As we get closer to the ‘festive season’ it is timely to quickly review how well 2011 has been for you.
For many of course, for a variety of reasons [many self caused I might add], Christmas will not be festive at all.
Whether this is the case for you or not, please consider undertaking a review.
What went well, and what did not go so well this year? What could you have done better and what lessons have you learned along the way. And will you be prepared to take the necessary action steps to ensure you do not experience a repeat of the negative stuff.
A great place to start, as with any project, is to get clear as to what it is you would like to have, be or do for the future.
Ben Stein advises thus: ‘The indispensible first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want.’
Of course the more clearly you can visualise your dream, the more likely you are to begin the process of becoming more successful.
And in Sam Horn’s book ‘POP – Stand out in any crowd’; Yogi Berra cautions; ‘ If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.’
Which in a way is the advice given in Alice in Wonderland: ‘If you don’t know which path you are following, then any path will do.’
Napoleon Hill talks about having a ‘burning desire’. A burning desire will lead you on to greater and better things. However this often requires that you get clear, you set goals and you keep going until you succeed.
You will go down a blind alley or two. You may invest in a particular programme or book or course only to discover that it was not the ‘right one’ for you. What you will have gained from this though is more clarity; you keep going with a little more certainty and determination.
That’s one of the key reasons I introduce you to selected personal improvement products and ideas.
It is my goal to be as helpful as I can to get you over the start line toward a better life – whatever that may mean for you.
It is why I am a life coach.
So remember: perseverance always wins!
Take some time out, have a good old think about things and write some ideas down. Let those ideas circulate for a while or share them with someone who knows you well; maybe they’ll have something valuable to add.
Then begin to create a plan.
Make a decision that no matter what, 2012 will be better than 2011, and 2013 will be better again!
Something to ponder.
Why is it that the topic of this article Personal Development and Self Growth are part of one of the biggest categories on the internet?
And one of the biggest at Amazon?
Could it be that so many of you are not entirely satisfied with your lot in life, and you are looking for something more, or something better?
There’s nothing wrong with that of course. It’s probably a trait common to humanity, constantly seeking, looking for that little piece of magic that will transform one’s life.
Yet, most only look, they do not take action, they do not set goals [ maybe in their head they do], and so they remain right where they are.
Still dreaming, still looking; not getting any self growth, not developing, just hoping.
I call it being stuck
Then again many of you do take action – every week.You gamble.You place a bet at the local lottery store. Why? No doubt because most of you believe that more money is the great cure all, and all those niggly problems will just go away!
That’s partly true.
What if you had everything you need right now?
Those who are practitioners of Metaphysics often say that you do!
Life Coaches will say it – often.
Stop, take time out, write a list of all that you have, including family and relationships, job or no job and so on.
Then write what’s good or not so good about each item on your list.
Then write down what life would be like if each was to become ‘better’.
Then write a plan – of action steps – to start contributing to that improvement. You might discuss some things with your partner, or friend, or dare I say it; your coach.
Even one extra smile at a stranger, one less mouthful of food at each meal, one more walk around the block, just one more positive thought will make all the difference.
As long as you do it consistently.
Give it say 4 months, beging to increase the amount and quality of each change after a few weeks.
And, all of those small steps will add up to Self Growth, to Personal Development, which is really what those terms mean.
Keeping a diary or journal about your journey can be useful as well.
As always, I am here to help, so get in touch and let’s get going toward a beautiful life!
John is ranked as one of the top 100 thought leaders in the US.
What excites me about the video is that it follows closely the teachings of Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.
I’m also excited to see that the 3 steps to success that John espouses are precisiely the steps I use with my coaching clients.
If you are serious about your own personal growth, then take the time, about 35 minutes to watch and learn. if you would then like to take action on these principles, contact me by email: the address is phil@ahafactor.co.nz
I’m sure you will be familiar with the question: “How do you eat an elephant?” And the answer is “one bite at a time”.
It is a useful analogy for setting big goals – you know the goals that get you closer to realizing your dream.
There’s power in dreaming big if you begin the journey toward getting what you want.
However it is also very easy to waste that power as you let things slip a little and before long your dream is still as far away as it always was.
Later on you might pick it up again only to let it go once more.
Have you ever experienced this? Getting excited and energised about an idea only to let it drop sometime later?
Have you ever experienced this cycle happening more than once in your life?
I bet you have, and you are not alone.
It is easy to have big dreams, and big plans, the kinds of desires that could transport you into another life a whole new way of being.
