9 TYPES OF PEOPLE YOU NEED IN YOUR LIFE

The truth of life is that in most cases there are the people around us that make us inexpressibly happy. Sure, it’s our family and those people who understand and accept us no matter what. They all are close to and very dear to our heart so spending time with them always makes us extremely happy. But apart from that any person that you happen to meet on your way makes their own contribution to your happiness without even knowing that. So in order to enjoy all the colors of your happiness you need to have various types of people in your life. I have identified 9, here they are.

1. Role model

It is great to have a person in your life who would be a role model for you so that you keep improving yourself. I’m not saying about jealousy, by no means. You just know a person who is, to your mind, really awesome and you want to have some features of character or some life principles you would also like to have. This is a good motive to be more professional at what you do, look after yourself better, start taking dancing classes or whatever.

2. The one to encourage

There are such special people that inspire and encourage us to live our lives to the fullest. If you are lucky to have your encourager than you will always know how special, strong, beautiful and just amazing you are. Such people make us move forward, reach goals and fight for our dreams.

3. Your any time rescue

It is the most precious feeling when you know that there is a person (or few) who will come to help no matter what. The situation may be of any type but the point is that you don’t feel awkward calling them and asking to give you a ride because your car went broken. Most probably you will be lectured on how great it is to have you as a friend (jokingly, of course) but you will be safely brought home. And next time when something goes wrong you won’t get a refuse either. And I’m sure you will be ready to act the same in return.

4. Good listener

As a flood of problems and worries catches you up, sometimes it is the best remedy to talk to someone who would hear you out. You don’t need any advice or help, just to talk to that person and not to see judgment in their eyes. If you have such a person, you have to value them.

5. A soul mate

My experience and observations show that as a rule each person has only one soul mate, though having numerous friends apart from them. A soul mate is more than just a friend, this person understands all your feelings and thoughts no matter how confusing they may sound to others. Actually, you would voice them only to your soul mate, wouldn’t you? You may relax and be yourself in their presence, silence is never a burden when you are together and this is just fantastic.

6. The big brother

Every woman is to have a man friend in her life which would mean friendship only without romantic feelings from each side. The stereotype persuades us that friendship between a man and woman doesn’t exist so you may try to prove it wrong. It is a very nice feeling to know that he will protect you as if your elder brother and you can always have a sincere conversation together finding out more about male and female nature.

7. A man of wisdom

You have many really smart people around you but it is not an easy task to find a wise person. This is not about age, position or amount of misfortunes gone through, this is an ability to give a good advice which you would really take into consideration or follow. If you find such a person this means that your vision of life and life principles coincide and you will surely go through any challenge that stands in your way together.

8. Who keeps you accountable

Don’t confuse it with the person who usually encourages you. You share your goals and dreams with each other, build plans and discuss the possibilities. Once in a while you meet or have a phone conversation inquiring about the progress. This is also a kind of motivation for you to go on and make progress.

9. Having common career

The sphere of professional realization is very important in life of every person and it usually takes most of our time. It requires much of attention, pains and simply time. It is hard not to talk about it so when your family doesn’t have a clue of what you do at work, they won’t understand you. That’s why there should be a person you can freely talk about your job with and this may be your friend busy in the same sphere or a co-worker. Anyway, such people can support you when you are going through a tough period in your career or share your joy of success.
You can never predict what people will be in your life, they will come in and leave, changing you and bringing you happiness. The most important thing is that they must be there for you when you need them the most. Have you already found your special friends? What’s type of people make you happy? 

8 CHOICES YOU CAN MAKE TODAY THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER

The history of free men is never written by chance, but by choice – their choice.
~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

