Get Psyched
How to get Psyched!!!
All joking aside – life is what YOU make it. It’s really that simple. You cannot continue to do the same things and expect a different outcome. In order to have the life you want, you must DO things differently than you’re doing now.
Get Psyched!
What’s Standing in the Way of Your Success?
Stop Bitching, Moaning, Whining and Complaining
Don’t you get tired of people whining -
- about how hard their life is?
- about how much everything costs?
- about what the government is doing?
- about how badly they are being treated?
- blah, blah, blah
I’m sick of it. If you don’t like what’s going on, then here’s a thought – take the initiative and “do something” about it. Yes, this will require action on your part, but think of the calories you’ll burn in the process.
Ross Training – Plenty of Motivation
If you need a little motivation then watch this great video that I found at Ross Training. Thanks Ross
Brain Power – Video Challenges Your Beliefs
What would you do (or be) if you knew you could not fail?
That question changes things – doesn’t it? It kinda complicates your thinking process and makes you focus on what you really want – that’s scary.
Besides, most people don’t know “what they want”. They are too focused on what they “don’t want”.
- I don’t want to be poor.
- I don’t want to be disrespected.
- I don’t want to be in debt.
- I don’t want to be fat.
- I don’t want to go to work.
Would you dare to pursue your dream if it meant leaving the comfort of mediocrity?
You cannot improve yourself and stay the same. What will you choose? And the choice is up to you.
Until you accept the idea that you are responsible for your life – nothing will ever change. No amount of wishing and hoping or dreaming will change a thing. Change is the result of decision that is acted upon.
Decide what you want – then get busy.
Would you dare to have more than your friends?
The quick and easy answer is yes, but it’s really not so simple. You’ve got a lot of time and energy invested in your friendships. Are you willing to jeapardize that?
Growth changes a person (so many people overlook this obvious fact), which can scare others. Plus it can make them uncomfortable because they have to ask themselves why and how you were able to achieve your “new” accomplishments. I mean you’re the same person, right?
Here’s a thought – your income is the average of your five closest friends and associates. Test it for yourself.
Who determines what is possible?
This is an easy question. The answer is everyone but you. Right?
- You can’t help your lot in life.
- You don’t have an education.
- You’re not smart enough.
- You don’t have the time.
- You don’t know where to start.
- You don’t have the “connections”.
We see what we believe is possible
You’ve probably heard the phrase “I’ll believe it when I see it”. That’s not true. We “see” what we believe. If we don’t think a thing is possible, then we won’t believe it – even when we do see it.
Our perception clouds and determines our reality. As long as you limit yourself with outdated ideas and beliefs, you will never see (or be) anything new.
Keith Barry will make you question what is possible.
What do you believe is possible for you and your life?
Tags: Brain+Power, mediocrity, change
Advertisers: Please interupt me so I can actively ignore you!
Have you ever run into an acquaintance at a grocery store or restuarant and while trying to have a conversation with them, either their child or your child is constantly tugging at your hand while repeating “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy” as a way to get your attention? It’s frustrating, but something that you have to put up with. I don’t owe advertisers the same consideration.
(photo courtesy of alessandro pucci)
Hey Television Marketeers: Your days are numbered!
Have you noticed how many commercials there are on television? Is it just me or does they seem to be more frequent – if that is possible? I don’t watch much tv, but what little I do watch seems to interupt the commercials.
How long can this last? With the growth and development of the web, I believe that the current model for advertising on tv is headed for the trashcan. If things don’t change, then people will get their entertainment elsewhere – someplace where they give their permission to hear a sales pitch.
What’s the Point?
If you have a website that markets anything (if you have a website, then you are marketing something, whether it is a product or your ideas), then please pay attention to the following suggestions. Though I can’t speak for eveyone, I believe that a large number of people will agree with me.
- Get rid of your annoying popups that ask me to subscribe to your free newletter or special report – just place it somewhere on your site and I’ll find it – if I want to find it! You don’t have my permission to assault me with ads that block the view of the article that I came to your site to read. Yes, it is your site to do with as you wish, the problem is that I (and many others) won’t be back to see it. By the way, the “catch me if you can” ads that dance across the screen are hard to catch, so I just click on the little “x” in the top right hand corner of the page. Works every time.
- I don’t want or need a flash presentation – I’m sure that some “hotshot” web designer told that it was the latest and greatest thing, but it just slows me down. The web is all about speed, speed, speed. Give it to me quick and dirty. I don’t really care about you – I’m doing research for me!
- If it looks like an ad, then I’m probably not going to read it. Sorry, but I want information. Help me and I’m more likely to help you. Make stopping at your website worth my time.
