As a follow up to “Procrastinators Never Have an Easy Day,” let’s talk about steps to take to achieve that easy day - that day when accomplishment and achievement are reached - when the overhang of things waiting to be done is manageable, and guilt and remorse are replaced with optimism and confidence. That sure sounds good - and it can happen - starting today.

The first step is to imagine what that easy day is going to be like - that day when things are under control, when the taxes are done - on time, when the boss offers congratulations on the completion of an assignment that exceeded expectations, when fear is overcome and the result of a project was a really, really good outcome. Start with the end in mind - in this case replacing the behavior and habit of thought of procrastination that serves so poorly and creates negative emotions with a behavior and habit of thought that creates the reward of freedom to grow and learn and test limits - or the freedom to fall asleep under a tree with no cares of the world. The rewards are in reach - believe it. Start this journey with the Reward - whatever that may be - in mind.

Step 2: Replace intent with action. Replace talking about the “what if’’s” and the “when I get to it’s ” with Action on what is truly important, and pressing, and proximate, and fearful. As Brian Tracy says in Eat That Frog- “Swallow the frog first.” Or, if you choose, ” Attack the bear in the room before it gets any bigger.” Do the things you don’t want to do first. Save the really neat stuff to do as a reward.

Step 3: Don’t think too much. That sounds funny, but it’s so true! The curse of the intelligent is being able to see all kinds of alternatives, combinations and permutations - to see all kinds of consequences and possibilities, and become frozen in place with too many options. Pick out a course of action and go for it. If the first “ready, aim, fire” doesn’t hit the target, it probably came close. Adjust and “ready, aim, fire” again. But make the adjustments as a result of action. If the second course of action doesn’t hit the target, it got closer. Persist with action.

Step 4: Replace the codewords of the procrastinator. Words like “tomorrow,” and statements/beliefs like “good things come to those who wait,” “anything worth doing is worth doing right,” “it’ll take care of itself” and “I need more information/preparation.” Great phrases, but not for procrastinators - they only reinforce the tomorrow habit of thought of procrastinators. Listen to your self talk, and replace those kinds of phrases that create a tomorrow mentality. Today is all that has value - tomorrow will never come for many, many people.

Step 5: When faced with a project, replace the procrastinator’s first question and thought - “When is this due?” with “What can I do today to get this going?” Consider meeting a due date for what it is - a failure to exceed expectations.

Step 6: If something simply can’t get done when a date is imposed, challenge the issue. If that doesn’t work, manage the project to keep others aware of progress. Never ever let the boss get ambushed with a date not kept - even if he/she really deserved to be embarrassed by their unreasonable demands. To your boss, passive aggressive behavior is infuriating, frustrating and dangerous - survival may happen, but trust will be gone.

Step 7: Focus, focus, focus. Complete whatever the big things are. Don’t let up until they’re done. Don’t let the little things intrude - be very wary of the demands of others and their impact on completing the most important things, Develop the ability to say no - politely, constructively and firmly. And make sure the big things are really the big things. Nothing is more frustrating than to be working like crazy on thin things - and not knowing it. That’s where goals - shared goals are so important.

Step 8: Realize that a conscious decision to delay something because of the importance of other things is not procrastination. Realistic and accurate prioritizing is a skill - an essential survival and success skill.

Step 9: Consider pretty good as better than perfection - because it is. Realize that by the time you burst into the room with the perfect solution - if there is such a thing - someone else has already acted with a good enough solution, and another opportunity to contribute has been lost.

Lastly, take these nine steps one at a time - the trap of too much at once is a real trap - it ends up causing nothing to be accomplished.

Take whatever step seems right - then ACT! Do it - today!