The above quote is one of my favorites. The direction of our lives is determined by the choices we make everyday. They accumulate and add up to our ultimate destiny.
The choices we make are the result of character. You can have a wonderful personality – you can be full of wit and possessed of agreeable manners – but without character, your glib tongue will only succeed in getting you into trouble. The quality of the choices you make will determine the quality of your life.
So what are you choosing? Does your life look the way you want it to? Or do you find yourself living in reaction to a series of tough situations, being tossed around from hazard to hazard like a pinball? The kind of life you experience is really up to you, and it starts with the quality of your choices.
Here are eight choices you can make – choices that will create for you a life of abundance and prosperity in all areas.
1. Choose to grow personally. This sounds simple but many people only wish to grow personally. They never choose to grow by taking action, such as actually exercising, saving more money etc. Make a decision today to be a person who is on the never ending journey of personal growth.
2. Choose to become balanced spiritually, emotionally and physically. Our lives are best when we have these three major areas in balance. Spend some time cultivating your spirituality, becoming emotionally healthy, and physically fit.
3. Choose to always treat others right. We come across all sorts of people, many of whom will treat us poorly. We can choose to treat them right, no matter how they treat us. When they lie, we will tell the truth. When they cheat, we will play by the rules. We may get the short end of the stick some times, but in the long-run we will win. And most importantly, we will be able to sleep at night.
4. Choose to break a bad habit. Take the biggie first. Tackle it head on. If you don’t know what it is, ask a friend. Then spend every effort you can to break that habit. Forget about the others, as you will get to them later. Stop smoking, get out of debt, lose your excess weight. Exercise the power to choose!
5. Choose to work smarter. Many people I work with feel like they are out of balance. One of the first things I do is try to find out how much time they are wasting at work, which makes them work longer, which throws the rest of their life into chaos. Getting your work done by diligently working in the time you have will free your life up extraordinarily.
6. Choose to see your work as a way to help others, and not a way to make money. If you put your heart into helping others, the money will most assuredly come. Spend time helping others grow and your finances will grow with it.
7. Choose to sow more than you reap. There are many takers in this world, but our lives will be better as we become givers. The world will become better as we become givers. Give away your time, give away your money, give away your love.
8. Choose to get home for dinner more often. The family is the most important group of people you will ever belong to. Make a decision today to grow in your relationship with your parents, siblings, spouse and children. This one choice you will never regret.
By choosing the content of your character, you can choose the type of results you see in your life. Why not make a commitment to yourself today to write your own history. By consciously choosing the most constructive actions available to you, you can shape the course of your life.

THE NECESSARY PIECES FOR SUCCESS

I've always tried to write about the pursuit of "success"
as a holistic, balanced concept. To me, success is that
mystical, ever-changing mix  of "enough" money and lots of
toys, a bit of respect and recognition, good health and
healthy relationships, mixed with enough meaningful work to
keep me challenged without interfering with my hobbies and
play-time. I think of success as a moving and very personal
"target." And I like to think that, from time to time, I've
had more than a few glorious glimpses of the real thing!
Recently, we've focused on a Summer of Success, and now
we're moving into a 90-day opportunity to Fall Forward.
I've always liked an incremental model for achieving big
goals. Most of the "big" things I've tried to do over the
years seemed to either elude me, or consume me. In trying
to do "big" things, I'd get so caught-up in the work that
friends, play, family time and even my health took a back-
seat. Not good!
On the other hand, playing small never excited me. Small
tasks and little dreams always seemed like "house-keeping"
or chores that I should take care of "someday when I have
free time." They didn't inspire me. And I got good at
procrastination.
In my experience over the years, I've learned that success requires very
specific kinds of goals, goals that are big enough to
challenge the imagination, important enough to lift the
spirit, and goals that have lots of small, practical
stepping-stones. I've learned that quitting time Friday
afternoon takes on a whole new richness if I've actually
gotten something important done that week!
And in addition to the small stepping-stones, success
requires slightly bigger steps that can be done this month,
this summer or by my birthday. Some things can't be done by
5:00 o'clock Friday, but they can be done in six weeks or
in 90 days. The story says God created the universe in six
days. I'm not nearly that good, but once, 
I learned that you actually can move a small mountain in
about ten weeks, and I thought that was a pretty good
start.
If you want to change your life, set goals that are big
enough to excite you. Have adequate, meaningful and
specific REASONS to get it done. Then, break it into do-
able pieces, and get to work. Let's get something done by
5:00 o'clock Friday! And let's see really significant
progress by December.
Those are the "big" keys to success that I've learned in
the past few decades. I pass them along in the hope they'll
serve you as well as they've served me.
And here's another piece: Success is built on optimism.
Success requires an incredible, unshakeable belief that you
can and will achieve your stated outcome. I'm concerned
that optimism may be in short supply right now. Whether
it's the economy, world chaos, or too many distractions, my
friends and clients don't seem as optimistic and determined
as they were a few years ago.
Whatever the reason, I've noted that the "do-ers" retain an
extraordinary faith that they can and will achieve their
goals. You should, too.
And lastly, success always requires a plan and follow-
through. Whether the goal is personal or professional,
world-changing or a simple family outing, you'll need a
plan or budget, and the ability to get up in the morning,
get to work, and stick-to-it all day long. I think most
everyone knows that, but it bears repeating. We all get
lazy, distracted or stressed and we forget. Success
requires that we--not someone else or "luck" or chance but
YOU--change things. You have to build something, move the
furniture, change your habits, or start something!
There's no way around that part. The BIG pieces for success
are a clear and compelling goal, paired with clear and
compelling reasons why you MUST achieve it, and specific
stepping-stones to get where you want to go. Unquenchable
optimism provides the fire; a good plan and daily follow-
through get you to your destination.
At least, that's what I've observed over the years. I
recommend it!

