Category: Empowerment

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10 Daily Habits For Millionaire-Style Success

Daily Habits For Millionaire-Style Success

When it comes to being truly successful, many people think that the changes they need to make should be huge, significant, life-changing. They think that in order to achieve lifelong success, they should change their careers, start their own business, travel the world, enroll in masterminds and courses or change up their routines completely.

But what few people know is that true, sustainable success comes from the little things, the tiny habits you’ve built into your daily routine. Making big changes is all well and good – but you’ll miss the point completely if you end up reverting back to your old ways.

Instead of trying to figure out the “winning formula” for ultimate success and which route to take to get you there the fastest, learn from what millionaires do each day to build and retain their success.

1.     Be true to who you are

Are you happy with the person you truly are? Are you a good partner, friend, parent colleague, boss? Are you staying true to yourself, doing what you enjoy, and living the life you love? If not, you might have to make a few changes. After all, you don’t (and can’t) build a successful life for yourself while simultaneously being unhappy with who you are. It’s similar to building your house on a shaky sand foundation as opposed to a solid rock foundation. Discover who you truly are and be 100% you every single day.

2.     Create a morning routine

The first few minutes after we wake up can determine our mood for the rest of the day. Why not set yourself up for a happy and successful day ahead every day, by creating a morning routine that you love. One that energizes and inspires you. Take time to prepare yourself for the day, note down 5 things you’re grateful for, groom yourself properly, and set out a goal for your day. By doing a few simple things each morning, you can drastically alter your mood for the better – even if you wake up grumpy.

3.     Be grateful every day

Practicing gratitude is a powerful way to change your perspective on things for the better. Learn to find beauty in the smallest of things. Appreciate everything in your life and the blessings each moment brings you. Be happy to be alive. Adding a gratefulness habit to your daily or morning routine can increase your overall happiness and hugely affect your day. Learn to enjoy the basic things in life, not the big things.

4.     Ditch your phone

No, I don’t mean ditch it completely. Taking time to disconnect from your phone, social media and the news is important. Avoid looking at your phone first thing in the morning, stop spending so much time on social media, and take that time to reconnect with yourself and your loved ones. Ditching your phone (especially in the morning) helps you respond to events in your day reasonably instead of reacting to them emotionally.

5.     Nourish your soul

Feed your soul with whatever it is that makes your heart sing. Listen to inspiring music. Read good books. Take time to do yoga and meditation. Practice writing poetry. Plant a herb garden and tend to it. Do some painting and create beautiful art. Learn a new language. Whatever you choose to do, it should leave you feeling uplifted and more connected to yourself.

6.     Feed your body

What you put into your body matters. As the saying goes; you are what you eat. If all you eat is greasy junk food, you can be sure that it’ll weigh you down and stop you from achieving your full potential. Try eating a healthier diet of fruits and vegetables, being conscious of what you’re putting into your belly. You wouldn’t knowingly ingest poison – so why eat things that are equally as harmful? Feed your body the nutrients it requires to support you through your days, and through your life. Take care of your body and your body will take care of you.

7.     Get moving

Take care of your body by getting in regular exercise. One of the most important things for a successful life is to take proper care of yourself first and foremost. Everything else comes after. Take care of your body and make sure it gets the movement it needs to fuel your brain. Choose a sport that you love, one that you’ll be happy to do frequently. Basketball, running, badminton, yoga, dancing, swimming – whatever it takes to get your heart rate up and your muscles pumping.

8.     Change your perspective

How many times a day do you find yourself saying “I have to”? Instead of saying that you have to do something, shift your perspective by saying “I get to…” For example, you can tell yourself: today, I get to go to work. I get to see my friends and co-workers. I get to prepare a nice meal for myself. I get to give a big presentation. This powerful mindset shift will make you appreciate your life and take your gratitude game to a whole new level.

9.     Discover your ‘why’

Figure out why you want to achieve what you want. Envision your successes as if you’ve already lived through them and write a list of all the reasons you set out to do what you want to do. This will help you when times get tough and you lose sight of your end goal. Approach all the tasks along the way with enthusiasm and curiosity.