Andy Cox is President of Cox Consulting Group LLC. The focus of his work is on helping organizations and their people increase their success in the hiring, developing and enhancing the performance of leaders and emerging leaders. Cox Consulting Group LLC was started in 1995, and has worked with a wide range of organizations, managers and leaders - helping them define success, achieve success and make the ability to change a competitive advantage. He can be reached at http://coxconsultgroup.com

Calvin Coolidge said, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education alone will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

You can’t teach someone persistence. People will become sufficiently persistent to succeed only when their desire for their goal exceeds the pain and discomfort they have to endure in order to reach it. It’s simply a matter of comparison: the pain of living without your objective has to exceed the pain of paying the price to accomplish that goal. Which pain is greater? Everyone is motivated. Motivation means “A motive for action”. Some people are motivated to lie in the gutter with a cigarette and bottle of liquor. That’s what they want to do, that’s why they’re doing it. Others live mediocre lives, because they don’t want real success badly enough to pay the price to obtain it.

How do we guarantee success? DESIRE. When you want something badly enough, when you are prepared to do whatever it takes to get it, you will become persistent. And when that happens, success is guaranteed. On a scale of one to ten, one being “It doesn’t matter” and ten being “Nothing will stop me”, how badly do you want to reach your objective? If it’s anything less than a twelve, don’t bother. FIND something that you want more than anything else. That desire will burn away fear, slothfulness, excuses, lack of attention, distraction, compromise, mediocrity and even fatigue. People who are seriously motivated are persistent and dedicated. They set extremely high standards and will pay the price. They LOVE their objective.

Persistence is the result of finding your true purpose and the result of persistence is massive success. To find your purpose, it’s good to spend time with others who already know what their purpose is. Those people will inspire you and their energy will start to invigorate you. You will seek what they have, which is purpose. And what you honestly and sincerely seek, you will surely find.

“They who lack talent expect things to happen without effort. They ascribe failure to a lack of inspiration or ability, or to misfortune, rather than to insufficient application. At the core of every true talent there is an awareness of the difficulties inherent in any achievement, and the confidence that by persistence and patience something worthwhile will be realized. Thus talent is a species of vigour.” - Eric Hoffer

About Robin J. Elliott

For more than 19 years, Robin J. Elliott has worked with thousands of businesses in over 49 industries across the United States, Canada, and Africa. He specializes in helping small business entrepreneurs build wealth and gain access to new markets and profit centers through Joint Ventures. Through his Joint venture Seminars across North America he has thought thousands how to create increasing, multiple streams of income without cost or risk and very little time.

Get Robin J. Elliott’s FREE: “How To Grow Serious Wealth Using Joint Ventures” Mini-Course, and The Prophet of Profit e-Zine along with video blogs, world class articles, free video, and access to top Joint Venture Partners at http://www.jvwisdom.com

If you are like most people you probably notice yourself procrastinating on certain projects or issues in your life. Maybe you don’t want to start a project for school or for work. You may find yourself waiting until the last minute to do things and experiencing the stress that comes with this way of living. Waiting to begin wastes much valuable time and tends to cause unease and pressure. You know you should be starting something but you find that you are being held back. This article is going to reveal exactly what holds you back and how it operates. Lets get started.

Have you ever noticed that often times before you start a project or any other activity you aren’t looking forward to, your mind begins flashing images of how difficult it will be to accomplish the task. It may be in the form of a fleeting feeling of resistance to beginning the project immediately, or it may offer you a list of reasons explaining why now is not a good time to start. It may say something like, “oh, its all right, I’ll start that project this weekend. I’ll have lots of time to work on it then.” Then the weekend comes and you notice that you still feel dread about the task. Starting the project on the weekend doesn’t seem all that fun now. Its sunny outside and you don’t want to lose the beautiful day to boring or strenuous work. So your mind says, “go out and enjoy this great day. You can make up for lost time on the project tonight.” When tonight comes you still don’t feel like starting. This is the saga that many people are trapped in. Is there a way out? Yes.

Before we can be free of procrastination, we need to see exactly what we get when we go along with it. We need to see the outcome of what procrastination does to us. Only when we are clear about what we really receive will procrastination drop away forever. Once you see the folly of listening to your thoughts they lose their power over you. They can no longer sway your judgment with their whisperings about how you should wait to start a task. The same thoughts may still appear and try to get you to do what they want. But because you have seen the truth of them you cant be fooled by their promises. You smile at your thoughts and promptly begin working.

