Here's an interesting study relevant to all our blog readers who are parents of young kids.

Scientific America magazine talks about a study that shows that it's more important to teach your kids the importance of hard work as a means for academic success than it is to tell them that they are bright and talented. Apparently kids who are told that they are smart, often look down on hard work and tend to give up when the going gets tough.

This article might go against your beliefs on parenting. Read it with an open mind.

The Secret to Raising Smart Kids

Hint: Don't tell your kids that they are. More than three decades of research shows that a focus on effort—not on intelligence or ability—is key to success in school and in life

By Carol S. Dweck

A brilliant student, Jonathan sailed through grade school. He completed his assignments easily and routinely earned As. Jonathan puzzled over why some of his classmates struggled, and his parents told him he had a special gift. In the seventh grade, however, Jonathan suddenly lost interest in school, refusing to do homework or study for tests. As a consequence, his grades plummeted. His parents tried to boost their son’s confidence by assuring him that he was very smart. But their attempts failed to motivate Jonathan (who is a composite drawn from several children). Schoolwork, their son maintained, was boring and pointless.

Our society worships talent, and many people assume that possessing superior intelligence or ability—along with confidence in that ability—is a recipe for success. In fact, however, more than 30 years of scientific investigation suggests that an overemphasis on intellect or talent leaves people vulnerable to failure, fearful of challenges and unwilling to remedy their shortcomings.

The result plays out in children like Jonathan, who coast through the early grades under the dangerous notion that no-effort academic achievement defines them as smart or gifted. Such children hold an implicit belief that intelligence is innate and fixed, making striving to learn seem far less important than being (or looking) smart. This belief also makes them see challenges, mistakes and even the need to exert effort as threats to their ego rather than as opportunities to improve. And it causes them to lose confidence and motivation when the work is no longer easy for them.

Praising children’s innate abilities, as Jonathan’s parents did, reinforces this mind-set, which can also prevent young athletes or people in the workforce and even marriages from living up to their potential. On the other hand, our studies show that teaching people to have a “growth mind-set,” which encourages a focus on effort rather than on intelligence or talent, helps make them into high achievers in school and in life.

» Read More on Scientific America

Hello! Welcome to the first entry in my Entrepreneur’s Diary.
The goal of this series is simple. I’ve noticed that it’s incredibly important to take a step back every so often to reflect on everything that has happened in my business, MindValley. It’s good for me to zoom out to get some perspective.

So, I’m actually going to turn these reflections into a diary, which I will share with you. Hopefully you’ll glean something from my insights and learnings. Perhaps I’ll even inspire you to pursue your dreams, as I’m doing. Make sure you share what you’re going through too. Learning is a two-way street!

Thoughts for this week…

A Bad Sales Day Doesn’t Equal A Bad Mood

In the past, my mood used to be completely contingent upon how well the business was doing. My wife could read how the company was doing based on my voice when I said “hello,” as I came through the door after work. While this may be understandable – I can almost feel the empathy from the other business owners out there – I’ve only recently become aware of just how damaging this is. I used to check the sales stats every single morning. If the sales looked good, I’d be happy. If the sales looked bad, I’d be negative and stressed. Not only was this hard on me, but also on the other people in my life, including my wife and my team.

It was only when I really learned about the importance of focusing on all the great things that are happening in the business, instead of the small nuisances (such as a bad sales day), that I realized how much this way of being had impacted me. In theory, of course, I knew to focus on the positive, but to actually LIVE IT, is a different experience. I realized my blue moods were not serving me in any way, shape or form.

I now have this unwavering belief that MindValley will have an incredible 2009. We have a lot of things going for us: we have a fantastic team comprised of 21 of the smartest, most creative young people from over 12 countries around the world; an inspiring vision; and we’re working on exciting projects and initiatives that will move the business forward by leaps and bounds. A bad sales day doesn’t matter.

We will absolutely still hunker down and try to fix things the moment we see the numbers slipping, but I have a choice: I can either do it with a positive attitude or a negative attitude. Again, it’s my choice. The last few weeks, I’ve felt like a different person. (Perhaps the yoga has been helping too – I started going to yoga regularly a few weeks ago).  Anyway, even if we have a bad sales day, it’s not the end of the world.

