10. Reduce Screen Time Before BedStop checking your email or watching TV just before bedtime and you'll sleep better. A recent study shows that people who consume electronic media (read: stare at a backlit screen) just before bedtime report lower-quality sleep even when they get as much sleep as non-pre-bedtime screenheads. Lifehacker reader JFitzpatrick says this makes perfect sense:
Using a light-emitting device before bed like a flickering TV or computer monitor stimulates the brain in a different way than the way the body was intended to move towards sleep (gradually as the sun set) That's why it is so easy to waste sleepless hours flipping from channel to channel (or reading Lifehacker or Digg). The exposure to light stimulates the brain and creates a false alert
9. Exercise to Enhance SleepYou already know that exercising provides lots of good health benefits—a good night's sleep being one of them. But make sure you exercise in the morning or afternoon, not at night, to see the benefits while you dream. CNN reports:
The National Sleep Foundation reports that exercise in the afternoon can help deepen shut-eye and cut the time it takes for you to fall into dreamland. But, they caution, vigorous exercise leading up to bedtime can actually have the reverse effects. A 2003 study found that a morning fitness regime was key to a better snooze. Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center concluded that postmenopausal women who exercised 30 minutes every morning had less trouble falling asleep than those who were less active. The women who worked out in the evening hours saw little or no improvement in their sleep patterns.Oh yeah, exercise enhances that other bedtime activity, too: sex. (But that's a whole other top 10.)
8. Eat to Enhance SleepSome foods are more conducive to a better night's sleep than others. You already knew about warm milk, chamomile tea and turkey, but Yahoo Food lists others, like bananas, potatoes, oatmeal and whole-wheat bread. You find yourself fighting off afternoon droopy eyelids at the office? Here are some pointers on eating a less nap-inducing lunch.
7. Master the Power NapSlowly but surely, the benefits of the classic, 20-minute power nap are getting more recognition, with big companies installing sleep pods at the office and more software applications like Pzizz helping to set the right power nap aural scene. Here's how to get the perfect nap from the author of Take a Nap! Change Your Life, and more on how and why power naps work.
6. Avoid the Soul-Shattering Alarm BuzzerNo one likes starting the day by getting ripped out of bed by that evil BEEP BEEP BEEP of the alarm clock, but some sleepyheads ignore anything gentler. Lifehacker reader Jason beats the buzzer with a dual clock radio system:
Put one alarm clock on your nightstand, the other across the room and make sure they're in sync. Set the alarm clock on your nightstand to go off at, let's say, 6:30 a.m., if that is when you need to get up. I set that one to use the radio, and make sure it is loud enough to wake me up, but not too loud (I don't want to wake my wife on purpose). The second alarm clock on the dresser is set to go off exactly one minute later, but using that dreadful buzzer. So, when my alarm goes off in the morning, it doesn't startle me like the buzzer. Then, I know I have about 60 seconds to get up and turn the other one off before I hear a buzzing sound. At that point, I am out of bed, and no buzzer.Of course, some particularly talented sleepers can program themselves to wake up before the alarm clock goes off naturally. (The rest of us hate you.)
5. Solve Problems in Your SleepWrestling with a tough decision, stuck in a creative rut or having a hard time solving a complex problem? Studies show that a little shut-eye can help you tackle problems and make tough decisions.
4. Beat Insomnia with VisualizationThere's nothing worse than laying awake throughout the night, watching the clock tick away seconds knowing you'll be a zombie the next day. When insomnia's kicking your sleepy butt, use a self-directed meditative visualization technique to quiet the whir of a racing mind. Guest contributor Ryan Irelan runs down how to beat insomnia with "Blue Energy."
