Pretty cool video of Robin Sharma in Moscow. Not only does Robin showcase the beauty of this historic city, he also tells you the key elements of leadership with the I.M.A.G.E. acronym.

Lemme know what you think.

At first glance, the title might make you cringe a little.

I mean, it's against everything we've been taught, right? That success is always earned. But if you believe in that 100%, where does that leave failure? It also means that failure is always earned. It's your fault if you fail. Entirely.

And this is why in societies such as ours and most of the world's, people take work too seriously and too personally. It creates a certain pain that honestly, is pretty damaging.

In this awesome speech by Alain de Botton, he talks about moving beyond job snobbery, letting the focus off our me-centered lives for a little bit, and ease up so that we can all enjoy our work and careers. As the saying goes, "The world doesn't revolve around you."

A few months ago we had an amazing article (actually one of our top rated articles) by Professor Srikumar Rao. It was called Happiness Is Your Birthright, You Have To Reach Out And Claim It!

And how right he was! The response to Professor Rao's article and Personal Mastery course taught at some of the best business schools in the world including Columbia, Haas, The University of California at Berkeley and London Business School.

But how did a business school lecturer become a personal development guru with a massive following ? And what about him caught the attention of CNN, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and Time Magazine?

I'll be conducting two interviews with Srikumar Rao.

And it won't be just me interviewing him. In fact, you're going to help me.

What's your most burning question for Srikumar Rao?

If you've been following them. This should be easy. If you're new to his work. Check out his website AreYouReadyToSucceed.com

Also, Dr. Rao gave an awesome talk to Google's headquarters last year. He covered of course the connection between your self-awareness and happiness as well as work life success:

Don't worry, I'll keep you posted on when the interview will be released.

But before then, don't forget to ask Dr. Rao you're #1 question on happiness and the workplace.

The Challenge For You:

1. How happy you are in your work?
2. How do you feel about your career and life path?
3. Do you feel that you are following your passion and purpose?
4. How can ideas from the personal development field be brought into the workplace?
5. Does meditation, gratitude, positive thinking, visualization, intuition etc have a place in work life?

After you've posed those 5 questions to yourself, I want you to drop a comment and post this final question:

What's the #1 thing you want to see changed in your life when it comes to your passion, purpose and career?

Cheers,

Vishen

Hey guys,

Tons of you checked out that new videos from Gary Ryan Blair on goal setting and more importantly goal getting that we were sending you last week and if you're like me, then you were probably a little shocked (but in a good way).

The idea of the elusive connection that forms successes in our brain is amazing and I love the implications of what that means from a personal development point of view.

The video definitely opened up my eyes to a whole new perspective. From the idea of creating that connection between goal setting and goal getting to the pattern of successes or failures we end up in, Gary Ryan Blair made a really good point.

If you remember, there was a question posed after the video that asked: What you would like to accomplish in 30 days?. The replies were overwhelming. I thought I'd share some of the most touching ones here:

"Dear Gary, I have the hardest time in creating any goals. I feel like a dandelion seed and just travel where the prevailing winds take me. I've tried many systems, but have not found anything that helps me with goals. I'm 60, have raised 3 kids, been married for 35 years, but have an aversion (I guess ) to goal setting and achieving. It may have to do with my Dad who died before he could retire and enjoy the 'Good Life'. Your video is very good, but more help is needed for me to set and go for the goals I want.
Namaste"
- Fran

"Hi Gary,

Just like Fran above I've hit the 60+ years and have a hard time creating goals. I feel like a leaf on a river's surface floating where the waters take me.

Settings goals is difficut for me and even if I have mornings are a terribly unproductive for me. I have trouble getting started and keeping foccussed

Love to hear any positive suggestions.

Kind regards"
- Peter

"I have never achieved a goal that I wrote on paper, looked at everyday and psyched myself up on. I guess I was always waiting for the genie to appear. I guess the biggest goal I have in my life would be to find out what my true goal is."

