Sure-Fire Steps To Combat Procrastination

You really want to open a blog, put in an entry for a writing contest, compose an article or blog post, or do something else … something big but you realise you keep postponing doing so time and time again.

You know why?

You are being played by a thief of progress called procrastination. This thief prevents you from taking the necessary steps you need to take to achieve your goals. It turns you into a mediocre … always wishing … never doing the needful … never daring the odds … never conquering new territories … never breaking barriers.

Just WISHING.

Knowing and removing the barrier

This is the part where you get to know the thief and how it operates.

Procrastination works mainly on two human tendencies: the tendency to have fear and the tendency to give excuses.

Long ago, I nursed the desire to launch my online platform. But procrastination had the better of me for about a year. Yes, a solid whole year!

Guess how? By simply capitalising on those human tendencies.

First, it gave me the clichéd EXCUSE of busy schedule – internships, exams, chores, studies, outings, errands and whatnot.

In another breath, it instilled several FEARS in me – the fear of failing, of turning out a mediocre, of betraying expectations, or simply not being good enough.

I lingered in this state for long until I realised what works.

How are you building your life?...

 
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

8 Things You Should Do Daily To Strengthen Your Mental, Physical, Emotional & Spiritual Life

8 Daily Habits That Will Surely Improve Your Living

Life these days has become so hectic that it’s very easy for us to get caught up in just trying to “survive” each day. By “surviving” we’re not referring to making sure we have something to eat and drink each day; “surviving” has become so much more complicated than that. For many people, “surviving” a day means being able to accomplish what others expect of them — “others” being the boss, the spouse, children, parents, friends, and so on.

While there’s nothing wrong with meeting others’ expectations, the danger in getting to pre-occupied with doing so, you begin to lose track of the most important person in the world: ME, …… I mean YOU!
Keep in mind that you’re trying to meet other people’s expectations either because these people are instrumental in the goals you want to accomplish (such as your boss who plays the lead part in your career and financials) or because they are people you care about (such as family and friends). In both cases, you need to make sure that you’re fully armed and equipped, so that you have a lot of yourself to share with others.
So here are 8 simple self-improvement habits that you can do each day to enrich yourself in four major areas of your life:
 

1. Complete a challenging puzzle or solve a challenging problem early in the day.

Apart from recent findings linking it to staving off aging-related dementia, doing a mental puzzle early in the day benefits the mind like exercise benefits the body; it’s a strengthening workout, which, in the case of a mental puzzle completed early in the day, keeps the mind sharp and warms it up to prepare it to face the cognitive rigors everyone deals with daily.
Sites like theproblemsite.com feature mental puzzles that you can do daily and take up very little of your time — a simple intellectual investment that goes a long way.
 

2. Get moving on something you’ve always wanted to learn.

Whether it be knitting, baking, or computer programming, there’s always something you’ve always wanted to learn but have never found the time for because of your daily preoccupations. Well, you don’t need to wait for your next vacation just to get started on learning a new skill. Instead, you can learn it a little each day by slowly reading a book on it or enrolling in an online course that allows you to work at your own pace.
What’s important is that you’re progressing a little each time towards a new skill that you’ve always wanted to acquire. Before you know it, you’ve learned something you’ve always wanted to, and it’s time to move on to the next learning goal for your continued self-improvement. 
 

3. Do a little resistance exercise.

Resistance exercise is any physical activity that involves a significant amount of exertion by your muscles. While cardiovascular exercises like walking are certainly beneficial to the health, resistance exercises, even simple ones such as climbing up the stairs or doing push ups against a wall, have the added benefit of firming up your muscles and boosting your metabolism throughout the rest of the day — certainly benefiting your health and even your appearance.
 

4. Replace unhealthy foods with your favorite fruits and vegetables.

Sometimes, leaving out unhealthy foods from your diet seems painful because the healthy alternatives just don’t seem to compare in flavor. But surely, you have your own favorite fruits and vegetables, so why not make an effort to use them to replace the unhealthy foods in your diet?
For example, replace a bag of chips with a bowl of baked carrot sticks topped with fat-free cheese. Absolutely delicious!

5. Let someone know that they’re doing good.

There’s hardly anything that compares with sharing positivity and reaping your own rewards from doing so. This is what letting someone know about the good that they’re doing does for others and perhaps, more importantly, for you.
And it doesn’t have to be big accomplishments. In fact, appreciating little things like a good meal prepared or a desk neatly arranged goes a long way in making someone feel good and making you realize how easy it is for you to contribute something positive to the world.

6. Smile when negative feelings are trying to take control of you.

Of course negative thoughts will try to creep into your mind daily — they’re normal. However, they don’t have to consume you and take over your mood for the whole day.
Often, the simple act of smiling, even forcing yourself to smile, brings positive thoughts to the surface and allows you to get back to your pleasant and most productive you.
 

7. Start your day by thinking about one good thing you can do for the day.

People often forget just how easy and important it is to do good. For example, it doesn’t take a lot of effort at all to segregate trash so that whatever can be recycled can be reused and not add to the world’s growing waste management problem. But why is it that so few people get around to starting the habit?
Usually, it’s just a matter of deciding to do good, and that’s what developing the habit of identifying a good deed to do each day fosters.
 

8. End your day by writing down one thing you were thankful for.

The line “It’s not about having what you want, but wanting what you have” says it all. Very often, the feeling of being unsatisfied with what you have is brought about by not realizing how valuable the things in your life already are.
If you make it a habit to write down one thing you’re thankful for each day, at that particular moment when you’re feeling unhappy or disappointed, glancing through your “grateful list” will uplift you and keep you solidly on the road to positivity and further self-improvement.

Five Lessons You Should Know If You Want To Be A Winner

Recently, we all watched as college basketball teams vied to become the country's best in the annual March Madness tournament. And in April, pro baseball teams are beginning their season to see who ends up as the World Series champ.
Isn't that one reason sports are so popular - after the dust settles, after the tournaments - the winner is always plain to see?
Here's another reason: we like to watch people face adversity and difficulties and then overcome them with skill, grace and determination.
Real estate agents can learn a lot from sports. Here are a few real lessons you should always remember if you seriously want to be a winner.
Lesson 1:
 Becoming the best takes hard work, time and dedication. The winning team that lifted the trophy at the end of March Madness had to go through seven other teams - all of which wanted desperately to send them home. Seven grueling games -- one after another - each team arguably better than the last. Think of the stamina needed just to stay in contention, much less to win. Don't expect your rise to the top to be any easier in real estate. You have to fight, claw and scratch.
Lesson 2:
 You have to know your stuff. Again, the team that makes it to the finish line can't be a fake. It has to prove itself game after game. If the team is a phony, it'll show up in the face of stiff competition. One of the most important things you can bring to the table is your real-life market knowledge and expertise. As you increase your market knowledge, your confidence will grow and you'll win the trust of your clients.
Lesson 3:
 You must be flexible when things get tough. The one thing I can say with all the certainty I can muster is that some days things will not go as planned. It's the same in sports. Good teams face other good teams that sometimes throw them off their game - temporarily. And the word temporarily is key. Winners never get so ruffled that they can't perform. In fact, when they face really tough fights, they're able to take their game to new and better levels. They're always willing to bend and be open-minded to find solutions instead of wallowing in self-pity.
Lesson 4:
 Learn from your mistakes. This is a close cousin to lesson 3. We know there will be mistakes. That's a given for all humans. Most of us make them every day. But what sets the winners apart is that they're not afraid to look at their mistakes under a microscope, dissect them and learn from them. You can bet after a hard fought battle on the court, good coaches point out mistakes and then help players draw lessons from them. Learn to squeeze out the positives from every mistake.
Lesson 5:
  You must have a sense of direction. Winners always know where they're going. The winning team looked at the empty champion slot listed on the tournament bracket and said, "This is where we're going. This is what we want more than anything." What's your empty slot - your destination for 2014? Is it the Top 50 listings? 100? 300? Pick it and lift your sail and maneuver it as needed. Never be caught just going where the wind blows and hope things work out. Take control of your destiny.
Commit to become the best, and you'll be the one lifting the trophy at the end of a record-breaking year.
Let me hear from you. Which of the lessons stands out and speaks to you? Where can you improve so that you're more likely to achieve your goals this year? Are you taking time to think about how you can be a better agent day after day?