10.  Don’t let your thoughts define you

Your thoughts are just that – thoughts. They don’t define who you are, they are fleeting clouds of images and emotions that come and go. If you find yourself feeling sad or angry, try observing these emotions in order to distance yourself from them. Notice that your moods change, your thoughts come and go, and that there’s nothing wrong with that.

Conclusion

It’s the small things we do every day that build up to make big changes. As long as you implement these 10 steps into your routine, you’ll start to build that solid foundation for success in no time.

The next time you find yourself thinking about the meaning of success, come back to the points on this list and realize that success – despite what you may think – is not as far away as you think it is.

Source: productivitybird.com ~ Image: Canva Pro

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6 Stories of Super Successes Who Overcame Failure

Failure is not the alternative to success. It’s something to be avoided, but it’s also only a temporary setback on a bigger, more significant course. Everybody encounters failure at one point or another. What truly matters is how you react to and learn from that failure.

Take the stories of these six entrepreneurs. Their stories end in massive success, but all of them are rooted in failure. They’re perfect examples of why failure should never stop you from following your vision.

1. Arianna Huffington got rejected by 36 publishers.

It’s hard to believe that one of the most recognizable names in online publications was once rejected by three dozen major publishers. Huffington’s second book, which she tried to publish long before she created the now ubiquitously recognizable Huffington Post empire, was rejected 36 times before it was eventually accepted for publication.

Even Huffington Post itself wasn’t a success right away. In fact, when it launched, there were dozens of highly negative reviews about its quality and its potential. Obviously, Huffington overcame those initial bouts of failure and has cemented her name as one of the most successful outlets on the web.

2. Bill Gates watched his first company crumble.

Bill Gates is now one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, but he didn’t earn his fortune in a straight line to success. Gates entered the entrepreneurial scene with a company called Traf-O-Data, which aimed to process and analyze the data from traffic tapes (think of it like an early version of big data).

He tried to sell the idea alongside his business partner, Paul Allen, but the product barely even worked. It was a complete disaster. However, the failure did not hold Gates back from exploring new opportunities, and a few years later, he created his first Microsoft product, and forged a new path to success.

3. George Steinbrenner bankrupted a team.

Before Steinbrenner made a name for himself when he acquired ownership of the New York Yankees, he owned a small basketball team called the Cleveland Pipers back in 1960. By 1962, as a result of Steinbrenner’s direction, the entire franchise went bankrupt.

That stretch of failure seemed to follow Steinbrenner when he took over the Yankees in the 1970s, as the team struggled with a number of setbacks and losses throughout the 1980s and 1990s. However, despite public fear and criticism of Steinbrenner’s controversial decisions, eventually he led the team to an amazing comeback, with six World Series entries between 1996 and 2003, and a record as one of the most profitable teams in Major League Baseball.

4. Walt Disney was told he lacked creativity.

One of the most creative geniuses of the 20th century was once fired from a newspaper because he was told he lacked creativity. Trying to persevere, Disney formed his first animation company, which was called Laugh-O-Gram Films. He raised $15,000 for the company but eventually was forced to close Laugh-O-Gram, following the close of an important distributor partner.

Desperate and out of money, Disney found his way to Hollywood and faced even more criticism and failure until finally, his first few classic films started to skyrocket in popularity.

5. Steve Jobs was booted from his own company.

Steve Jobs is an impressive entrepreneur because of his boundless innovations, but also because of his emphatic comeback from an almost irrecoverable failure. Jobs found success in his 20s when Apple became a massive empire, but when he was 30, Apple’s board of directors decided to fire him.

Undaunted by the failure, Jobs founded a new company, NeXT, which was eventually acquired by Apple. Once back at Apple, Jobs proved his capacity for greatness by reinventing the company’s image and taking the Apple brand to new heights.

6. Milton Hershey started three candy companies before Hershey’s.

Everyone knows Hershey’s chocolate, but when Milton Hershey first started his candy production career, he was a nobody. After being fired from an apprenticeship with a printer, Hershey started three separate candy-related ventures, and was forced to watch all of them fail.