3. Shortcut a Long Nap with the Clattering SpoonArtist and napper Salvador Dali had an interesting nap technique, based on the idea that your body benefits from just getting to sleep as much as a couple of hours worth of shut-eye. He purportedly used a spoon to wake himself up just as he lost consciousness. According to Question Swap (via 43F), here's what you do:
Lie down or sit in comfy seat holding a spoon in your fingertips. you should be holding it in a way that - when you loose consciousness (sleep) you drop it... the Clatter (put a big plate on the floor under your hand) will wake you.... and you get woken JUST as you enter the best "dreamy" bit of your sleep. Alternatively, hold a bunch of keys: same effect.
2. Take a Caffeine Power NapNeed a turbo boost to beat the sleepy doldrums pinch? Try a cup of coffee followed by a quick 15-minute nap to reboot your brain and get you going again.
1. Teach Yourself to Lucid DreamArrive at school naked in that terrible dream last night? Turn nightmares around by knowing you're dreaming while you do it. Lucid dreaming opens up all sorts of possibilities for controlling where and how your dreams go. Teach yourself to lucid dream by keeping a dream journal and learning reality checks and dream extending techniques. (Some great comments here by lucid-dreaming readers, too.) Intrigued? Here are more lucid dreaming FAQs.
What do you do to get to sleep, set up the best naps or otherwise trick out your sheep counts? Let us know in the comments.ness and stimulation.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Success - it's all a matter of mindset!
Success - it's all a matter of mindset!
"Walk away from the 97% crowd. Don't use their excuses. Take charge of your own life." -- Jim Rohn. Have you ever wondered why some people always seem to get whatever they want?
In fact there's nothing mysterious about it. You, too can quickly get whatever you want ...and enjoy it, too - it's all a matter of mindset, success mindset. Start now, and build your own Success Mindset!To begin with: Work on yourself. Examine your mind. What are your deep-seated beliefs on yourself?The best way to find out is to discover the limitations you set for yourself, which are the result of your self-concept i.e. the way you "see" yourself.. For example if you decide to do something, like lose weight, or get up earlier, or work more etc. do you find it easy or is there a "little voice" inside you that keeps whispering to you: "No, you're just wasting your time, you'll never make it...."? Those are the limitations you have imposed upon yourself throughout your life.Most probably, the seeds were planted in your mind since childhood and, over time, have taken on the disguise of reality. Childhood programming and associations grew up with you and were nurtured, seemingly confirmed, by successive failures throughout your life. And things will go on like this until the day when you stand up, stamp your foot, and say: "No! No! No!" You've just realized that there is no fatality in life!Those beliefs on yourself, which you thought you were "born with", were in fact acquired from your childhood on and gradually built up to constitute your "personality traits."There is now scientific evidence that "you can get to the deepest part of your mind and program your belief system with affirmations, visualizations, prayer" (if you feel so inclined), and thus create a new reality for yourself.You can "introduce other patterns of belief into the subconscious and unconscious areas of your mind". This is something within your power. You can decide to do it and then proceed to do it. NOW YOU KNOW, and this puts you high above Jim Rohn's "97% crowd"!And you can deliberately program your mind for success, it's like installing the Success Mindset software. Yes, Success Mindset is really like software. Your mind is programmed for success. It is framed in such a way that you always get whatever you want. Success is no longer accidental or occasional. It has become second nature to you - or one should even say "first nature".What you used to call failure becomes an opportunity to learn a lesson and move forward to still further success - "a blessing in disguise". One nice thing about Success Mindset is that ANYONE can acquire it, never mind whether some people are "more gifted" than others. It simply can be built and nurtured by any human being. And Success Mindset is based on what I call the "Success Mindset Tripod (TM)":- gratitude- purpose- faith In other articles, we examine - how an attitude of gratitude enables you to be at peace with both your past and your "already visualized" future; - how a sense of purpose is what you need to control your destiny and define your own future; - how faith is at once the vehicle, the fuel and... the bridge between your past, your present, and your future. We also talk about the tools you will use for your Success Mindset building, such as self-talk, affirmations, visualizations, goalsetting, etc. and much, much more. Meanwhile, don't allow your "Success Mindset Tripod (TM)" to wobble and crash down. Let it proudly stand on its three sturdy legs.- Cultivate gratitude: whatever your present situation, it certainly might have been worse, - Strengthen your sense of purpose by being crystal-clear about what you want, - Nurture your faith, if only faith in yourself.Or... will you just idly sit by and powerlessly watch as your Magnificent Dream explodes, with bits and pieces hurtling down the bottomless pit of abject failure? "Don't walk sideways, breast your way through life!"