HOW TO SET CAREER OBJECTIVES & ACHIEVE CAREER GOALS

Many people find that the pressures of juggling with work, family and everyday life means that our career goals and career plans are more difficult to achieve than we had hoped. Well-intended resolutions such as setting up new career objectives are soon given up. However, when goals aren’t achieved many of us can feel useless and frustrated. This is particularly so if we are giving up on our career goals for a better job. This drains our energy and limits our potential. What I have observed, whilst working with organizations and people going through change is that everyone’s approach to handling change is very different to anyone else’s.
The key to greater success in setting career objectives is having a better understanding of where you’re regularly stuck, and apply new steps at these stages in the cycle to achieve what you truly want in your career. Have a look at the cycle of change. What stage are your career goals at?
Career Goal Awareness Stage
This is the starting point for any change or goal. First there is awareness of dissatisfaction or a new need in your life. Think about the simple need to have a drink. You might feel a little thirsty but can you ignore it? Perhaps for a while if you’re busy. Eventually though you get a headache and can’t concentrate until getting a drink becomes the most important thing you must do, until your thirst is quenched. It is the same with setting career objectives. The more dissatisfied you are in your current career and the stronger your need for change the more compelled you will be to act. You might feel that you want to a promotion or a more challenging job, but if you feel fairly comfortable where you are, there won’t be sufficient motivation to energize change and achieve a career goal.
1. Remove the career goal ‘shoulds’. Remove all the resolutions that are being driven by your family or friends. These are the sort of goals you feel you should be doing. For example, ‘I should get another job’. ‘I should get paid more for the job I do’. All these might be well-meaning goals but unless they are your goals then you’re not at the awareness stage of change with these goals. What this means is that any positive results are going to be very unlikely.
Career Goal Mobilization Stage
This is the stage where you feel the most excited and energized for what you are about to do, and you’ll be thinking about all your options and options and ideas. If you start off really excited about a new goal and then all that motivation and energy fizzles before you have made any real progress, the chances are you’re being over ambitious. Too much excitement can color our judgment on our choices and direction. Equally, if you’re one of those people who say ‘I don’t want to get too excited in case it doesn’t happen’, then you could be draining the energy from the project before you’ve had a chance to create it. You need to mobilize energy to create change.
2. Remove unrealistic career goal options. You can make progress if you’re making unrealistic demands on yourself. Break down your career goal into smaller steps which can be achieved more easily. This will help create more confidence and a belief that you can achieve what you really want to.
3. Find a career supporter. Try to find someone in your circle of contacts at home or at work who will support and encourage you in achieving your career goals. If not, join a related self-help group or find a career mentor who can help you to focus on the positive changes, however small. Their excitement can help you keep up your momentum.
Career Setting – Goal Action Stage
This is when you start to experiment with different types of actions to achieve your career goals. So many resolutions are lost at this stage when the reality of achieving the goal becomes clear. It is often much harder and takes longer to achieve than first thought. If you are getting stuck at this stage the chances are that you’re being too much of a perfectionist and expecting to get great results all the time. It’s easy then to feel demoralized and give up too soon. To achieve satisfaction requires lots of action!
4. Experiment & be flexible with your career goals. Be prepared to try many different ways to achieve your goals. Ask yourself how many different options can you try to make this happen. View these approaches as experiments to be carried out rather than solutions. Inevitably some approaches will work better than others. Thomas Edison, the renowned electric light inventor was supposedly asked by a New York Times Reporter, “How does it feel to fail seven hundred times”. He answered that “I have not failed seven hundred times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those seven hundred ways will not work.”
5. Face your career fears. Sometimes we give up very quickly not because our resolutions are really impossible to achieve but because we feel scared of trying to achieve them. It is easy to procrastinate and let day-to-day pressures get in the way of following our dreams. This is why some of the most fundamental life changes such as starting a new business or a new career are only made when change is forced upon us, such as following a divorce or redundancy.
6. Be kind to yourself. We are often harder on ourselves than we would be with our friends. Try and reframe your results so that there is no such thing a failure or mistake, just a need for new approaches. Okay, it can be scary but looking for failure is not going to help. For example, an unemployed man has applied unsuccessfully for over a hundred jobs! He now works actively as a volunteer three days a week, and has been on a training course to upgrade his skills. He could panic and give up. But his proactive approach means that he is increasing his chance of finding suitable paid work. It’s essential to find alternative options to improve your chances of success.
7. If it’s not working do something else. If something isn’t working there is a tendency to look for something or someone to blame. ‘I haven’t got the new job I wanted because of the children’. If you want to achieve something new in your life you will need to take responsibility for where you are, and then try to take some small steps to do something different.
Career Setting Satisfaction & Career Goal Celebration Stage
This is the stage when the project or goal is completed and satisfaction is reached. If you are the sort of person who has many half finished projects still open waiting to be completed then you probably feel that your career goals never get completed. However, you might have achieved more of your career goal than you think. Many of us have the tendency to look at what hasn’t been achieved rather than savoring the pleasure of what has. For example, ‘I’ve got a new job but at a lower salary than I wanted’ It is also very British to talk-down our achievements. None of us want to be seen to ‘be a show off’ but celebrations are good for our morale, confidence and give closure to projects which help us to achieve new dreams.
8. Appreciate completion of career goals. Appreciate how far you’ve come so far. It may not have been exactly what you had in mind when you started out, but good enough might be all that is needed now. It’s OK for your goal to change and develop over time.
9. Celebrate your career successes. A desire for perfectionism can get in the way of celebrating your achievements. Identify what you’ve achieved and find ways to celebrate your success regularly. A bottle of champagne, a meal out or a trip out can do wonders for your self-esteem and happiness. Go for it and enjoy.
 