20 Habits That Will Make You Highly Successful

 





















The most successful people in the world are the most motivated – correct?
Not entirely.
It isn’t motivation that creates success, but habit and action. The most successful people in the world definitely have passion for what they do, but passion that isn’t accompanied by action is rendered useless.
It is your habits, more than anything, that will lead to your eventual success.
If your days are dominated by habits that help you on your journey to success, you’ll one day find yourself exactly where you want to be, doing what you want to be doing, earning what you want to be earning.

20 Habits That Will Make You A Success

1. Don’t define success with a dollar amount, but in relation to your happiness.

The habit of defining success with a dollar amount will lead you to constantly chasing a higher price point. It’s a chase that will never end, and a view of success that will never be attained. Get in the habit of seeing your success and your happiness in the same light.

2. Read before you write or work.

Reading a good book will get the creative juices flowing, the brain learning, and your knowledge base growing. Try reading for 30 minutes to start your day.

3. Wake up at the same time everyday.

Having a good sleep routine will help you have more energy to do more work during the day.

4. Always finish your to do list.

Get in the habit of never leaving anything that you wanted to finish at the beginning of the day, incomplete at the end. If you simply do what you set out to do, it will be hard for success to elude you.

5. Keep your to do list small and scaled.

Have 1 or 2 things that are important to finish, and make sure you finish them first. The rest of your tasks should be tended to only after your most important ones have been completed.

6. Keep two journals; one for your planning, scheduling, and work.

The other for your big ideas, thoughts, and goals. Writing stuff down makes it real and tangible. A to do list, a goal, or a dream, that isn’t written down isn’t yet real.

7. Measure everything.

Every goal you set needs to be measured. Every sales page you create, needs to be measured. If you measure everything you’ll have a blueprint for exactly what does work, and what doesn’t.

8. Stick to 90-minute work sessions.

Few people actually work as much as they say they work. Their time is usually made up of distractions. They Facebook, Tweet, and surf the interwebz. Time your work sessions. Keep a stopwatch. Focus for 90-minutes, take an active break, then get back to the beautiful grind.

9. Take active breaks.

A work break should enhance your working experience. It can’t – at all costs – take away from it. So do something active that will get your blood pumping and your mind working as effectively as it was when you first started working in the wee hours of the morning.

10. Wake up early.

The list of successful people who wake up before the rest of the world is far too long to list. This isn’t a coincidence. Get up before 6 am, 7 days a week and get a head start on your day and your dream.

11. Put your family first.

Success can’t exist without family – even if that “family” is simply loved ones and friends. You need to be working for a greater purpose than your own monitory gain if you’re going to accomplish true success.

12. Work harder than your competition.

If you work harder than everyone else, success can’t hide from you. You will find it. And you will enjoy it.

13. Use a board.

Use a big white board to keep your goals visible and close.

14. Share your dream.

Get in the habit of talking to others who have a similar dream, even if the similarity is the enormity of your goals, and the audaciousness of your plans. Napoleon Hill coined this relationship “a mastermind”, and it’s one of the most important factors in your eventual success.

15. Only surround yourself with successful people.

That is, don’t have “suckers” in your midst – people who will tear you away from your work, and destroy your dream. If you have friends that do this, stop hanging out with them. Are they worth you living a mediocre life when greatness can be in your future?

16. Keep a healthy body.

Without a healthy body it becomes evermore difficult to maintain a healthy mind.

17. Spend your money only on things that will propel your dream.

Cars, “things”, are only good for boosting your image in an effort to impress people who you really don’t want to impress. Spend money, instead, on your own development and your business to fuel your growth.

18. Make a sacrifice.

Get in the habit of sacrificing things that you may like in your life, for things that will help you become a success. The road to greatness isn’t one of excess spending and easy living. Hustle. Focus. Sacrifice. Succeed.

19. Review your journals every month.

A journal can bring you clarity when you write in it, but it’s far more powerful when you get in the habit of reviewing it.

20. Write down 3 things you’re thankful for every day.

What you’ll find is that success is often in your midst if you look at it from the right perspective. And study after study has shown that happy people achieve far greater things than pessimistic, unhappy individuals. This habit, combined with hard work, is as simple a recipe for success as you can create. It’s also an effective one.



If your habits are those of a successful, happy, productive, hard-working person, there’s no way that you can’t be successful. Make your success unavoidable by changing your habits.

What To Do When You Want To Give Up

When you shoot for the stars you risk falling flat on your face; and while you may bounce back quickly the first time, for many, it becomes more difficult to rise again when the pathetic results don’t match the tremendous effort.
Winston Churchill said, “Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm”.
Well what if you have lost enthusiasm?
What happens if you have hit rock bottom and want to give up?
Consider these four strategies before you throw in the towel:

1. Learn the lesson

What’s the point of experiencing the pain of failure if you’re not going to capture a valuable lesson from it? The more you’re willing learn from failure, the less it will intimidate you. When you experience those slumps, refuse to sell yourself the sob story of, “It’s because I’m just not good enough”, or “It’s just not meant to be”; you don’t learn lessons from that kind of self-talk! Instead, focus on improving your strategies; “What am I doing wrong?” or “How can I stay more focused?”
Questions to consider:
-       How can this set back make me stronger?
-       What can I learn from this failure?

2. Revisit your motivation

When things are bad, negativity will keep you from seeing things as they really are. Rather than focusing your attention on all of your deficiencies, take a few minutes to reflect on why you decided to take this journey in the first place. Keeping things in perspective will give you the strength to keep your head up and run against the wind.
Questions to consider:
-       What do I want to accomplish?
-       How do I want to be remembered?
-       What do I want to become in the process?

3. Make a plan

Its been said,

“Without a plan, there’s no attack. Without attack, no victory.”

The key to triumph is to plan for it.  Rock bottom is the perfect place to start building, so while you’re down there, design the blue print for your future success.
Questions to consider:
In order to be successful…
-       What do I need to start doing?
-       What do I need to stop doing?
-       What do I need to continue to do?

4. Keep it simple

Refuse to fall into the trap of trying to make up for all of your mistakes at one time. If your plans for success require a complete mental and behavioral overhaul—start small. Focus on one thing you need to improve, and develop it until it becomes a habit; then move on to the next one. When you’re starting over, you need to recommit to focusing on the process; and if you consistently do so, the results will follow.
Questions to consider:
-       What are my priorities?
-       What can I control right now?
If you’re currently lying on the canvas listening to the referee counting you out; take courage in knowing that anyone who’s ever achieved great things has experienced the pain of being knocked down—so you’re in good company. Take a deep breath. Get up. Get going.