"Walk away from the 97% crowd. Don't use their excuses. Take charge of your own life." -- Jim Rohn. Have you ever wondered why some people always seem to get whatever they want?
In fact there's nothing mysterious about it. You, too can quickly get whatever you want ...and enjoy it, too - it's all a matter of mindset, success mindset. Start now, and build your own Success Mindset!To begin with: Work on yourself. Examine your mind. What are your deep-seated beliefs on yourself?The best way to find out is to discover the limitations you set for yourself, which are the result of your self-concept i.e. the way you "see" yourself.. For example if you decide to do something, like lose weight, or get up earlier, or work more etc. do you find it easy or is there a "little voice" inside you that keeps whispering to you: "No, you're just wasting your time, you'll never make it...."? Those are the limitations you have imposed upon yourself throughout your life.Most probably, the seeds were planted in your mind since childhood and, over time, have taken on the disguise of reality. Childhood programming and associations grew up with you and were nurtured, seemingly confirmed, by successive failures throughout your life. And things will go on like this until the day when you stand up, stamp your foot, and say: "No! No! No!" You've just realized that there is no fatality in life!Those beliefs on yourself, which you thought you were "born with", were in fact acquired from your childhood on and gradually built up to constitute your "personality traits."There is now scientific evidence that "you can get to the deepest part of your mind and program your belief system with affirmations, visualizations, prayer" (if you feel so inclined), and thus create a new reality for yourself.You can "introduce other patterns of belief into the subconscious and unconscious areas of your mind". This is something within your power. You can decide to do it and then proceed to do it. NOW YOU KNOW, and this puts you high above Jim Rohn's "97% crowd"!And you can deliberately program your mind for success, it's like installing the Success Mindset software. Yes, Success Mindset is really like software. Your mind is programmed for success. It is framed in such a way that you always get whatever you want. Success is no longer accidental or occasional. It has become second nature to you - or one should even say "first nature".What you used to call failure becomes an opportunity to learn a lesson and move forward to still further success - "a blessing in disguise". One nice thing about Success Mindset is that ANYONE can acquire it, never mind whether some people are "more gifted" than others. It simply can be built and nurtured by any human being. And Success Mindset is based on what I call the "Success Mindset Tripod (TM)":- gratitude- purpose- faith In other articles, we examine - how an attitude of gratitude enables you to be at peace with both your past and your "already visualized" future; - how a sense of purpose is what you need to control your destiny and define your own future; - how faith is at once the vehicle, the fuel and... the bridge between your past, your present, and your future. We also talk about the tools you will use for your Success Mindset building, such as self-talk, affirmations, visualizations, goalsetting, etc. and much, much more. Meanwhile, don't allow your "Success Mindset Tripod (TM)" to wobble and crash down. Let it proudly stand on its three sturdy legs.- Cultivate gratitude: whatever your present situation, it certainly might have been worse, - Strengthen your sense of purpose by being crystal-clear about what you want, - Nurture your faith, if only faith in yourself.Or... will you just idly sit by and powerlessly watch as your Magnificent Dream explodes, with bits and pieces hurtling down the bottomless pit of abject failure? "Don't walk sideways, breast your way through life!"
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
8 Success Secrets from Motivational Experts
The views on success of many of the nation's top motivational speakers and authors can be summarized into 8 success secrets. These ideas were taken from interviews with 15 of the nation's top motivational speakers and authors, including motivational speaker Brian Tracy, authors Les Brown and Dr. Wayne Dyer, sales motivator Mike Ferry, seminar leader Patricia Fripp, and "Chicken Soup" authors Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.