You will notice that once you are free from procrastination your whole life will become a lot easier and more fun. All of stress we feel is not due to the project that needs to get done. It is due to our thinking about the project. Watch diligently for any kind of thought that would like to have you wait to start the project at hand. You will know a thought is operating if you feel even the slightest bit of resistance to the task. This is a warning sign that your mind has crafted a story about the project that is very likely untrue. The next time you notice this happening to you in even the slightest way try this simple experiment. As soon as the first thought of resistance arises, immediately go start the project and work on it for a solid period of time. Now evaluate if your minds projection of what it would be like to do the project is anywhere near true. Nine times out of ten it will not be. This will be amazingly freeing to you during your day. Your mind will no longer be able to lie to you and control you. This is the beginning of true freedom.

Do you long for an unshakable peace and command that never leaves you… For happiness and joy in all moments of your life? If so, this amazing, life-changing program is exactly what you are looking for. I personally guarantee it! Discover what steals peace and how to stop its unseen activity with Secrets of Being Unstoppable, by Guy Finley. Don’t wait… click here now: http://seekingtheextraordinary.com to change your life today.

Pity the poor procrastinators. They never have an easy day. They can’t - with so many things hanging over their heads - and most of them are the most important things, or the things they fear the most, or things that are seen as having to be done perfectly.

So procrastinators have to stay really busy doing other things to convince themselves that they’re too busy to do the things they don’t want to do, but that need to be done; or that they want to do so well that they can never measure up to their own standards.

And so, at the end of each day, they collapse in exhaustion, once again convinced that a lot got done - a good day. And for some time, there is a good feeling about all the “thin” things that were accomplished. Meanwhile, the bear in the room just keeps getting bigger - and badder - and more difficult to address - and more challenging to do right. And then it’s too late - but it’s never too late - is it? Isn’t there always tomorrow?

What happened?

One of the things that happened was so much time was spent on the process and challenges and possible pitfalls that the goal got lost. Preparation and process became more important than anything else. And then, after all that effort, it wasn’t good enough - it had to be perfect. So much time was spent on it - whatever it is - that producing anything less than the best was unacceptable.

Maybe there were questions of being able - or worthy - or both. And so it was kept at arm’s length, and touched - and poked - and started, but there was never real commitment - there was always something more pressing to do - and those pressing things always got in the way of answering the question of ability or worthiness. What a relief! To still be able to feel both worthy and able without having to challenge those two “worms.”

Maybe the time frame was set with the due date as the focus - rather than focusing on what could be done today. And as the due date kept getting nearer, and panic set in, and work started, it was too late, and the due date was missed, or the procrastinator gave up - quit. And yet, at the beginning, there seemed to be plenty of time.

Maybe the request to do something was seen as an imposition and as unreasonable. But rather than confront the unreasonable demand, the decision was made, most often subconsciously, to delay, and show whoever made the demand that it couldn’t be done in their time frame. The lack of accomplishment, or of failing to meet the expectations of others becomes the response to the demand. It’s called passive aggressive behavior.

A pretty bleak picture of what procrastination - putting off until tomorrow what needs to be done, or at the least started, today, can cost. High stress, guilt, regret, reinforcement of not being able or worthy, quitting and a host of other negative emotions and behaviors surround procrastinators. It’s too bad - since most are hard workers, and smart, and able and worthy - and busier than most other people. It’s just that their own self talk and their own behavior makes it almost impossible for them to have an easy day - a day without the negative emotions mentioned.

Is there hope? Of course there is - a behavior can be changed and so can a habit of thought. But since I want that subject to be written perfectly, I want to give it a lot of thought, and make sure I’m both worthy and able to write it. Look for it tomorrow - that’s the day most procrastinator’s live for.