"I agree. I am so overwhelmed with the many goals I have that I feel totally lost in even starting. Too many directions - to many choices - leaves me with stagnating procrastination. For the past 22 years I have been very successful (by doing what people told me was difficult to achieve). That gave me pupose and as soon as I reached the top, I resigned, to look for the next challenge. In 2006 my life changed completely, I stopped working and now I am really stuck in too many directions of options. Can anybody assist out there with some wise words?"
- Hannelie

"Great video and I agree setting goals is the easy part achieving them can be elusive. I have set goals and fallen short of achieving them. It is much harder to set a goal when you have failed and the more times you fail the harder it is to dream."

I can't help but notice that most of these comments have to do with following through on a goal and how to even choose a goal to start with. And it doesn't matter where you come from. Everyone's got problems with goal setting and goal getting, be it with your finances, your love life, your health, or your career.

Gary Ryan Blair

I'm really glad this was brought up in the comments because Gary is hosting a teleseminar with Alex Mandossian, nonetheless, on how to pinpoint your goals, position yourself for success (he's got a cool 10-step method for this), and how to inject a lil' discipline into your life.

You guys may have realized already how much of a goal setting nerd I am. I've even done some blog posts on it and a few presentations for my team too. I've already signed myself up for the teleseminar but from what I hear there's still some spots open so if you're serious about changing your life and achieving your dreams, then check out this teleseminar.

Click here to sign up for Gary Ryan Blair and Alex Mandossian's exclusive teleseminar on goal getting >>

Cheers,

Vishen

P.S. Gary even reveals the "cook book technique" on getting discipline under your belt. It's helped over 80,000 organizations and 4 million people get their dreams on the right track.

Vishen Lakhiani and Greg Habstritt

Guys, this is huge.

As promised, here is my interview with Greg Habstritt, the man behind the scenes of Engage Today 2009.

He's the person who managed to bring the Dalai Lama, Richard Branson, Sean Stephenson, Dr. Stephen R. Covey, Janet Attwood, and countless other luminaries for one groundbreaking conference this September.

And how does one guy do that? Well, it wasn't through just wishful thinking.

It started like this. Greg and I were in the Dallas airport having some lunch and the ideas he brought up shook me. I was more than inspired by his ideas of the MVP mindset and his tactics on surviving the New Shift.

So I had no choice but to ask him to share these ideas with you guys.

Check out this interview and he'll explain what Engage Today will do to our minds and the world. We're entering a new phase of history and Greg is going to share with you the crazy ideas he shared with me and his 3-step formula to achieving the mindset that'll let you take advantage of the new rules.

I'm talking about abundance with inner peace.

This interview is so important I even whipped up a workbook for it .

Check out this free interview (and don't forget to fill our your workbook!) and let me know what you think of the New Shift that's taking place in global consciousness.

Click here to download the workbook and interview with Greg Habstritt on Engage Today 2009 and the New Shift in global thinking >>

Cheers,

Vishen

P.S. We're gonna tell you how you can be part of Engage Today and the awesome thank you gifts I'll be giving  you when you join.

Andrew Carnegie isn't just the 2nd richest man in history. He's also  a legend.

Born in Scotland in 1835, he and his parents moved to the States and is best known as a industrialist, businessman, and a major philanthropist.

He gave away most of his money to establish libraries, schools, and universities in the U.S., the U.K., and in other countries.

And even though he was rich, he wasn't an arrogant elitist. No, in fact he was and still is an inspiration to millions.

So if you're looking for success coupled with happiness, then check out these 4 tips by Andrew Carnegie.

If you have any other quotes or tips from Andrew Carnegie please share them with us.

Andrew Carnegie’s Top 4 Tips for Massive Success

By Henrik Edberg from PositivityBlog.com

“Aim for the highest.”

“You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb.”

In the late 1800s there lived a very rich man. In fact, he was so rich that he is now considered the second richest man in history. And, at least as I remember it, he became an inspiration for Scrooge McDuck. Read More…

I'm crazy nervous about this but at the same time really excited (what's a word to describe nervous+excited? my dictionary is not helping me right now).