This is an effort to study how successful people think and uncover what drives them. If you truly understand their belief systems, levels of commitment and positive attitudes toward life--and integrate these ways of thinking into your own belief system--you should be able to succeed at anything you put your mind to.
This lesson will answer those questions.
1. Take 100 percent responsibility for your life
In a society where people blame everything from their parents to the government for their failure to get ahead in life, these men and women refused to buy into the mentality that says "I could succeed if only it weren't for _____."
They realized that when you say someone or something outside of yourself is preventing you from succeeding, you're giving away your power to that someone or something. You're saying, "You have more control over my life than I do!"
Successful people don't buy into this victim thinking. Rather, their personal credo is "If it's to be, it's up to me!"
Example of Les Brown
Consider Les Brown. Abandoned by his parents at birth and labeled "educable mentally retarded" by his schoolteachers, he had every reason for giving up on himself and his dreams. But when a high school teacher told him "Someone else's opinion of you does not have to become your reality," Brown realized in that moment that his future lay in his own hands. He went on to become a state legislator and author, and today earns $20,000 per hour as one of America's top motivational speakers.
What Brown understood was that there are certain things in life you can't control, such as nature, the past and other people. But there are things you absolutely can control, such as your thoughts and your actions. Taking 100 percent responsibility for your life is one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself.
2. Live your life "on purpose"
Perhaps what separates these motivational superstars from others more than anything else is that they live their lives "on purpose." That is, they are doing what they believe they were put here to do.
Dyer has purpose
Professional public speakers will tell you that the time they feel most alive is when they are on stage, connecting with an audience. Says Wayne Dyer, "Having a sense of purpose in your life is the most important element of becoming a fully functioning person!"
The difference between living your life on purpose and not living it on purpose is like night and day. The latter consists of simply getting through the week with the least amount of problems while expending just enough effort to get by.
Do the job now
But, when you live your life on purpose, your main concern is doing the job right. You love what you do--and it shows. Your conviction is as evident as it is persuasive. And you will find that people want to do business with you because they sense your commitment to giving your all.
Mike Ferry found purpose
How do you live your life on purpose? By finding a cause you believe in and creating a business around it.
For example, Mike Ferry, who was once a top salesperson selling audiotape programs, believed realtors needed help developing sales skills. So he started The Mike Ferry Organization, a seminar and training company for the real estate industry. Today, he earns more than $10 million a year from seminar and product sales. Like Ferry, once you get your life on purpose and focus on providing value for others, the money will take care of itself.
3. Be willing to pay the price for your dreams
Wanting a big house, a luxury car or a million dollars in the bank is all very nice, but the problem is that practically everyone wants these things. The question then is, "Are you willing to pay the price to get them?"
This is one of the major differences between the successful and the unsuccessful. Successful men and women find out what it's going to cost to make their dream come true. Then they find a way to make it happen. Most importantly, they don't complain about the work it takes to achieve their dreams.
Les Brown says he has a callus on his left ear. Why? "When I decided to get into speaking, I had no credentials, no reputation, no credibility and no experience. So I had to call a lot of people," Brown explains. "I called over a hundred people a day, day in and day out, to ask for an opportunity to speak to their group. This callus is worth several million dollars!"
You can get practically anything you want in life--if you are willing to pay the price.
4. Stay focused
Every day, we are bombarded with hundreds of tasks, messages and people all competing for our time. This is why the ability to focus on your goal is so critical to achieving it. Focusing requires giving up some things in the present because you know the time invested will pay off big-time down the road.
Chicken Soup efforts
When Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen compiled their first Chicken Soup for the Soul book, they were turned down by 30 publishers. But instead of giving up, they stayed focused on their goal. "We did three to four radio or newspaper or magazine interviews a day, five days a week, for a whole year," Canfield recalls. In every interview, they talked about why the country needed this book now more than ever.