The Top 10 Things Successful People Do To Reach Their Dreams

Our bookshelves are lined with habits that successful people do on a daily basis. We read about them and implement them into our routines and practices. Quite often these practices improve our productivity and make our lives better as a result. But that’s not what this article is about. It’s not about what successful people do, but what they did.
Here’s a brief study of 10 things that these hungry and unstoppable people did to see the success they all eventually achieved.

The 10 Things Successful People Live By Before They Make It

1. They didn’t use excuses.

We all have two voices. There’s the voice that tells us to work hard, to focus on the task at hand and to finish it before we move on to the next. And to finish it well.
We also have the voice that tells us to take a break, to think about what’s on TV, or to visit a site that we like to visit that entertains us – whether it’s ESPN.com or facebook.
In life we’re the victim of injustice from time to time. It could be a promotion that we deserve but don’t get. No matter who we are, we’re going to be treated unfairly at some point. We can either feel sorry for ourselves, or push forward and put it behind us – even use it as motivation.
Nelson Mandela could have used his unjust imprisonment as an excuse to give into his anger. Instead, he used it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and eventually free others.
Listen to your excuses. Understand why you have them. Then figure out how you can use them for good.

2. It wasn’t just about them.

‘Things’ can be a motivator, they can even be a reward, but they can’t be the motivator. The truly successful in life always get there because they created change in the lives of others, not just their own.
If something drives you that is greater than just the ‘ends’, we’re going to work harder, longer, and we’re going to give more of ourselves to our project.
Yes we can make money when we have the primary goal of making money. Some might even use that money for good – which is awesome. But there’s no fulfillment in simply making money. And isn’t that the point?

3. Early mornings and late nights.

People who have achieved true success in their lives have worked for it.
This might come at the detriment of other areas of their lives, such as family or social life. But their mission is first and foremost. Until it’s complete, everything else comes second.
There’s literally no substitute for hard work. Abraham Lincoln said, “Things may come to those who wait… but only the things left by those who hustle.” If you want to be successful, you’re going to have to out hustle everyone else.

4. The greatest commodity.

Energy is a huge commodity that is often not talked about. Yes, energy in the sense of fuel and electricity is talked about everywhere, but I’m talking about our own energy levels.
The fact is that the more energy we have, the easier it is to focus, and the higher the quality of our work is.
One of Richard Branson‘s ‘key’s to success’ is staying in great physical shape. So would raised energy levels be the greatest benefit to working out? It may be.
Keeping physically fit gives us greater blood-flow to our brain, enhanced alertness and improved focus. Make training a routine part of your life and increase your chances at success – in every meaning of the word.

5. Principles.

History will be kind to me. For I intend to write it.
Winston Churchill had principles. The difference between him and the rest of us, is that he stuck to his principles at all costs. He didn’t waver when they weren’t popular – an extreme rarity in politics.
What are your principles? All of us should have them, know what they are, and live our lives by them.
One of Apple’s principles is to bring change to the world through technology, and they do it with every product they release.
Identify what principles you have that guide your life through tough times, and when things couldn’t be any better. They shouldn’t change, and at your core, neither should you.

6. Wavering, yet unbreakable faith.

We all have moments of doubt. Even the best of us question if our dream is going to come true. The one thing that separates the truly successful from those who never reach their true potential is an unbreakable faith in the fact that what they’re doing is right.
Even if they have moments of doubt, they’re soon quelled, where other’s listen to that doubt and let it eat them up and finally they quit.
Have your moments of doubt. You’re human. Just don’t let that doubt eat you up. Instead let it motivate you to prove your optimism right.

7. A reason.

Many of the greatest accomplishments in the world were accomplished by insecure men and women, people who had something to prove to others. A desire to elevate their status and create change that was so strong, that failure is simply never and option.
Abraham Lincoln‘s reason(s) had to do a lot with his view of himself in relation to how other’s viewed him. Where others saw a poor, illiterate boy, Lincoln saw someone capable of achieving more, even if he had to do it completely on his own. He also saw the need for change. A nation that preached freedom wasn’t free. He saw something fundamentally wrong with this and set out to change it. His why wasn’t about him. Which in turn made him one of history’s great men.
Understand why. You have that reason to work when others sleep, to sacrifice a safe life for a risky one with no ceiling. Find it by asking why, and not stopping until you hit your core, emotional reason for wanting to change your status, or the status of others.

8. They persevered when others didn’t.

How does the guy who quit on his dream know how long it would’ve taken him to become a success? He doesn’t. None of us do. It could be tomorrow, or ten years from now.
What separates a lot of the great people we read about in our history books from those we’ve never heard of is the fact that they never quit. Quitting was never an option. They only stopped when they reached their dream. And even then, they created a new mission.
Take James J. Braddock, or even Nelson Mandela, for example. They didn’t achieve their greatness or success early on in their careers or in life like some. They achieved it after surviving. They survived while others literally died, or quit. In their cases it wasn’t just that they were the best, but they were the best because of what they endured. They were the last one’s standing.
We don’t know when our breakthrough will come. So don’t guarantee your failure by quitting. You can adapt, change, and evolve, but never, never, never quit.

9. Great people relentlessly studied their craft.

Tony Gwynn and Mike Tyson studied their craft as much as anyone. Gwynn spent hours upon hours studying opposing pitchers. He studied their patterns. He wasn’t the most athletic guy around, but he put his work in to be the best at what he did: hit baseballs.
When people think of Tyson, they think of an animal, but what we fail to see is the student. No one studied boxing like Tyson did. Watched more film than anyone in the history of the sport. He was a student first, a fighter second.
These great athletes studied film, but how can we perfect our craft?
Using myself as an example; much of my job has to do with writing, and obviously fitness. So, I study those two things. I read books about how to become a better writer, ways to connect with the reader, and I simply read great books written by authors who are much better at writing than I am. If you’re in sales, read and study sales. If you’re a marketer, then do the same with marketing.
Being a drone that simply goes through the motions is no way to achieve greatness. Assuming success is something you want, you have to study your craft, whatever it may be. Learn it inside and out. Build a wealth of knowledge. It’ll help you create great, inspiring, and unique work.

10. Risk.

No risk, no reward. Yes it’s an over-used, cliché of a phrase. But it’s true. Those who have achieved real success have often risked the most to get there.
There have been billions of people throughout history who have had the ability to achieve greatness, whether it was the talent or smarts, they had it. What they didn’t have was the guts to risk the life that they were living. They also didn’t have the work ethic to see their talent realized.
The greatest tragedy in life is wasted talent ~ A Bronx Tale
Your big, audacious dream might be to marry the girl of your dreams and have a family with her. You risk might be to leave the career that you love in order to support her and your family. Your dream might be to help millions live longer, healthier lives. Whatever your dream is, give it enough of a chance to be realized.
Risk if you truly want to see the reward.

Find your dream. Then risk everything to get it.

How to Beat Your Inner Critic For Good

 
You’re in the middle of a crucial conversation at work when a voice hisses in your head, “Don’t screw it up, you moron.”
You look in the mirror and grimace at what you find. “Uh, you look disgusting!”
You lose your temper with your kids and immediately begin to hear, “There you go again. You ruin everything.”

Where did this Inner Critic come from?

I have my struggles with the nasty self-talk that bubbles between my ears. When my Inner Critic became unbearable, I looked for ways to silence the voice.
I haven’t learned to completely stop it, but…

I am happy to report that I have found strategies to tame the beast.