There's no easy way to say this, but I will be speaking from the same stage as Richard Branson, Sean Stephenson, and even the Dalai Lama.

I couldn't believe it at first. I am literally bursting with happiness and feel so uplifted to be even considered to speak at the same event as these giants.

And as one of our 230,000 FinerMinds readers I'm hoping you might get a chance to attend.

Alright so these are the details. The event (some of you already know this) is called Engage Today. It's happening September 30th to October 3rd, this year and it'll be held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

This isn't any ol' conference. It comes with intent and the purpose to affect change on a global scale. What's even more amazing is that you're a part of this change too. The whole goal of the conference is to bring together world geniuses under one roof to create a catalyst for economic, social, and environmental change.

And here's where you come in. This conference is a place for individuals to learn how to adjust their methods of thinking for a new world. This is where you'll learn to use your passion to make a difference.

If that wasn't enough, check out some of the people speaking at this event.

The Visionaries Speaking At Engage Today

• Richard Branson - this entrepreneurial genius will be sharing his insights on combining business and power to address some of the biggest problems of the world today
• His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama - he'll be speaking about the true meaning of "prosperity" and how you can use it to make global change.
• Bill Harris - the founder and director of Centerpointe Research Institute and star of The Secret. We featured Bill on FinerMinds a few months back and almost 2140 of you rushed to his site to receive his free meditation CDs.
• Sean Stephenson - will be talking about finding your unique voice despite any personal or physical limitation and why the only thing that can hold you back is yourself.
• Dr. Stephen R. Covey -  author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Dr. Covey will give you what it takes to be a leader to change the world and yourself as well.
• President F.W. deKlerk - this former president of South Africa will be sharing his courageous story of ending apartheid and releasing Nelson Mandela after 27 years of imprisonment.
• Janet Attwood - co-author of The Passion Test, Janet will help you rediscover your passions.

Not to mention a special evening concert with Bryan Adams and K.D. Lang.

So you know how I feel about this whole event. Now I want to know how you feel about it. Who would you want to meet the most and why. For me it was always Richard Branson. His stance on social entrepreneurship and all of his efforts to help the environment and society are immense but now I can't wait to meet the His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama. So what I want from you is this:

If you could meet one of these amazing global leaders,

WHO would it be and why?

Drop a comment below and share your thoughts.  Just imagine the conversation and what you could learn from them.

Cheers,

Vishen Lakhiani

P.S. We've got an amazing interview coming up with Greg Habstritt, the founder of Engage Today.  So stay tuned for it.

P.P.S. Soon I'll also be sharing with you how you can join us at Engage Today, and will reveal to you the amazing surprises waiting for all the early-birds. Looking forward to see you at this very special event!

Let's face it. Not everyone is a morning person. Least of all me. But we still drag ourselves out of our cozy beds each day to live our lives.

To be honest, I just woke up and feel like going back to bed but what's a better time than now to write about having a great morning?

So I did some research, looked at the hardest parts of anyone's morning, and came up with this quick 5-step guide to getting the best out of every morning so that the rest of your day is absolutely amazing.

Step 1: Get A Good Night's Sleep

Probably the most important. You can do all the morning rituals you want but if you didn't get enough quality sleep, then you'll still be missing out on your full morning potential.

Now not everyone's the same. Some people only need 6 whereas I need a good 9 hours. Figure out where you stand and make it your target to get that amount of sleep every night. Of course, a little late night partying is allowed every now and then, just don't over do it.

Here are some quick tips on getting a better night's sleep:

• Meditate - clearing your mind can do wonders for getting you into deep sleep right away instead of staring at the ceiling for hours.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol in the evenings. Read More…

Editor's Note: Before you start reading watch this special video message from Robert Scheinfeld:

Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Our discussion here begins with a discussion of The Truth of who you really are. Who you really are is what I call an “Infinite Being” – a magnificent being who lives in a constant state of infinite power, wisdom, abundance, and joyfulness.  Along your journey, you’ve no doubt heard something like this:

"We are Spiritual Beings having a physical experience."