Andy Cox is President of Cox Consulting Group LLC. The focus of his work is on helping organizations and their people increase their success in the hiring, developing and enhancing the performance of leaders and emerging leaders. Cox Consulting Group LLC was started in 1995, and has worked with a wide range of organizations, managers and leaders - helping them define success, achieve success and make the ability to change a competitive advantage. He can be reached at http://coxconsultgroup.com

Why is it that we prolong our true enjoyment of life until we “get the house, job, car, lifestyle” we think we want and deserve? Why is it we do not enjoy right here and now…..our every day lives….regardless of what we have or don’t have around us?

I have friends who are so sad with the state of their lives….they think they have either done the wrong things, are in the wrong jobs, live in the wrong state, don’t have the things in their lives that they think will make them happy……they are so close to true joy and they don’t even realize it.

JOY is but one choice away. We must CHOOSE to find joy in our lives. JOY may be a very hard choice, but it is still one choice away. We CHOOSE to live a certain way. We CHOOSE to associate with certain people. We CHOOSE to perpetuate certain habits. We can also CHOOSE to find JOY in our lives and enjoy the very essence of being alive.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer 5 years ago I had a choice. I could choose to think my life was over or I could choose to believe the rest of my life was just beginning. I could choose to overlook the pleasure of my 2 and 6 year olds because of the disease, or I could choose to cherish every moment with them and plan for their futures. I could choose to curl up in my bedrooom and ignore the world, or I could choose to embrace the very essence of being alive. My choice was to LIVE. My choice was to find JOY in my surroundings. My choice was to stive for a future.

No, chemotherapy is not fun. No, multiple surgeries are not fun. No, losing your hair is not fun. No, thinking that cancer could return at any moment is not fun. All of those things however are moments in time…..they do not define who we are and what we will become. I am not a cancer patient first….I am an individual first ….. just one who happened to have cancer. We cannot live our lives sucumbing to our fears……we must live our lives focused on keeping JOY front and center.

Where do you find your everyday JOY in your life? Have you made choices in your life to make JOY your focus? What does JOY mean to you?

Here is a challenge for you……the next time you are faced with an obstacle that makes you sad, mad, upset, remorseful, fearful……stop and ask yourself….”What is the one choice I could make in this situation that would turn it to a situation of joy?” It’s not an impossible question. It’s a question that can turn your life around.

Glenna Sanford
Speaker/Author/Life Power Coach
glenna@glennasanford.com

Glenna G. Sanford, instructor, trainer, motivational speaker, author, and breast cancer survivor has taught seminars on public speaking, presentation skills, and other communication topics for more than 10 years. In addition to communication topic based seminars, Glenna also provides motivational and inspirational seminars based on her experience with cancer. Currently an adjunct distance learning faculty member at Bristol Community College in MA, Glenna conducts seminars throughout the country and is available to customize a program to meet the needs of your company or organization.

Having received her BA degree from Saint Anselm College (NH) and her MS from Rivier College (NH), Glenna went on to work in the fields of public relations, marketing, development, communication training and higher education. In addition to her work, Glenna is an active promoter of awareness and fund-raising for treatment and research for breast cancer and is a speaker for the National Cancer Survivors Day Foundation.

Glenna and her husband currently live in North Carolina with their two children.

It goes without saying that being Fearless is all about taking a risk. But most of us shy away from the risks because we’re too afraid. It’s a vicious cycle.

There is something about taking a RISK that puts everyone into a tailspin. We feel our chest tighten, our hands become unsteady and worst of all, our minds go into scramble mode and we turn into complete idiots about the simplest things.

You see when we take a risk, we also have to choose. We have to choose what is potentially good for us versus choosing to stay where we are and be miserable. Either way, you make a choice. Isn’t that an interesting proposition? We get to choose to be miserable.
I was in my forties before I realized the truth of that one.

In the middle of a huge fight with my husband, while I blamed him for everything that was limited about our life, and blamed him for creating the circumstances that created these limitations, he said something prolific and simple. “You chose to be here”.

It was one of those lightening bolt moments when I stopped in mid-sentence and swallowed my next round of invective. Suddenly, all these years of blaming him, of blaming other people for the misery I was experiencing in my life, was no longer true. I was responsible for my choices. I had chosen to be in these circumstances. I had chosen to be with the people in my life. I had chosen to limit or expand my universe based on which direction I was going.