CLONE YOURSELF

One of the key distinctions between creating your own job
and building a business, is the ability to train other
people to do your work for you.
Most professionals run their "practice" as a small business
for tax and accounting reasons, but in fact they have a job
they've created for themselves. They may enjoy not working
for a corporation, but they still have to show up
and do the work in order to get paid.
Increasingly, professionals are training others to do much
of what they used to do themselves. Attorneys use legal
assistants, physicians use PA's, and the most successful
real-estate sales professional I coach has a personal staff
of people who work for HER, not for her broker. In many
cases, her staff can close sales, even if she is on
vacation. Her commissions continue while she is on the
beach!
Successful business people learn to delegate. They hire
experts who can strengthen and diversify the office. They
understand that training and leading a team will always be
more profitable than doing it all yourself. And, they
invest in hiring the absolute BEST, most experienced people
they can find, and they pay them very, very well. The know
that in the end, hiring good people doesn’t cost; it pays!
Learn to delegate and to train and lead others. The key to
building your business is almost never "doing" more; it's
hiring and supporting great people. To increase your own
success, learn the skills of leadership!
Moving from a practice, where you create your own job, to
running a business is not easy. Most professionals use
coaches to help them design and implement the transition.

HOW TO SET (AND ACHIEVE!) BETTER GOALS

I've talked a lot about goals this summer, and I'm
encouraging every reader to set (and achieve!) a
specific, measurable, powerful set of goals this fall. Do
not let this year wind down or peter out! You can transform
your life, your relationships, career, health, even your
income in a few short months with the right skills and
clear, specific, focused actions. Let's make sure 2014 goes
out with a celebration worthy of us!
But, most folks do not know how to set and achieve powerful
goals. And surprisingly, this is true even for people who
have read the books, attended the seminars, or set and
achieved goals in the past.
Recently, I've had extended conversations with two clients
about "how" to set goals. Both of these people are talented
leaders in the business world. Both have achieved great
things in the past. But in both cases, my request to set
specific, action-oriented goals for the fall was met with
requests for help in doing that.
So, let's begin with two clarifications.
First, some people have a very difficult time setting goals
the way it is usually taught. Goal-setting tends to be a
"left brain" or "linear" planning process. It's organized
and systematic, and that does not fit everyone's thinking
process or lifestyle. For these people, over the years I've
developed the phrase, "Direction and Momentum are more
important than Goals!"
If your pattern is more global or "holistic," that's great!
Just translate what follows into your preferred language or
personal style. No problem!
Second, goals are inherently "future oriented." They
challenge us to change the way we are into something "new
and improved" in the future. And not everyone wants you to
change! But let's be clear. Life is about change. And,
don't forget--transforming how you think, live and work
won't keep you from returning to the way you live now. You
can always do that! Goal-achievement is about giving yourself
more options and better alternatives.
With that said, I see goal-setting as a four-step process:
1.  What do you really, truly want? Be specific and write
it all down. What do you want? More of this, less of that?
What would be good or exciting or healthy or make you
happy? List it all. What, specifically and exactly, do you
want to change in the next three months?
2.  Why do you want it? In terms of achievement, reasons
are far more important than the "what." When you want
something passionately, even desperately, you are half-way
to obtaining it. Knowing how a specific goal will make life
better for you or your loved ones is essential. A goal
without a solid, exciting "why" is, in most cases, a waste
of time and effort.
3.  Prioritize. Many people have noted, "You can have
anything you want in life, but not everything you wish
for." Most people cannot focus on more than two or three
important goals at a time. So whittle your list down! Pick
the one, two or three things that have the most, or the
most powerful, REASONS and make a commitment to focus on
those few items.
4.  You need a plan! "A goal without a plan is just a
pipedream." You'll need a schedule and a budget. You'll
need time and skills, energy and tools. You'll need the
cooperation of people in your life, and a strong sense of
personal discipline. You'll need to practice your Italian
every morning at 6:00 AM. You'll need to make those extra
sales calls every Monday. Or, the new rule is, "dessert
happens only on the weekends."
There are some other items that may prove helpful. You may
need to consciously decide to eliminate or stop some things
you do now. You may need to clear time and space and energy
to work on your new goals. I highly recommend a MasterMind
team, a partner or a coach, to assist you. In some cases,
you may need to explain to friends or loved ones that your
priorities have changed and ask them to support you.
But the four items above are the core. What do you want,
and why do you want it? What, exactly, are your priorities
and what's your plan or schedule? That's about all there is
to goal-setting. When you have these four things, you are
on your way! Set your goals for the rest of the year!

