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.

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…

It seems everywhere we look there's someone telling you to do this or don't do that. And when it comes to living your life, there's more than enough advice to be given whether you want it or not.

So you head to the personal development section of the bookstore or library or start doing some research online. And what hits you is an overwhelming wave of information. It can be a little hard to deal with at first.

So we've compiled this mini course for you on taking back control of your life. They're practical, adaptable for each person, and it's what all gurus and experts touch on.

If you've got anything to add, drop us a comment below!

Step 1: Unlock Your Unique Abilities

The first step is to figure out who you are and what special talents do you bring into this world. If you're inclined to say you don't have any talent, you're dead wrong. Everyone's unique in terms of what they offer. Sometimes it's just a little hard to see.

As a starter, check out this article, 9 Questions To Unlock Your Unique Abilities from FreedomEducation.ca to get you going. It's an introspective exercise that'll help you discover a new side to you. Read More…

Listen. Every major player in history and business has this one thing in common:

a healthy abundance mindset.

I can personally attest to this. When I started FinerMinds' parent company, MindValley, business was slow. I hate to admit it but that's the truth. No matter what I did, how many articles or books I read on running a business, nothing was happening. Until I had a shift in my abundance mindset. From that moment on, FinerMinds skyrocketed and so did my personal growth.

So until your mind is geared towards abundance, nothing will happen for you. It's time for you to remove those mental blocks and let the Universe and you come together to welcome wealth and success.

So back to your super hero council, I mentioned earlier. Remember when you were young and you thought how awesome it would be to have Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman at your side, guiding you and of course helping you fight crime? Now picture this:

Having over 12 of the most brilliant minds in the fields of abundance and success in your room, just hanging out with you, brainstorming never-before-thought-of ideas, and telling you the secrets to achieving every financial, spiritual, and emotional goal you've ever dreamed of.

Sounds a little too good to be true doesn't it. Well, pinch yourself, it's real... Read More…

Mike Reining and Vishen Lakhiani with Sean Stephenson

A couple weeks ago, FinerMinds' parent company, MindValley, went on a company retreat. Now before you picture convention rooms and bad lighting, let me tell you where we went.

Bali, Indonesia.

If you think we're crazy for going all the way to Bali, we're not (well, maybe just a little bit). Because we're based out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia it only cost $10,000 for 46 people to stay in Bali for 3 beautiful, starry nights.

At MindValley, we're not just any boring company. When I said 46 people, what I really wanted to say was 43 people from 17 different countries and 3 amazing kids.

All the amazing interviews we've had on FinerMinds, the exclusive content, the growth of the FinerMinds community is credited to the employees of MindValley who continually strive for personal growth for themselves and for you, the readers, and the world we live in.

Read More…

David Wood with FinerMinds Co-Founder, Vishen Lakhiani

Ever been coached, thought about coaching, or are a coach? Well, coach guru David Wood, after countless rave reviews and requests for him to come back to FinerMinds, finally gave us an exclusive teleseminar where he delves into the art of coaching and how you can get the best out of your practice and make a profitable income at the same time.

If you haven't done his quick 7-question quiz to determine if you're a hidden coach, then click here to watch the video and discover your Coaching Score »

For those who missed the teleseminar, don't worry. It's been recorded and is ready for your ears and mind. Click here for the replay »

Thousands of you have gone through David Wood's teleseminar and quiz and the insight gained and shared has been amazing. We'd like to thank all the people that commented and left their honest opinions and coaching revelations.

We've compiled the best comments and want to share them with you because they may just affect your perspective of coaching and ultimately affect your clients' lives.

Read More…

For many of you out there you may be thinking about writing a novel, self-help book, an autobiography, or some other work of written art.

But when faced with writer's block, procrastination, self-doubt, and demotivation, how can one possibly finish what they set out to do? Trust me, I've been through it all when it comes to writing.

But there is an answer to all that. Not just an answer, but a solution with the end result being quick profits!

Sounds good right? Then read this guide to getting fast results and even faster profits from one of the most prolific writers out there in the self-help and spirituality genres, Stuart Wilde.

Read More…

In this world of hard sales, pushy clerks, and media overload, it's difficult to see how marketing can be something less than ferocious or harmful.

So for those working in the field of marketing or even for someone starting up their own business, how do you sell without selling out your customers? Well maybe there is a way, so long as you keep your customers' needs in your intentions.

I want to introduce you to Judith Sherven, PhD and Jim Sniechowski, PhD. Here is a message from them that bridges the gap between spirituality and the fast-paced world of marketing. Read More…