Archive for June, 2007

by Tony Papajohn
Here’s a secret every champion knows.

Champions are made in the off-season.

That’s where you will either mold yourself into a champion or lull yourself into a raging mediocrity.

Here’s how I discovered this powerful idea and how to apply it to your own success.

I saw a kid at a concert wearing a T-shirt that said, “Champions Are Made in the
Off-Season.” Honestly, I don’t remember anything else about the shirt, the kid, or the concert.

However, I still remember “Champions Are Made in the Off-Season.” as if I had just seen that T-shirt.

In essence, the T-shirt asks, “What are you doing in the ‘off-season’ that insures a championship season?”

So let me ask you, “What kind of preparation are you doing in your ‘off-season’ that impacts your performance when you are “in-season?”

Of course, “off-season” may mean evenings and weekends if your business or occupation is “in-season” from eight to five. Or it may mean “winter, spring, and summer” if your business is Halloween and Christmas items.

However, the real meaning of “Champions Are Made in the Off-Season” may not be immediately obvious.

The real preparation for a championship season lies in the thoughts, images, mental movies, and inner dialog that fill your mind in the “off-season.”

What happens when you envision a successful season, play mental movies of a successful season, and run constructive inner dialogue about a successful season?

You virtually insure that the upcoming season will be successful.

Why?

Your mind will prompt you to take the necessary actions in the off-season that make your imagined championship a concrete reality.

As you build the season in your mind during the off-season, it begins to take shape before the season even starts.

Your mind will do this whether the “season” starts tomorrow morning or six months from now.

How does it do this?

It suggests lots of things you can do that give you an edge over your competitors. And your mind will use all its resources to tell you “Here’s the edge you are looking for!”

It will prompt, lead, whisper, cajole, nudge, and, if necessary, yell! One way or the other,

you will discover every edge you need to cultivate in the off-season that leads to success during the season.

So resolve to be a champion in your off-season whenever that may be.

See the successful season you desire. Harmonize with new ideas for success. Grasp the little things that will prove to be a big edge when the season begins.

Trust your mind and listen to your intuition.

Turn yourself into a champion and prove that “Champions are made in the off-season.”

Tony Papajohn coaches excellence and specializes in money. If you are a real estate investor, financial trader, entrepreneur, or want money to treat you like its new best friend, check out Tony’s free e-courses at www.WelcomeMoreMoney.com .

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by Tony Papajohn
Did you know that you can stop negative self-talk in its tracks with a simple gesture?

In “The Matrix,” Keanu Reeves’ character Neo finally “gets it.” He realizes that the world he thought was real is really a computer program. And he understands the implications.

He is in a virtual reality and no longer needs to dodge bullets. He simply stops them in their tracks.

In a climatic scene at the end of the movie, the virtual “agents” shoot at him. Neo merely extends his arm forward and raises his hand with the palm facing away from him in a gesture that says “Halt!”

The speeding bullets slow down and stop in front of him. He reaches out, holds one, drops it, and they all fall harmlessly in front of him.

Special effects aside, we can do the same thing with negative self-talk.

The next time you become aware of negative self-talk, strike the same pose as Neo when he stops the bullets. The negative self-talk will stop in its tracks just like the virtual bullets in “The Matrix.”

Why?

The body sets the tone for the mind. Use body language to stop negative self-talk in its tracks and the mind will respond with speed and power.

Here’s a simple technique I’ve taught that takes advantage of this natural connection between body and mind.

I’ve used it to help people interrupt destructive behaviors from all kinds of negative self-talk to eating the whole basket of chips in a Mexican restaurant!

Take a deep breath.

Elevate your gaze as if looking at an imaginary point just above a distant horizon.

Stand up and plant your feet firmly on the floor a bit wider than shoulder width. (I’ve noticed that standing tends make this posture more powerful.)

Call to mind some pesky negative self-talk that occurs to you all too often.

Extend your arm forward, and raise your hand with your palm facing away from you in a gesture that says “Halt!”

Hold this pose firmly and resolutely. Put a look on your face that means “Halt!”

As Neo stopped the virtual bullets, you will stop negative self-talk and watch it harmlessly drop away.

And the success you generate from this powerful technique won’t be virtual.

It will be real.

Tony Papajohn coaches excellence and specializes in money. If you are a real estate investor, financial trader, entrepreneur, or want money to treat you like its new best friend, check out Tony’s free e-courses at www.WelcomeMoreMoney.com .