In one last attempt, Hershey founded the Lancaster Caramel Company, and started seeing enormous results. Believing in his vision for milk chocolate for the masses, he eventually founded the Hershey Company and became one of the most well-known names in the industry.

Draw inspiration from these stories the next time you experience failure, no matter the scale. In the moment, some failure might seem like the end of the road, but remember, there are countless successful men and women in the world today who are only enjoying success because they decided to push past the inevitable bleakness of failure.

Learn from your mistakes, reflect and accept the failure, but revisit your passion and keep pursuing your goals no matter what.

Source: entrepreneur.com ~ By: Jayson DeMers

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10 Strategies of Highly Inspirational People

Inspirational People

As leaders, small-business owners often must inspire their team, customers and vendors in order to accomplish their company’s goals. People will likely follow others that can motivate them to achieve goals beyond what they might accomplish on their own.

Here are some effective ways to help you be more inspirational.

1. Make permanent connections.

Whether they meet online or in person, inspirational people can make these connections come alive. They remember who they were introduced to and details about their lives. Inspirational people reach out periodically to others to see how they’re doing and what they can do to help. This is not a time where they try to sell something, but only to be helpful. This could be as simple as to say, “how are you doing?” or send a helpful piece of advice. This can also be “liking” or commenting on their post of Facebook or retweeting something.

The message is simple: “I care and thought about you today.” It may make that person feel important, which can help reinforce the connection.

2. Bring other people together.

I will never forget when I would see Chris Brogan at events, as he was talking to someone else. When it was my turn to talk to Chris, the first thing he would do after the greeting was to introduce me to the person he was with. Through him, I was always able to make new connections.hab

Inspirational people always try to bring together people who have common interests.  This can not only strengthen their own network, but help expand it.

3. Believe people are good.

Business is competitive, and many players may act out of their own self-interest. But inspirational people believe that, when given a choice, most people are good and will see their actions in the context of the larger community. This can be a more positive starting point than the alternative: being paranoid that they’ll always get hurt in the end.

4. Welcome people who disagree.

Inspirational people can consistently invite different points of view. They actually listen and understand why others might disagree. Inspirational people typically don’t spend a lot of time trying to convince everyone that they’re right. They know that the best outcomes typically start with discussions.

5. Dedicate yourself to a cause.

Inspirational people tend to be on their own authentic path. They may not be deterred by popular opinions and are comfortable in their beliefs. As Simon Sinek proposes, they can communicate their “why.” All their actions can reflect their desire to achieve that goal.

6. Act fearlessly, even when afraid.

In small business, it may be natural to have a fear of actions that can produce unknown outcomes. Inspirational people may still be scared, but they move forward with actions anyway. They tend to be calm in any storm. They take small steps, evaluate the outcome and then plan future actions.

7. Give back to the community.

Inspirational people know they’re not alone on this world. They give to their community even though they may not personally profit from it. They also know that a strong community makes each person in it more successful over the long term.

8. Show gratitude.

Inspirational people don’t brag about their achievements. Their focus doesn’t get consumed by what they do not have or have not yet done. Instead, they show empathy and gratitude for others and are able to celebrate their successes even if they have failed at theirs.

9. Tell a good story.

Inspirational people are typically good storytellers. They are able to take true stories from their life and turn them into motivational messages that have a redeeming lesson.

10. Be responsive and dependable.

Inspirational people are there for others when it matters. In this 24/7 world with so many forms of communication, they are always able to respond when they’re most needed. This happens because of their desire to help and their decision to prioritize responsiveness above other activities.

Source: americanexpress.com ~ By: Barry Moltz

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7 Tips to Becoming a Millionaire

Becoming a millionaire is easier than it’s ever been.

Many people have been writing me with the notion that it’s an impossible task. They say, “It’s pure luck. You have to be born into a rich family. You’ll have to win the Lotto. Your parents have to help you out a lot.”