One of the best strategies I’ve learned, that I now routinely practice with my life coaching clients, is to explore where these messages came from. Most often, the Inner Critic came from moments way back in our childhoods. The Inner Critic is trying to protect you, but it uses the words you taught yourself when you didn’t hear the loving words you needed to feel safe.
What are the words you needed to hear then to calm and soothe you? What did you need to know that would have made things right?
To give you an example, let’s explore one common message that plays in my head: “No one understands me. They underestimate me, but I can’t tell them how good I am. That’s prideful. I just can’t win.”
This theme has been in my guts for a long time, but it hasn’t been there forever.
I ask myself when I first remember feeling this. I arrive at a moment in first grade. My family had just moved to a new town, and I knew no one when I started school that year. While I’m naturally loud and adventurous, my pretty teacher did not like loud students. I struggled to make friends, so instead I settled for making the teacher happy.
As I imagine this time of my life, a feeling of stress comes into my chest.  I remember tones of sadness, disappointment, loneliness, and uncertainty. I didn’t know how to make people happy while still being able to be true to my thoughts and feeling. I learned how to play a role, how to pretend I was something I wasn’t, how to hide what I really felt so I wouldn’t cause any problems or worry my parents.
This was the beginning of a pattern that I’ve repeated many times, making due with something I didn’t want because I didn’t know how to get what I did want.
It’s one thing to see your pain. In order to heal it, though, you have to go further. You can go back and replay the memory differently.

Tell yourself the words you needed you hear back then.

I imagine entering the classroom as I am today. I can see the chalkboard and all the perfect desks and billboards.  The children see me and begin talking excitedly to each other.  The teacher walks toward me saying, “Excuse me, but you can’t come into Mrs. Miller’s Room now.  The children have work to do. They must be quiet.”
“Not this one!” I say. “She doesn’t have to be quiet anymore!”
I walk over to my first grade self, and she is beautiful. Her eyes are so bright, and she smiles at me showing a missing front tooth.
I take her little hand and help her get up on the desk so I can look her right in face.
“Leslie, you a great friend. You are fun and silly and wonderful. You are exactly right just the way you are.  Sometimes you like to be quiet, but other times you love to yell and sing and dance. And that’s okay! You are very brave. I admire you and love you. You are special to me!”
She has tears in her eyes because it’s hurt her to bend into a shape that is not her own, but now she hears my words. She hugs me and relaxes in my arms, letting out deep waves of tension in sobs. I hold her until it all is out, and she smiles proudly at me, knowing now who I am.
So now, when I hear the old sour voice telling me I can’t win, I have the new memory to say, “Oh, but I can! It’s okay for me to be me. That’s how I can always win.”
There are words that didn’t come to us as we were growing up, for whatever reason.

Are these the words you need to hear?

• You are precious.
• You can do it.
• It’s ok for you to say, “No.”
• You’ll figure this out.
• You don’t have to do anything to make me proud of you; I already am.
• There’s nothing you can do to make you unlovable.
• Your energy makes me happy.
• Your laughter is beautiful.
• You have never disappointed me.
• You can feel however you feel.
• You have great instincts.
• You are very wise.
• You give great hugs.
• You have a wonderful sense of humor.
• I truly admire you.
• The world would not be complete without you in it.
• Your curiosity is a gift.
• You have the best intentions at heart.
• You are worth it.
• I believe in you.
• No one is more worthy or better than you.
• You are a great friend.
• It’s ok to disagree.
• You make good choices.
• Trust yourself.
• You know more than you think you do.
• You deserve the best.
• Your love heals.
• You are enough.
• You can try everything, but you don’t need to prove anything.
• Even if you really screw up, you’re still are good inside.
• I’ve never doubted you, not even for a second.
• It’s ok for you to be successful.
• You didn’t ruin anything.
• You’ll always land on your feet.
• You have nothing to fear.
• Your life is a gift.
• You make me smile.
• You came at the exact right time.
• You have so many strengths.
• You don’t have to be anything other than you.
• It’s ok for you to be “childish.”
• Your feelings are valid.
• It’s ok for you to think that.
• You can do it your way.
• People enjoy having you around.
• You are a good listener.
• You make a difference.
• I love you exactly as you are.
• It’s ok for you to fail.

You can step into any memory and say the words you needed to hear.

You can scoop up your child-self in your arms, dry the tears, kiss the boo-boos, and say, “I love you. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s ok now.  I’m here.”
If you are a parent, you consciously say these things to your children, even if they are 57 years old. It may feel strange at first if you’re out of practice, like bending over and touching your toes. The more you say these positive phrases, it becomes natural.
Before you know it, there will be a new voice in your head, a loving, happy voice. This is The Truth.
It’s actually always been there, whispering quietly.
By bringing in The Truth, your Inner Critic is silenced because it sees there is no need to protect you anymore.

Ask The Truth to step up, and it will.

It will get louder, happier, bolder. And that Inner Critic won’t stand a chance.

The Only Thing That Is Constant Is Change

(Introductory Note: Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher who lived about 100 years before Plato. He wrote a book around 500 B.C. which has not survived, but over 100 fragments from his book are known today based on quotations found in the works of other ancient authors.)

Upon those who step into the same rivers flow other and yet other waters.
All things . . . are in flux like a river.

------------------------------
Trans. John Mansley Robinson, An Introduction to Early Greek Philosophy, (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1968) p. 91, Fragment 5.15 and p. 89, Fragment 5.10.

Response:

The change that occurs in a river is vivid and unmistakable. By claiming that the change we see in a river is true of our world in general, Heraclitus challenges the idea that some things simply stay the same: we may not see the change so clearly, but change is occurring nonetheless. This might be easiest to accept in the physical realm, where, for example, on the level of atoms, there is constant motion in all physical objects, no matter how solid and stationary they may seem. And certainly it is easy enough to see that the bodies of all living things are constantly changing, not only aging but also going through various biological processes and exchanges with the environment, such as breathing. But what about other realms? Heraclitus might not have been thinking about things such as relationships and love, or a person's identity, but his insistence on the fundamental fact of change encourages us to consider whether change is not inevitable in such aspects of life as well.
If we take Heraclitus’s model of the world as a guide, change is not only something we must accept, but it is actually something to celebrate. Heraclitus saw the world as a system in flux, but in his view that very flux is also what keeps the world the same, in a sense. In a famous re-statement, Plato leaves out that aspect of Heraclitus’s view: “Heraclitus, you know, says that everything moves on and that nothing is at rest; and, comparing existing things to the flow of a river, he says that you could not step into the same river twice.”¹ So, according to Plato’s way of stating the idea, the river itself is a different river from moment to moment, since the water flowing in it is different: if you step into a river at one moment and step out, and then step back in, you are stepping into a different river. But if we look carefully at the fragment from Heraclitus, we see that although he says the waters are changing, he does not say that the river is different. Heraclitus specificallly claims that it is the same river although its waters are constantly changing.² So according to Heraclitus there can be an overall stability despite, or perhaps because of, constant change: The river is the same river although it is changing--it’s just part of what it is to be a river that there is this constant change going on.
Even if we do not agree with Heraclitus that all things are like this, still we may find in many realms of our lives that the only way some things can exist is by changing. A child, for example, is something that we all accept and enjoy as a constantly changing thing. A child, like a river, doesn't become a different child with each change. Being a child simply involves changing all the time. A certain kind of change seems to be a part of the basic nature of some, if not all, things.