In my book, it doesn’t get more profound than that.
I have an acronym for risk. It really sums up what it’s all about for me. When you take a RISK, you Respect Intention and Show Kourage.

When we respect our intention we set the program for change.

Twelve years ago, I began writing a book about my family. It was a difficult story full of rape, incest, unwanted children, physical abuse, retarded children and adoption. Many families are complicated. I just happened to think that mine was a little more than most.. But there was a burning desire to tell the story, and although I was afraid, I knew it was essential that I make sense of it. I wanted to know why the same patterns kept showing up generation after generation, destroying the lives of so many along the way.

I took a risk in writing it for several reasons. Firstly, I had no track record as a writer when I began it, and secondly, because I was talking about the secrets that had burned their way through three generations of my family. We had three generations of women having children born outside of marriage, including me, and I wanted to know what that was all about. My journey was to unlock these secrets from the people who were still alive to tell them, and they did. In the process their lives were transformed also.

An aunt, the first of the illegitimate children, disclosed after 65 years, the secret she had been holding back from everyone. When I wrote about it in my first draft, she was angry with me that she had been forced to tell her children. When I questioned their response, she told me they had said ‘So!” The secret that was held for too long had lost it’s power all these years later.
Over the years, the story segued from being autobiographical to a novel, because I realized that I needed distance from the characters to make them believable and to discover who they really were. I was writing about my grandmother, who I hardly knew, and my mother and father, who I knew but only to a certain point. How many of us really know who our mothers and fathers really are? They are identified as parents, not as individuals. It was my task to find out who they were as people.

I had no idea how writing this book would change my life.

How many of us hold family secrets because we’re too ashamed, too afraid of what harm they can do, too afraid of hurting someone else. We believe that if don’t take a risk, we will protect ourselves, when in fact it is the complete opposite. When we limit our existence, we feel miserable. You then enter the cycle where you wish you had taken a risk, and then don’t, growing into being more limited, more miserable and so on. We say no to choice when we refuse to take a risk.

There are many reasons for holding back the family secrets but unfortunately, they poison the well. They seep down through the rich soil of who we are and leech out all the spontaneity and life that is ours. We sacrifice ourselves to the stories of previous generations. We carry so much baggage around with us and the truth is… it’s not ours to carry. We have to set it down. It’s old stuff. These are someone else’s story; someone else’s expectations; someone else’s limitations. We are straight laced by our history.
So what can we do? We must make a choice. We must step outside of our comfort zone, and we must take that risk to invent new stories. We have to reinvent our own lives. We have to step outside the confines of our old belief systems, take a RISK by making a choice, and become the woman you were meant to be before you inherited the lies.
I did that when I created this book When The Crow Sings. I had to make a choice. Was I going to be carrying the weight of failure around with me forever, or would I choose to change it. I chose to change it because my life was a mess. Writing this down became my way of making sense of the history. Of knowing where I came from so I would know who I was.

I learned I wasn’t my mother, my father or anyone else outside of my body. I wasn’t their language, their limitations or their belief systems. I was me. I had developed a life confined within the narrow boundaries of who they were, and I spent a great deal of my life breaking free of them.

Thankfully today, I am free of the past, although I’ve learned how to take RISKS and I’ve taken plenty, there are still moments when taking that RISK is difficult. I doubt myself, I worry about the future, and I get involved in stories that are lies. I started Fearless Fifties on an idea with only a sense that I had something worth saying. I took a RISK that people would want to hear it. But now, when I face the fear of taking the next RISK, I know that it’s been done before and I can do it again. I just have to believe it’s possible.

We all need to believe in who we are. When we can do that, miracles do happen. We become the person we were meant to be. We become true to who we are. And the most amazing miracle of all is this. When you truly know who you are, people respond in the most amazing ways. They respect you. They admire you for your courage. They want to have a little of what you’ve got. They make you feel special because you are.

