a) Passionate about building a better life for yourself

b) Dedicated to accomplishing your goals and dreams

So if those two things above resonate with you, then read on to see what Hani Khaursar (our super cool video editor at MindValley) has whipped up. It’s from her fresh off the press blog, The Blisscipline. I dare ya to check it out.

My favorite was #4 and I’ll probably have to work on it though. Drop a comment and share what your favorite points are and what you’re going to be working on.

Why Checking Out The Competition Is Sometimes A Bad Idea

By Hani Khaursar from TheBlisscipline.com

How many times did I freak out while building this site – my friends a.k.a super support group can give you a detailed report I’m sure. I would be moving along confidently and then decide to go ‘do some research’ and check out other blogs and websites. This is usually when the trouble began. I would start comparing my website, articles, videos, myself even to every other website out there and freak out! Yes, I’m quite dramatic.

Things I would freak out about:

• “Everyone else is better than I am”
• “How in the world am I going to do all of this?”
• “Am I providing value to people?”
• “No one is every going to read / watch / come to my blog!”
• and on and on..

Lucky for me, I have the most amazing friends and mentors – many who are successful professional coaches – who readily shared their knowledge with me. I’m not telling you this to show off, but because I am going to share the knowledge they imparted on me, with you (hurrah!) It has been priceless for me and has helped me tremendously and if you’re out there trying to make it on your own (I know it can be scary) I hope this knowledge can help you too!

Technique vs Mindset:

You’ve heard this argument before? Well, if you’re still not where you want to be in life, then you haven’t heard it enough! I cannot stress enough how understanding the difference between the two can change your life. No matter how much you follow in the footsteps of someone successful (technique), if you do not have the right mindset, then you’re going to fail.

What is the right mindset? Read on:

1) It is ok to fail: What is your Bounce back rate?

When my business idea was shot down by a mentor I was completely bummed. Understand that I respect this person a lot and his opinions mean a lot to me. However instead of ditching the idea I decided to take his advice and use it as a template of ‘things I need to improve’ in the idea.  It is ok to get your ideas shot down, what is important is how quickly you bounce back. Use all your rejections as a way to develop the right mindset.This is the best time to practice. If you let every rejection (and there will be many) make you lose your ground, then you will get nowhere.

2) Stop being a perfectionist!

I was told one day to repeat to myself, “I am a recovering perfectionist” as many times as necessary. Every step of the way during the process of creating this website I had to repeat that to myself or else this website much less any of it’s articles or videos would never have seen the light of day. Never let your quest for perfection distract you from your true objective. This one is a tough one especially for me because sometimes it physically pains me to put out videos or designs that don’t have every ‘t’ crossed and every ‘i’ dotted (again with the drama!) but I won’t let my perfectionism (is this even a word?) sabotage my success so I put out videos even if weren’t up to my personal standards because I would much rather see them published than not at all.

Click here to continue reading about the right goal-getting mindset »

Two years ago, in May 2008 MindValley was bleeding money. Mike and I were losing $20,000 a month trying to keep our business afloat. The stress and anxiety of being in that situation was overwhelming.

One year later, in May 2009 everything changes. We were making very good money and had grown the business by 500% almost overnight. In fact, in the month of May 2009, I had spent only 6 days in the office and had spent 21 days hanging out on paradise islands and beaches around the world, Necker Island, Fiji and Cabo. Yet during that time, we had our record sales month in the company’s 7-year history and our record sales day. Those moments of being in the red were distant memories. Yet only 12 months had passed by.

What helped with that rapid transformation? It was a change in Mindset that happened to us.

It involved T. Harv Eker, a crazy big shift in how I saw money and business building, and 3 days of intense learning at the Millionaire Mind Intensive. In essence, my wealth consciousness was transformed.

At Eker’s seminar, I learned that I was operating on several “rules” or mental models of wealth that were hijacking my success. For example, I believed that money equaled hard work. I felt that wealth came slowly. I believed I was too young to have a million dollars worth of assets. It all seems stupid now — but I was living on wealth mindsets implanted into my by family, teachers, an education system and broke friends.