Heraclitus’s insistence on the process of change as fundamental to the world poses a question to us when we are facing difficult changes that we might want to deny or resist. By insisting that something or someone stay the same, could it be that we are destroying the very thing we wish to preserve? In any particular case, when we are resisting change, we might ask ourselves, is this like trying to stop a river’s waters from flowing?

Elon Musk’s 15 Lessons for Your Startup Business

I used to think that Elon Musk was just another billionaire entrepreneur.
Now I realize Musk is a super hero. I’m not just saying that because Robert Downey, Jr. used Musk as real-life inspiration for Iron Man’s Tony Stark. I really think Elon has super powers:

• Musk can predict the future
• Musk has a super-human intellect
• Musk has the ability to work forever without stopping

He also has lots of high-tech gadgets, like his own rocket ships and a device with a holographic 3d interface. Elon Musk is a utility belt away from being able to take on super villains.
In all seriousness, Musk is one of the most influential entrepreneurs of the 21st century. If he keeps succeeding at this unprecedented rate, history will know him as the man who ushered in the age of electric cars, solar paneled homes, and private space travel. Below I’ve carefully compiled 15 lessons for business and startups from Elon Musk.

Who is Elon Musk?

• Elon Musk was born on June 28th, 1971 in South Africa.
• Musk moved to Canada in 1988 at the age of 17 to avoid service in the South African military.
• Musk earned undergraduate degrees in business and physics from The University of Pennsylvania.
• In 1995, Musk dropped out of Stanford University to found his first company.
• Musk is a twice-divorced father of five.
• Musk’s job is the CEO of Tesla Motors, the CEO and CTO of SpaceX, and the chairman of SolarCity. His 2013 salary is over $78 million.
• Musk’s net worth was estimated in September 2013 at $6.7 billion.
• Like Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, Elon Musk has pledged to give all of his money to charity.

 Photo by Brian Solis, via Wikimedia Commons

Companies Started by Elon Musk:

• PayPal
• SolarCity
• SpaceX
• Tesla Motors
• Zip2

Musk is one of only two people ever to found three billion dollar companies.

15 Business & Startup Lessons from Elon Musk

#1 Think Out of this World

“[Elon Musk] is very much the person who, when someone says it’s impossible, shrugs and says, ‘I think I can do it.”
Max Levchin, PayPal Co-Founder

Elon Musk isn’t here just to make companies; he’s here to make history.
His innovations in the auto industry have him being compared to Henry Ford and Jon Favreau famously interpreted Tony Stark (a.k.a. Iron Man) on Musk. The grandiosity of his goals haven’t escaped Elon:

“There was the advent of single-celled life, multicelled life, the development of plants, then animals. On this time scale, I’d put the extension of life to another planet slightly above the transition from life in the oceans to life on land.”
Elon Musk to Inc.

That’s right. Musk just put one of the items on his to-do list on the same scale as the development of sentient life. It’s plausible. SpaceX is seriously planning to be build a greenhouse and eventually a colony on Mars.
#2 Look for Opportunities in Emerging Industries

Musk only starts companies in emerging fields
In 1998, that emerging field was the Internet. Zip2 (and later PayPal) both succeeded thanks in large part to getting in on the ground floor of Internet boom.
Next, Musk identified three more emerging industries and got in on the ground floor on all three. SpaceX (space transportation), Tesla Motors (electric cars), and SolarCity (solar power) have all benefited from the high growth potential and low-competition that comes with being a pioneer.
# 3 The Quality of the Product Comes First

“I’d say stay very focused on the quality of the product.   People get really  wrapped up in all sorts of esoteric notions of how to manage etc., [but]  I think people should get much more focused on the product itself – how do you make the product incredibly compelling to a customer – just become maniacally focused on building it better.  I think people get distracted from that.”
Elon Musk, from Rock Solid Finance pioneer new territory.

#4 Be Prepared to Pivot
To pivot in business is to change direction while keeping one foot grounded where you started.
That’s exactly what Elon Musk did when he turned X.com (online bank) into PayPal (a global payment transfer provider). The change rendered X.com totally unrecognizable, but Musk was able to use much of its resources. Those resources included an innovative method of securely transferring money online through the recipients email address, which Musk had developed himself.
The pivot was a gargantuan success:  once PayPal became featured on Ebay, its use exploded.
#5 Embrace an Exit Plan
Can you imagine if Musk had stayed running PayPal? He’d still be rich and successful – but there would be no electric sports cars or rocket ships to his name. Thankfully, Musk long ago learned how to extricate himself from his own startups.
In 1995, Musk founded Zip2 (an online city guide) and in 1998 he sold it to Compaq for $307 million. Musk’s portion was $22 million. He was 28-years-old and free to do whatever he wanted.
That meant founding X.com. Again, Musk jumped ship after a couple of years, selling PayPal for to Ebay in 2002 for a cool $1.5 billion. For his trouble, Musk got $165 million in Ebay stock. Now Musk had enough personal capital to start the pair of truly extraordinary businesses that he still runs today.
When you start a business, you should have an end in mind. Michael Dunlop recently wrote about how to make your website your millionaire exit plan.
#6 Invest Earnings into New Businesses
Both times Musk cashed in a company for millions of dollars, he invested at least 45% of his earnings back into a brand new business within the calendar year.

• $10 million of the $22 million Musk made from the sale of Zip2 went to founding X.com (later PayPal).
• $100 million of the $165 million made from the sale of PayPal went to founding SpaceX.

Musk also invested heavily in Tesla Motors (33,076,212 shares) and SolarCity (20,724,991 shares). It’s the ownership of these three companies that constitutes the vast majority of Musk’s $6.7 estimated wealth.
#7 Hire Carefully, Fire Fast

Musk is known to be meticulous about building his staff:

“I think you definitely don’t want to grow too fast.   Make sure that every person you hire you really need to hire that person.”
Elon Musk

Elon has called hiring people his “biggest single challenge”:

“I have an exceptionally high standard for people that get hired, and especially for SpaceX.  We really aspire to hire quite literally the best people in the world at their job. Finding such people is so hard…  When we find them, we are generally able to attract them to the company… But the number one issue for me is finding superlatively talented people.  I think we’ve been fortunate to find some very, very talented people at SpaceX, but that is always the governor on growth.”
Elon Musk

He’s quick and unsentimental when it’s time to correct a hiring mistake:

“One lesson I learned [at PayPal] is to fire people faster.  That sounds awful, but I think if somebody is not working out, it’s best to part ways sooner rather than later.  It’s a mistake to try too hard to make something work that really couldn’t work.”
Elon Musk

#8 Be Your Own Happiest Customer

Musk loves the Tesla Model 6 so much, he’s going to drive in it across the USA next year with his five young sons. On September 5th, 2013, Musk announced via his Twitter:  “Just finalized the LA to NY family road trip route in Model S. 6 day, 3200 mile journey with only 9 hrs spent charging.”
This is more than just a great PR campaign to highlight all of Tesla’s new charging stations across the country. By putting himself behind the wheel of his company’s product for weeks on end, Musk will gain first-hand insight into how to improve Tesla’s premiere electric car.
In the case of SpaceX, Musk gets extra motivation for the company to succeed from his desire to one day be a SpaceX customer. The sooner the better:  “I don’t want to be doddering around up there, needing a quadruple bypass,” he says. His plan is to be a on a rocket to Mars by 2030, when he’ll be 61 years old.
Many great inventions and businesses start because their creator wanted the product for his/her own use. Income Diary founder Michael Dunlop’s PopUp Domination was originally developed for Michael’s own websites before he turned it into a public product.
#9 Make Failure an Option

“Failure is an option here. If things are not failing, you are not innovating enough.”
Elon Musk

Good business decisions are often very safe. But great business decisions are almost always risky.
All of Musk’s business successes have come in emerging industries with a dubious history of turning a profit:  the Internet (in 1995), electric vehicles, space travel, and solar panels. Musk knew going in that there was a high risk of failure, but while he never planned on failing, he always had a contingency plan to allow for failure.
For instance, when Musk set about sending rockets into space, he knew that the first rocket likely wasn’t going to succeed. That’s why he invested enough money into SpaceX ($100 million) to “make failure an option” and allow for up to three launches.
Musk also sees failure as an important part of the creative process:  “If every time somebody comes up with an idea it has to be successful, you’re not gonna get people coming up with ideas.”
#10 Leadership Requires Putting Yourself Forward

Musk’s leadership was tested like never before on August 2, 2008. It was the day of SpaceX’s third launch attempt and the future of the company was on the line.