“We’re in a free fall into the future. We don’t know where we’re going. Things are changing so fast. And always when you’re going through a long tunnel, anxiety comes along. But all you have to do to transform your hell into a paradise is to turn your fall into a voluntary act. It’s a very interesting shift of perspective . . . Joyfully participate in the sorrows of the world and everything changes.” (Joseph Campbell in Sukhavati)

Fearless Fifties coach and speaker Jacqueline Wales shows you how to become the woman you were always meant to be; how to take risks to strengthen your beliefs about who you are and grow more confident, secure and strong as you develop the life you want. For your free copy of the Fearless Fifties newsletter and a bonus report Putting PASSION Back Into Your Life go to http://www.fearlessfifties.com

Please contact jacqueline@fearlessfifties.com or call (718) 502 9332

I have just returned from a visit to my family in South Africa. I have the most loving, caring and committed family in the world. On the way home in the plane. I was thinking about my visit with them and I realized that every one of them was constantly pushing books into my hands to read. We are a family of are Readers.

Wendy showed me her latest book, “Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos.” by Robert D. Kaplan. It was filled with her notes and comments. My Dad read me excerpts from his war books, Gwyneth urged me to read her five recommended books in the fourteen days I was there and my Mom had me read and finish her friend, Gabriel Weiss’s amazing book about how he survived the Nazi death camps in Hungary. And of course I took a whole lot of books and books on tape for them, too. Rika and I love visiting the library and any good bookshop.

Entrepreneurs should realize one important thing about reading good books by smart people: When you read the words of a good author, you are thinking his thoughts! What a wonderful privilege to be able to think the thoughts of Churchill, Donald Trump, Ayn Rand, Sun Tzu, Patton, Aristotle, Leonard Peikoff, and Napoleon Hill! Surely, we if think their thoughts, our choices will achieve the same results that they did. There’s nothing sadder than someone who has stopped reading good books. Especially an entrepreneur, who needs to constantly develop and learn in order to maintain the lead in his or her chosen field.

When I met multi-millionaire Maxim Krok, he suggested I read “Horse Sense” by All Reiss. I bought it immediately and read it three times. I was fortunate to do some work for him and it was a privilege to learn from him. When you visit someone’s home or office, see what books line the shelves. Jim Rohn said the more successful people are, they more they read. And I’m not talking about the sports pages or the TV Times. When I want to know more about people, I ask what they’re currently reading. What are YOU reading? When I left South Africa, my Family gave me… another book: Building Buzz by Marisa D’Vari. On the plane, I look at what my fellow flyer is reading before deciding whether or not to talk with them. I had a fascinating three hour conversation with a 23 year old English teacher who was reading “We Need to Talk About Kevin” by Lionel Shriver.

Are you what you read? If we are our thoughts and if our thoughts are things, if our mind is a magnet, if our thoughts determine our choices, then we should eagerly seize the opportunity to read more than ever before. And if your excuse is that you don’t have the time, how about audio books on MP3? Atlas Shrugged is now available, all 53 hours of it, on MP3!

For more great information to READ about Joint Ventures visit www.jvwisdom.com

About Robin J. Elliott

For more than 19 years, Robin J. Elliott has worked with thousands of businesses in over 49 industries across the United States, Canada, and Africa. He specializes in helping small business entrepreneurs build wealth and gain access to new markets and profit centers through Joint Ventures. Through his Joint venture Seminars across North America he has thought thousands how to create increasing, multiple streams of income without cost or risk and very little time.

Get Robin J. Elliott’s FREE: “How To Grow Serious Wealth Using Joint Ventures” Mini-Course, and The Prophet of Profit e-Zine along with video blogs, world class articles, free video, and access to top Joint Venture Partners at http://www.jvwisdom.com

When I walk into a room to do a presentation I regularly ask a few questions before we get under way:

“Who wants to live an amazing life?” (every hand goes up)

“Who wants to have an amazing career?” (every hand goes up again)

“Who wants incredible relationships?” (every hand)

“Who wants more.” (every hand)

To the uninitiated, it would appear that everyone in the room is pretty sure about what they want…

They want amazing.