Let's make this year's Thanksgiving worth celebrating!

AFFAIRS: 8 REASONS WHY THEY HAPPEN

For most of us when we sign up for marriage or a long term relationship are doing so hoping and trusting that it will be a monogamous relationship; so if we discover an affair it is a huge betrayal of that bond and trust with devastating effects on us and the relationship.
An affair certainly signals that there is a problem in the relationship, but most affairs are symptoms rather than the cause of the problems.
A key question to ask is “What problem in your relationship did the affair solve?”
I have found that there are actually 8 types of affairs each with their own reasons. They are:
1. The Hold my hand to leave Affair . This usually happens when a partner feels they have had enough of their relationship and is looking to set up another one because they are no longer emotionally connected or committed to their current partner. It provides someone to hold their hand as they exit their relationship.
2. The 2nd wife or husband Affair. This is usually a long term affair that the partner knows about. When pressures get too much to handle in a relationship, one partner has an affair which gives him/her an emotional safety valve and relieves this pressure, and then the couple can spend their time wrangling about his/her unfaithfulness, rather than the original issues.
3. The We are just Good friends Affair. This occurs when you start out as friends or colleagues sharing more and more personal information over time, and from there something more sexual develops.
4. The Revenge Affair. This is usually a short affair, but comes about because one partner has been hurt or betrayed, often by their partner being unfaithful. It can be experienced as a way to re-establish a sense of self esteem, or of a way to express their deep hurt for what their partner has done.
5. The Now you will notice me Affair. This usually happens as a result of trying to communicate unhappiness in the relationship to your partner but feeling that you haven't been heard.This can be either a sexual one night stand, or even an emotional affair, and is an attempt to communicate to your partner that things aren't right for you when talking hasn't worked. The partner is not looking to leave the relationship, but to wake up the partner.
6.The Avoidance affair. This occurs as a way to avoid intimacy and commitment in your relationship. Usually one affair follows another as a continuing way of avoiding being close and vulnerable with your partner. Or it can occur when you feel that you can't deliver what your partner is asking for. For some, this can feel like a kind of addiction, as you know you shouldn't be having affairs, but can't seem to stop.
7.The Experimental Sex affair. This is usually just about sex. Often if a couple has not had any or many sexual partners before the relationship, and/or the sex has become very limited and routine, a partner will feel tempted to discover what sex would be like with another person. The person having the affair can feel like it it meaningless sex, but this is not usually how the partner will view it.
8.The Opportunistic Affair. Usually this is a sexual encounter that happens usually after drinking too much, where you find yourself together and often away from home, or given in to a seduction from a friend or acquaintance; or it could be an on-line contact where things have started seemingly harmlessly but have moved into something more erotic. This kind of affair can feed the ego, allowing you to feel good about yourself and attractive and sexy, but is usually the most quickly regretted.
No matter how and why they occur, affairs always have emotionally devastating effects on a couple's relationship.
With help from an experienced relationship counsellor, couples can learn about the reasons behind the affair and gradually repair their relationship, and with a commitment from each partner, can in time use this experience as a catalyst to create an even better relationship than they had before.
This takes time and commitment, but overwhelmingly, couples who have taken this path are extremely satisfied with their relationship at the end of the period, and have found it is in fact, work worth doing.

WHY GET RICH WHEN YOU CAN BE WEALTHY?