Eventually, a small publisher called Health Communications Inc. decided to take a chance and publish the book. It not only became a number-one bestseller but also hatched an entire series of Chicken Soup books that have sold more than 10 million copies! That's the power staying focused on your goal can give you.
Focus on dreams
Spend as much of your day as you can focusing on achieving your goals and dreams. Every day, ask yourself, "Is what I'm doing right now bringing me closer to my goal?" If it's not, do something that will. Focusing is like any habit: the more you do it, the easier it gets.
5. Become an expert in your field
One striking factor about all 15 motivational speakers I interviewed is how seriously they take their profession. Their drive to be the best at what they do is phenomenal. They'll do almost anything if they think it will help improve their speaking skills.
Fripp took classes
For example, Patricia Fripp, who speaks to Fortune 500 executives on how to become more successful, took a comedy workshop and hired a private speech coach because she wanted to improve her speaking ability. Fripp did this after she had already been named "One of the Ten Most Electrifying Speakers in North America" by Meetings & Conventions magazine. To Fripp, being one of the best simply wasn't good enough; she wanted to be the best she could be.
What do you do?
If someone followed you around at your business all day with a video camera to make a how-to tape for people who want to do what you do, would it be a tape you'd be proud of? Or embarrassed about? If the latter, make the decision today to work toward being the best in your field. How? By studying the experts. The quickest way to become successful is to find out what the best are doing, then do what they do.
6. Write out a plan for achieving your goals
Taking the time to write out an action plan, or map, for how you're going to achieve your goals is one of the best ways to get there faster.
Brian Tracy set goals
Brian Tracy, one of America's most successful business sales trainers and speakers, points out, "Goals that are not in writing are not goals at all. They are merely wishes or fantasies."
Need a map
Most people try to reach their goals without taking the time to write out an action plan. This is like trying to drive from Los Angeles to Denver without a map. Forget the fact that your odds of reaching your destination are extremely slim. The frustration and wasted time, energy and money will probably cause you to give up long before you get to the Rockies. With a map in hand, however, you'll not only enjoy the trip much more, but you're also virtually assured of arriving at your destination in the shortest time possible.
7. Never give up
It may sound simple, even obvious, but when you're truly committed to achieving your goal, giving up isn't even an option. You must be willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.
Dyer never gave up
In the mid-1970s, Wayne Dyer quit his job as a professor at Wayne State University to promote his new book, Your Erroneous Zones. However, no major talk show would book the then unknown Dyer. Did he give up? Not on your life. He loaded his car from floor to roof with hundreds of copies of his book, and then spent a year on the road traveling from small town to small town and appearing on any radio or TV talk show that would have him.
Once on the air, Dyer would give out the number of the local bookstore and say that his book was available there. After the interview, he'd quickly drive over to that bookstore, where the manager would say, "Oh, you're Wayne Dyer? We've been getting lots of calls for your book!" Dyer would reply, "Well, I have a case in the car--would you like some?" "Oh, yes! And would you sign some while you're here?"
By the end of the year, The Tonight Show was calling him. And by the end of the 1970s, Your Erroneous Zones had become the number-one best-selling nonfiction book of the entire decade. This is what the power of perseverance can do for you.
8. Don't delay
In his book Live Your Dreams, Les Brown recalls talking on the phone one day with a friend named Marion. The very next day, Marion's husband called to tell Brown she had died.
A few days later, Les was helping the husband clean out Marion's office when he came across some notes for a play she had been working on. Unfortunately, the play would never be published. Marion was the only one who knew how it was supposed to end, and now she was gone.
The lesson here is that Marion didn't know how much time she had left to accomplish her dreams, and neither do you or I. We must remember that we don't have forever. The clock is ticking, there are no time-outs, and sooner or later your number is going to be called. Top achievers know this, but rather than seeing it as something negative or depressing, they use it to spur them on to go after what they want as energetically and as passionately as possible.