Celebrate Every Small Victory, No Matter What

Everyone knows the global economic climate is not looking very upbeat right now. It’s all quite a challenge, especially for those of us in business for ourselves. For myself, I’m framing it as a chance to get creative and generate products and applications that will get us out of this panic spiral. This economic situation is not something that has happened to us. To a large degree, it’s something we’re doing to ourselves. And the mainstream media isn’t helping here.

In MindValley, to keep things positive, we ensure we celebrate all our victories every week. When we have our weekly team meetings, we even have a weekly report called the “Awesomeness Report” that celebrates the highlights of the week, which my business partner Vishen came up with.

There were a few weeks in there where I didn’t feel like celebrating because revenues and profits were down, but I’ve learned that no matter what happens, it’s very important to keep celebrating the small victories. If you don’t take the time out to celebrate the small victories along the way, then it is A LOT harder to take that next big step towards success. And it is even harder to motivate a team, as a leader, if you don’t make celebration a part of your company routine. T. Harv Eker says it’s incredibly important to celebrate your accomplishments, so we’ve made it a part of our company DNA, and it seems to being working splendidly.

And speaking of celebration, our company has created a new website application that will allow anyone to write down and share their gratitude. MindValley’s goal is to turn this gratitude website into “The Happiest Place on The Internet,” but more about that later…

I was reading the New York Times online the other day and an article caught my attention. The article, by Gretel Kovach, was titled “Pastor’s Advice for Better Marriage: More Sex.” Religion and sex in the same piece; this I had to read. Kovach covered a story on Rev. Ed Young, a Texas pastor, who encouraged his congregation of 20,000 to take up the challenge of Seven Days of Sex. In the pastor’s own words, a “sexperiment.”

Young, himself happily married for 26 years, is passionate about increasing the intimacy between couples. Speaking from experience, he thinks daily life--careers, kids and outside commitments--pose real barriers to the bond, particularly the sexual bond, between husband and wife. According to Young, sex can bring you closer to your spouse and to God. He also believes we need to do away with all the shame we carry around about sex.

Read the full article. What are your thoughts about this message coming from a pastor?

Do you drink soda pop? Chances are you do. The average American consumes 1.6 cans of soda pop every day, for a grand total of 597 cans of soda pop per year. That’s 32 pounds of sugar--an amount that’s both impressive and frightening all at once. The soft drink industry is certainly glowing about this, BUT YOU SHOULDN’T BE.

Keep reading to learn more about why you MUST stop drinking soda pop:

Your Weight

Do you want to lose a few pounds and be healthier? Most of us do. Scientists at Harvard have narrowed in on one of the key reasons for rising obesity in western countries: soda pop. The new study finds that one-third of all carbohydrate calories in the American diet come from added sweeteners, with half of these calories coming from sweetened beverages. They point the finger of blame at the main sweetener used in soft drinks: high fructose corn syrup. It contains more calories than regular refined sugar and some studies suggest it reduces the body’s ability to process calories.

Of course, obesity is a complex issue – one must take into account diet, genetics, eating patterns, and physical activity – but it is not rocket science to figure out that if you were forced to consume an extra can of Coke per day (155 calories), with all other factors held constant, you could pack on at least 10 pounds by the end of the year. Studies have also found a connection between drinking large amounts of soda pop and consuming more calories through food. Either those taking sugared drinks lack the same restraint with food, or sugared drinks cause a rise in insulin that makes individuals hungrier, causing them to eat more.

But there is some good news: if you’re a regular soda pop drinker, and you want to lose some weight and improve your health, banishing soda pop from your diet is an easy way to start down this path. If you cut out two cans of pop per day from your diet (and maintain the same level of physical activity and eat the same number of calories), you can lose 1 pound in 12 days. Not bad at all.

Diabetes (Type 2)

Type 2 diabetes is rapidly increasing in developed countries as society becomes increasingly overweight and less active. Public health researchers label it an epidemic and believe much of the blame can be leveled at our enormous consumption of sugar. For example, an eight-year study of 50,000 nurses showed a correlation that suggests drinking one or more sugar-sweetened beverages (such as soft drinks and fruit punches) per day increases one’s risk of developing diabetes by 80% compared to those who drink less than one such drink per month. Interestingly, this finding was independent of other lifestyle factors.

