Matthew McConaughey's 21 Minutes of Life-Changing Advice

love the energy from Matthew! So inspiring! Don't you agree?

As part of the research towards my PHD, I have been studying a number of super achievers from all around the world. The objective of my research was to try to identify all the traits, these super achievers had in common. There were a number of traits I identified, but the ones I felt were the most pertinent, were the following, a crystal clear vision, absolute belief in themselves and their ability to do whatever it takes to achieve their vision, they also were clear about why achieving their vision is important, every one of them was completely committed to on-going learning and growth and they all have a remarkable work ethic.

Start to Keep a Journal

Another characteristic or habit that a number of the top performers I have studied had in common, namely to keep a journal. Just over 50 % of the super achievers kept a journal. Although they were not part of my research, the most well-known journal keepers are Jim Rohn, Daren Hardy, Dr. John de Martini, to name but a few.

Jim Rohn was known to not only write down and record everything he did and learned every day, but he also took photo graphs of everything as his life unfolded. What an incredible legacy and incredible resource his journals must be for the world now that he has moved onto another level of energy. Dr John de Martini keeps a massive printed document of around 750 pages, which he carries with him everywhere. He refers to his journal as his master plan for life. He updates this document every day on his computer and prints it our every few months, so that he has a new copy with him at all times.

Yes it does take work

Keeping a journal does take work, but if you are really committed to creating an incredible future for yourself and your family, then I believe that it is well worth the effort it takes. When you keep great records in your journal, you don't need to trust your memory; you can simply record everything, so that it is all available for use in the future. The mere fact that you, invest the time to write it down, means that it will be stored away in two places, namely your journal and in a more organised fashion in your mind too. Writing in your journal everyday allows you to organised your thoughts daily and to sort them out for use later.

The fact that you learn a new habit of recording all the important things, which happened in your day in a journal every evening, will form a huge part of your learning process and the resultant notes will become a valuable part of your library. Your journal shows your commitment to life, learning and helps you to cement new ideas in your head. It also means that you will leave a great legacy, a memory for others after you move on to the next level of life. You can continue to be of service to others, even when you are no longer around.

Start Taking Photographs

Start the habit of taking pictures and videos of important events. It takes seconds to capture an important event and yes it also takes only a moment to miss out on a really important event. The photos and videos, you keep in your journal are a valuable source of learning and will form an integral part of your library of knowledge, going forward.

Your Journals will over time Contain incredible Wisdom

Your journals are an incredible source of information, when they are updated daily. They are also a wonderful way to sort your daily experiences out in your mind too, as they serve as a record of all your accumulated ideas, growth and are a wonderful collection of great ideas and concepts. Keeping a journal, which you update daily, will take you to the next level, where you do not only show the world that you are very serious about your success, but you also get to show yourself, your determination and drive as well. Commit to keep a journal and show your real commitment towards your success. The moment you start to keep a journal about your dreams, plans, ideas,, growth and learning. You will have uncovered the catalyst, which you have been looking for, to help catapult you to the next level of achievement.

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Richard Branson: Advice for Entrepreneurs

10 Characteristics of a Successful Entrepreneur

For many people, entrepreneurship has become the job choice of the 21st century. That's understandable given the challenges and rewards of building a successful business. If you are considering entrepreneurship, you should begin the process by understanding the mental, psychological and behavioral characteristics needed for success.

1. Positive mental attitude. This is arguably the most important of all the characteristics. You will never be a successful entrepreneur without a positive attitude. The one thing you can be sure of is that you will experience difficult times. Your success or failure will be determined at these times. If you maintain your confidence, persevere and continue to stay positive, you will be successful. Conversely, if you allow doubt and uncertainty to prevail, you will probably fail.

2. Enjoy being around people. Being a successful entrepreneur means you will continuously interact with a diverse array of people such as customers, potential customers, colleagues, competitors, suppliers, lawyers, accountants and coaches. It really helps if you enjoy being around these people.