- Having my email address does not give you permission to bombard me with your “Special Offers” – please use my email information wisely. If I didn’t request it, then I probably don’t want it and I’m not going to open any email that I don’t recognize. P.S. – If everybody would stop opening email from senders that they don’t recognize, then they (spammers) would be forced to stop wasting the time it takes to send them out.
The Take Home Message for Marketers
I realize that you’ve got a job to do. Just understand that the old model of marketing doesn’t fit for the internet. On the internet, it’s all about giving you my permission to present me with your marketing message.
Post current information that is clear and understandable – then I’m much more likely to stay around and look at your other stuff.
(photo courtesy of Tub Gurnard)
I am much more likely to buy something when I’m happy!
Three reasons why we never reach our potential level of success
1. We deny that we have any potential
(photo by LabGP & SigOther’s)
No one expects you to do anything that you are not capable of. Right? Just convince everyone that you are currently performing at your maximum level of ability. After you’ve done that, you just coast.
The problem is that maintaining this facade can be difficult when circumstances cause you to rise above the level of mediocrity. In times of:
- great need – you find another income source so that you can purchase something that you desire
- urgency – you do more in less time when there is a time component
- catastrophe – you rise to high levels of performance when the situation leaves you no choice
- personal desire – you become more efficient and productive so that you can leave early for vacation
2. Procrastination – The I’ll do it tomorrow syndrome
There’s always plenty of time. Right? No!
- There is a limit to the time that you have available
- There is a limit to the amount of time that you will be able to perform at high levels
Time is the one resource that is limited – you only get a certain amount
Here is something to think about. The things that you do today will determine your tomorrow. How can you expect an extraordinary future when you keep doing average things today?
Today is yesterday’s tomorrow.
- Is today remarkably different than yesterday?
- Do you expect tomorrow to be different than today?
- Why do you think tomorrow will be different than today if you keep putting off doing the things that can change your future?
3. Fear
(photo by Violator3)
Let’s face it – it’s scary if you stray too far from the herd of mediocrity. The great mass of commonness, sameness and in-the-box thinking is:
- where all our friends are
- feels safe
- easy – almost like no effort at all
- comfortable
- easy, easy, easy
Animals that stay together in herds do so because there is safety in large numbers.
- It is more difficult for predators to pick out an individual target.
- Weaker animals can be moved to the center of the herd and protected.
Do you need to be protected from success? Are you too weak to be successful? You’ll never find out until you separate yourself from the status quo.
Develop your mental muscle for increased quality of life now and in the future
You are unique and you possess unique traits and abilities. One of those traits is the capacity to learn – right up the the point of death. This is wonderful – if you take advantage and harness your ability to learn. Though your capacity to learn does not diminish, for most, the desire to learn does. The large majority just doesn’t want to make the effort.
The result: instead of reaping the benefits and power of our unique ability (learning capacity), most people are content to have just enough to “get by”. Mediocrity is the rule.
Instead of living up to our potential by focusing our talents where they can do the most good for:
- ourselves – in the form of financial prosperity
- society in general – in the form of influence, wealth creation and economic stimulation
…we are satisfied to languish along side the rest of the herd.
This herd mentality, the desire to be like everybody else, does more to hold us back than anything else. We must realize that if we are to rise to our potential, then we must separate ourselves from the rest of the herd. To fulfill your potential and open the doors to possibility, requires both the desire to be more than you are right now and the conscious effort to learn how to be more. To be the person you are destined to be requires you to:
1. Desire to learn
If you are content, then you will not change. You will not see or feel the need to change. It’s only when discomfort replaces contentment that we consider changing something in our lives. It is when our clothes begin to get a little tighter that we begin to think about losing the slowly added weight. Here’s a thought that should make you very uncomfortable:
“…Every 8 seconds a Baby Boomer turns 50. According to a recent MetLife Foundation survey, Americans over the age of 55 fear Alzheimer’s more than any other disease besides cancer. But researchers no longer accept the notion that memory loss is inevitable. Instead, they urge senior citizens to exercise their minds.” (this is excerpted from Time magazine – Read the entire article)
You must become uncomfortable with the fact that you are not living up to your potential – if you are not. The fact that only a small percentage of our population (3–5%) ever reach financial independence is evidence that everyone cannot be reaching their potential since we live in a world of abundance and the same opportunities are available to everyone. What we don’t realize is that these “successful few” are not blessed with any special abilities. They may have traits that make them different, but their abilities are the same as ours. Read the “Millionaire Mind” by Thomas Stanley.