The Falcon 1 launch vehicle made it through the first and most most dangerous stage – the one where it actually breaks away from Earth’s gravitational pull. But the rocket faltered soon after and they lost communication. That was it:  mission failed
The 300+ SpaceX employees in attendance were heartbroken – and fearing for their very livelihoods – when Musk stepped up to speak to the crowd. Elon revealed that he had already secured further investment in SpaceX so they would be able to continue their mission in case of complications (again, making “failure an option”). At the climax of his speech, he told his employees not what they should do, but what he was going to do:  “For my part, I will never give up,” Musk said, “and I mean never.”
Dolly Singh recalls the crowd’s response:

“I think most of us would have followed him into the gates of hell carrying suntan oil after that. It was the most impressive display of leadership that I have ever witnessed. Within moments, the energy of the building went from despair and defeat to a massive buzz of determination as people began to focus on moving forward instead of looking back. This shift happened collectively, across all 300-plus people in a matter of not more than five seconds.”

SpaceX’s very next launch was a complete success. On September 28th, 2008 the Falcon 1 became the first privately built rocket to achieve earth orbit.

Photo by U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

#11  Be Driven to Work Hard

“If you don’t mind things being really hard and high risk, then starting a company is a good idea. Otherwise, it’s probably unwise. It will certainly stress you out. So I think you have to be pretty driven to make it happen. Otherwise, you will just make yourself miserable.”
- Elon Musk

Musk’s work ethic is legendary. “He is a machine,” says Dolly Singh, who worked under Musk as the head of talent acquisition at SpaceX.
Elon is said to regularly put in 100 hours of work week between Tesla and Space X – and he considers this the bedrock of his business success. When asked to give advice to entrepreneurs, Musk offered, “Just work like hell. If other people are putting 40 hour work weeks and you’re putting in 100 hour work weeks, even if you’re doing the same thing, you know that you will achieve in four months what it takes them a year to achieve.”
To aspiring entrepreneurs, Musk doesn’t mince words:  if you’re lazy, don’t waste your time starting a business.

Photo by marcella bona via Compfight cc

#13 Know Your Limits
Musk may be the smartest and hardest working entrepreneur of the 21st century, but even has limits.
Back in 2006, Elon had an idea for a solar panel company. But he knew that if he started it, he would be overextended and unable to give everything necessary to SpaceX and Tesla. So he shared his idea with Peter and Lyndon Rive, who founded SolarCity in July of that year. Musk was the principle investor in the company and has served as chairman of the board since its inception – but he’s kept a safe enough distance so that it doesn’t eat up too much of his time and energy.
Solar isn’t the only industry he sees huge opportunity. Supersonic jets, hyperloops, and virtual reality interfaces have all earned his attention. He’s skimming the surface in these fields, but not diving in headfirst.
#14 Find Your Higher Purpose
Colonizing Mars is much more than a business decision. It’s about the future of the human species:

“I think it’s important that humanity become a multi-planet species. I think most people would agree that a future where we are a spacefaring civilization is inspiring and exciting compared with one where we are forever confined to Earth until some eventual extinction event. That’s really why I started SpaceX.
Elon Musk

Musk used to struggle with his purpose until he found out what really mattered for him. He described the realization:

“I always had an existential crisis, trying to figure out ‘what does it all mean?’ I came to the conclusion that if we can advance the knowledge of the world, if we can expand the scope and scale of consciousness, then, we’re better able to ask the right questions and become more enlightened. That’s the only way to move forward.”
Elon Musk

#15 Start Businesses that Align with Your Higher Purpose
Musk’s mission to “expand the scope and scale of consciousness” has had him looking beyond simple profit benchmarks to found businesses that are making a global impact for good. Every day when Musk goes to work, he knows he’s helping to reduce carbon emissions, produce renewable energy, and help save the human race in case of collision with an asteroid.
How’s that for motivation?
The first step to leaving a legacy is to answer Musk’s existential question for yourself:  “What does it all mean?” When your business is aligned with your purpose, you will work harder, smarter, and better to achieve your goals.

The Top 5 Reasons to Be a Jack of All Trades

Specialization isn’t always a good thing.
Are the days of Da Vinci dead? Is it possible to, at once, be a world-class painter, engineer, scientist, and more?

“No way. Those times are long gone. Nothing was discovered then. Now the best you can do is pick your field and master it.”

The devout specialist is fond of labeling the impetuous learner–Da Vinci and Ben Franklin being just two forgotten examples–”jack of all trades, master of none.” The chorus unites: In the modern world, it is he who specializes who survives and thrives. There is no place for Renaissance men or women. Starry-eyed amateurs.
Is it true? I don’t think so. Here are the top five reasons why being a “jack of all trades,” what I prefer to call a “generalist,” is making a comeback:
5) “Jack of all trades, master of none” is an artificial pairing.
It is entirely possible to be a jack of all trades, master of many. How? Specialists overestimate the time needed to “master” a skill and confuse “master” with “perfect”…
Generalists recognize that the 80/20 principle applies to skills: 20% of a language’s vocabulary will enable you to communicate and understand at least 80%, 20% of a dance like tango (lead and footwork) separates the novice from the pro, 20% of the moves in a sport account for 80% of the scoring, etc. Is this settling for mediocre?
Not at all. Generalists take the condensed study up to, but not beyond, the point of rapidly diminishing returns. There is perhaps a 5% comprehension difference between the focused generalist who studies Japanese systematically for 2 years vs. the specialist who studies Japanese for 10 with the lack of urgency typical of those who claim that something “takes a lifetime to learn.” Hogwash. Based on my experience and research, it is possible to become world-class in almost any skill within one year.
4) In a world of dogmatic specialists, it’s the generalist who ends up running the show.

