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."

Click here to view the embedded video.

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:

Click here to view the embedded video.

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

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.

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.

His name was Andrew Carnegie. You may have heard this name before if you have read the classic personal development book “Think and Grow Rich”. It was Carnegie that gave the author Napoleon Hill the assignment to interview hundreds of wealthy people about success. And those interviews became the foundation for the book.

Here are four of Carnegie’s own top tips for massive success.

1. Pay attention to the more important things.

“As I grow older, I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do.”

This is one of my favourite quotes at the moment. And I have to agree, I pay less and less attention to what people say. Because in the end, what someone does is the most important thing. Talking is easy, but walking your talk is harder. And walking it consistently even though you fall, slip back into old habits and make mistakes is a huge part of success.

Now, talking and discussing what you want to do can be very helpful. But at some point you also follow that up and take action.

And this not just a good way to see people in a clear way. It’s also a good way to look at yourself more clearly. Because you can tell yourself and others all kinds of things all day. But what you are actually getting done shows a lot about who you are right now and how you future will look.

Click here to read the 3 other tips >>

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.

Step 2: Move Out Of Your Comfort Zone

You won't grow unless you force yourself to. And it's not always going to be comfortable. In fact some of the best personal growth comes from doing things you're afraid of or nervous to do. But once you breach this barrier, your comfort zone will grow and grow until you can do anything.

To give you some inspiration and support have a read through this quick but insightful article, How to Move Out of Your Comfort Zone. And for a really great video, check out Brian Wong's inspiring presentation to a huge group of teenagers on your Discomfort Zone.

Step 3: Set Goals You Will Actually Achieve

We all want to set huge goals. And there's no reason why we shouldn't. But the problem is that sometimes we set goals incorrectly. We tend to think of goals as these achievements that we can only enjoy in the future. But what about the process? Will setting Goal X benefit you right this very moment? It's time to think of the present.

This is why I love this article from Steve Pavlina, How to Set Goals You Will Actually Achieve. It discusses the way we think of goals and why we set ourselves up for failure. It's not about how big the goal is, but how you perceive the goal in the present moment. Or check out this presentation Vishen did on goal setting which has got the whole team to become huge goal setters - Achieve your dream life in Reverse: Strategic Goal-Setting in 4 Parts.

Step 4: Self-Discipline

I know this word strikes fear in many people's hearts. It's an icky word but it's something everyone needs. Nothing was ever completed without self-discipline. As soon as you make it a value in your life, your goals will come to you faster. You'll also feel better about yourself and more accomplished. New goals and habits won't seem so hard to you anymore.

For great insight, check out How To Have More Self-Discipline by Penelope Trunk. It goes through the link between self-discipline and happiness and how having discipline in one area will automatically lead to discipline in another area.

Step 5: Find Your Dream Career

Alright, this is where things can get a little tricky. Up until now it's all been about you, you, you. Now we're branching out into a whole new circle. All of the social conditioning we've received has been this: get a job, go to work, time = money. But that might not be so true anymore.

This step really depends on your personality and what you want out of life. Do you want to work for someone else and be part of a company? Or do you want to work for yourself? So here are two articles to help you weigh your pros and cons. One is by Steve Pavlina and it's called 10 Reasons You Should Never Get a Job. Brilliant way to look at things. Even if you're planning on working for a company, read this anyway.

The other article is How To Get A Job By Thinking Outside Of The Box from The Digerati Life. There are some really amazing businesses to work for these days. You just have to find them. There's nothing wrong with working for a company. I do and I love my job. Just make sure their values and vision are aligned with yours.

Step 6: Keep Your Energy Up

Now to do all of these steps you're gonna need some energy. And we're not talking about just eating a healthy breakfast. So do what you need to do to keep yourself refreshed, rejuvenated, happy, and brimming with energy. This could mean going for a jog, meditating, or chilling with close friends.

Here's a great article on how to keep your vibration up. It's called Unusual Ways To Raise Vibration and you're definitely going to have some fun with these ideas.

We know you have something to say, so don't be shy and let us know what you're thinking about in the comments below.

]]> http://daily.finerminds.com/mind/taking-back-control-of-your-life-a-6-part-mini-guide-on-living-the-life-of-your-dreams/feed/ 4 http://daily.finerminds.com/wealth/who-wants-their-own-personal-go-to-council-of-super-heroes-for-abundance-of-every-kind/ http://daily.finerminds.com/wealth/who-wants-their-own-personal-go-to-council-of-super-heroes-for-abundance-of-every-kind/#comments Mon, 27 Jul 2009 07:37:28 +0000 Vishen Lakhiani http://daily.finerminds.com/?p=4154 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...What's going down is the Virtual Abundance Expo.