At that event I had much of this wealth dogma scrubbed from my head. And a funny thing happened. Business soared. I had the same focus on marketing and strategy and business fundamentals — but the results were so much more powerful. It’s amazing how mindset can influence your success in any game you play — be it sports or the acquisition of wealth.

So if you really want to know how I grew my company by 500% in less than a year, check out this video.

We recently had the head Trainer of Millionaire Mind Intensive drop by our office to give a speech at the Hall of Awesomeness in our office. And I asked him to record a quick video to the FinerMinds audience inviting them to his event.

Click here to view the embedded video.

And it wasn’t just my wealth mindset that was transformed. The employees and culture at MindValley also experienced phenomenal growth and wealth happiness! It’s one of the reasons why we have our Code of Awesomeness and our Awesomeness Reports, which are being replicated by other companies already. (Our penchant for using the word “Awesome” within our company came from the seminar and the little games Harv made participants play)

So don’t wait around for that one “lucky break” because only you can change your life. T. Harv Eker and Kieron Sweeney are holding Millionaire Mind Intensive seminars all over North American in the next little while so I recommend you check it out as soon as possible. If you don’t want to wait for success to come to you, do yourself a favor and go now.

And by the way — it’s practically free. Get a copy of Harv’s book “Secrets of the Millionaire Mind” and you get a free pass to the event so you only pay a small registration fee.

To find out more about reprogramming your mindset for success, click here »

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

OMFG I love this book! I read it in 2003 while I was building up MindValley and working from home in my pajama on our early websites. My copy of this book is yellow highlighted, dog-eared and underlined on every few pages. Brilliant stuff.

On to the Note!

Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

“When you begin to think and grow rich, you will observe that riches begin with a state of mind, with definiteness of purpose, with little or no hard work. You, and every other person, ought to be interested in knowing how to acquire that state of mind which will attract riches… Observe very closely, as soon as you master the principles of this philosophy, and begin to follow the instructions for applying those principles, your financial status will begin to improve, and everything you touch will begin to transmute itself into an asset for your benefit. Impossible? Not at all!”

This is the single most important thing that has transformed both me and my company.

Just writing about flow wouldn’t do the philosophy justice, so I want to share with you a video of my experience at Engage Today. It was an amazing time to say the least. Just the thought of being on the same stage as the Dalai Lama, President F.W De Klerk, Sir Richard Branson, and Sean Stephenson still gives me goosebumps.

I was voted by the audience as one of the top 3 best speakers along with Sean Stephenson and Tony Hsieh (founder of Zappos.com).

With it’s impressive speaker line-up, Engage Today was one of the biggest personal growth events of the decade. Transformational leaders from all over the world flew into Calgary to share their wisdom on making the world, business, and each other better.

Along with the video, I just want to share with you what Greg Habstritt, the man behind the whole event and a great entrepreneur (he’s a winner of the Young Entrepreneur Of The Year award), wrote about my talk on business and flow.

Vishen Lakhiani is one of the rising stars in the world of online marketing and strategy.  He’s considered one of the top marketing minds today, and has been sought out by some of the biggest transformational leaders like Jack Canfield, Bob Proctor, Janet Attwood and dozens of other thought leaders.

Vishen was one of the top-rated presenters of the entire Engage Today event, and for good reason – he shared a ton of amazing information and insight on how he’s created one of the fastest growing online strategy companies.

Among other things, Vishen shares in this video:

• How he grew his company over 400% in revenues over a 1 year period
• What “the state of flow” is, and how it holds the key to energizing your company
• His explanation of “the Paradox of Intention” and why happiness cannot be tied to your goals
• What to do if you’re in a job or career that you don’t like
• Does it make sense to hire entrepreneurs into your business?

You’ll love Vishen’s energy in this session, and you’ll quickly see why he was one of the most popular speakers during the entire event!Watch his video, and please POST a comment below and let us know what you think!

Do you agree with him?

Do you think Vishen is one of the “new generation” entrepreneurs like so many people have called him?