3. Excellent communication skills. Communication can be defined as the accurate exchange of information between two or more parties. This is important because you will have many conversations. You need to be able to accurately exchange information in a fast-moving world using a variety of communication methods (e.g., interpersonal, electronic). Of particular importance is the ability to listen and truly understand where another person is coming from.

4. Have a need to achieve. Successful entrepreneurs are achievement-oriented. They value accomplishment and the intrinsic rewards that go along with achieving difficult goals. It is a strong motivator for most business owners.

5. Resourceful. Most new businesses have limited resources such as money, information and time. Successful entrepreneurs figure out how to get the most out of these resources. They are masters at stretching a dollar and making a few resources go a long way.

6. Objective. It is not easy to be objective about your business because you are passionate about making it successful. However, you do need to be impartial and dispassionate when it comes to making business decisions because emotion, bias and sentiment can result in poor choices.

7. Committed. Building a successful business requires an absolute commitment. It takes a lot of work and there will be times when you become discouraged. It is during these times that you must be steadfast, faithful and committed to your vision.

8. Dependable. This should go without saying but I will say it anyway. There is a strong positive relationship between your perceived level of reliability and the success of your business. No matter what type of business you have, your customers expect you to be dependable.

9. Proactive and not reactive. Successful entrepreneurs anticipate problems in advance and deal with them before they occur. If you simply react to problems and issues as they arise, you may get overwhelmed.

10. Possess technical skills and knowledge. Every business requires unique technical skills and knowledge on part of the owner. You have to be good at what you do for your business to succeed. This often means getting additional education and training on an ongoing basis, sometimes for the purpose of obtaining specific credentials (e.g., certifications, licenses).

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The Mindset of Self-Made Millionaires

Be unrealistic! Do whatever it takes!!! Great story here. Love this! Love to hear what you think of the messages in this?

Why A Growth Mindset Is Essential For Entrepreneurs

If you're wondering how mindset development is essential for your newly developing business or practice, read on my friend. By the same token, if you've already grown your business to the place you want - never mind - Just go relax in a hammock beside the sea on your favorite tropical island! Most of the best entrepreneurs who have begun the journey of living their dreams are simply being and doing more of who they are. 

And on this journey all of us must come face to face with a dangerous tiger, an edge, and an obstacle of some sort. Often, we aren't even aware of the real problem we are facing, let alone how we might begin to move through it. Unfortunately we usually don't mind staying warm and cozy inside our "fixed mindsets". It's so much easier to think the way we've always thought and do what we've always done. 

But, the only way to achieve goals is to move into the "growth mindset" zone. So what is a growth mindset, anyway? A very forward-thinking educator, Stanford Professor Carol Dweck, writes about this in her 2006 book, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Carol categorizes two very different poles on the mindset spectrum, and characterizes our basic ideas about how we see ourselves:

• When operating from a fixed mindset, "your qualities are carved in stone." In this place your capabilities and possibilities seem finite and are coming from a place of lack. From this point of view you see your qualities and skills as predetermined. You believe that you will continue to lack what you need to go beyond where you already are. While coming from this fixed mindset you also apply this thinking to the qualities others have, and tend to limit your ability to learn from what others have to teach.


• Once you adopt a growth mindset, "your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts...everyone can change and grow through application and experience." Of course one's basic intelligence is a starting point, but success comes as a result of effort, learning, and persistence. From a growth mindset perspective, we are always in the "beginners mind" zone, eager to learn and grow, confident that we have all we need within ourselves and the world around us to achieve our goals.

As you are becoming more and more "smart" as an entrepreneur you must develop an awareness of which mindset you are coming from. This will allow you to expand your thinking habits to be able to just "be with" whatever arises. What happens when we become more of an observer of our thoughts is that we plant seeds of confidence. As our confidence develops it grows into curiosity. And soon our business project is moving along very rapidly, sometimes going in strange directions we never would have expected. When we gear towards growth and expansion we open what I call the "heart mind" (more about this in another post). This is a place in which we become more and more compassionate towards ourselves and others as we practice curiosity towards everything - the good, bad and indifferent. When we have this "don't know mindset" amazing possibilities start to emerge. Even the hardships and stresses we meet in the process of being in the moment become graciously accepted as teachers on our path.