What exactly is type 2 diabetes, you ask. If you have type 2 diabetes, either your body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Your body needs insulin to be able to use glucose for energy. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells. When the glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into the cells, two bad things happen: your cells are immediately starved for energy and, over time, high blood glucose levels damage your body. Having type 2 diabetes increases your risk for many serious complications, including heart disease, blindness, nerve damage, and kidney damage.  Thankfully, watching your diet and getting regular exercise can help you manage this disease.

Your Teeth

As you already know, soda pop contains a high concentration of simple sugars. When you drink pop, the bacteria in your mouth ferment the sugars and produce acid. The problem being that acid dissolves tooth enamel; hence, soda pop is likely to increase your risk of cavities – holes or structural damage in your teeth. Moreover, a large number of soda pop drinks are acidic, with some even having a pH of 3.0 or lower. Sipping on acidic drinks over a long period of time will also erode your tooth enamel. Avoid soda pop and you can reduce your chances of a painful trip to the dentist and a mouthful of fillings.

The Environment

Planet earth needs all the help she can get these days. Perhaps you’re recycling your cans and bottles. That’s great, but you can do more. Millions upon millions of cans and bottles end up in landfills each year. If you’re still buying bottles and cans, you’re contributing to this cycle. Moreover, recycling still taxes the environment. Think about the fuel used to haul the bottles and cans around and the chemicals used during the recycling process itself.

You can do something about this: buy an eco-friendly reusable water container (and use it!). Check out these websites for options: KleanKanteen, MySigg, and EcoWaterBottle.

The other important part – and this will reap benefits for you directly – is to fill your bottle up with low sugar, low calorie beverages. Try good old-fashioned water. If water doesn’t excite you, try herbal tea (hot or iced) or water with lemon. You’ll lose weight; you’ll feel better; and you’ll be helping the environment!

Who out there has kicked the soda pop habit and wants to share how they did and how they feel now? Please suggest some healthy alternatives to soda pop for us too.

A few years ago, my friend Vishen and I decided to embark on the craziest adventure of our lives. We started a company together. We had no plans and no money. All I knew was that I wanted to go into business with this guy. We both loved technology, so an Internet business made sense. MindValley was born. Today, we’re a multi-million dollar company, and one of the world’s leading online publishers in the field of personal development, and we did it with no bank loans and no venture capital.

I wake up every day with a profound sense of gratitude because I’m building an incredible company with some of the brightest people from around the world. I truly get a kick out of watching the MindValley team evolve and grow. Moreover, I get to share my passion for personal development with remarkable people from every corner of the planet. Life is pretty darn good.

But what I want to share with you today are my thoughts on something I call Agile Entrepreneurship, which I’ve broken down into 10 Rules for You. These rules are based on personal lessons and insights I’ve learned as I’ve built MindValley up to where it is today.

In a nutshell, Agile Entrepreneurship is about launching businesses faster and significantly reducing your odds of failure. It’s about making your business successful, so you’re free – free to do what you want, when you want, where you want. Really, it’s about doing what you love and making money while you’re doing it.

10 Rules of Agile Entrepreneurship

Rule 1: Get the Right People on the Bus

Putting your team together is one of the single most important things you need to do as an entrepreneur. You need a team of truly outstanding people. You need A players. And you’re going to want to emphasize learning and experience to get them on board. Great people want to be challenged. They want to learn and grow. Strange as this may sound, money is rarely the top priority for them. If you offer a better and more dynamic work experience, you can get great people without having to pay ridiculous salaries. In addition, if you’re looking for another founder, try to find someone who will compliment your weaknesses. You don’t need another YOU. What you need is someone who excels at things you’re not so good at or don’t enjoy.

Rule 2: Know What Mountain to Climb

This rule has to be one of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned (and perhaps the most painful). If you and your team don’t know where you’re going then it will be impossible to reach your end goal. How can you possibly achieve your goal in the shortest amount of time, with the least resources, if you’re not clear about what you want to achieve? If you want smart people to follow you, they need to know where you’re going. At one point we had a jumble of different project going on, without any real coherence. Not good. We’re much better now. We have a vision, a mountain.

Rule 3: Always Think Like a Marketer

Sales is not a dirty word. Marketing is not a dirty word either. For a long time, I had this belief that if I put a great product out into the world, people would magically flock to it, and, of course, they’d go tell all their friends about it too. All my education is in business – I have a BBA from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Stanford – and I was NEVER taught the art of selling. No sales classes at all. I’ve observed MBAs generally look down on sales. But, if you want to be a successful entrepreneur, you must pay attention to sales and marketing. It’s that important. Remember, if you believe in your product, there is nothing wrong with getting it to as many people as possible.