The concept of flow is just the beginning though. If you’re really serious about transforming your life and career, then I want to invite you to something special. I’ve just conducted a free teleseminar with enlightened entrepreneur, Max Simon. We’ll be talking about the pivotal and essential turning point that every business or driven person must go through as well as what it really takes to succeed.

Just click here to listen to the teleseminar »

And as always, drop a comment and throw in your 2 cents. Can’t wait to read your comments.

And one more thing. If you haven’t checked out the videos of his Public Displays of Meditation, you can watch them here » It was one of the craziest things Mindvalley and I have ever done. Let’s just say mall cops showed up. Plus there’s a couple cool vids up there on meditation: a mini-documentary and a much funnier one.

The Life of a Conscious Rockstar

By Max Simon

OK, so maybe I’m not a real rockstar….but I’ve definitely created a rockin’ conscious life!

You see, I have been in the world of personal transformation for as long as I can remember. My father is best selling author Dr. David Simon, co-founder of the world-renowned Chopra Center for Well-Being (with Deepak Chopra), and a global authority on mind-body medicine. My mom is a 40-year Transcendental Meditation teacher (and a very lovable being).

So I grew up meditating, practicing yoga, eating (and cooking) vegetarian food, and learning from master teachers. It was good a life…

Until I hit puberty and lost my mind.

I then spent the next 7 years of my young adult life battling with extreme anxiety, low self-esteem, a lack of focus, and a tendency to numb out in any way that I could.

When I finally hit rock-bottom on a Tuesday morning after (yet another) rambunctious night of mischief, a little voice inside of me said: “You’re wasting away your potential and it’s time to change.”

It was true, I was wasting away my potential…and yes, it was time to change.

Teen Angst Finally Lets Up

So I went back to my roots and started meditating (again), practicing yoga (again), eating healthy foods (again), and surrounding myself with brilliant people (again).

And everything shifted, and shifted, and shifted, until I was totally aligned with my purpose, full of vibrant health, and making a powerfully positive difference in the world.

Which brings us to today, where I now put on life-changing live events that help people like you to create thriving and abundant businesses that make a powerfully positive difference in the world and give you the freedom to travel, go on retreats, and enjoy your life so that you can experience the happiness, freedom, and fulfillment that is your birthright.

And with that in mind, I have a few valuable tidbits of wisdom to share with you that will help you, regardless of whether you are in business or not.

“99% is a bitch, but 100% is a breeze”

Because, let’s face it — You have a lot going on (which can be great!). But the challenge with your extremely busy (and sometimes chaotic) life is that it’s easy to lose your center, become un-balanced, and get distracted from your truth.

You know what I’m talking about, don’t you?

And while it’s really easy to point the finger at everyone else (like your boss, your kids, your employees, your pets, etc) for what’s going on inside of you, the truth is that it’s 100% your responsibility!

Byron Katie that once said: “99% is a bitch, but 100% is a breeze” (I love that!).

And what she meant is that when you aren’t taking 100% responsibility for your life, your mind is going to look for every opportunity to blame, complain, and judge (which is no good for you or the world).

Yet when you can take 100% responsibility for what’s unfolding in your world, you have the opportunity to make conscious choices:

Like instead of always saying YES to someone else, you can choose to take responsibility for what you need first.

Like when you are getting distracted by Facebook or emails, you can choose to disengage and re-focus your energy and attention on what’s most important.

Like when you are doing something that you don’t totally love, you can choose to drop it and go in a new direction.

When you commit to being in the drivers seat of your own life, you now have the power to go wherever you want (and that’s when the adventure starts).

7 Days of 100% Responsibility (not as scary as it sounds)

So here’s an idea: for the next 7 days, see if you can take 100% responsibility for creating a rigorous self-care routine that includes closing your eyes and being still for a few minutes (meditating), moving your body (like yoga), doing something that inspires you (like reading), and eating one really healthy and nourishing meal.

These are the 4 pillars of a harmonized daily routine, and they will help you get focused, energized, clear, and totally on-track.

