Strategy is an Art, never a Science!

Strategy is the Art of the conscious mind. Man invented strategy 3500 years ago to overcome the mounting challenges of the day and succeed while avoiding costly and painful conflicts.

Strategy is the Art that man invented to succeed, when the voices of Gods stopped guiding him!

Strategy is the greatest “winning tool” ever invented by man!

It enables the practitioners to predict the future of any encounter they undertake. While reacting rationally without the need for the “supernatural” or the voices from within!

It is the Art of the “Conscious Mind”, the Art of the General in the battle field.

A strategy guru once said: “Strategy is a style of thinking, a conscious and deliberate process, an intensive implementation system, the science of ensuring future success.” And how right he is…

When you know “what is strategy”, learn, and practice, you develop the strategist’s mind.

“The Thinking of the General”, who is trained to thinks several moves ahead of everyone else.

Strategy is the discovery of a “loophole” in nature!

It is the discovery of how the weak can overcome the strong and how the small can defeat the large….

It is the discovery of how you and I can succeed in business and in life no matter what the obstacles are.

FACT: Successful people know “what is strategy” and use it every day.

Usually they learn from expensive mistakes, trials, and errors.

You could be spending years of your life learning all sorts of theories of success from the “Gurus”, while still reacting to challenges the wrong way.

“Fight or Flight” response in meeting challenges is the prevailing instinct among most people…

Fight or Flight response to challenges, create a short-term satisfaction and long-term enemies and misery.

Don’t believe in the “use your instinct Luke” type of teachings…

Instinctual and spontaneous responses to challenges in business and in life, is the number one cause of “long term” failures for individuals, nations and businesses throughout history.

Strategy is the success art of the mind that for the last 2600 years its masters preserved its knowledge to the ruling classes’ politics and business throughout the world.

Strategy, “the thinking of the General” is the Forbidden and Secret Art of Success for thousands of years!

“All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.”

Sun Tzu the Art of War

What is Strategy According to Sun Tzu the Art of War?

Before we begin… please see this seven minutes video clip of
Osama El-Kadi in action… talking about strategy!

Sun Tzu answers the serious question of what is strategy.

In the opening of The Art of War treaty, he begins by saying:

“Strategy is the great work of the Mind. In Situation of Life and death, It is the Tao of Survival or Extinction. Its study cannot be neglected”

The Chinese written their most important classics in a very general universal style. These classics are templates for meeting life challenges.

The language of China lends itself well to this phenomenon. Each character is a multidimensional picture of an idea.

For example, the word Bing Fa could literally mean Martial Art, Strategy, and Conflict, Negotiation or even war.

Nevertheless, the way that Sun Tzu uses it, is closer to the way we use the term Strategy today.

I guess “War” was the most frequently used interpretation due to its strange “appeal”, but certainly, the word “strategy” is the closest to what Sun Tzu advocated.

Three words in the opening of the Art of War are very important:

First “Strategy”, second “Skill”, and third “Study”. Signify that it is not an inborn skill but a learned skill that you must study in order to win over life’s challenges.

What is strategy?

As a tool, Strategy is a “conscious” and systematic approach to winning over life’s challenges and achieving one’s mission.

In warfare, it is the art of employing all the military, economic, political, and other resources of a nation to achieve the objects of war.

In Business, it is the art of employing all the marketing, sales, technology, operation, and other resources to achieve the objectives of the business.

The English term, strategy, after all comes from the ancient Greek, meaning literally, the thinking or the art of the General or the Leader.

What makes strategy an Art?

Only one thing: the ability to consistently create new moves to overcome challenges in life.

When you or anyone masters Sun Tzu’s system, they are able to more completely understand their situation and take the right actions.

It doesn’t require any innate inborn skill.

Unlike all other strategic thinkers in history, Sun Tzu was able to breakdown the steps in building a strategy into simple components.

Why is this strategic art necessary?

Because our instinctual reaction to challenges is inappropriate. Our natural “inborn” reaction to life’s challenges is “flight” or “fight”.

Running away from challenges or getting into costly fights with people and organizations.

Strategy has a different approach to life’s challenges.

It teaches systematic positioning leading to triumph.

Ideally, over time, people want to join you and not to fight you.

Strategy is not for reactionaries but for “conscious” and thinking people.

Strategy is based on certain economic realities and teaches us how to use simple mathematics to calculate our possibilities and basic psychology to understand and to persuade our opponents.

What is strategy again?

A strategy is a continual “conscious” process of thinking, not a one-time planning effort.

Nevertheless, it also teaches the skills for taking advantage of opportunities that come our way every day of our lives.

About the Author

Osama El-Kadi
Strategist and Motivational Speaker

Please also visit me at:

The Art of Strategy

Please keep visiting for more information and articles as I build them up and perhaps one day we will meet at one of your company conferences, if you invite me to speak of course!! Thank you

When people usually Talk about success it usually evolves around money or possessions and us mere mortals could be forgiven for not Talking about our achievements.
But surely success can be found in many things such as a happy relationship a nice home or that your children grow u to be good human beings in fact being a good person surely is an achievement in itself.