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by Tony Papajohn
Did you know you can practice focus like you practice a golf swing or a dance step?

You may not have considered “focus” something you can practice or rehearse.

Yet, I’ve discovered that focus is the key element that transforms past preparation into present success.

In this respect, focus is even more important than the physical acts of practicing the golf swing or dance step. So why not practice it?

Here’s why it’s important.

Lose your focus and even the most diligent and disciplined preparation melts down into a rapid series of mental and emotional misfires.

Nothing good happens and it happens fast!

In effect, the lack of focus renders the careful preparation essentially useless.

If you can practice the swing or step, then you can master the art of focus.

Here’s a technique I designed that empowers you to do this. Let’s say you want to practice your golf swing.

Take a deep breath.

Elevate your gaze as if looking at an imaginary point just above a distant horizon.

In your mind’s eye, practice your golf swing while seeing the scene as if through your own eyes.

As you see the scene as if looking from behind your own eyes, take your stance and feel yourself take a swing.

Do this a few times.

Then, at the top of your backswing, add the sound of another player speaking or some other noise that you might find distracting.

In your imagination, continue with a good swing. Feel solid contact and experience a full follow through.

Remain focused even after you finish your swing and walk down the fairway.

Suppose you have to deliver an important presentation. Rehearse poise and focus in the same way.

In your mind’s eye, see the scene as if through your own eyes.

Simulate any distraction you might reasonably expect such as people whispering or entering and leaving the room. Remain focused throughout your mental rehearsal.

Do you realize the poise, confidence, and self-assurance that will carry over from these focus practice sessions to the real thing?

And do you realize how much more effective this simple mental exercise makes your practice or rehearsal sessions?

Practice focus as well as the mechanics of what you intend to do and you will perform like a champion.

Tony Papajohn coaches excellence and specializes in money. If you are a real estate investor, financial trader, entrepreneur, or want money to treat you like its new best friend, check out Tony’s free e-courses www.WelcomeMoreMoney.com .

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by Tony Papajohn
Have you ever been totally focused?

Have you ever been so absorbed in a task that all your mental energies seemed to converge in one point?

In fact, you were so focused that the idea of “focus” never occurred to you.

We’ve all had experiences of total focus and peak performance like these. And aren’t they amazing and wonderful?

In this state of mind, you perform a certain task almost without performing it.

And you perform it so well! When you finish, you might not believe that you were the one who did it!

You perform it with an air of effortlessness. You excel without the merest thought of excellence.

Maybe you even innovate along the way. Although others rave, your creative insight seems obvious in the moment.

When this burst of excellence passes, you probably look back with amazement at how much time passed and how quickly it flew by.

We’ve all had moments like this. And we all want more of them!

Alas, we can’t summon these magical experiences at will.

However, I’ve constructed a simple and easy technique that will increase the frequency of these moments of total focus and peak performance.

And it’s really simple!

Recall and re-experience the last time you had such a moment.

The time, place, and task in question are not important. What’s important is that you recapture and relive the experience in your imagination.

Relive and re-experience the state of mind, the clarity of total focus, and the wonder of the effortless experience of excellence.

This is easy because you’ve already done this more often than you realize. In essence, this is like looking at a photo album of a totally enjoyable dream vacation and smiling as you recall the wonderful memories.

Here’s my technique that empowers you to do this.

Take a deep breath.

Elevate your gaze as if looking at an imaginary point just above a distant horizon.

Call to mind the last time you experienced one of these amazing and wonderful moments.

See the scene as if through your own eyes. Let your imagination generate the sights, sounds, and feelings of that magical moment.

In your mind’s eye, live that experience as if it is happening in the present. Recall how your mind was clear and focused, you knew what to do, and did it with effortless precision.

Peak performance experiences are exhilarating. Touch those wonderful feelings again! Then call to mind the next time this state of mind will prove beneficial and empowering.

See this future scene as if through your own eyes. Let your creative imagination fill in the details as you effortlessly excel once again.

From time to time, call these experiences of total focus and peak performance to mind. Invite them to enhance your success potential by recalling and re-experiencing the times when you performed with effortless excellence.

You will repeat the state of mind and flawless performance again and again.

Tony Papajohn coaches excellence and specializes in money. If you are a real estate investor, financial trader, entrepreneur, or want money to treat you like its new best friend, check out Tony’s free e-courses at www.WelcomeMoreMoney.com .