A single mother with five children wrote the following, “Daniel, I read your article and I believe in what you’re saying. However, I’m 50 years old and work long hours at two dead-end jobs. It’s Christmas time and I barely have enough money to buy gifts for my children. What should I do?”

Another man wrote, “Well, if you work for the government or a non-profit, you cannot expect to become a millionaire. After all, you’re on a fixed salary and there’s little time for anything else. By the time you get home, you’ve got to play with the kids and entertain yourself.”

These queries got me thinking of the true possibilities of wealth all over the world, particularly in America. I’ve seen people come to America who speak little to no English, have no connections, no money, or formal education, but have still been able to create fortunes for themselves and others.

The truth is that all of us can become as wealthy as we decide to be. None of us is excluded from wealth. If you have the desire to receive money, whatever the amount, you have all of the rights to do so. There’s no limit to how much you can earn for yourself.

Money is like the sun. It does not discriminate. It doesn’t say, “I will not give light and warmth to this flower, tree, or person because I don’t like them.” Like the sun, money is abundantly available to all of us who truly believe that it is for us. No one is excluded.

Here are 7 tips to becoming a millionaire:

1. Change Your Thinking

You have to see the bigger picture. When most people see just trees, you need to look at the entire forest. This way, you’ll be able to chart your own course and get to where you want to be. By having a vision and the goals to attain that vision, your possibilities are endless.

You’ll have to go through plenty of self-discovery before you earn your first million. Knowing the truth about yourself isn’t always the easiest task. Sometimes, you’ll find that you’re your biggest enemy and best friend — even in the same day! Nonetheless, changing your thinking is a requirement for wealth.

2. Save Relentlessly

This will address the queries that I’ve recently received. For many individuals, there’s too much month at the end of the money. However, you’ll have to make your best effort to save as much as you can, even if it’s a ridiculously low number.

There are many techniques for saving money. You need to find your own system and start building your wealth. Even if you’re on a fixed income, you need to find the discipline necessary to save. Whether you start out with saving $50 or $500 per month, do the best you can and invest this money in the best way possible.

3. Learn from Millionaires

Most people are surrounded by what I like to call “Default Friends.” These friends are acquaintances that we see at the grocery store, gym, school, work, and other places. We naturally befriend these people as trust grows. However, in most cases, these people aren’t millionaires and cannot help you become one either.

If you truly desire and aspire to be a millionaire, these people may tell you that it’s impossible. They’ll tell you that you’re living in a fantasy world and why you’ll never be able to make it happen. Instead, learn from millionaires. Let go of these relationships and seek new ones that can help you get to the next level.

4. Indulge in Wealth

To become wealthy, you must first learn about wealth. This means that you’ll have to put yourself in situations that you’ve never been before. For instance, you can test drive a new car, get a realtor to show you an expensive home, or get a brownie from the finest bakery in town.

Most of this will not break your bank. In fact, some of it is free. You’ll have to go where 97 percent of people aren’t willing to go if you want to make your financial dreams happen. Are there luxury golf courses, spas, or museums in your area that will allow you to indulge in wealth? If so, take advantage.

5. Believe It’s Possible

If you believe that it’s possible to become a millionaire, you can make it happen. However, if you’ve excluded yourself from this possibility and think that it’s for other people, you’ll never have money. Also, be sure to bless rich people when you can. Haters of money aren’t likely to receiving any of it either.

The best way to do this is to learn relentlessly about yourself and money. You can do this by reading books that have been written by millionaires themselves. By gaining a well-rounded education and staying inspired, you’ll be able to get the wealth you’ve been looking for.

6. Enlarge Your Service

Your material wealth is the sum of your total contribution to society. If you know my famous question, “How do I deliver more value to more people in less time?” then you’ll know that you can always increase your quality and quantity of service. People are waiting to be served.

Enlarging your service is also about “going the extra mile.” When it comes to helping others, you must give it everything you have. Don’t think about if the people you serve will appreciate it or not. You just plant the seeds and nature will take care of the rest.