Is the CEO a better accountant than the CPA? Is Steve Jobs a better programmer than the iTunes VP of Engineering? No, but he has a broad range of skills and sees the unseen interconnectedness. As technology becomes a commodity with the democratization of information, it’s the big-picture generalists who will predict, innovate, and rise to power fastest. There is a reason military “generals” are called such.
3) Boredom is failure.
In a first-world economy where we have the physical necessities covered with even low-class income, Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs drives us to need more for any measure of comparative “success.” Lack of intellectual stimulation, not superlative material wealth, is what drives us to depression and emotional bankruptcy. Generalizing and experimenting prevents this, while over-specialization guarantees it.
2) Diversity of intellectual playgrounds breeds confidence instead of fear of the unknown.
It also breeds empathy with the broadest range of human conditions and appreciation of the broadest range of human accomplishments. The alternative is the defensive xenophobia and smugness uniquely common to those whose identities are defined by their job title or single skill, which they pursue out of obligation and not enjoyment.
1) It’s more fun, in the most serious existential sense.
The jack of all trades maximizes his number of peak experiences in life and learns to enjoy the pursuit of excellence unrelated to material gain, all while finding the few things he is truly uniquely suited to dominate.
The specialist who imprisons himself in self-inflicted one-dimensionality — pursuing and impossible perfection — spends decades stagnant or making imperceptible incremental improvements while the curious generalist consistently measures improvement in quantum leaps. It is only the latter who enjoys the process of pursuing excellence.
—
Don’t put on experiential blinders in the name of specializing. It’s both unnecessary and crippling. Those who label you a “jack of all trades, master of none” are seldom satisfied with themselves.
Why take their advice?
Here is a description of the incredible Alfred Lee Loomis, a generalist of the highest order who changed the course of World War II with his private science experiments, here taken from the incredible portrait of his life, Tuxedo Park:
Loomis did not conform to the conventional measure of a great scientist. He was too complex to categorize — financier, philanthropist, society figure, physicist, inventor, amateur, dilettante — a contradiction in terms.
Be too complex to categorize.
Look far and wide.  There are worlds to conquer.

Hiring Motivated And Engaged Employees

How to Hire Motivated and Engaged Employees...

Every great company has one thing in common: engaged employees. Engaged employees learn, grow, display strong leadership skills, provide heightened return on investment and significantly decrease your firm’s turnover rate. Formulating a team that approaches work with vigor and passion, however, is easier discussed than executed.

Regardless, building just such a team is a crucial factor in your company’s ability to operate smoothly and navigate the changing business landscape. To increase productivity and motivation, the steps below can help you make the right difference in the way your firm approaches business.

It Starts With Recruiting the Right Talent

By recruiting the right individuals, your company can have a much easier time motivating, retaining and engaging all your employees.  When hiring, look for candidates with the following traits:

1. Passion – Recruit employees who are genuinely excited about their work, and they’ll remain driven.
2. Work Ethic – Employees with a strong work ethic thrive in competitive environments and see hurdles as challenges to overcome, rather than roadblocks.
3. Integrity – An employee can have all the motivation in the world, but without a solid reputation, that work will go unrewarded.
4. Resiliency – Without the ability to recover from mistakes, motivation and engagement goes out the window.
5. Positive Energy – Hire employees who thrive on action and relish change.

Develop Proper Leadership Tactics

It could be said that the true measure of leadership is influence. If you display strong leadership skills, and employees will respond and produce in a heightened manner.  Conversely, a lack of direction from senior team members can have devastating effects on employee motivation and work engagement.

There are three key effective leaders share that motivate and engage employees. Consider these elements when assessing the senior members of your firm and ask yourself how you can create alignment.

1. Leaders are trustworthy. Leaders are consistent in their word and go out of their way to maintain trust with subordinates.
2. Leaders relentlessly upgrade their team and make each and every employee see their vision for the organization.
3. Leaders exude positive energy and instill a “can do” attitude that naturally motivates and engages the employees.

Motivation Factors Most People Miss

When you hire and motivate the right people, the right work gets done in the right way. In other words, the machine functions smoothly. The company becomes defined by their continuous productivity improvements, widespread innovation and ability to adapt to the changing business environment.

1. Keep your promises. Studies have shown that for employees to be motivated, sales recruiting minimums must be upheld. These include pay, working conditions and job security. Without these, headhunting even the best employees will yield undesired performance results.
2. Don’t use fear as a factor. The attempt to motivate employees by making them fear that they will lose their jobs will have the opposite effect – resulting in less energy and lower morale.
3. Tap into their creativity. Contrary to popular belief, money is not the most motivating factor for many employees. Studies have shown that the strongest and most pervasive driver of productivity is how creative an employee feels when working on a project. If you want to motivate employees, give them projects that allow them to use their creatively.
4. Challenge them. The most sought-after employees have a tendency to seek out challenges, to extend and exercise their capabilities, to explore and to learn.
5. Relax on the rules. Imposing too many rules and formal processes can impede your ability to motivate your staff. The more set a process is, the less likely it is going to get done correctly. (That said, it is still important to set clear standards and adhere to them fairly and consistently.)

In the End…

Regardless of whether your employees are introverted or outgoing, quiet or loud, the proper leadership foundation will keep them motivated and engaged – thus increasing your company’s competitive advantage and heightening the effectiveness of your recruiting efforts.

The Place of God in the Search for Excellence & Perfection

Saturday, 15 March 2014 – 08:09am

I woke up this morning without any intention to compose a post for the blog. I launched my Bible (e-Sword) and read my morning devotion and this quote from Hoekstra’s daily devotion caught my attention:

“But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, which the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” (2 Corinthians 4:7)

Let me digress a little and set the whole premise upon which the title of my blog is based: Excellence of the type I dream of can only be experienced by a person that pursues self mastery. Self mastery is to me the key to unlocking all the potential (or as much of it as we humanly can) that is buried within us and stifled through years upon years of social conditioning and compliance. I will explore in depth the issue of what Self Mastery means to me in a latter blog but suffice it to say for now that without it, we forever are computers running programmes written by others.

So the treasure mentioned in the above verse to me is that quality of sublime excellence and effortless perfection and the earthen vessels refer to us. I believe that I was created by a Supreme Being (no I didn’t evolve from some lower life-form) and I also believe in the fact that as a created being, excellence & effortless perfection can only come when I am living the purpose for which I was made. Now, the purpose of a creation can only be found in one place – the mind of its maker – in my case God. So to live a life of excellence and effortless perfection, I must be living according to the purpose for which I was made and that purpose is something I must find. I don’t believe in the generic purpose of ‘I am here to worship God’ – If God wanted people just to worship Him, he would have created more angels. I believe that as God formed me uniquely from every other person, He had some specific mission in mind for me. Our world can be perfect if everyone fulfils his own purpose for being here – in doing so and letting the Wonder of God’s creation shine – we will be worshiping him in truth, with out whole being, with our lives. It is in the process of self mastery that we get to know and pursue that unique purpose for which we were created and unless God were to choose you and reveal it to you in a vision one night while you are sleeping, it takes a long process with many false turns. Once you find that purpose – the journey of self mastery continues – now on the path that has been revealed to you. Self mastery is to me a journey to the ‘inside’ of us and I believe that is where God is to be found, until we find God in our hearts/spirits, we won’t be able to see him in the next person, in the blades of grass, in the river or the situation that begs for our intervention.

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Freeing the Present from the Clutches of Fear of the Future

In its ever increasing lust to keep our attention focused on itself and control us, our egos often feel threatened by those moments of bliss in which we are so totally engrossed in another person or something larger that us that we pay no attention to ourselves. The ego then finds a way to hijack that bliss by suggesting a threat to the most precious parts of that it. It thus this by suggesting that that which we value most in this moment cannot last for example:

1. Death when we are enjoying the company of those we love.
2. Impending disaster when we are enjoying peace and solace.
3. Betrayal, insincerity or manipulation when are are in a blooming relationship.

In a nutshell, a small voice gets us worrying about the a possible time in the future when the precious thing which now gives us bliss is no longer available to us.

I have wondered, how can I deal with this device of the ego and I think the short answer is “presence and mindfulness“ and here is what I mean:

First of all, realise like all enlightened people do that “nothing lasts forever in this realm and even the sun shall die.“. With that realisation, ask yourself “what can I really do about this fear here and now?“ and you will realise that there is nothing you can do now about that fear of something that may or may not happen in the future. When you realise the utter futility of even continuing to worry about it, you can then push that fear and worry out of your mind and come back to the bliss of the moment.