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by Tony Papajohn
If you’ve put off doing something about procrastination, here’s a quick and easy way to get started right now.

Take a step back.

Sometimes a step back makes a step forward possible because it offers a new perspective.

If we take a step back, then we gain a new point of view and put some much-needed breathing room between us and an undesirable habit like procrastination.

This is important because procrastination evokes all kinds of negative, self-defeating feelings.

One that feels shame, anxiety, or self-directed anger about procrastination will surely procrastinate doing something about it!

Instead, I like to help people take a step back and see what happens.

So here’s a very simple technique I designed to gain a new point of view and drain off negative emotions about procrastination.

Suppose you see someone in the bathroom mirror every morning that happens to procrastinate.

Calling the image of that person to mind, what happens when you say to that image “_______ procrastinates” and you insert your first name into the blank?

Notice the difference between the statements, “I procrastinate” and “_______ procrastinates.”

The statement “_______ procrastinates” puts some mental and emotional space between the speaker (you) and the procrastinator (the image you see in the bathroom mirror with your first name).

This simple change in perspective drains off much of the sting inherent in “I procrastinate.”

From this point of view, let’s ask the image in the mirror:

When has ________ wanted to do something so intensely that that he/she did it without a moment’s thought?”

What does doing something timely, confidently, decisively, and energetically do for __________ mentally and emotionally?

What happens when __________ discovers that part of him/herself that radiates confidence, hears the call of success, and springs into action with energy and determination?

I’ve discovered that this change in perspective allows one to deal with procrastination without the stress of identifying with it.

Therefore, I’ve even suggested that one ask these questions as if asking them of someone else. Your mind is clearer, more relaxed, and more empowered to find creative solutions and put them into action.

Essentially, you’ve taken a step back from the “you” that procrastinates.

This change in perspective makes it possible to recall times when you took action, re-experience how good it made you feel, and imagine a part of you that can do it again.

And this is a step forward that empowers that person in the mirror to overcome procrastination.

It’s a step forward for you too and I’ll be there with you.

Hey! Nice bathrobe!

Tony Papajohn coaches excellence and specializes in money. If you are a real estate investor, financial trader, entrepreneur, or want money to treat you like its new best friend, check out Tony’s free e-courses at www.WelcomeMoreMoney.com .

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by Tony Papajohn
Want to change your state of mind from fearful to powerful in a flash?

Use a powerful metaphor.

We all communicate with metaphors.

We’ve all used expressions such as “life is a journey, time is money,” and “the world is your oyster.”

Choose a metaphor wisely and you empower your state of mind at lightening speed. Make a less-than-empowering choice and you experience a less-than-empowering state of mind.

I’ve observed that this is the fastest way to empower your mind and get on with success.

Here’s how this works and why it works at lightning speed.

No doubt you’ve heard “It’s a jungle out there!”

Try not to imagine the sights, sounds, sensations, and feelings that pop into your mind as you imagine that “It’s a jungle out there!”

Instead of that, here’s a fun and empowering way to redefine “out there.”

In the movie “The Babe,” John Goodman portrays Babe Ruth. After the Red Sox trade Ruth to New York, the Babe is laying in bed with Clare Hodgson (Kelly McGillis). He is wide awake.

The Bambino, a larger-than-life party animal, says, “It’s hard to sleep. It’s a big
playground out there!”

What difference does it make when you imagine that “It’s a big playground out there?”

In a flash, you have just changed your whole point of view, frame of reference, and nature of expectations from whatever “out there” was before you engaged the metaphor to “a big playground.”

Take a moment and imagine what life is like when you see the world as a big playground.

Let your imagination fill your mind with sights, sounds, and sensations of a world as a “big playground.”

And isn’t there a huge and immediate difference between “It’s a jungle out there!” and “It’s a big playground out there?”

This illustrates the reason metaphors works at lightning speed. They ask us to transfer what we know about a jungle or a playground to “out there.”

The imagination follows suit and the resulting sights, sounds, sensations, and feelings generate a state of mind.

That’s why “It’s a jungle out there!” immediately feels so different than “It’s a big playground out there!”

So choose your metaphors wisely. I’ve discovered that they are instantly effective and generate a thought atmosphere that affects our world.

After all, when you go “out there,” would your enter a “jungle” or a “big playground?”

Tony Papajohn coaches excellence and specializes in money. If you are a real estate investor, financial trader, entrepreneur, or want money to treat you like its new best friend, check out Tony’s free e-courses at www.WelcomeMoreMoney.com .