That’s true, but it’s the little-known True nature of our “physical experience” I want to chat with you about here.
Your natural state as an Infinite Being also includes having an unlimited desire to play, explore, and express yourself creatively. As a result, you decided you wanted to play a game called "The Human Game."

We’re all here playing The Human Game!

The Human Game - What is it and why do we play it?

I define the term “game” as anything we do for entertainment, fun, challenge, and to express ourselves creatively. As such, to me, sports and traditional games like checkers, chess, bridge, and monopoly are games. But so is painting sculpting, playing a musical instrument,  reading novels, watching plays, movies or TV shows, etc.
For purposes of discussion and using metaphors in this article, however, I’m going to focus 100% on sports games. All sports games have specific structures, themes, “playing fields,” and specific ways of winning.

Like baseball games have 9 innings, golf matches have 18+ holes, soccer games have two halves, and tennis matches have multiple sets, The Human Game was designed to have two phases. I call them “Phase 1” and “Phase 2” to keep things simple

The Goal of the Human Game

The theme of baseball is to score more runs than the other team. For golf, it’s to get the ball into the cup with the fewest number of strokes. For soccer it’s to score more goals than your opponent. The theme of The Human Game is to fully explore the experience of limitation and restriction – to explore what happens when you limit your natural state of infinite power, wisdom, abundance, joy, and ability to express yourself creatively.

Phase 1 Of the Human Game

To take that concept deeper, since your natural state is one of infinite power, wisdom, abundance, and joy, in Phase 1 of The Human Game, the goal is to convince yourself you’re the opposite of that – that you’re not powerful; you’re at the mercy of forces beyond your control; you’re living in a dangerous world; you’re not very “smart” (and/or there’s so much you don’t know and must learn); you’re not very abundant as it relates to money and stuff  (or your abundance is unstable and can come, go, shrink, grow, etc.); and you’re unhappy or experiencing “negative” emotions most of the time.

As a result, The Human Game is jam packed with all sorts of limiting and restrictive ideas and experiences. Concepts like death, poverty, loss, fear, pain, shame, struggle, and sorrow were all created exclusively for The Human Game experience.

The Playing Field For The Human Game

Soccer is played on a field, basketball on a court, baseball on a diamond, golf on a course. The playing field for The Human Game is what we call “3 Dimensional Reality” or “The Physical Universe,” which has visible and invisible components.

The playing field isn’t “real.” It doesn’t Truly have any power over us. It’s a cleverly crafted illusion that we create and convince ourselves is real and has power over us in Phase 1 -- as the quantum physicists and mystics have told us.

Once you’re born, the process of forgetting The Truth (about who you really are and what your natural state is), limiting and restricting yourself, and convincing yourself the illusory playing field is real kicks into high gear. In the popular psychology, success and self-help literature, this process is often called programming or conditioning, but it goes much deeper than is generally discussed.

How To Play In Phase 1 Of The Human Game

Therefore, to play in Phase 1 of The Human Game, we must:

1. Create the illusory playing field (3 Dimensional Reality), convince ourselves it’s real and has tremendous power over us
2. Convince ourselves we’re the opposite of who we really are as we play The Human Game on the field
3. Play with and explore limitations and restrictions in a myriad of ways as we play on the field

Read More…

Richard Branson and me

I recently experienced one of the highlights of my life.

If any of you know me at all, then you'll know that meeting Richard Branson has been one of my biggest dreams. He's been a true source of inspiration to me and it's all because of how he defines business and entrepreneurship.

It used to be that the only things that defined success were money and the number of people working under you. Well, with Branson, that's not it at all. For him the definition of business means being ethical in all that you do, treating your employees right, and mostly -- having fun. Lots of it.

So how did I end up on his private island?

Alright, so back to my dream of meeting Richard Branson. I honestly thought it would take me 5 or even 10 years to do this. You know, to build up credibility and success as an entrepreneur, the typical way to meet anybody famous and wildly successful. Read More…