Rule 4: Ideas do NOT Matter, It is Execution that Counts

Ideas are so much fun, aren’t they? I could just sit around a whiteboard all day with my team hatching new ideas. Not a surefire way to keep the dough rolling in, though. Honestly, anyone can have a good idea. It’s execution that counts, and this is the hard part – getting organized, putting the pieces together, hammering out the details. This is what matters. At the same time, don’t get planning paralysis. I lean more towards the Ready, Fire, Aim approach. Execute quickly, early and often. Tweak Later. And remember to celebrate every milestone – successes and failures!

Rule 5: Set BIG Goals

You need big goals. If a goal doesn’t excite you and make you a little nervous, you need to think bigger. Moreover, your team isn’t going to be inspired or motivated by wimpy goals. Too many people toil away on the planning part and never really have the end goal in mind. Goal first, strategy later. You need to visualize your goals every day. Use a vision board to help you do this.

Rule 6: Know When to Push and When to Let Go

Getting from point A to point B is never a straight line. Sometimes, along the way, you’ll figure out that it’s not even point B you’re after. It’s point C. Time to stop climbing one mountain and head up another. Other times you know exactly where it is that you want to go, but your approach isn’t working. It’s time for a new line of attack. The point is to take a step back and get perspective every once and a while. If you can clearly see that what you’re doing will get you up the right mountain, by all means push. Just be open to letting go, if you have to. Not everything you do is going to work. Yes, this sucks. It’s no fun. Clean yourself off and get back in the game. And please learn from your mistakes. There’s nothing worse than watching people make the same mistakes over and over: “To keep doing the same thing while expecting different results is the definition of insanity.”

Rule 7: Learn to Love Systems, Processes and Numbers

Once upon a time I was a corporate guy. I worked at the Boston Consulting Company and then at eBay. When I started my own company, I believed I had freed myself from the tyranny of systems, spreadsheets and KPIs. I learned the hard way. Systems, processes and numbers are the core of a well run company, especially one that can run on autopilot. Now we automate one business (website) at a time and spend our time looking out for the next big project. We now have a nice system for rolling out a website each month. Also remember to measure and test everything. When the business is your baby, your heart can be in it too much. Numbers won’t lie. Last thing: make sure everyone in the company knows the numbers – nothing is more empowering than showing them the impact of their efforts.

Rule 8: Work ON Your Business not IN Your Business

What exactly does this mean? It means you should be constantly delegating. If you’re still buying the cookies for the office when you have a staff of more than 20 people, as I was doing two years ago, you must STOP. Everything that is required to RUN your business should be delegated. What you should be doing is coming up with new ideas, innovations, products, markets, etc. You should be taking in the big picture and diving in and out when your direct attention is required. Stop micro-managing and trust people. If you really don’t trust your team, you need to get new people on your bus (See Rule 1).

Rule 9: Always be Learning and Experimenting

If you’re not growing, you’re dying. The most successful people do three simple things: 1) They always learn new things; 2) They always try new things; and 3) They never give up. A fellow joined MindValley about a year ago, and he brought with him such a hunger for knowledge it completely changed the company. Now we encourage staff at MindValley to spend 10% of their time on learning and developing their work-related skills. Doing this will change your company. The person you had a meeting with last month will be a different person than the one you meet with this month. I don’t want to work in a boring place, so this emphasis on learning and experimentation keeps things hopping.

Rule 10: Do What You Love and Love What You Do

Follow your heart. Cheesy, but true. Don’t listen to your Dad who wants you to be an engineer. Stop taking advice from your Mom who thinks you’d make a great lawyer. If it’s your calling to open a scuba diving shop in Panama, go for it. If you love it, you’ll probably make a good living doing it, and you can visit home any time you want. You only have one life. What point is there in living it for someone else? When you’re doing what you’re supposed to be doing, it doesn’t really feel like work. From my experience, it feels more like a game. There are so many people out there trapped in this idea of what life should be: 9-to-5 for forty-something years and then a few years of retirement. Life is about experiences and giving back. Take stock of your natural strengths and what you enjoy doing, this will help you carve out a life of joy, abundance and success.

