and allows other people who are better at the numbers to focus on finance.

 

10.‘Unless I have a passion for it’

The one exception when it comes to investing money in filming, is when it comes to projects that involve giving back. Like the ‘Brooklyn Castle’ documentary supporting after school programs to help children be smart (learn to play chess) and stay off the streets.

Having a real purpose, drives his decision making and we should take this lesson on board for our future

Thanks for reading 

Please comments.

4 Lies You Keep Telling Yourself When You’re Afraid to Do Something.

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4 Lies You Keep Telling Yourself When You’re Afraid to Do Something.

When’s the last time you let fear get the better of you? Whether we want to admit it or not, fear keeps us from doing a lot of the things we know we really should do to achieve our goals. Fear is especially detrimental to entrepreneurs (read ‘wantrepreneurs’) that want to launch their first big project.

With this in mind, I thought I’d share with you four lies people tend to tell themselves when they’re coming up with reasons NOT to do something. Hopefully by calling out these lies for what they are you can get your next big project started without so much delay or frustration.

Here are the 4 lies you keep telling yourself when you’re afraid to do something:

1. I’m not ready to do this

Fear is a major obstacle for many early-stage entrepreneurs or business people as they start to plan and build their first ventures. Without positive reinforcement, many people can be paralysed by that fear, and some never launch their product or service because of that fear.

They’re afraid what they have to sell is no good, and they lack the self confidence to push through the discomfort and do it anyway. But I’ve got news for you, you are ready.

Discomfort is part of the process, and it is part of the journey. Likely, you will fail or experience certain difficulties, but without regular action, you won’t achieve anything. Regular action is key, so set deadlines for yourself and get to work.

“Momentum begets momentum, and the best way to start is to start.” – Gil Penchina

2. I have so many ideas, but I should wait until I have one that is good enough to pursue

Another big barrier to entry for many young entrepreneurs is knowing where to focus their time, money and energy. Most entrepreneurs have no shortage of good ideas, but knowing which areas to focus their efforts on is key if they truly want to become successful. A jack of all trades is a master of none.

Rather than avoiding choosing one path and trying to juggle three or four ideas, narrow your idea down to one niche, and stick with it for a duration of time to understand whether or not you can gain traction with that idea. When I say traction, I mean interest from the market.

If you can ask a large enough segment of the market for their interest in a certain topic, and if they express interest in that topic (even without buying), you should consider that proof of market validation.

Finding and selecting a niche is also an art in and of itself, but not impossible to teach. You should blend your current skill set (or find something that you can easily learn) with what there is a market demand for and what you are interested in. Once you find something that overlaps in those three areas, you will find a profitable niche for yourself.

3. This has already been created, I shouldn’t bother producing one more thing that people don’t need

Another problem that people face when they consider setting up their own business is learning how to sell, not just to other people, but to themselves. Chances are, if you have an idea for a product, it can be marketed and sold effectively, and it will provide some value to those who use it.

Unfortunately, many people have a very low self-image of their own skills and knowledge, and whether or not what they have will be of value to others.

Negative self talk can be a powerful influence on the success of your future business, so beware of its influence on you and how often you find yourself slipping into this mindset.

One way to get out of this mindset is to think less of yourself and more about the customer. Get in the habit of thinking less about what skills you have (or what skills you lack) and think instead of the market and what needs those people have.

When you decide to solve people’s problems, you have gone into a mode of selfless service, which is ultimately much more profitable than sitting on your butt feeling sorry for yourself. Strange isn’t it?

“The best way to sell yourself to others is first to sell the others to yourself.” – Napoleon Hill

4. It’s too late to start working on this today, I’ll make a fresh start in the morning

Everyone knows that the first few hours of the morning tend to be the most productive. With that in mind, it makes sense to start your day with the tasks that are going to be the most challenging, followed by the tasks that are perhaps more enjoyable or less monotonous. However, that won’t work for some people.

Sometimes it’s hard to wake up first thing in the morning. Perhaps you stayed out partying too hard last night, or you were kept up watching Netflix. Maybe you got to bed at a reasonable hour but just aren’t a morning person. Whatever the case, don’t think that you have to let all of the pieces fall into the right place at the right time.

Starting now is always better than waiting. Sure, you might not send off a client deliverable to someone at 2am, but if you are up and awake and able to string two sentences together or spend 15 minutes researching a certain topic, do it. Making even small bits of progress over time can lead to lasting success.

Whatever you end up telling yourself, understand that you are still responsible for your actions. Perhaps more importantly, you are responsible for your inaction. What inaction will you be responsible for if you decide to believe the lies you tell yourself on a regular basis?

How could your life be different if you decided, starting today, you aren’t going to take no for an answer? I for one, would love to see what the new you does with that power.

How do you get yourself back on track when you’re afraid to do something? 

Let me know your thoughts below!

Thanks for Reading.

7 Incredibly Powerful Motivational Tips For New Entrepreneurs.

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7 Incredibly Powerful Motivational Tips For New Entrepreneurs.

So you have a brilliant business idea and are all set to put in your papers at your day job so you can finally call yourself an entrepreneur. Excited?  I’m sure you are!

But what happens when the business building begins? When you clock hours longer than you did at your “job”? When you hear the word “no” so many times, it reminds you of when you were 4-years old and in grade school, and when the money that was to come pouring in remains a distant dream?

That feeling of excitement, the passion and energy begin to fade and the motivation to “make it” starts to slip away. I get it. As an entrepreneur for the last 7 years, I’ve seen it all. And if you’re starting out, you need to dose up on staying motivated and inspired, especially in those early days when it’s all too easy to get overwhelmed and disheartened.