So why do you, and plenty of others, let them slip away?
Why do you slide back into mediocrity and let things ‘happen’ to you?
Imagine if you will, actually achieving that dream – what would your life be like, what would it look like, tastelike and feel like?
Take a few minutes perhaps with your eyes closed to get all of your senses tuned in to that ideal.
Coming back into reality now and notice how this feels – not so good huh?
What can you do?
Reset the goal – just make sure it is something you truly want.
Create an action plan, a series of small steps that take you forwards every day.
Find a coach or a mentor to help you stay on track.
Follow the steps outlined in Think and Grow Rich, Hill’s process works, providing you take the time to understand and implement his teaching.
This an excellent process for your own personal growth and success.
You must have faith in yourself that you can do it, you must believe you will get there and you must persist – do something evry day.
And beat your biggest enemy procrastination! You beat him by starting now – no excuses.
If you need help and or advice, email me. Just fill in the form at the top of my home page and lets’ make 2011 your best ever year!
A couple of days ago a friend invited me to attend a presentation for a new MLM [Multi - Level Marketing] company launching in New Zealand.
No big deal. No doubt you [like me], get invitations to ‘get in early’ on the next new thing.
With the advent of the internet MLM opportunities abound. And the power of leverage through duplication has reached new heights through this medium.
What still fascinates me is the stigma or bad rap that attaches itself to MLM.
For every opportunity, there seems to be somebody when reckons it’s a scam, or it won’t work, or there’s no money to be made and so on.
And I am sure you a familiar with these scenarios.
MLM does offer a way for Mr and Mrs Average to go into business for themselves with relatively low capital or risk.
So why are so many people closed to the idea in these times of job insecurity of creating an ‘insurance policy’ against possible lay off, or just building a nest egg for the future?
There are many, many answers to that question so I won’t bore you with a whole raft of explanations.
What I will say is this:
Any new venture requires consistent application, dedication and perseverance.
You go to work don’t you? You spend on average 40 hours every week in exchange for wages or a salary.
How many hours per week do you or would you put into a new venture that holds the promise of additional, maybe replacement income on a consistent basis?
How many people do you know that have told you that it [the new venture] got too hard?
How many of you were just ‘3 feet from Gold‘?
Was there a written goal statement with a time line. Was there an action plan? Was there a burning desire and faith in yourself to keep going no matter what? Were you persistent and consistent, passionate even.
One thing MLM consistently offers is a path to personal development, an opportunity to develop yourself by learning from others and going out and doing the business.
The upside is always a better you a more positive you and maybe a more secure you. The upside comes with consistent application.
Robert Kiyosaki and Jack Canfield among other luminaries espouse the benefits of MLM.
One way to really benefit is to study carefully Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich and begin to apply the lessons to your own life. For many of you that is not an easy thing to do.
I am revisiting these teachings and seeing them in a new light.
If you would like some help fill in your details and hit the send button.
Everything starts with an action – take some action today.
You become what you think about the most.
You have probably heard about the Law of Attraction.
The hit movie ‘The Secret’ certainly brought the Law Of Attraction into the world’s consciousness. It is not new.
Many of the early metaphysical teachers and writers wrote about this concept.
One of the most successful books of all time that describes the principles of the Law of Attraction was Napoleon Hill’s ‘Think and Grow Rich.” One speaker referred to Hill’s book as a ‘great cliché’.
Maybe so but a very powerful one indeed.
A great many successful entrepreneurs attribute Think and Grow Rich to their own personal development and success.
The book was first published in the 1930’s, much of the language is somewhat archaic, but the message is just as timeless and relevant today.
In the video in this post Napoleon Hill discusses the power of the mind and how any one including you can channel this power toward realising your dreams and aspirations. Hill recommends having a clear description of what is you want.
I say through clarity comes change.
So spend time deciding what is you want and then describe this with absolute crystal clarity.
Notice the reference to the two envelopes.
Which one will you choose?
I encourage you to watch and listen to the video more than once. Absorb the message and begin to take the appropriate action. In order to stay on track with your self development, make yourself accountable – give me a call.
On Saturday night David The Tuamaninator Tua beat Shane The Mountain Man Cameron a few seconds into the second round of an eagerly awaited heavy weight boxing match. Some will say the job was done before the end of the first round!
We witnessed a brief glimpse of incredible punching power and domination[from Tua] over his opponent. This surprised me as I reckon Cameron is a much better fighter than he was allowed to show on the night.