In terms of practice, when the fear arises, don’t flinch and try to block it off, instead, focus on it and see it for what it is – a tool of the ego to take your focus off the bliss in which it is not the center of attention and bring it back to itself. By putting those dark thoughts and suggestions of fear to the glaring light of conscious observation, they lose their power over us and thus we can put them aside and return to the bliss of the moment.

Sure, the future might be uncertain, but by staying present in the moment in enlightened awareness and concentration, we can live an eternity in the protective hug of loved ones, the effortless mastery in the execution of the task at hand, the trusting and win-win collaboration of working with colleagues and the time-defying, all-healing passionate kiss we are sharing with our lover. Don’t let your ego ruin that moment.

How do you deal with such ego-grabbing? Please share.

Defining A Platform for Success

Great companies hate the word “good.” With vigor, they are constantly evolving, adapting to the competitive landscape, recruiting intelligent, driven employees and searching for more creative ways to conduct business.
As a matter of fact, regardless of industry, successful organizations all share some common traits. Among these qualities is the ability to formulate new and innovative methods to prospect for business and recruit proficient, dedicated additions to the firm. I thought it would be helpful to discuss business and hiring with a company that leverages its sales strategies and employee procurement methods in order live and breathe a culture of success.
To further shed some light on the topic, I’ve asked Dustin Grosse, Chief Marketing Officer from DocuSign, a clear market share leader in Document Transaction Management and eSignature to share his thoughts on effective business, internal recruitment and social media prospecting.
My Opinion on This Group
I’ve done consulting for some of world’s government defense sectors and often utilize my training to “size-up” the people whom I interview. Dustin won me to his way of thinking by answering the questions I had honestly, intelligently, thoroughly and willingly. He was open which typically results me enjoying the back and forth banter because I enjoy learning.
The Questions and Mr. Gosner
The questions we went over had to do with Dustin himself, the DocuSign business philosophies, his executive recruitment prowess and his appreciation for his founder, entrepreneur Tom Gosner. Check out Tom’s story by clicking here.
Ken Sundheim: What Makes a DocuSign an Efficient Company?
Dustin Grosse (LinkedIn ): DocuSign is the industry pioneer and has kept that competitive advantage over the years via maintaining an entrepreneurial environment that thrives on collaboration, creativity and innovation. The firm was started in 2005 when Tom Gosner (now Chief Strategy Officer) envisioned a need for the service while working in the mortgage industry. His insight would turn into a great investment.
Ken Sundheim of KAS Placement: What is Your Role at DocuSign?
Dustin Grosse (Twitter) is the Chief Marketing Officer and runs DocuSign e-commerce team and strategic partnerships. He discovered the firm during its infancy when using their services at Microsoft and had the foresight to leave a top company to go to a potential home run. Dustin then leveraged his foresight and expertise to get in the door and would quickly become an integral part of their growth.
Although we never met, Mr. Gosner seems like a humble, outgoing individual as this picture was taken from his visit to MTV .

Q: What are You Trying to Accomplish at DocuSign?

For our younger readers, DocuSign doesn’t want to change the world, nor do they want past success to hinder future ambition. Mr.
DocuSign wants to keep business transitions that ordinarily were done through paper digital. They also are working towards growth in the area. Not only does this help their revenue stream, it saves countless trees every year.
Q: By What Year Do You Think Paper will be Completely out of the Equation?

Dustin answered the question in a manner that was neutral and that I personally agreed with. He predicts that by the end of the decade, printed, signed and faxed contracts will transition from endangered to extinct.
In the End
When smart, ambitious people love their job, sell a competitive product and believe in the system (a.k.a the company they work for), much more can go correctly than incorrectly.

11 Reasons Why Pope Francis is the Coolest Pope Ever

Pope Francis is cool! In fact we believe he is the coolest Pope ever! The former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina and the 266th pope, has captivated the world with his decidedly unorthodox approach to the Papacy. Since his appointment in March of 2013, Pope Francis has shunned the traditional trappings of Papal office, and instead demonstrated through his actions and words his humility, service, and concern for his fellow men and women. Plus, he’s got a sense of humor. Pope Francis is changing the face and image of the Catholic Church and along the way, he’s establishing himself as pretty much the coolest Pope ever.

Here are 11 reasons that Pope Francis is cooler than all 265 of his predecessors put together.

1. He took his name from St. Francis of Assisi, founder of the Franciscan order and champion of the poor.
2. He opts to live not in the lavish Papal apartments in Vatican City, but in a much simpler, smaller guesthouse in the same vicinity.
3. He drives himself to work. His 1984 Renault 4 was donated by an Italian priest and Pope Francis uses it for short commutes within Vatican City.
4. He’s committed to curbing the frivolous spending of the Church and the Vatican Bank. He essentially fired the “Bishop of Bling,” the German bishop who spent more than $50 million on renovations to his official residence.
5. He’s humble. Prior to his first Maundy Thursday address, he washed the feet of 10 prisoners at a Roman prison. Two of them were female and two were Muslim.
6. In October, a young boy came onstage while Pope Francis addressed the crowds at St. Peter’s, and refused to leave. The Pope patted the boy on the head and let him stay, even after the boy sat in the Pope’s chair!
7. This month, he melted hearts around the world when he embraced a severely disfigured, diseased man in St. Peter’s Square.
8. He posed for a “selfie” with a group of young teens inside St. Peter’s Basilica.
9. He donned a red clown nose and posed for photos to help a couple celebrate their Vatican City wedding. The couple works for a charity that uses clowns to cheer up sick children.
10. He has opened the door of the Church to gays, saying that, “If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who am I to judge them?”
11. He’s indicated that in the future, the time might be right to allow Catholic priests to marry and have children.

Words of Faith for Christians

Verses From The Bible

 
"All Scripture is God-breathed." 2 Timothy 3:16

"Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to god must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you shall ask anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:13-14
"This the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

"God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

"His compassions never fail. They are new every morning." Lamentations 3:22-23

"Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised these good things." 2 Samuel 7:28
"The Lord you God will be with you wherever you go." Joshua 1:9
"Every good and perfect gift is from above." James 1:17

"For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings." Proverbs 5:21

"If then God so clothe the grass, which is today in the field, and tomorrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? Luke 12:28

"Be still, and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

"For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." I Timothy 2:3-4

"The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him." Nahum 1:7

"Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him." Isaiah 40:10
"Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord." Psalm 118:26
"Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." Matthew 5:9
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

"And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth." Genesis 9:16
"Blessed are all who take refuge in him." Psalm 2:12

"A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold." Proverbs 22:1
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." Matthew 5:5

"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands." Psalm 19:1

"He holds victory in store for the upright. Proverbs 2:7
"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:17
"Take care not to do your good deeds publicly or before men, in order to be seen by them; otherwise you will have no reward with and from your Father Who is in heaven." Matthew 6:1
Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart." Psalm 37:4

"Better is a poor man who walks in his intergrity than a rich man who os perverse in his speech and is a fool." Proverbs 19:1

"Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and the door will be open to you." Matthew 7:7
"For if you forgive people their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you." Matthew 6:14
"No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." 1 John 4:12

"The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love." Psalms 145:8

"I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness." John 12:46
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28
"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'" Hebrews 13:5
"So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or, 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." Matthew 6:31, 32