“Any fool can get rich, the wise get wealthy.” Chris Widener

Getting rich is the main goal for a lot of people. That is unfortunate however, because there is something so much greater than simply the accumulation of money. Now don’t get me wrong – I am not saying people shouldn’t have large sums of money. In fact, I believe greatly in the power of money for good when in the hands of the right people. I think money is simply a tool that people can use to do great things – or bad things.

What is unfortunate is that so many people give up so much else in life in order to get those large sums of money. First of all, let me explain my quote about rich fools. Just turn on the TV or read a popular magazine and you will find lots of rich fools. You will see people with tons of money but who have no happiness, have drug problems and who leave behind them a string of broken relationships. These people are rich, not wealthy.

Rich people are people with lots of money. Wealthy people are people who are rich in life. This would include financial stability and freedom, but goes deeper into spiritual health, emotional and relational health, and of course physical health.

I think getting rich is easy. It is simply a discipline that anyone can do if they so choose. There are many examples of people who have made very little money who have left vast fortunes. Spend less than you earn, save more than you spend. Put what you spend into an interest bearing investment.

Do this over a long period of time and you will get rich.

Wealthy? That is something altogether different. I have found that in most cases you must give up some wealth to get the riches. I know many rich people and very few of them are people who I would call wealthy. Most of them sacrificed their families, their health or their relationships as they pursued the accumulation of riches. The fact is that it takes time to make money. And every moment of time you spend in the pursuit of money is a moment of time taken from something else that would make you wealthy in life.

So let me ask you: Are you on the fast track toward riches? Or are you on the long-track toward true wealth?

Are you being wise with your finances so as to secure long-term financial stability and independence? I hope so, because that is certainly a part of being wealthy.

 Are you investing in those closest to you? I hope so! The fact is that when you lay on your deathbed, it won’t matter how much money you have. The grim reaper doesn’t need any more money and so he can’t be bought with yours! The only thing that will matter are those faces that surround you, the looks of love they give you, and the memories you have of good times spent with them.

Are you taking good care of yourself physically? I hope so because if you don’t, you won’t get the mileage out of it that you were intended too! Physical health is part of being wealthy!

Are you taking care of your spiritual life? I hope so because I don’t think there are any more important questions we can answer than those who’s answers will play themselves out for eternity. In my mind, spiritual questions make all the others seem like child’s play. Are you taking good care of yourself emotionally? I hope so because it is your internal state that will give you the energy you are looking for to live long and the peace to enjoy that life of yours.

 All in all, I have decided that I don’t want to stoop to being rich. That is too low of a goal for me. I want to be wealthy – financially yes, but not to the exclusion of my body, soul and spirit. Not to the exclusion of deep and meaningful relationships with my friends and family. How about you? Will you be rich or wealthy?

 

LEARNED ANYTHING NEW?

We constantly hear that we live in the information age and 
that what you know and who you know are the twin paths to 
success. I believe that, and yet I'm constantly amazed at 
how little responsibility people take for up-grading their 
skills. 
Recently, I learned that the garage where people take their cars 
when it needs work, requires their employees to spend more 
hours (and more dollars) per year on continuing education 
than most states require for doctors, lawyers, or other 
professionals. Think about that the next time you take your 
car in for repairs--or have to pay the bill!
Periodically I hear frightening accounts of how few books 
the average person reads, or how few classes they take 
after they leave school. I remember once hearing a friend 
say that if her employer wanted her to get more education, 
"they’ll have to pay me for it." What a tragic attitude!
Increasingly the keys to success are being able to do more, 
quicker and better than your competition, and most of the 
time that means KNOWING more than the next person. It means 
knowing more about language and culture, knowing more about 
your industry and having better contacts. It means knowing 
HOW to learn, and using that knowledge to your advantage.
As Brian Tracy has said for years, read the books. Attend 
the seminars. Take the classes and expand your world. The 
late Jim Rohn famously put it this way: "Work harder on 
yourself than you do on your job."
To work less and earn more, you've got to know more than 
your competitors. This week, sign up for at least one 
seminar. Check a book out of the library. Sow the seeds for 
your future.

GOAL SETTING FOR GLOWING GOOD HEALTH

Goal setting is the most important factor for moving your life in a direction that you truly want, one that makes you feel good and has meaning for you. This includes the five major areas of life: Self, Health, Wealth, Love and Spirit.

Most people who have not taken the time to set personal goals for themselves in these areas are content to drift with the tide. They’re the ones who are buffeted about by life’s changing circumstances, and they’re always scrambling to keep up.

Ironically, these are the very same people who complain the most! I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. They don’t read the writing on the wall, then they squawk when nobody reads it for them. The sad thing is, such people will never be truly happy until they finally take responsibility for where they are and chart a course for where they’d like to be.