In a way, while living inside a growth mindset the goal is not really "where it's at"! The present moment real-life predicaments we find ourselves in are juicy fodder for our "growth mindset". And as we simply allow each moment to unfold, being fully present with it, our own inner wise mind will teach us invaluable lessons. Once you see that you are operating from a possibility mindset, you can quickly move way out there on that limb where many new ideas and connections will manifest for you. This occurs when you have entered into the "growth mindset" zone.

Mindset development is essential for smart entrepreneurs who wish to grow their business to greater heights. In other posts I will offer exercises and strategies for building a bridge to a growth mindset. In the meantime, just remember - choosing to stay in the comfortable fixed mindset zone is mighty dangerous for your business. Discovering ways to increase your awareness of being either in a fixed or a growth mindset is crucial - not only to getting more business, but in living your dreams, period. 

You see, having the proper mindset not only determines what we perceive in "the world out there" but it either limits or expands our ability to see possibilities in the first place! I invite you to begin to look for the unusual and unexpected connections you are making. 

Perhaps you can become a bit more curious about how these seemingly accidental events relate to the growth of your business and your mindset. And, if you really want to walk the smart entrepreneur's tightrope, give yourself the challenge of doing, thinking or being in some small way, a little bit different, at least once a week. I'll let you figure out your own definition of "different" - but make a weekly habit of it. It will work wonders for your business!

Always Going On Beyond,

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Jim Rohn: Make a Commitment to Yourself

The great Jim Rohn. Everything he ever thought us is still valid for today! Enjoy.. :)

4 Steps to Becoming Free and Happy

Whenever someone tells you that your way is blocked by discouragement or confusion, check over these 4 Steps. It won't be long before you will find the barrier at your back and find yourself on the open highway once more.

1. A sincere desire for inner change

You must really want to be different. Your first desire should be for the truth itself, not for ideas that please you by backing up what you already believe. The earnest man dares to sail uncharted seas. When he finally reaches port, he finds that this new world, though strange at first, is what he really sought all along. You can change the thing that is wrong in your life. You just need to be prepared and ready to do it. Whenever you develop the desire, you can take away from your life what is defeating it. The capacity for reformation and change lies within.

2. Contact with workable principles

This means we must be in contact with some sort of genuine help. This can be a person who has already set himself at liberty, it can be a book, or it can be a matured way of thinking. You must be aware of counterfeit; you must not accept something as true merely because it appears so to you. You must make every offered idea prove itself to be a workable principle. You must personally verify everything. The road to happiness lies in simple principles: do what interests you and that you can do well, and put your whole soul into it every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have.

3. Self honesty

Genuine courage consistent in being honest with yourself. What makes men free is for the most part is the truth which men prefer not to hear. The really heroic person is one who is willing to be wrong for the present in order to be right later on. But honesty does not mean that you change your viewpoints really for the sake of change; it means you explore your viewpoints in order to separate truth from falsity. Then truth dissolves falsity. There is nothing of more practical use than self honesty.

4. Persistence

You may be sincere, and you may have found a source of genuine help. And you may also have a full supply of self honesty. By adding one more thing, then you have all you need for swift strides forward; it is an old-fashioned and admirable quality called persistence. You must keep going. As the New Testament phrases it, he must not fall by the wayside. Persistence pays. Persistent people begin their success where others end in failure.

To be happy, rather than say "if only" substitute instead the words "next time". Success consists of getting up just one more time after you fall.

Entrepreneurs average 3.8 failures before realizing a final success. What sets the successful apart is amazing persistence. There are a lot of people out there who have good and marketable ideas, but pure entrepreneurial types almost never accept defeat.

The line between failure and success is so fine that we are often on the line and do not know it. How many a man had thrown up his hands when a little more effort, a little more patience, would have achieved success. A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed like a hopeless failure may turn into glorious success

Becoming free and happy is what finding your True Self is all about. It is based upon an awareness that there is a better way to live and then eliminating all obstacles to realizing it. Visualize your destiny and make it a reality.

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