Here are 7 insanely effective and powerful ways to keep your motivation levels high and keep your passion pumping all the time:

1. Surround yourself with people who get you

Who do you hang out with after you’re done with working on your business? Do they understand your work? Do they feel your passion? Can they be a sounding board? A supportive shoulder?

Surround yourself with people who understand what being an entrepreneur is all about. That is the power of a mastermind group. It can be just a few of you touching base every other day or a larger group for accountability and growth.

Whatever you’re trying to get from your mastermind groups, make sure that you have one and that they’re positive, supportive, inspiring.

“Surround yourself with only people who are going to lift you higher.” – Oprah Winfrey 

2. Read, watch or listen to something positive every day

We live in the information age and it’s easy to get bombarded with all sorts of messages. Newspapers, books, magazines, social media, blogs, TV shows, podcasts, the list goes on and on.

To stay motivated on a daily basis, make sure you take your “positive pills” or small doses of content that keep you inspired. Feed your mind positivity and you’ll feel positive and in control. Feed your mind negativity and you know how you’ll feel.

Whether it’s an article, a podcast, a blog post, a phone call with a friend, make sure that you have daily doses of positivity factored into your schedule.

 3. Keep your why front and center

It’s easy to feel disheartened when it seems no one, other than you, is interested in your business ideas. When such thoughts threaten to take over, remind yourself of your “why”.

Answer this question: What is the core reason behind your desire and passion to be an entrepreneur?

Dig deep and reconnect with what really made you want to put in those papers or pursue this passion. Keep that “why” front and center.

 4. Practice gratitude

Gratitude is a powerful and proven technique to keep motivation levels up. Looking for the good and being grateful for what we may take for granted helps entrepreneurs see what’s really working for them. Even when it seems nothing is.

Starting today, keep a simple notebook or journal and at the end of the day, write down 3 to 5 things that you’re grateful for. Review your journal whenever you feel the motivation levels dip. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you’ll feel fired up and inspired.

 5. Keep moving forward

There will be days when taking action will seem tough. When all you’ll want to do is curl up in the fetal position and bawl your head off. But I encourage you to step up and step forward. Baby steps are all that it takes.

Break down big goals into tiny actions and take one step at a time. Keep moving forward and you’ll never feel stuck in a rut again.

“Action is the real measure of intelligence.” – Napoleon Hill

6. Step away from the laptop

It’s tempting to hole up in your office and keep working away on your dream idea. One word of advice: Don’t. As someone who’s been there, I have to tell you, shutting down the laptop and heading outdoors is key to your mental and physical health.

Go outside. Take up a hobby. Power walk, run or do yoga. Meet people in real life. Travel. Read. You get the point, right? Do anything that doesn’t have you sitting in front of the laptop, all day long. Your brain and your body will thank you for it.

 7. Dare yourself

Finally, motivation feeds on motivation. In other words, every now and then get the adrenalin pumping and dare yourself to take insanely scary actions. Want to reach out to that influencer or investor? Go ahead, introduce yourself.

Don’t let the little voice in your head hold you back. You’ll be amazed at how fired up you feel when you dare yourself to do something you’ve been dragging your feet on.

Are you an entrepreneur who’s just starting out? Which one of these 7 motivation tips will you be using right away? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section below!

Threading reading.

Brian Tracy’s 3 Beliefs About Life and How They Will Help You Succeed.

  Oracle of Success

Brian Tracy’s 3 Beliefs About Life and How They Will Help You Succeed.

Brian Tracy has been a leading expert on sales, psychology, and achievement for years. Every time I talk with someone in sales they are telling me about Brian Tracy. He has written numerous books, he speaks publicly, and he runs large personal development conferences.

What you might not know about Brian Tracy is three beliefs that he has about life. These are very simple ideas, but transformative. Understand and utilize these three beliefs and you are likely to hit a new level of success.

Here are Brian Tracy’s three beliefs on life and how they will benefit you:

1. Life is hard

Brian Tracy says that life is hard. It always has been and it always will be. This has been true since thousands of years ago when we were fighting for our very survival until now when we are battling for business success and prosperity in much similar ways.

Understanding that life is hard can give you an added acceptance and understanding for life. Seeing things as challenging, will reduce your frustration with challenges and will allow you to persevere more.

Afterall, if life was easy and the tasks ahead of you were as well, what would that mean about the rewards of such accomplishments?

“You are where you are and what you are because of what you believe yourself to be.” –Brian Tracy

2. Everything you are or ever will be is only up to you

While some people think that other people or other outside influences have the keys to their success, the truly successful people know that success or failure is on them and them alone.

Sure, there will be failure and disappointment ahead. People you were counting on will let you down, but it is on you to respond to the challenges of life. You must make your process about you. You must persevere, and you must make your life in the way that you see fit.

Understanding that you hold the keys to your success moves you away from relying or needing anyone else for your success. When you know that you walk your own path, that knowledge makes things easier. Your success then can become that much more reliable when it is only dependent on you and you alone.

3. You can learn anything you need to learn to become who you want to become

The great advantage that we have today over yesterday is that we have the great ability to learn. Now, more than ever, we have the ability to learn like never before. Only in this time today have we had such an ease of access to a wealth of information as abundant as ever.

If someone has accomplished what you want to do then you can go out and learn from them. Take in knowledge, read everyday, and apply yourself to never ending learning.

When you understand that you can learn anything you need to, it gives you leverage in making your goals a process instead of an outcome. You don’t have to know everything right away, but along the way you can and will learn everything else you need to do if you are going to be successful.

“I’ve found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often.” – Brian Tracy

Brian Tracy was right when he said it. It’s not going to be easy and it is going to be all on you. The good news is that you can learn and become the person you want to become.

Have you seen these same beliefs in really successful people? How could having these beliefs about life help you even further?

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