One thing that does stand out in the successes of our world is that they have a tremendous desire to learn. The successful person understands that learning always results in growth:
- growth of opportunities
- growth of skills
- growth of net worth
In order to grow in your career or in your life, you must learn, otherwise you stagnate. Stagnation stinks – literally.
Does the term “neuroplasticity” mean anything to you? It should. Read Shae Hadden’s post “The Plastic Brain”. It may change your thoughts on life after middle age. You should also consider reading “How Thinking Can Change The Brain” by the Dalai Lama. One quote should be of particular interest to you die-hard “can’t-teach-an-old-dog-new-tricks” advocates:
“The Dalai Lama had put his finger on an emerging revolution in brain research. In the last decade of the 20th century, neuroscientists overthrew the dogma that the adult brain can’t change. To the contrary, its structure and activity can morph in response to experience, an ability called neuroplasticity. The discovery has led to promising new treatments for children with dyslexia and for stroke patients, among others.”
2. Be open-minded
Learning requires the study of new topics and ideas. If you have a “know-it-all” mentality, you will never be able to free your mind to be all it can be. Almost no issue is either black or white. Most issues are shades of gray. It is often our lack of understanding that causes us to act erroneously and irrationally on a given topic. Learn How to Exercise an Open Mind.
It is when we give up stereotypical thinking and absolutism, that we “free” our minds to expand. This inner growth and development leads to an outer growth and expression in our lives. It is because we open ourselves to possibility, that the possibility comes into existence for us.
Opening your mind exposes the opportunities and possibilities. Are these new opportunities? No, they have always existed, but due to “tunnel vision”, you could not see them. How many “narrow minded” people do you know who would be considered financially successful? I think that these terms are mutually exclusive. In order to succeed, you must be progressive in your thinking.
3. Expose yourself
You cannot learn in a vacuum. You must explore and expose yourself to ideas and concepts that are foreign to you.
During my college experience, I had a professor who had a profound impact on my life. He was instrumental in motivating me to become involved in a graduate teaching program which resulted in one of the most satisfying experiences of my life – teaching. I went through an intensive training program and became a qualified (and paid) lab instructor for a variety of the biology courses offered.
This great experience would never have taken place if I had been content to just go to class and “get my credit”. Due to his enthusiasm, passion for teaching and willingness to help, I approached him for advice. This simple step led to a tremendously successful and fulfilling experience for me.
Expose yourself to new possibilities. Take a chance and look at these videos of some of the great tech thinkers of our generation. You don’t have to agree with them, but listen to their input. You learn when you are exposed to new input.
4. Practice thinking
Surround yourself with great thinkers and practice thinking. Trade ideas. Debate and defend your closely held beliefs. Do they stand up to scrutiny and examination?
If you want to be a success, then you must associate with successful people – people who stimulate your thinking.
- Discussing the weather, what you watched on television or which sports team is number one is not mentally stimulating.
- Listening to the constant bitching and moaning of the negative “doom and gloom” nay sayers will not introduce you to new topics of discussion.
- Most people have their minds made up, they are just trying to make sure that you don’t stray to far from the herd.
Move away from these kind of people! Find a mentor or at the very least someone who you consider to be successful and spend some time talking to them. You will discover that their abilities are no different than everyone else’s. However, their attitudes are.
Practice bouncing your ideas off of someone who can and will help you. Don’t waste your time with someone in the herd who just wants to play catch – tossing the same, bland ideas back and forth.
5. Keep a daily journal
Ask yourself, “what did I learn today?” I am not talking about a listing of facts, but a chronicle of the lessons and ideals that you experienced that day. Record what and how you learned these new topics. The act of manually recording your new ideas will imprint the experience on your brain where it will remain.
We have all heard or read the writings and advice of both Mark Twain and Will Rogers. Both of these great writers simply recorded their journey through life and their experiences with the “common man” along the way. The result is that each of these men are considered to be great teachers and philosophers.
Keep a journal. Record your ideas and lessons for the day, then go back over them from time to time. You’ll be amazed.
Successful men and women:
- have a great desire to be more knowledgeable
- are open-minded in their thinking
- constantly expose themselves to new and different ideas
- surround themselves with “possibility” thinkers
- keep a daily journal
If you want to be successful, model success. Do the things that successful people do. It is really that simple.
Credits – blast-off photo used courtesy of NASA
Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it also creates millionaires
I’d like to take credit for finding the video below, but I can’t. I was reading Michael Werner’s article entitled The Riskiest Thing That You Can Ever Do Is Play-It-Safe and he had a link to this video of Seth Godin, the marketing guru.