7. Seize ALL Opportunities

In every neighborhood, no matter where you are, there are always opportunities to do good. Your community desperately needs your help. If you would only open your mind and heart to these opportunities, you’ll find that they will be ready to reward you in due time.

Furthermore, you cannot say “no” to opportunities and expect to become a millionaire. You must seize every opportunity that has your name on it. Sometimes the monetary reward will not come immediately, but if you keep planting seeds, eventually you’ll grow your fruitful crop.

Money is the harvest of your production. Everything that you have is in direct proportion to your actions. If you’ve done everything that you can do and have a purpose leading your life, you can expect to become wealthy. You must desire wealth and eventually the money will come when you are ready for it.

The more seeds (service) you plant, the more plants (money) you’ll have

Source: entrepreneur.com ~ By: Daniel Ally

 

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Why I Don’t Regret Saying “Yes” to Opportunity & Quitting My 9-5

Saying “Yes” to Opportunity & Quitting My 9-5

I’m continually amazed at people who seem to achieve great things seemingly against all odds. And I’m equally amazed at people who seem to achieve none of their goals.

Is it that opportunity knocks only on some people’s doors and not others? Is it perhaps luck?

The more I interview people on my podcast and work with students who want to invest in apartment buildings, the more I’m coming to the conclusion that the answer is “no” and “no.”

Opportunity is all around every one of us, and it’s always knocking.

The difference? Our response.

Some people don’t hear it. Or refuse to hear it. Others hear it just fine but dismiss it because they’re busy. Or afraid. Or unworthy. Or not ready. Or too old. Too young. Too poor.

But I’m convinced that the universe (or whatever you want to call the higher power of which I speak) is constantly encouraging us to become a better version of ourselves. Constantly presenting opportunities. Constantly opening doors.

I love this quote from Richard Branson: “If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes – then learn how to do it later!”

The question is, how do we handle an open door? Do we walk through it, or do we say, “Nah, I’m good. Thanks anyway.”

Following Opportunity

My experience has been that whenever I don’t walk through an open door, nothing happens. But whenever I DO walk through a door, exciting things happen. The more I walk through open doors, the more adventure comes into my life and the more alive I feel.

I also find that things become easier. Fun. I struggle less. Things just happen.

I think that’s because our higher purpose is like the jet stream, a strong and constant flow of energy in a particular direction. When we resist this flow, we work harder, are more frustrated and tend to struggle. On the other hand, when we go with the flow, things become easier. Enjoyable.

I think open doors point into the direction of our jet stream (but beware of Shiny-Object-itis; see my article here!). Not walking through them is saying NO to the jet stream, saying NO to opportunity, and saying NO to a more fulfilled life.

The catch? (Yes, there’s always a catch …)

You have to have some kind of FAITH to walk through open doors. I’m not saying you have to find God or join some kind of religion. You’re an entrepreneur, so you already know what I’m talking about.

As entrepreneurs, we have to believe that if we step out onto the ledge, it will all work out somehow. But we don’t know that up front. We just make the next move.

For some inexplicable reason, things “magically” begin to happen when we take that first step through the door. But the magic doesn’t happen before then, but only after we take that first step.

Leaving My 9-5 Job

I remember when I first left the confines of my 9-5 job in 2005. I knew it was my open door, but I was extremely anxious about going out on my own. Since then, I’ve had ups and downs, but one thing I can say for sure: It’s been one heck of an adventure! I wouldn’t trade the experiences (even the pain!) for anything. I’ve grown as a person. And I believe these experiences have allowed me to help others with their entrepreneurial journey.

But I wouldn’t have experienced any of that had I not walked through that open door ten years ago. And there have been many other doors since then. I’m sure I missed some, but I’ve made it a habit to try to recognize an open door and to go with the flow.

Look back on your life. Whenever something propelled you forward in a meaningful way, it probably resulted from you walking through an open door but not sure of the outcome.

Try it. Put the universe to the test. See what happens. I think you’ll be amazed.

Source: biggerpockets.com ~ By Michael Blank

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