And to help you stay on track with this powerful new commitment, here are 5 things you can do right now to ensure your success:

5 Things to Ensure Success:

1. Get clear on EXACTLY what you are committing to by writing out your intentions on paper. The moment you can CLEARLY see your commitments in the framework of your consciousness, is the moment they become real.
2. Decide what to STOP doing that will free up space for you to honor your new commitments. Your life is already full enough, so adding something else on top of everything won’t (necessarily) help. Be willing to let go of what’s not serving you so that you get some fresh energy in your life.
3. Don’t worry if it’s not easy in the beginning. It can be difficult to change (because human conditioning runs deep) but don’t get hard on yourself or begin judging your capability. Everyone struggles during transformation so be easy on yourself.
4. SHARE your commitment with someone else and ask for their support in helping you stay on track and focused. Even the strongest person needs help sometimes (or a lot of the time).
5. Determine your REWARD for staying true to your path. Think of something really juicy and enjoyable now that you will give yourself for following through…and then consciously indulge baby!

What do you say? Are you in?

Can you commit to doing these 5 practices for the next 7 days? And more importantly, can you take 100% responsibility for making them happen?

Let me know by leaving a comment below.

I attended the seminar (you get 2 free passes when you buy the book) in May 2008. It was massive, 5000 people in a room and Harv Eker and Rob Riopel rocked the stage. I read the book AFTER the seminar. Both had a huge influence on Mike and I and the 8 people I dragged in to attend the seminar.

First Mike and I, (although slightly resistant at the start of the event) saw our income double in the subsequent one year. Is wealth a mindset? I certainly think so now. I think attending the event and reading the book caused me to overcome some major limitations in my thinking.

Next, of the 8 people we brought with us, 3 ended up starting their own businesses within a year. 4 ended up with a significant salary increase. All of them are Harv Eker fans and have recommended the book and seminar to countless others. Which again leads me to ask “Is wealth a mindset?”

Here’s what I believe now — the single biggest limitation on your income, has nothing to do with the economy, or your intelligence, or looks, or capacity to work hard, or ingenuity. It’s got to do primarily with ONE THING. And that’s the Millionaire Mindset. Read this book.

Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker

“It all comes down to this: if your subconscious “financial blueprint” is not ‘set’ for success, nothing you learn, nothing you know, and nothing you do will make much of a difference.”

Traditionally, zen, meditation, yoga, or “being present” aren’t what you would call your typical career attributes. But this is shifting drastically.

Companies like Google, Apple, are starting to realize the benefits of meditation and personal growth workshops for their employees. Even athletes like Tiger Woods claims that his path to success comes from “staying in the present.”

Check out this cool article on the new trends that are taking over the business environment. Maybe you can even show it to your boss and see if the company will sponsor some meditation classes

But if your company isn’t as advanced as say Google or Apple are, what are you doing to keep zen at the workplace. Drop a comment below with your tips. I’d definitely love to hear them

Zen and success at work

By Philip Delves Broughton

If you have ever watched Tiger Woods play golf, you know the look. Brim pulled down over the eyes, which are locked on some point far down the fairway.

Despite all the hubbub, he is locked into the moment.

His opponent stands off to one side gnawing his knuckles, knowing another defeat is just a few holes away. Credit meditation for Woods’ extraordinary focus.

An essential part of Tiger Woods’ success is what he calls “staying in the present” and not letting his mind wander off to hoisting a trophy or depositing another million-dollar cheque.

While other golfers may live in the future, at the moment Woods plays his shots, he is apparently free of the conscious worry which plagues the weekend duffer.

And he puts much of this down to meditation and the Eastern philosophy, mostly Buddhist, he learned from his Thai mother.

In addition to his early morning workouts and hours on the driving range, he also meditates daily.

The value of meditation has long been known to those who practise it. David Lynch, the director of Blue Velvet and Wild at Heart, established a foundation for “consciousness-based education and world peace” inspired by his 30 years’ practising transcendental meditation.

Click here to continue reading »

Lemme know what you think.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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 »