If you have never heard of Seth, then it will be worth your time to visit his blog. He is unique and his views will change and/or challenge everything you thought that you knew about the world of marketing (it doesn’t matter if you have a product, a service or a blog – most of his knowledge will apply).
After you appetite has been whetted, I encourage you to visit your local bookstore or your online source and buy some of his books. I have read several of them and plan on doing reviews about them at a later date. They are great, by the way.
The point is – Seth will make you think! Which leads to questions. Which leads to ideas. Which leads to….a greater awareness of your role in everything.
Watch the video.
Today Matters
Today matters. It is important. Why?
1. You are alive vs. the alternative
You are a living, functioning and vital part of the world. You are needed and necessary. No one can do the things that you do in the unique way that you do them.
2. Today provides new opportunities – you can change and make changes
You can make changes – today. Yesterday’s mistakes are gone. Today is yesterday’s “do-over”. Use the opportunity of today to make corrections and alterations, so that your tomorrows will be like you want them to be.
3. Today gives you the chance to say I’m sorry for past wrongs you’ve committed
Amend mistakes. Apologize for misdeeds – then get busy living in today.
4. Today is a new starting point for the rest of your life
Today is a great day. Focus on the moment. Yesterday is gone, you cannot change it. The best you can do about yesterday is comment on it. Don’t waste your time and opportunities focusing your attention on the things that you cannot alter.
Today is a great day. Use it to your advantage. Tomorrow will be the result of what you do today. Therefore, today will always be more important than tomorrow because tomorrow owes it’s existence to today.
If today was your last day:
- Would you go to work or would you pursue the things that you are passionate about?
- What would be your greatest regret – the things that you did or didn’t do?
- Would you give someone “the finger” for cutting you off in traffic or would you let it ride?
- Would you spend your last day watching television or would you take a look out of your window and see reality?
- Would you call your mama or dad?
- Would you right any wrongs, say “I’m sorry”?
- Would you yell at your kids for tracking mud through the house or hold them tightly and make sure they know how you feel about them?
- Would you obsess about what others think about you?
- Would you be thankful that you pursued security instead of your dreams?
- Would you be at the bar instead of with your family?
- Would you work overtime?
Today is a great day because it is your day. You decide what it will be. Will today be the beginning of a new and better you? Will today be the same as yesterday?
Use today to provide yourself with a better tomorrow.
What’s on your life’s “to-do” list?
Most people are wondering, “what is a life to-do list?” Basically, you sit down and make a list of all the things that you would like to do or accomplish before you die.
- climb a mountain
- become president
- jump out of an airplane
- make a million dollars
There is a recent movie that takes a hard look at the advantages of creating such a list. It is entitled “The Bucket List”, and it stars Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.
What’s on your “to do” list?
Nothing? For most, that is the answer. To them, this is a silly notion and certainly not worth their precious time. The truly sad thing is that these same people will waste a good portion of their lives “watching” fairy tale productions (television) of others, doing extraordinary things with their lives and all the time they’re thinking, “I’d really like to be doing that”.
You are a goal seeking organism
People are happier and more productive when they have a goal to pursue. I believe that this is the reason that so many people lead lives of “quiet desperation”. There is an inner conflict between what they want to do and what they believe they should be doing or are capable of doing.
When you have a goal, you move with purpose. Your life and actions are calculated and planned so that you can move closer to your desired outcome. Life has meaning – because you have created it’s meaning. And along the way:
- you will do extraordinary things
- visit fantastic places
- meet unique people
- discover new and ancient cultures
- learn diversity
- create a lifetime of stories for your children and grandchildren
- you will be envied for having the guts to live life on your terms
- you will live your life as life is meant to be lived (not observed from the “easy” chair)
What do you “want” to do?
You get to choose what goes on your life’s to-do list. Let your mind run free. Take a few minutes to write down all of your dreams and hopes. This simple act can be the beginning of your fantastic life.
Regrets
As a middle-aged man, I’ve got as much life left to live as I’ve lived already. I’ve still got a lot of things left on my “to-do” list. But, as I look back at my life so far, it’s not the things that I’ve done that I regret. It is all the things that I haven’t done, that I wish that I had done, that causes me the most sorrow.
When your life is over, will you have done all the things that you wish you had done? Whose fault will it be? Get busy working on your “to-do” list. Life is about doing – not watching!
Are you a “great” thinker?
There is a constant conversation within our minds, yet we seldom take the time to consider how great an impact it has on our lives. Some of history’s great thinkers realized that our outward life is an expression of our inward conversations and made statements like:
“You are what you think about all day long.”
“You are the sum of your thoughts.”
“Your tomorrow is based on today’s thoughts.”