They want incredible.

They want more.

Cool; they know what they want… that’s a good start.

Or do they?

Then the tricky questions come:

“What does your amazing life look like, what will make it amazing and how will you create it?”
(errr… aah… mm… silence and much glancing around the room)

“And by the way, what exactly is… more?”
(no hands up, more silence)

The truth for many of us is that we know what we don’t want (our current life and reality) but we haven’t really clearly defined exactly what we do want.

So many of us lack clarity and certainty about (what we want for) our future:

Where we want to be.

What we want to do.

What we want our life to look like in 1, 2, 5 or 10 years from now.

We kinda think that somehow it’s all just gonna fall into place.

It ain’t.

We don’t ‘accidentally’ end up with an amazing life.

We know we want to be somewhere better.

It’s just that we’re not that sure where better is… or what it looks like.

“So you hate your life… what would you like to be doing?”

“Er.. not sure.”

“You say you want more.. what does that mean SPECIFICALLY?”

“Aah.. dunno”

Before you can create amazing, you need to define it.

For you.

Personally.

Not anyone else’s version of an amazing life… yours.

If you can’t conceive it, you can’t achieve.

So many of us are sitting at that great big T-intersection of life…. looking right, looking left… one foot on the brake, one on the accelerator, checking the mirror… not exactly sure what the heck we’re doin’.

A picture of indecision.

We might have all the good intentions, all the motivation and all the potential in the world… but if we don’t have certainty and clarity about what we want to do with our life and how we’re going to do it… then it’s gonna be a little tough to create amazing.

Living in the land of uncertainty only creates mediocrity, boredom and frustration.

We need to get SPECIFIC, SERIOUS and CLEAR about what we want for our future.

But How?

Sometimes (now perhaps) we need to (metaphorically) step out of our life, our situation, our reality, our relationships and our busy-ness…. get some distance, get some perspective, take some time and stop ‘doing’ until we can answer those tough questions.

Think.

Be still (a wacky concept in 2007).

Go away for a week (a day at least).

Alone.

No phone, no noise, no distractions.

Don’t ask others what you should do… ask YOU!

Think about your life, your health, your relationships, your career, your past, your future.. and don’t expect to get some life-changing, mind altering revelation in five minutes.
Spend some quiet time with yourself and listen to that still, small voice.
It’s there… you just need to listen.
Patiently.
Remember… the relationship between effort and outcome is directly proportional.
So make the effort.
Take the time.

Sometimes we spend more time and energy planning for a big night out… than we do planning for the rest of our life.

Being busy going around in circles… is dumb.

Being busy for a purpose is clever and rewarding.

Stop stumbling along and get some clarity.

Once you get clarity… you’ll create momentum.

And once you create momentum.. you’ll create results.

You’ll create more.

You’ll create incredible.

You’ll create amazing.

Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) is an Australian motivational speaker, qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, and owner of one of the largest personal training centres in the world.

He can be heard weekly on Australian Radio SEN 1116 and GOLD FM and appears on Australian television on Network Ten’s 9AM.

Motivational Speaker - Craig Harper

“I do not think there is any other quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perseverance. It overcomes almost everything, even nature.”
- John D. Rockefeller

Are you experiencing a difficult time and perhaps considering giving up? The key to real, lasting success is Perseverance. It is the hallmark of Eagles. Champions win because perseverance is part of who they are, and it is reflected in every aspect of their lives. It separates the men from the boys. It is based on a strong foundation of self discipline. Eagles will never tell you, “I’ll TRY”. They don’t make excuses. They make it happen. Samuel Johnson said, “If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.”

Look at the lives of successful people and you will find a steel will; a steel fist in a velvet glove. They know the secret to success is to persist and persevere. These people don’t doubt their own ability and they expect to win. The book I suggest below, about Evander Holyfield, is one of the most inspiring books around. Do yourself a favor- at least read the Amazon.com reviews. Norman Vincent Peale said, “If you want to get somewhere you have to know where you want to go and how to get there. Then never, never, never give up.” When you decide that nothing and nobody is going get between you and your goals, you have already won! It has to happen in your head and your heart and deep down in your gut before you will take the necessary action and get the results you want.