This is an effort to study how successful people think and uncover what drives them. If you truly understand their belief systems, levels of commitment and positive attitudes toward life--and integrate these ways of thinking into your own belief system--you should be able to succeed at anything you put your mind to.
This lesson will answer those questions.
1. Take 100 percent responsibility for your life
In a society where people blame everything from their parents to the government for their failure to get ahead in life, these men and women refused to buy into the mentality that says "I could succeed if only it weren't for _____."
They realized that when you say someone or something outside of yourself is preventing you from succeeding, you're giving away your power to that someone or something. You're saying, "You have more control over my life than I do!"
Successful people don't buy into this victim thinking. Rather, their personal credo is "If it's to be, it's up to me!"
Example of Les Brown
Consider Les Brown. Abandoned by his parents at birth and labeled "educable mentally retarded" by his schoolteachers, he had every reason for giving up on himself and his dreams. But when a high school teacher told him "Someone else's opinion of you does not have to become your reality," Brown realized in that moment that his future lay in his own hands. He went on to become a state legislator and author, and today earns $20,000 per hour as one of America's top motivational speakers.
What Brown understood was that there are certain things in life you can't control, such as nature, the past and other people. But there are things you absolutely can control, such as your thoughts and your actions. Taking 100 percent responsibility for your life is one of the most empowering things you can do for yourself.
2. Live your life "on purpose"
Perhaps what separates these motivational superstars from others more than anything else is that they live their lives "on purpose." That is, they are doing what they believe they were put here to do.
Dyer has purpose
Professional public speakers will tell you that the time they feel most alive is when they are on stage, connecting with an audience. Says Wayne Dyer, "Having a sense of purpose in your life is the most important element of becoming a fully functioning person!"
The difference between living your life on purpose and not living it on purpose is like night and day. The latter consists of simply getting through the week with the least amount of problems while expending just enough effort to get by.
Do the job now
But, when you live your life on purpose, your main concern is doing the job right. You love what you do--and it shows. Your conviction is as evident as it is persuasive. And you will find that people want to do business with you because they sense your commitment to giving your all.
Mike Ferry found purpose
How do you live your life on purpose? By finding a cause you believe in and creating a business around it.
For example, Mike Ferry, who was once a top salesperson selling audiotape programs, believed realtors needed help developing sales skills. So he started The Mike Ferry Organization, a seminar and training company for the real estate industry. Today, he earns more than $10 million a year from seminar and product sales. Like Ferry, once you get your life on purpose and focus on providing value for others, the money will take care of itself.
3. Be willing to pay the price for your dreams
Wanting a big house, a luxury car or a million dollars in the bank is all very nice, but the problem is that practically everyone wants these things. The question then is, "Are you willing to pay the price to get them?"
This is one of the major differences between the successful and the unsuccessful. Successful men and women find out what it's going to cost to make their dream come true. Then they find a way to make it happen. Most importantly, they don't complain about the work it takes to achieve their dreams.
Les Brown says he has a callus on his left ear. Why? "When I decided to get into speaking, I had no credentials, no reputation, no credibility and no experience. So I had to call a lot of people," Brown explains. "I called over a hundred people a day, day in and day out, to ask for an opportunity to speak to their group. This callus is worth several million dollars!"
You can get practically anything you want in life--if you are willing to pay the price.
4. Stay focused
Every day, we are bombarded with hundreds of tasks, messages and people all competing for our time. This is why the ability to focus on your goal is so critical to achieving it. Focusing requires giving up some things in the present because you know the time invested will pay off big-time down the road.
Chicken Soup efforts
When Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen compiled their first Chicken Soup for the Soul book, they were turned down by 30 publishers. But instead of giving up, they stayed focused on their goal. "We did three to four radio or newspaper or magazine interviews a day, five days a week, for a whole year," Canfield recalls. In every interview, they talked about why the country needed this book now more than ever.