Pioneer. Maverick. Innovator. These are words you could throw at Richard Branson and they would stick. He’s our intrepid rebel billionaire. When you think ‘Richard Branson’, you think hot air ballooning in Africa; you think company launches replete with bikini-clad models; you think management by phone from Necker Island. You don’t think ‘communication’, and you certainly don’t think ‘details’. But, as he explains in his latest book Business Stripped Bare, when you’re talking about delivery – executing in your business – it all comes down to details and communication.

All About the Details

According to Branson, “it’s the attention to detail that really defines great business delivery.” It’s that simple. He advises every company owner or manager to travel with a notebook to jot down things that need doing. It doesn’t matter what you’re doing – whether you’re listening to staff or customers, inspecting your product, or even just wandering through your office – it all needs to be captured in the notebook. Or else you’ll forget it.

For example, when Branson was on Virgin Atlantic’s inaugural flight to Japan he made a point of paying particular attention to cultural differences and the Japanese sense of respect and formality, as his notebook entry demonstrates:

“Need slippers in Upper Class, not socks. Need Japanese beers. Only one kind of newspaper from London: English. Need Japanese too. Japanese tea from London, not good. Japanese food from London. Tastes good but must be better presented. Looks like fish and chips. Saucers for Japanese teacups.”

Now, many leaders would balk at this micro-level focus, but Branson believes it’s imperative if you want to deliver the best to your customers (again and again). And the Virgin brand continues to do this better than almost every company in the world. It’s Branson’s near constant practice of putting himself in the shoes of his customer that gives Virgin the edge.

With so many competitors and options today, if you can nail customer delight and keep them coming back, you’ll blaze past your rivals.

Talk to Me

In Virgin’s early days, Branson would pen candid letters to his employees, telling them about everything that was going on with the company.

For Branson, this was a vital form of communication, in that the letters ensured a sense of intimacy in a rapidly growing company. Today, he admits that he finds it difficult to write the frank letters of the past, because they inevitably hit the press, but he still advocates that companies somehow communicate the overall picture of what’s going on to their employees.

Branson also has a message for all the business owners and managers out there: be brave. Hand out your e-mail address and phone number. It’s a psychological boost for those who work with you. It shows you trust them and that you’re there for them. If it’s urgent, you’re only a phone call away. “People aren’t stupid,” urges Branson, “they know not to misuse it or badger you.”

Staff also need to be heard, says Branson. There is nothing more frustrating for employees than to explain the same problems again and again and to have nothing done about them.

Branson recounts how he was on a Virgin flight and a member of the cabin crew told him that the sugar had run out. This person also explained that this wasn’t the first time, the sugar had run out on other flights too. Branson immediately put into effect the policy that flight staff reports are actioned IMMEDIATELY.

Because the Virgin brand hinges on customer delight, Branson knows that flight staff reports are gold and should be dealt with right away. Consequently, the staff are happy and so are the customers.

For Branson, boiling a business down to its essentials is an important exercise and business strategy. On the point of delivery, it’s all about details and communication. That’s it.

What do you think about Branson’s ‘stripped bare’ approach to delivery?

Dr. Helen Fisher is a scientist and a romantic. In the 15 minute video below Dr. Fisher explores why we crave love so much, even to the point that we would die for it.

To learn more about the human need for romantic love, she and her research team took brain scans of people in love (and of people who had just been dumped).

Her investigations have illuminated why we choose one partner over another and explore the differences in how men and women express intimacy.  

What are your thoughts on Dr. Fisher’s love studies? Have you felt different depending on whether or not you’ve been in love?

Welcome back! Here’s Part 4 in our FinerMinds 19-part series on Becoming Just Awesome. Today, we’re going back to basics. How many of you are familiar with the phrase, “you only get out what you put in”? Everyone, I imagine. We hear it so often we barely raise an eyebrow when someone rolls it out.

Let’s dust off this concept, and I’ll see if I can breathe some life into it for you. The other half of today’s post is about not being afraid to put in some elbow grease. To grow, we must be willing to do what’s hard, a downright novel idea in our current ‘ease and convenience’ world.

GIVE 100%

Here’s a question for those of you who own a business with a partner: How would you feel if your business partner was NOT giving 100% to the business? Annoyed? Let down? Angry? These would be pretty standard reactions, especially if there was no apparent reason for the downturn in your partner’s commitment.  The next question: Would YOU then feel like giving 100%? Probably not, especially in the long run.