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by Mario R. Churchill -
Heating it Up

Sometimes when you go to the office you feel not so much motivated to do your job the way you did when it was your first time to work there. You feel bad about finding out that the next door office offers more benefits that your company does. You feel not so good about finding out that their employees get to have all expense paid seminars and training on several aspects of their job and even get paid to train and attend them.

If there were things that you have to talk to your boss about employee motivation perhaps the list below would be of help. Get up from your desk and head to the boss’ office and perhaps discuss with him or her about the things that you would like to have to motivate you to work better for them.

Reasonable compensation

An employee would work to his or her best if compensated properly. Most employees know the industry standards for the kind of service they render when working for somebody. Therefore, employers must also know these standards so as not fall into the trap of under compensating their employees. Reasonable compensation would also be necessary to keep your employee in the company. If you are an employee, you would want to have a salary similar those in the same industry and if you are an employer, you should be very much willing to pay that salary to keep your workers in your company.

Comfortable working environment and atmosphere

Workers are people like you and me. They also need a comfortable working environment and atmosphere to function well. Make sure that your office is conducive for working, not too hot and not too cold. The facilities inside it should be safe to use and are user friendly to avoid injuries which may cause a problem if they do happen. Taking care of your employees while inside the office is necessary since it would give them the feeling of comfort as they get and get out of the premises. A good working environment and atmosphere that would allow your employees to explore their capabilities and other skills would be advantageous for you since it would allow you to tap them for possible tasks in the workplace.

Fringe benefits

Aside from financial remuneration, these are the things that you could offer your workers. In some company they provide commutation allowances to their employees. Some provide, living allowances, car plans, health insurance, and other non financial remuneration. In some organizations there are free health benefits like daily work out in the office premises, with health instructors to facilitate trainings. You could have these things too, if you could work it out with your boss. Say you like going to the gym at the end of the day, perhaps your office have an office gym which you may use for your workout after the work hours and you could enjoy exercising with your co-workers.

Trainings and seminars

Say you want to improve your marketing skills. Perhaps you could ask your boss to send you on the next training and seminar about it. Trainings and seminars of employees is necessary to keep the quality of work at high standards. If you have a team of employees that needs to retrain themselves about a particular skill needed for your company, it is necessary to invest on training to allow them to learn about the new skill that they need. Trainings allow them to refresh on the new trends in the industry where you belong and would give you a competitive edge in delivering high quality services.

Motivating employees to work their best is necessary in any kind of job. Workers are your machinery in the workplace and it is necessary that they function well to get the job done well and perfect. To perfectly have the results that you want from them, you have to take care of them properly and give them the necessary energy they need in doing their job well. If you need to give them the incentives and benefits listed above, do so, in order for you to get the results you want from them.

So what are you still doing there? Get up to your boss’ office and perhaps discuss with him these few things that you would like to have to motivate you to work at your best inside the office.

Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written many articles on various subjects. For more information on sales incentives or employee incentives checkout his.

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by Ted Ciuba
The leading personal achievement scientists reach the same conclusion…

“How do you design an interpretation system that motivates people? Answer: help people frame the world as a series of opportunities rather than as a series of threats.” (Weick & Browning)

“Of all the virtues we can learn, no trait is more useful, more essential for survival, and more likely to improve the quality of life than the ability to transform adversity into an enjoyable challenge.” (Csikszentmihalyi)

Embrace Adventure

So if this is the most useful trait, essential to success, why don’t you simply embrace adventure?

This frame makes the necessary quality of persistence easy. It’s connecting with your goal, quest, and definite chief aim with intensity of purpose. There’s no strife - there’s passion.

There’s no discipline required, in the conventional sense of the word - you’re in passion. There are no failures, there’s engagement, and calls on your prowess.

Problems aren’t something to be avoided, but opportunities for you to turn to advantage and abundance.

Adventures are your opportunity to turn “Misfortune into gain,” as Sun Tzu says…

It’s always been the way of the hero.

Don’t expect smooth sailing all the time! It’s the Law of Nature -the Law of the Seas - it’ll never happen.

Rather seek to become competent to navigate any sea, any airspace, and any situation you find yourself in with grace and success.