There are two people in your life: those who will encourage you, challenge you and inspire you, and those who will discourage, depress, sabotage and undermine you. Get rid of the latter. Remove them from your life. They are poison. They usually hide behind “I care about you”, smiles and “tact”, but believe me, they are hell bent on your failure. The former, on the other hand, will stand by you, support you and remind you when you slack off. Seek them out. They are headed in the same direction that you are. Team up with them - Joint Venture with them. They don’t even consider the possibility of failure, and neither should you.

Napoleon Hill said, “Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel.” Demand that of yourself. Insist on winning. Do not give in to greed, sloth, attachment or fear. Be resolute and firm. Do not take “No” for an answer, and you will join the Eagles who always end up winning. They may be bloodied and scarred from battle, but they are the victors. Don’t quit - you deserve to win!

P.S. That’s it! I’ve finally done it. I’ve created a brand new Joint Venture Mini-Course to take the risk, headache, and cost out of building the solid wealth you deserve and desire. And because of the awesome strategies you’re about to learn, I’ve been under tremendous pressure to charge $100 to $200 for this course. But I’m going to be defiant and GIVE IT AWAY! (For a limited time…) Why? Because I know I’ll make a lot more money doing joint ventures with people who are educated than I ever will selling products. And it comes with a complimentary subscription to my new world premiere eMagazine, The Prophet of Profit! So go ahead and grab it while you can at jvwisdom.com.

About Robin J. Elliott

For more than 19 years, Robin J. Elliott has worked with thousands of businesses in over 49 industries across the United States, Canada, and Africa. He specializes in helping small business entrepreneurs build wealth and gain access to new markets and profit centers through Joint Ventures. Through his Joint venture Seminars across North America he has thought thousands how to create increasing, multiple streams of income without cost or risk and very little time.

Get Robin J. Elliott’s FREE: “How To Grow Serious Wealth Using Joint Ventures” Mini-Course, and The Prophet of Profit e-Zine along with video blogs, world class articles, free video, and access to top Joint Venture Partners at http://www.jvwisdom.com

I’m not big on destiny. I don’t think people are destined for things in life. Some may be born in more favorable circumstances, but destiny is a reach. Capacity is another story. It’s not as sexy or mesmerizing as destiny, but it packs a more responsible punch.

We’re all born with the capacity for greatness. You’ve undoubtedly got talents and traits that make you capable of the highest levels of success in your personal and business lives. We all do. And our talents are as varied as we are in appearance. Your ability to get shy people to open up. Your talent for showing empathy. Your willingness to step in and help another person who’s at hope’s end. Your knack for encouraging and uplifting even the most hardened, cynical people.

You would do well to focus more on the ideal that you are capable of greatness, over than the notion that you’re destined for greatness.

Think of the superior mentors you’ve had in life, or the inspiring examples personally or professionally–those who have exemplified everything you want or want to be. They recognized at some point in their lives that they had certain talents–some natural, some developed over time–and they leveraged those talents into performance and success. They discovered what they might be capable of, then flat-out executed in using their talents to achieve. Inspiring stories.

Now think of the others you’ve passed by in life–those who have had noble ambitions and aims, but who have fell short or simply never measured up. They float from job to job, or relationship to relationship, always searching for the easiest way to make it in life. They, too, sense what they’re capable of, but lack the self-discipline, persistence, or the sheer will to leverage those talents into performance. Sad stories these are.

The real reason any successful person “makes it” in life is not because they were destined for greatness. It’s because they were capable of greatness; they put their skills, knowledge and winning traits into action; and they consistently performed.

Brandon Hull has helped hundreds of high activity, street-level, outside sales professionals increase their sales by incorporating fresh ideas and new thinking about what the sales profession should be.

You can read more from Brandon online at http://www.salesteamtools.com