This may seem strange, but the ‘universe’ works in much the same way. You need to think about the universe as your partner. If the idea of the ‘universe’ doesn’t work for you, substitute something else: life force, God, spiritual energy. Whatever makes sense for you. It’s the partner concept that’s important.

Imagine you’re only investing 50-60% of your energy into your life – your relationships, your work, your activities. As you putter along at half-potential, I’d hazard you wouldn’t be experiencing the sensation of the universe unfolding all around you – increased energy, mind-blowing experiences, extraordinary success.

It’s when you decide to truly go for it, give 100%, that incredible things start to happen. It’s as though the universe has ‘got your back’. You give 100%; the universe gives 100%. Even if you can isolate each positive incident and say, “well, this great thing happened because I did this and that,” it can still feel as though the universe is responding to your energy in kind, and this is an incredibly powerful sensation.

Giving 100% is massively rewarding, but so few people really go for it.

I’ll share an example with you, and I’d like your feedback on this case.

My husband and I were recently involved in a group exercise. In this exercise, about 50 of us were tasked with getting a number of heavy items to a certain point and then back to the start. We had to make it to the middle point in a certain amount of time, and we would each get points for doing this. Then you had to make it back to the starting area within the allotted time (with the heavy items). If anyone in the group did not make it back to the starting area in the amount of time allotted, then the whole group would lose.

We observed an interesting phenomenon. Less than half the team made it to the mid-point in time to get the points. Many on our team were less than 400 feet from the mid-point, but still did not make it (and we had all been walking/jogging for approximately two hours to get there). But then, on the way back, our whole team made it back to the start with 30 minutes to spare.

What happened?

We hypothesized that people are more motivated by not wanting to be labeled a ‘loser’ (by virtue of causing the team to lose) than by really going for it and trying to get the points.

Perhaps this example can be applied to life. So many people live their lives trying to make sure they’re not in the bottom half, rather than aiming for the top and their goals (as defined by them). Constantly keeping watch to make sure you’re not in the bottom half just sucks your energy away. It’s actually a fear-based existence. It’s far more positive and a better investment of your time and energy to keep focused on your goals and where you want to go.

After the exercise, one woman went up to the front to share her experiences about it. She was an elderly woman, on the heavier side, with multiple health issues. Not an athletic type at all. Her husband even told her not to do the exercise. He thought she wouldn’t make it, given her age and health status.

He could not have been more wrong. She made it to the mid-way point in time, leaving people half her age in her wake.

It was all in her mind, she said. At the beginning of the exercise, she simply declared to herself that she was going to make it and that nothing was going to stop her. And it didn’t. The experience was incredibly emotional for her. She shared that she now felt powerful and that the universe had opened up for her that day. I was sitting next to her later on, and she showed me her toenail, which was about to fall off because of all the trekking. I’ve never seen someone so proud of a toe injury.

HARD WORK

A few final words on the topic of hard work. Giving 100% and Being Willing To Do What’s Hard go hand-in-hand. Most people cruise along at 60% of their capacity and give up or change course when the going gets tough. Just look around you. There are examples of this everywhere. They’re busy strategizing on how they can get away with less.

Reaching your goals will not always be easy. Yes, sometimes you’ll go through periods where it seems effortless, but there will be difficult times too. Times when you want to give up. Times when you won’t feel like working hard. But if you persevere, you will be rewarded.

Looking back, most successful people report they learned more and became better individuals BECAUSE of the difficult periods and the hard work they put in. Successful people relish challenges and savor the triumph of coming through them. For them, a challenge is a problem to be solved.

EXERCISE

This week’s exercise is straightforward, but not the easiest of tasks. I want you to give 100% for 3 days. I could say go and give 100% every day for the rest of your lives, but this isn’t necessarily going to work. You first have to set a realistic goal. You need to try it out and reflect on the experience. Perhaps it’s not for you and that’s OK. But take small steps. Also remember that 100% will be different for each person. It’s very personal. You will know when you’re giving 100% of yourself.