You see, nothing that requires deliberate action can happen without a plan. It means thinking ahead. You can’t just drift your way into wealth, success or glowing good health. You have to want it, and you have to go after it. You've got to design your life in order for all the pieces to fit together.

For instance, let’s talk about that Health topic for a minute. If you don’t have good health, nothing else really matters, does it? The only thing you can think about is your physical condition, especially if it’s causing you pain. As you get older, those little annoyances can turn into big fat problems if you keep ignoring them – and you keep doing the things that contribute to them.

On the flip side, if you’re feeling great, you’re naturally enthusiastic, full of energy and ready to take on the world. Nothing phases you because you feel so good. This kind of good health doesn't happen by accident, but it is achievable with only a slight effort. Let’s take a look at that.

Setting a Target for Good Health

It may seem obvious, but I’ll say it anyway. You want to make it your goal to be healthy, to look good and feel great. Planning ahead helps you get there, and tracking your progress will keep you motivated and focused on your goal. In fact, Goal setting is healthy for your body and healthy for your mind.

To keep a positive attitude, there are common sense things you can do to take care of your body. These things include eating right, drinking lots of water, getting the right amount of sleep, and getting plenty of exercise.

In the rush of everyday life, it’s all too easy to set aside tasks that don’t seem to make a big difference in the short term. What some people don’t realize is what a huge impact these things can have in the long term aggregate.

For instance, how many people do you know who don’t drink enough water? It’s the simplest thing in the world to do, but hoards of people are walking around chronically dehydrated. Their insides are about as dirty as a New York City sewer. All it would take to clean it out is a simple shift in attention: a small glass of water every hour.

The same is true with proper diet, exercise and a good night’s rest. People imagine themselves to be too busy to fit these things into their schedule. But being ill is much more time consuming. There’s only one person who’s really in charge of your time, and that person is you. So set a goal to take care of yourself. It matters.

Focus On Your Strengths & Likes

When setting goals, choose targets that you really want to reach – the things that you’re naturally drawn to. The best thing you can do for yourself is play on your strengths. Think about the things that you enjoy doing, then find a way to make them part of your life. After all, life should be fun, right? Think about the things you are good at, the things you just naturally like.

If you want to watch your waistline, come up with a list of foods that you love that also support your weight goals. Invest in some quality herbs and spices, and make sure you always have plenty of fresh, flavourful produce on hand.

If you want to increase your strength and stamina, identify activities that you love. There’s no point in heading to a sweaty, smelly gym to use an exercise bike if you’d rather be cycling outdoors with a fresh breeze in your face. Look for things you’re naturally attracted to that fit in with your personal goals. Find way for your plans to succeed.

Set time aside for yourself on a regular basis so you can do the things you enjoy, the things that are good for you. Set yourself up for success. Here are five steps you can take to set quality health goals, turn them into habits and create lifelong habits for success:

1. Take stock of your good health habits. Where’s the commonality? How can you use these factors to create more health in your life? Write down the steps you can take to ramp them up.
2. Come up with a concept of what homoeostasis looks like for you – that state of glowing good health – and determine when you are going to reach it. This is now your long term goal.
3. Decide on sub-goals you want to accomplish along the way and how long you need to accomplish them, thinking in terms of days, weeks or months.
4. Set yourself up to begin working on your goal. Set up the project’s tasks on your calendar. Make a note of where you plan to be with each task and when.
5. As you begin a project or complete a goal, track the progress and review your next steps. As you meet certain milestones, treat yourself to something special to reward your progress. If you find yourself running behind, you might need to pick it up a step or extend out the deadline.

 Re-assess your goals from time to time. As you finish one goal, set a new one. Goal setting is not important, it’s essential for your success in each of the major areas in life. When you set goals and work through a plan for achieving them, you will be motivated to achieve more than ever.

When you choose goals that make you feel good and enhance your health, the total picture will open up for you.

HOW TO MANAGE YOUR SELLING TIME

As a salesperson, your most precious resource is, arguably, actual selling time. While there are always going to be some forces you can’t control, you can control how you manage your selling time.

A Sales Funnel is a time-management tool that allows you to focus your work in order to accomplish the following essential tasks:

·         Define where you are in the selling process by categorizing your sales opportunities into four different “stages” of the funnel

·         Track each sales opportunity’s progress as it moves “down the funnel”—from first contact to signed order

·         Prioritize the opportunities in each stage of the funnel

·         Allocate time to each opportunity in the funnel so that you’re consistently performing four essential kinds of selling work (see below)

·         Forecast future income based on how rapidly and smoothly your opportunities are moving toward the close

The four distinct stages of the Sales Funnel are segmented into four different kinds of account activity, with each one corresponding to a different type of selling work:

1.     Prospect

2.     Qualify

3.     Cover the bases

4.     Close the order

Since it’s likely you’ll have many possible orders working at the same time, all at different stage of completion, you’re not going to be doing the same kind of work on all of them at the same time—you’ll be prospecting or qualifying on some pieces of business while you’re closing others and covering the bases in still others.