A leader in the human potential movement, Ted Ciuba, writes and presents on harnessing that “HoloMagic ‘c2′ Factor” to acquire wealth. He presents a specific 13 point formula which works every time in his best-selling *The NEW Think and Grow Rich*. The book and other bonus learning aids can be found at http://www.HoloMagic.com

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by Karen Giardunio
I am always getting on line to research ideas and suggestions from the many brilliant minds out there that offer sound and reasonable advice on how to succeed in life and/or business. Every once in a while I read an insight so profound and enlightening that I am compelled to share with my readers what a particular individual has to offer in the way of understanding a certain field of interest in the arena of self improvement and inner advancement. Today I came across an article written by a woman named Teresa Romain and it offered a suggestion to the down trodden. Although the information in that piece covered a number of great ideas to persevere in home based business ventures –an area where she suggested realigning our focus was something I wanted to share with others.

She –like Oprah Winfrey was advocating a kind of Gratitude Journal and her suggestion was to list 10 things the writer had to be grateful for every day. The interesting twist with Teresa’s idea was to then complete the activity by finalizing ones own personal worth and value by writing a list of 10 forms of acknowledgements and praise worthy acts –thereby allowing the person utilizing this application to focus on his or her own contributions by recognizing for themselves their own personal good deeds or attributes! I saw that as an excellent way to build ones self-esteem at the same time they are building a future for themselves in Network Marketing. After all if our minds and spirits are in a state of self-awareness and joy how can the everyday common distractions and deterrents get us down?

The main emphasis on Teresa Romain’s piece was that money is not all there is to abundance and prosperity. We can succeed and find ourselves making more money –even more than we ever imagined possible for our selves if we are diligent and continue to exercise the efforts and actions necessary for such rewards…but the real value as she tells it is in the sense of self satisfaction and in having sincere regard for our accomplishments. Tony Robbins describes that very same idea by comparing the difference between achieving to be happy vs. the idea of happily achieving! I assure you there is a significant distinction between the two and if you are willing to take that for truth, all you have to do is change your thinking and rediscover the true relevance of your own personal actions and professional endeavors from here on! Sounds like a step in the right direction to me.

Karen Giardunio has teamed up with one of the leading experts in the field of Internet and Network Marketing and together they would like to show you how to succeed as well. If you are interested in learning how you can create abundance in your own life –and would like to find out how to win at the recruiting game without ever calling a single lead again just go to her personal blog to find out more information at http://intentionsforproperity.blogspot.com/so you can begin to take control.

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by Diana Long M.S.ACC
“It’s time to start living the lives we have imagined.” This quote by Henry James literally jumped off of the page and spoke to me. In my line of work, I really don’t have the luxury of talking about what I want and not taking action. As a Success Coach it is important that I ‘walk my talk”. Sometimes it isn’t easy but I wouldn’t have it any other way. How would your life change if this quote became your mantra?

How about you? What dreams have you put on the back burner? What accomplishment or experience tugs at you to take action?

Recently a colleague casually invited me to come to a Latin “Salsa” night at a local dance hall. She had no idea that she was inviting me to honor a life long dream. For years I have dreamed of being able to dance well on the dance floor instead of watching others having fun from the sidelines. I had lots of legitimate reasons why I couldn’t take the time to dance, I already had so much on my schedule, how could I find the time, my husband wasn’t excited about the idea etc etc etc All of my excuses supported a choice I made. A choice to not fulfill a dream. All of us have excuses, don’t we, that we tell ourselves when we don’t move forward with our goals and dreams?

Carpe Diem. I seized the moment and responded to the opportunity that came to me. I took my first Salsa dance lesson. It wasn’t pretty, yet it was wonderful! I took the first step towards a long held dream. I learned more than dance steps that evening! I discovered that dancing agreed with me. I was happier, healthier and it actually helped me in my business. I took more risks that boosted my bottom line.

My invitation to you is for you to take your dream off the back burner and make it a priority. Pump up your courage muscles and take the step forward that you KNOW you need to take. Write it down. Say it out loud. Confide in a trusted friend or mentor your commitment. Then, go do it! Please e-mail me or call me with your success experiences, I would love to hear. Keep Dreaming Big!

“It’s time to start living the lives we have imagined.” Henry James

Success Coach and Speaker, Diana Long, is the President of the Life Design Institute. Diana can help you transform your dreams into reality and give you the shortcuts to success with her variety of life-changing programs and products.Learn more about Diana and receive your FREE Report,” 3 Huge Mistakes People Like You Make to Sabotoge Their Success & How You Can Completely Avoid Them!” and Free subscription to “Life Design Secrets” e-newsletter, please visit www.DianaLong.com

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