During the 3 days, I want you to:

Be aware of what is hard for you. This probably sounds a bit ridiculous. You might be thinking, “of course I know what’s hard for me.” In reality, though, you’ve probably been avoiding many of the things you find difficult, and you don’t even know it. Or you’ve been telling yourself it’s no big deal that you don’t embrace these challenges. Again, what is hard is different for everyone. Maybe public speaking is difficult for you. Perhaps having a heart-to-heart conversation with your partner makes your palms sweat. Are you afraid of the gym? Maybe getting out of bed in the morning is the most arduous part of your day. The point is to be aware of what you find to be particularly hard.

Celebrate, Practice, Support. Over the 3 days, because you’ll be giving 100%, you’ll be tackling some of these hard items. First, pat yourself on the back for doing this. It’s not easy. You need to celebrate this ‘passive to active’ shift. The next point is zeroing in on what you find hard. This allows you to strategize on how to overcome these issues. You need a plan, and chances are this plan will include learning, practice and support. Seek out more knowledge and find opportunities to practice what is hard for you, and make sure to surround yourself with a network of individuals to support you.

I’d like to hear from all of you out there who have made the transition from mediocre output to consistently giving 100%. What does it feel like and how do you sustain this practice?

While my colleagues and I boarded the express bus to Singapore last Thursday night, I must admit, I was somewhat dreading spending the next 3 whole days indoors at a 14 hour/day conference while the sun beamed outside. It was a perfect weekend weather-wise and I couldn't help but think other ways I could be spending the upcoming few days. Hiking, biking, sun-batheing, swimming... anything would be better this.

We had heard about T. Harv Ecker before as earlier this year some of my other colleaques attended his Millionaire Mind Intensive he held in Malaysia. They claimed that his conference was a life-chaning moment for them and they returned to the office the following week with a complete shift in mindset. "Right," I thought sarcastically. I guess you could say I am (or used to be) somewhat of a skeptic. In fact, I don't think a more skeptical group of us could have been sent to T. Harv's seminar this weekend. I was completely expecting to come home on Sunday night wishing I hadn't "wasted" my weekend.

Boy. was. I. wrong.

I am not even sure if I can entirely explain to you what happened to my colleagues and I over that weekend with T. Harv and I don't think I fully understood what had happened until I woke up on Monday morning. In fact, even while participating in the sessions and activities at the Millionaire Mind Intensive I wasn't aware of the change that was happening within me, or perhaps I just didn't want to admit it. The funny thing is, we all felt it. We tried are hardest over our hurried lunch hours and short coffee breaks to fuel our skepticism with anything negative we could dig up but by our 3rd day with Harv it became evident we just couldn't fight it anymore.

We were different and we knew it.

The energy at the conference was infectious and it wasn't long before anything and everything made us shriek with Harv's token mantra "YOU'RE AWESOME!" while tossing around high-fives left and right. I realized this at the office Monday morning when I screamed "THAT'S AWESOME, YOU'RE AWESOME!" when John announced he had made a pot of coffee and he bellowed back "I KNOW I AM FREAKIN' AWESOME!."

What has happened to us!?

Whatever it is, I like it.

I feel like a completely different person than I did a week ago. I wake up each morning eager to start my day and make sure I sing my self-composed "success song" daily, something T. Harv recommends everyone to do. I even began a new work-out routine, something I have been putting off for months. I have completely new insights on money and how to manage it effectively, I realize that making excuses won't get you anywhere in life and how you do anything is how you do EVERYTHING! I now know without a doubt that I will reach my career and personal goals effortlessly. I can feel the energy flowing from my fingertips and bubbling through me and I just can't help putting 100% into everything I do! No more ifs, ands or buts!

The new energy permeating the MindValley office is amazing and we are constantly celebrating our daily successes. It is amazing how this energy acts like a money magnet! MindValley has been steadily and consistently growing since we started attending T. Harv's conferences. Coincidence?

Maybe, maybe not.

One thing those of us who attended the conference now know for sure - our lives have changed.

As far as we see it... we are millionaires already.

I like being busy, but every now and then, I step back to analyze what I'm doing, and boy, oh boy, do I sometimes spot trends that horrify me.

You see being busy is good. You're not lazy, and you're actually working on executing steps that help you get closer and closer to your goals.

Thing is, that's not enough, because what is a lot more important than just merely being busy, is being busy with the right things.

They are the things you should focus on. The things that produce the biggest impact. How can you do that and much more?

Not a problem, find out in this FinerMinds interview about the power of focus.

An Exclusive Interview with Les Hewitt