By consistently doing the right kind of work on each potential order at the right time, you’ll be able to move your various sales opportunities down the funnel at a steady, predictable rate—so that your income is also steady and predictable.

NOTHING CHANGES UNTIL SOMETHING CHANGES

I've often said I've never met a lazy human being. I often
meet folks who are stuck or frustrated, or who spend their
time on things that make no sense to me, but I've never met
anyone who doesn't want more of some things and less of
other things. As the Dalai Lama notes, humans are designed
to move toward happiness and away from suffering. We're
built that way.
I have noticed with increasing frequency, however, that we
often work really hard to accomplish very little. We are a
stubborn lot! We try and try, and try again, even though
our favorite strategy isn't working, and there is little
evidence to suggest it will ever work. And yet, we keep on
trying.
Most of the people who will read this actually live pretty
comfortable lives. If you can read this, you probably have
a computer and some literacy skills. You may live in a
wealthy country, probably have a job, and the basics of
life--food, clothing, shelter, perhaps even a savings plan-
-are all addressed. So, it might make sense for IMPACT
readers to be relatively content and want very little.
But that is not what I see or hear from clients, or in my
email. We are an ambitious lot! We want more money, more
time, more personal fulfillment, more satisfying work, and
so forth. We want to make our lives better! Yes, sometimes
we are discouraged that things aren't improving faster, but
we remain energetic and determined! I love that!
And that raises the question: Why aren't we getting the
things we say we want?
We live in an age of opportunity and abundance. Over any 5-
year period, you can have, see, do or become just about
anything you desire. You can visit Antarctica, you can get an advanced degree,
become wealthy, run a marathon, launch a website or move

 overseas . There are no limits!  
So, why aren't we getting the things we say we want?
My answer is this: Many of us are using really stupid
strategies. We have goals or desires or dreams, but we are
pursuing them with strategies that have almost no chance of
succeeding. We have been "trying" for years without
success, and yet we keep on doing the same things in the
same way, year after year. That is, to be blunt, really
dumb!
If you are not reaching your goal, you have two basic
choices: change your goal, or change your strategy. You
either "get this" or you don't. What more can I say?
The reality is that you CAN be happy in this life. You can
make money, if that is your goal. You can raise happy,
healthy kids if that is your dream. You can build a huge
company or start a charitable foundation. You can write a
book or teach high school or do whatever brings you joy.
But to have those things, something must change. If your
current strategy isn't working, tell the truth about that.
If you've had a major goal for more than a year and it
isn't happening, ask why not! Question your approach. Get
better advice. Do something different!
And, above all, acknowledge the things you will have to
change to allow your goal to arrive. Who will you have to
become? What will you have to stop being or doing? Who or
what will have to exit your life for new realities to be at
home in your world? 
Nothing will change until something changes. What steps or
changes will move you forward this week? What must you read
or learn? What must you do, or stop doing? What must you
invest? Who should you call, or stop calling? If your
dreams and goals are truly important to you, do one thing
different this week. Take a step. Try a new way. It's time
to go for it!

MAKE BUSINESS EASY

One of the basics for any business is that it should be
easy for customers to do business with you. Make sure you
are easy to find and easy to talk with. Make it easy for
your customers to order and above all, make it easy for
them to get great service when it's needed.
Dr Philip Humbert share this;

"A while back I violated that basic rule.
For fifteen years, I did a World Class Life (tm) Conference
every spring. One year, out of concern for credit card
safety, I increased the security level of our online
shopping cart. Unfortunately, I made the system so strict
that no one could register! The first seven people who
tried were all declined, including a doctor from South
Carolina who then decided not to attend. In my attempt to
increase security, I lost a customer. That's a loss for my
business, of course, but it was also a loss for the good
doctor, and for everyone who would have benefited from his
participation".
Don't do that!
And yet businesses do it every day. One local restaurant
has an impossible parking lot. I think it's dangerous and I
hate going there. I see businesses without good signs, and
I call businesses who don't accept calls from "blocked"
numbers! How dumb is that?
One of my "pet peeves" are people who insist on continuing
business calls when their cell reception is terrible. I
view that as rude and foolish. Instead, schedule a time
when you'll have better coverage and return the call later.
Better reception will put your customer in a much more
receptive mood!
Make it easy to do business with you, and remember--
everything counts! Success and failure are in the details.
Make it easy to do business with you.