These are quotes that those who study inspiration and motivation recognize and have heard or read many times. I can’t remember who said each one of them, but I believe that they are factual. I believe that our thoughts produce our lives. Something that is not tangible (our thoughts – you cannot touch one) creates something that is tangible (our lives). Something being created from nothing. That’s a post for another time.
Can we overstate the importance of developing our thinking ability? I don’t believe that we can. But many people blindly rush through life without any idea that they can and do control their own destiny. We’ve all heard, “your future is in your own hands.” However, I think it would be more accurately stated, “your future is in your mind” or in how you choose to use your mind. Here are four ways that you can use your mind to increase your thinking skills.
1. Expose your mind to good input.
I don’t advocate watching television, but I realize that it is a fact of life and we have two in our home. I do believe that they can be used to increase your thinking skills. If you must watch TV, then watch the channels and programs that will promote your thinking. National Geographic, Animal Planet, TLC, Science, Discovery, HGTV, PBS, CNBC. business and financial programs.
Just as lying around on the couch is detrimental to your physical condition, so to does watching crap lead to mental ineptitude. Read more:
-
books
-
blogs
-
magazines
-
technical manuals
Find a topic that interests you and become an authority on it.
Ask yourself the following question. If you were at a dinner party could you participate intelligently in conversation about:
-
the current political climate, political races or political policies
-
your governments involvement in foreign policy
-
the war in Iraq
-
inflation
-
unemployment
-
new trends in business
-
emerging technologies
-
economic growth and development
-
books on the best sellers list
-
the current “hot” movies
Would you be able to hold up your end of an interesting and stimulating conversation or would you be relegated to nodding and smiling, while hoping that no one asks for your opinion?
Excluding the networks that I have mentioned above and a few news programs, television seldom provides the subject matter for a stimulating and intelligent conversation.
2. Get out of your comfort zone.
Visit a museum, then visit another. Take your children to the zoo, a planetarium or an aquarium. Discus science, technology, politics or religion with your family. Set aside a specific time each week for all family members to present something new they learned during the past week. Then discuss that “new” idea or concept in detail. Ask questions.
Show your children that you are a multi-faceted individual who has thoughts, ideas and great thinking skills. Children emulate what they see and who knows, you may inspire a future Nobel prize winner.
Show your child that there are no benefits in being ignorant. It may look cool on TV, but in “real life”, it’s just sad and economically depressing.
3. Spend some time with good thinkers.
This is almost a no-brainer. You become like the people you hang around. How many times did you hear your mother say that? Guess what? She was right.
I am fortunate in that I am part of a group of thinkers who constantly force me to keep up or get left behind. These are my inner circle and they poke, prod and test my thinking. Each one is very intelligent and each has their own special interests and areas of expertise. But we all make it a point to expect great thinking from each other and typically, you get exactly what you expect.
Good thinkers provoke good thinking. They don’t just ask for your opinion, they expect you to justify and defend it. They test you. Because of my group, I am a better thinker.
Look at the people who occupy space in your life. Do they encourage progressive thinking? If not, you don’t need to get rid of them, but you do need to seek out people who will stimulate your mind and add them to the people you associate with.
4. To stimulate creative thinking, get out of your rut.
By rut, I mean your unconscious, habitual ways of drifting through your daily life. If you stop to think about it, I’ll bet:
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you get dressed in the same way everyday
-
you brush your teeth and comb your hair with one or the other hand, but always the same one
-
you take the same path to work
-
you arrive at about the same time everyday
-
…you get the picture.
Being habitual is not conducive to creative thinking. Being different is. Make it a point to do anything and everything differently. This forces your brain to get off of autopilot. Do you remember the act of brushing your teeth this morning? What were you thinking? Chances are, you don’t remember because you were on autopilot.
Anytime that you do things differently, you force your brain into action. It has to adapt. Create new neural pathways. Validate new actions and make adjustments. Doing things differently forces you to “see” things differently. Seeing things differently leads to new and creative insights.
Brush your hair with your less dominant hand ( you can go back over it with the other one later ), change priorities, change pathways, change your life.
Your mind is your most powerful tool for creating the life you desire
It has been estimated that we have about 60,000 thoughts a day. How many do you remember? How many were remarkable? Isn’t it amazing how our mind transitions smoothly from one thought to the next? Each new thought is seamlessly and effortlessly tied to the previous thought and provides the springboard for our next thought.
Take a moment to think about your thinking skills and realize that it is your greatest asset. Your thoughts today will produce your life tomorrow therefore, mediocre thinking today will produce a mediocre tomorrow.
Mediocrity is not acceptable!
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