It's coming up this July 27th to July 30th and it's exactly as the name suggests. It's over 40 hours of phone and web access with top minds like Jack Canfield, Richard Branson, Bob Proctor, and even yours truly. There's even going to be 4 mystery guests!

Even as you listen to the exclusive talks, you'll feel your mindset start to change. Abundance will permeate every aspect of your life. From your health to your goals, you'll be able to figure out your passions and follow them for success and cash money.

I'm so excited for this event, it's gonna be out of this world and the first of its kind.

Here's a video from my friend Alex Mandossian. I think it's really important you listen to it to realize the need for an abundance mindset and just exactly what it is:

Click here to sign up for this revolutionary event that will revamp your mind for abundance in every aspect of your life>>

Cheers,

Vishen

PS: There's a cap on how many people are allowed to attend this event, so you better reserve your seat soon and the event starts in less than a week!

Click here to reserve your seat >>

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.

This is our 5th year of doing this annual retreat and this one was the biggest and best by far. We had three amazing speakers, Sean Stephenson, author of Get Off Your 'But', Brian Johnson of PhilosophersNotes.com, and Brian Wong of Quanlife.com.

Mike Reining with Sean Stephenson

We learned so much from these guys, I can't even fit everything into one blog post so stay tuned for 3 upcoming posts on the amazing insights we gained from them.

We discussed personal goals, values, what our self-limited beliefs were and how we can empower each of us. We focused on gratitude, spirituality, and the definition of success.

It was a transformational weekend for the company and for each of the individuals. I hate to sound like a cliche of a movie review, but we laughed, we cried, we hugged (a lot), and our lives will never be the same again.

Okay, maybe an overstatement but it was a breakthrough event for many of the people at this retreat. The level of self-awareness had gone up ten-fold and I can see it everyday at work.

Now some of you might be thinking, "Wait, isn't this a company retreat and not a self-help seminar?" Yes and no.

While it was entirely a company retreat with the end goal of furthering MindValley's growth, I know that nothing amazing can be accomplished without the growth of myself, my business partner, Mike Reining, and all the employees who are always working to find new ways to spread enlightened ideas.

The point I'm trying to drive across is this:

You can't grow your business without growing yourself and your employees.

It's as simple as that. I'm hoping in the next few years, this will be common knowledge and that the MindValley way can be replicated across the globe. I sound a little like human resources right now, but your employees are your greatest assets and resources. So why wouldn't you want to invest in them?

With spiritual, educational, and personal development, your company will continue to break through the glass ceiling.

Listening intently on a personal growth session.

Saying our daily affirmations for success.

Mike Reining swears by his affirmations with hand on heart.

A little friendly competition within the MindValley family.

Brian Johnson with his girlfriend.

Brian Wong showing his son something surely spectacular.

We're just like one big happy family.

Sean Stephenson performs hypnotism on one of our Project Managers to help her quit smoking.

The end result of the hypnotism. You can't see her, but one of FinerMinds' writers, Gabrielle, is stuck in there somewhere.

Sean Stephenson and Mike Reining share an in depth discussion on personal transformation.

Sean Stephenson with his parents.

And yes, we have musical talent too.

Brian Wong and his son.

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.

You can't MAKE someone do anything. You CAN, however, show them a different perspective. I've found it quite useful to determine the symbolism behind the situation. That is, what does the situation really represent to the person? What do their choices represent? For instance, if they're worried about the cost of something, versus an issue that may arise if they don't have that something, what that may boil down to is:
Is their peace of mind (the something) worth the cost?

- Corey

It's easier to market yourself and find "your people" if you have a target market. "Everyone" is not a target. Who can you have the most impact with?

- Toby on niche markets

Know what it is you are going to be talking about inside and out. Know as much as you can about your topic, that way you have more confidence in what you are saying. STUDY, STUDY, STUDY. and you can talk to hundreds, as long as you know your subject.

- Wuaneta Strobel on overcoming shyness

I share your challenge! I am a "fixer" by nature which is antithetical to coaching, where clients come to their own solutions. Take notes to jot down your ideas and AFTER client has emptied out all thoughts, you can say "I have a couple of suggestions/ideas. Are you open to hearing them?" If they say yes, then you can share. But only do this afterwards. do not interrupt. Taking notes will help you save your ideas till the appropriate time

- Lisa

Absolutely Yes! you can do coaching in different countries. I do coaching and Energetic work by phone and it's wonderful. Skype is a great, inexpensive way to connect around the world, and it is a free product you can download from the internet. It works great!