Eventually, a small publisher called Health Communications Inc. decided to take a chance and publish the book. It not only became a number-one bestseller but also hatched an entire series of Chicken Soup books that have sold more than 10 million copies! That's the power staying focused on your goal can give you.
Focus on dreams
Spend as much of your day as you can focusing on achieving your goals and dreams. Every day, ask yourself, "Is what I'm doing right now bringing me closer to my goal?" If it's not, do something that will. Focusing is like any habit: the more you do it, the easier it gets.
5. Become an expert in your field
One striking factor about all 15 motivational speakers I interviewed is how seriously they take their profession. Their drive to be the best at what they do is phenomenal. They'll do almost anything if they think it will help improve their speaking skills.
Fripp took classes
For example, Patricia Fripp, who speaks to Fortune 500 executives on how to become more successful, took a comedy workshop and hired a private speech coach because she wanted to improve her speaking ability. Fripp did this after she had already been named "One of the Ten Most Electrifying Speakers in North America" by Meetings & Conventions magazine. To Fripp, being one of the best simply wasn't good enough; she wanted to be the best she could be.
What do you do?
If someone followed you around at your business all day with a video camera to make a how-to tape for people who want to do what you do, would it be a tape you'd be proud of? Or embarrassed about? If the latter, make the decision today to work toward being the best in your field. How? By studying the experts. The quickest way to become successful is to find out what the best are doing, then do what they do.
6. Write out a plan for achieving your goals
Taking the time to write out an action plan, or map, for how you're going to achieve your goals is one of the best ways to get there faster.
Brian Tracy set goals
Brian Tracy, one of America's most successful business sales trainers and speakers, points out, "Goals that are not in writing are not goals at all. They are merely wishes or fantasies."
Need a map
Most people try to reach their goals without taking the time to write out an action plan. This is like trying to drive from Los Angeles to Denver without a map. Forget the fact that your odds of reaching your destination are extremely slim. The frustration and wasted time, energy and money will probably cause you to give up long before you get to the Rockies. With a map in hand, however, you'll not only enjoy the trip much more, but you're also virtually assured of arriving at your destination in the shortest time possible.
7. Never give up
It may sound simple, even obvious, but when you're truly committed to achieving your goal, giving up isn't even an option. You must be willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.
Dyer never gave up
In the mid-1970s, Wayne Dyer quit his job as a professor at Wayne State University to promote his new book, Your Erroneous Zones. However, no major talk show would book the then unknown Dyer. Did he give up? Not on your life. He loaded his car from floor to roof with hundreds of copies of his book, and then spent a year on the road traveling from small town to small town and appearing on any radio or TV talk show that would have him.
Once on the air, Dyer would give out the number of the local bookstore and say that his book was available there. After the interview, he'd quickly drive over to that bookstore, where the manager would say, "Oh, you're Wayne Dyer? We've been getting lots of calls for your book!" Dyer would reply, "Well, I have a case in the car--would you like some?" "Oh, yes! And would you sign some while you're here?"
By the end of the year, The Tonight Show was calling him. And by the end of the 1970s, Your Erroneous Zones had become the number-one best-selling nonfiction book of the entire decade. This is what the power of perseverance can do for you.
8. Don't delay
In his book Live Your Dreams, Les Brown recalls talking on the phone one day with a friend named Marion. The very next day, Marion's husband called to tell Brown she had died.
A few days later, Les was helping the husband clean out Marion's office when he came across some notes for a play she had been working on. Unfortunately, the play would never be published. Marion was the only one who knew how it was supposed to end, and now she was gone.
The lesson here is that Marion didn't know how much time she had left to accomplish her dreams, and neither do you or I. We must remember that we don't have forever. The clock is ticking, there are no time-outs, and sooner or later your number is going to be called. Top achievers know this, but rather than seeing it as something negative or depressing, they use it to spur them on to go after what they want as energetically and as passionately as possible.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
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