Spring Into 2015 with Unstoppable Momentum

It’s amazing how slowly time passes when you’re young, but as you get older, the years pass much, much faster.

I remember thinking when I was a kid that a year was a long time, but this past year has flown by so fast, that it has made me realise just how valuable and precious every moment is.

The ultimate reminder to me is that time is precious, if we don’t spend it with those we love, doing what we love, soon there won’t be much of it left.

A life spent not doing what you love and with the people you love, is not worth anything to you.

It will only be you who will regret not having done any of the things you’ve wanted to do. Only when the time comes – whether it be 20, 30, 40 years from now will you look back and feel regret. The simplest solution is don’t have anything to regret.

Find what you love doing and do it. Find who you love doing it with and cherish every second.

I’ve regretted many things over the years but one thing I’ve absolutely not regretted is starting this blog. I’ve poured myself into what you see here before you and I know when I look back I will feel pride, love and joy for every second I’ve invested into every word typed here.

As I look back over 2014, there are things I’m deeply grateful for. There are things which I wish could have been different and there are things I wish I would have accomplished.

How about you? Have you taken the time to review your year before you enter the next one?

Before you usher in your new year, take the time to review everything that has occurred for you over the past 12 months. Really take it all in and look at all the wonders and regrets. Understand where you are and then think about what the next phase of your journey is.

Only with a review can we really move forward.

Without that process, the likelihood is we’ll have the same goals from the previous year and suffer the same disappointments and failures. Is that what you want?

Do you want to continue the vicious circle of unfulfilled desires, or would you like your outcomes to be different this time around?

Now is the time to do this all properly. Don’t bog yourself down by belittling the power of this time of year. Put it to the best possible use that you can and really follow it through.

Life is too short to become complacent. Harness this time of renewal and use it as supercharge booster to get your life moving the in the direction you desire.

Review your year and look at what you’ve not done so well; what you’ve done great and what you have done way beyond all your own expectations. Keep this review and use it as a gauge. This will allow you to truly see your progress and then move forward and have more wealth, be in better health and fully return to your centre.

Let this be your springboard so that 2015 can be better than you possibly imagined!

Wishing you a truly magnificent new year.

Motivational Monday: Creating A Success Mindset

Three Simple Steps To Create A Success Mindset

I’m convinced that the way you think and feel about yourself guides and permeates every part of your life. I have been an advocate of a Success Mindset since I read James Allen’s work, As A Man Thinketh.

Creating a Success Mindset is the first step to everything. It can either limit your potential or power your success. The way you think influences your self-esteem, your confidence, your creativity, your world-view and your resilience in the face of challenges.

It’s not a case of working longer or trying harder. Quite often the thoughts you think are the only thing that separate success from failure.

The right mindset can fire up your creativity, skyrocket your productivity, motivate and inspire you when the world doubts your genius. It can literally change your results in an instant.

It always surprises me that the Success Mindset rarely gets a mention in business. It is the most under-estimated and overlooked rule of success yet it’s the most powerful key to succeed in life.

#1 Create A Vision

“If you don’t build your dreams,

then someone will hire you to build theirs.”

Perhaps this quote by Tony Gaskins sounds absurd to you. You may be wondering why any reasonable person would squash their own dreams and desires in order to help others achieve theirs.

The sad fact is that many of us are sacrificing our greatness on a daily basis. We may be trapped in a job we dislike or eking out a meager existence at the expense of living with passion.

Stop and think for a minute about what you really want out of life. Do you know what that is? If you don’t, then it’s highly unlikely that you will ever attract it.

So the first step in developing a Success Mindset is figuring out what you really want. If you have ever imagined “what if” then now is the time to dive deeper instead of pushing it to one side.

Be clear about what you want. Create a list of goals, things you want to have, the people you want to surround yourself with and the dreams you want to realise.

It can be absolutely anything; a dream home, a successful business, your perfect soul mate, a wonderful family life or a combination of many different things. The key thing is that you want them.

Don’t be afraid to dream big, now is not the time to be “realistic.”

Your dreams may seem larger than your current life but the bigger you dream, the more excited and inspired you’ll become, and the more open to new ideas and opportunities.

When you have a big vision that excites you, a strange thing happens. You become more committed to your goal, you’ll work harder towards achieving it and you’ll do whatever it takes to make it happen.

By creating a clear mental image of what you want, your mind will also help you find a way to make it a reality. As if by magic, things, people, events and other marvelous “coincidences” will start moving in your direction.

#2 Cultivate A Positive Attitude

Having a success mindset means adopting a positive attitude towards everything including challenges. When things go wrong you’ll respond calmly and confidently instead of panicking or playing the victim.

This may not be easy to start with especially if you are in the habit of complaining or are surrounded by negative circumstances and people.

Take one day at a time and start monitoring your thoughts. How are you feeling, what are you thinking, could you have reacted differently in that situation?

As you become more conscious of what is going on inside you, you will start to train your mind to entertain happier, more positive and empowering thoughts. You will begin to radiate a positive energy that others will pick up.

Negative thoughts will also have less hold over you.

But if you do have a negative thought, don’t beat yourself up. Just acknowledge it, let it go and shift your attention to your goals. Don’t allow anything to get you down.

#3 Seek Out Inspiring People

There is nothing worse than being surrounded by harsh critics and naysayers. Especially when you are building a successful business or coming back from a setback or failure. This is the time when you most need support and encouragement.

But you might find that the people closest to you just don’t understand. They may offer well intentioned but negative advice that sows doubt, breeds fear and crushes hope.

Make a point of expanding your network and seek out positive, proactive people who inspire you. If you want to create a successful business, mix with like-minded entrepreneurs.

If someone tells you that you can’t do something, don’t pay attention. Remind yourself that you can achieve anything you set your mind to and keep going. Focus on your goals every day to keep yourself motivated and inspired.

View setbacks as an opportunity to grow, improve, learn and help you become a stronger person. By adopting a positive success mindset, you will overcome any challenges that you may come across and you will ultimately get what you want, because you won’t quit.

In reality, there is nothing and no one that can stop you – only yourself and your own thoughts.

With practice and persistence, you too can create a mindset for success in your life and live your life with passion and purpose.

The Story: Two Wolves and the Moral of The Story is "We Always Have A Choice"

I have a sense that storytelling has been lost at large. Generations ago when the storytellers gathered around a campfire to tell a tale they were in no doubt about their intended message or who their audience was.

The stories we tell nowadays are so varied. News and advertising are two examples in which storytelling is alive. Gaming is another. And websites tell stories through their interaction, the problems they solve and the way they communicate information.

But with this story we go around the campfire:

Sitting around an old Cherokee is teaching the children of his tribe about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the children.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves.

One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued,

“The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.

The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The children were silent as they thought about it for a while and then a little girl asked,

“Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “Whichever one you feed.”

Which wolf are you feeding? 

We always have a choice…