- Teresa

So the question is not what should I charge.. the question you could ask yourself is what is my personal worth and value? What do I believe in my own personal value.. what number is that? How can I show up and in my time with my client reflect that value onto my customers... believing, that what I have to offer is of TREMENDOUS value.. What is your time and energy worth? not what is out there. And what is everybody else offering.. ultimately there is no competition.. only that which you place upon yourself.

- Kiki

Your thoughts are extremely appreciated so, before you leave, it would be great if you could drop us a comment to share your insights with the community:

1. What was the biggest thing you learnt from David's teleseminar and quiz?
2. What would your #1 advice be for aspiring coaches?

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.

Fast Writing for Quick Profits

Stuart Wilde

{Tips from a rocket-speed professional writer on how to write quickly, and be precise and flee with the pay check; on-the-hurry-up, short-sharp, right now, pronto!}

I've written twenty books on spirituality and self-help. My first title was published in 1983. It was a short booklet called Miracles. It sold well over one million copies. Nice.

I write very fast. I normally can write a book of 220-250 pages in ninety hours of fast-writing. That is, working twenty-three hours a day for just under four days. I love writing but it's painful. You have to bare your soul and dig deep inside yourself the faster one gets the job done the better.

Ka-chink! Cash register!

Fast Precise Writing:

Removed the Logs

The human eye travels through the centre of words on a page. Speed readers run their eyes along the blank channel between the rows but most people don't read like that. Normally every word is an impediment to the reader's forward progress, so when writing, consider words as "logs on the path" that the reader has to cross over. The fewer words the better. Be brutal. Cut words out, never use ten words when you can get away with five.

Use This Layout

1)Be precise and clear about what you want to say, don't waffle with a silly introductions just say what you want to say, "French girls are more elegant that Greek girls."

2)Next answer the reader's objections.

3)Then restate your point with some additional information or with a short anecdotal piece that illustrates what you are saying. Remember you don't want to get hung up on whether or not the reader agrees you just want to state the point.

4)Then tumble out quickly by restating the main idea offering a strong reason why you believe it. "French girls are more elegant that Greek girls because Paris is the world centre for fashion and haut couture and the French girls are greatly influenced by that".

Be Precise

Learn to be precise most writers are very self-indulgent. Write for the readers not yourself or your pride.

Do this: write a piece that is 120 words long that includes the words dog, a deep well, and the New York Times be sure it is not one word shorter or longer than 120 and that it is entertaining, interesting and/or funny. Make up short tests like this one so you learn how to get to the point.

Click here to read more >>

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.

Your Online Money Making Marketing Voice

Judith Sherven, PhD and Jim Sniechowski, PhD

Making money on the Internet and marketing go hand in hand. But how do you create your online money without savaging your integrity? That’s the question most service providers and care-givers ask us.

And in answer to that question, there is a growing need, especially for the vast and growing number of service providers coming online, to understand selling as a spiritual service and the spiritual value of soft sell marketing.

Because in the face of so much rampant hard sell, combat-driven marketing online, that’s the only way you can be comfortable and proud selling your services, growing your business, and spreading the word about what you do – which we call “extending the prayer”. And it’s the only way you’ll be able to feel proud of the money you make doing so.

As fellow service providers, coming from our background as psychotherapists, we are deeply invested in wanting you to be successful making money on the Internet and offline as well. And when you create your own soft sell marketing mindset then you can stand proud behind your new marketing voice and your resulting online profits.

Now, no matter what you hear about marketing, even from us---remember that only you can really know the true value of what you do---and why you do it. Only you can create the specific marketing voice that comes from your heart and from your love for what you do.

And the heart of that knowing is the key to your best and most heart-felt marketing voice.

So:
Use Your Heart...
Use Your Love...
Use Your Soft Sell Marketing Voice...

To speak to your prospective customers so they can recognize that they are at home with you.

And when you do you extend the value, the deep spiritual prayer of what you do further out into the world! Because you will have found your own online money making marketing voice!

To build your success by expanding how you think about selling and marketing, be sure to get our new book The Heart of Marketing—Love Your Customers and They Will Love You Back (Morgan James Publishing, May 2009) and take advantage of their Amazon Book Launch sponsor Gifts still available when you go to http://TheHeartOfMarketing.com

Reconcile your heart with marketing >>