Both boxers had trained very hard to be in excellent condition for this fight.
‘If I lose because I didn’t give it my best………’ David Tua
What was the difference.? Why was one fighter so dominant. I am no boxing expert, but I am sure this was not a mismatch, not a fight just for ’show’. The difference might come down to belief. Both contenders of course talked up their chances, both told us they would be the winner. Given that both fighters were in very very good condition and both had developed strategies to offset the other’s strengths and weaknesses, how is it that on the night the winner seemed to make victory look almost too easy?
I am sure you have seen this at other sporting events. Often the superior team somehow lets the other seemingly weaker team beat them. This has happened with the All Blacks and the Silver Ferns this year.
Both teams have played well below their potential game after game only to rise like a Phoenix from the ashes and put on a display that is truly inspiring and won convincingly.
It is like they have woken up from a state of hibernation, too late for the series win though!
Life is like this too!
Deep down you know you have the talent and the ability to excel to achieve outstanding results but you don’t. Why is that?
Maybe you do not believe.
Maybe you have lost focus.
A useful tool that helps is to ‘remember a time when……..‘ you did succeed, you felt great, anything was possible. Getting in touch with your feelings, how you felt at that time is a great way to get back on the horse and ride to success. This is one of the self development secrets to getting what you want. To becoming all that you can be.
Just like the super sports stars and teams your chances of success are as much a mental exercise as anything else [assuming of course you have done the physical preparation!].
Being a member of a top sports team is as much an exercise in personal development as an individual who aspires to be, do, and have more success and happiness in his or her life.
Shane Cameron has said he will be back. He is disappointed, who wouldn’t be?
Next time Shane will do whatever it takes to ensure that he does not lose.
So will you.
Remember the Zen saying: ‘Knock down seven times, get up eight!
P.S. The annual Bathurst 1000 motor race is on this weekend. There will be approximately 29 teams attempting to redress their bitter disappointments from last year! They will be prepared. What will be the difference between the winning team and the rest?
My article below will help to illustrate what I am attempting to get across – that beyond goals and goal setting is the possibility of helping my clients makes lasting beneficial change.
I have a passing interest in motor sport. In fact I’m a bit of a [aging], petrol head! I have just read a newspaper article [New Zealand Herald] on the recent Moto GP Formula 1 round at San Marino. Valentino Rossi won. He has been world champion 7 times, but lost that title to Casey Stoner last year. I think Stoner might have a better [faster], bike. Stoner was leading by 3 seconds by the end of the second lap! Stoner crashed out, Rossi went on to win and now leads the championship with 5 races to go.
What got my attention in the article was this….” We have a 75 point lead which means that up to now we’ve been very strong, we’ve never let up, and more than everything we’ve kept our heads held high even during difficulties,” said Rossi, who has finished runner up in the last two seasons.
“This year I told myself that to beat Stoner we needed the best Valentino. I tried to bring him out. I think I’ve found him and I am happy”
That statement is the perfect demonstration of a never give in, never say die attitude. It is no doubt one very good reason why Rossi has been world champion 7 times and is in a tight contest for his 8th. It is the kind of thing we as coaches talk about a lot – or as Napoleon Hill wrote in ‘Think and Grow Rich’, in order to achieve you must have a ‘burning desire’. Do you think Valentino knows this? You bet he does!
Have a clear goal – align it with your values and remain focussed until you get there! It’s simple but not always easy.
World Champion again!
If you have been following my posts you will recall my comments on Valentino Rossi – well it’s been along time between drinks as they say but in case you have been hibernating for a month or two, Valentino did in fact win the championship!
Postscript:
If you had about the origins of the The AHA Factor, then with Valentino’s story we have a very good example of someone who has nothing to prove, he was already World Champion 7 times – he did not need to really get another one or did he?
I believe he did. For no other reason than by his own standards he knew inside himself that he could do better. If he had given his absolute best, then Valentino may have been somewhat content to be runner up however he knew that this was not the case. So he ‘became’ the best Valentino and the rest is history.
This reminds me of a quote from Mahatma Ghandi’: “You must be change you wish to see in the world”
Rossi in Action
Here’s a bonus. It’s some unbelievable action of Valentino Rossi at his best.
What the Mind Can Conceive
My article below will help to illustrate what I am attempting to get across – that beyond goals and goal setting is the possibility of helping my clients makes lasting beneficial change.
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