People should take heart in the fact that they must excel in some area in life, it could be looking good, being clean and presentable is an achievement, which brings me back to Success surely is in the eye of the beholder.
So think to yourself what you are good at first and what is around you and soon enough you will feel the effect being successful.

If you look at life closely you will see that success is everywhere you look achievements have been made, even with the human race every generation evolves.
Someone told me years ago to learn to be happy with what i have in life and anything else is a bonus and with this in mind and moving forward building on each achievement life gets better.

I had an idea about having a great women’s clothing website and had one build like many other people relying on someone else’s knowledge. it was a failure for 5 years but through determination to learn I can say that I am finally making it a success. The Women’s fashion business is a tough one but at least I can say I managed to get this far and any further would be great.

Its a good attitude to have in life and knowing that I have been successful with my family as my base its like leaving my castle and venturing into the world before returning.
I hope that you can enjoy life and slowly step up that ladder but like me hopefully you can be happy in life with what successes you have already achieved so far.
Its Really like a comfort blanket.

Never call yourself a failure….

Womens clothing shop

Recently, we saw another Masters tournament, another major golf tournament with Tiger Woods in contention for victory. With his past performances, Tiger has set our expectations for his performance so high that we expect him to win every single tournament. Now, that’s greatness! That’s power! You may not be able to hit a golf ball 300 yards, but you can still emulate Tiger, applying his “power formula” to realize your greatness.

Why is Tiger so powerful? The first reason is the passion he has for his profession. His commitment to being the best is unquestionable. Tiger’s preparation in the traditional way (practice, practice, practice) is legendary, as there are few golfers willing to spend as many hours on the course. However, his passion for the game drove Tiger to find more ways to separate himself from his competition. One of the ways he has created this separation is with his athletic approach to this “country club sport.” Tiger added the physical preparation of a world-class athlete to his repertoire and the results are self-evident. Tiger standing next to his competitors looks like a world-class athlete visiting a convention of accountants…not that there is anything wrong with being an accountant! Today, as a result of Tiger’s passion, even his chief rivals concede that they are often playing for second place. Woods is able to commit to golf almost monastically because to him it is not a chore to do so. Golf is his passion, his love, and therefore that which is viewed as a sacrifice to others is a pleasure to him. This can be true for you as well. Somewhere out there, there is “that thing” to which you will happily sacrifice, that makes time stand still when you do it, that gives you strength rather than sapping it. Find that thing and you will be that much closer to becoming a Tiger.

Why is Tiger so powerful? The obvious answer to some is that he was born that way. He has “it.” He has a natural physical build that is conducive to playing golf well. He was bestowed by nature with an abundance of the golf gift, the ability to hit that small ball exactly where he wants it to go. But we cannot dismiss Tiger’s results by saying that they are simply an inevitability of his natural talent. Tiger had to recognize this aptitude and convert it into consistently great performance. He had to decide that his passion for golf was worth pursuing. He had to have the audacity to believe he could be great. He had to employ coaches and mentors to see what he could not and trust their vision enough to act upon it. Finally, he had to give his best effort to ensure that his gift was not wasted. Had any one of these steps been missing, Tiger would be known, or more likely unknown, as Eldrick Woods busily toiling in a profession that was not his calling.

Are you doing what you were born to do? The power formula, as so skillfully demonstrated by Tiger Woods, is the effective combination of passion and aptitude. Greatness does not and cannot happen without a successful marriage of the two. Passion for your work will turn your work into play. What appears to be sacrifice to others will simply be a labor of love for you, an itch that you have no choice but to scratch. Your passion, if you are doing “your thing,” will cause you to give much more of yourself to the pursuit of greatness than those simply interloping in your thing ever could. Further, aptitude allows all your effort in service of your passion to become relevant. Aptitude makes great results the eventual outcome of all your great effort. The most passionate hammer in the world will never be able to turn a screw effectively. It lacks the ability, the aptitude. By the same token, a person governed by passion without skill, one doing the wrong thing, will be doomed to ineffectiveness.

When you combine your aptitude with your passion, you too can capture the power of a Tiger!

Brian McClellan is the cofounder and CEO of BAMSTRONG Presentations, the author of The Real Bling: How to Get the Only Thing You Need and a powerful motivational speaker. To learn more about Brian, please visit http://www.bamstrong.com

So far, in previous articles on how to make a Million Dollars, I have written about passion being essential, hard work definitely has to be part of the action and perseverance being the third step necessary in a quest for making real money. The next one to be added to this, would be the ability to cope with failure. Winston Churchill said that success consisted of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm. That’s what I am talking about.

The best examples of going from failure to failure without giving up, are in the scientific exploration area. Scientists spend much time, in some instances, years experimenting in order to find the answers they are looking for. As an example, the story of the Wright brothers and how they worked on their first flying machine, is the story of failure after failure until success. Wikipedia has an excellent biography on the Wright Brothers.

Another great example is the history of Google. Google began as a research project in January 1996 by two Ph.D students. With continuous funding required and raised, during the following years, the company developed its search engine, as well as its advertising format. It was only in August 2004 when the company was offered to the public that it’s true market value was revealed and the founders were rewarded for their passion, hard work, perseverance and ability to continue even through failures.

In the field of sport, Tiger Woods rates as one of the outstanding sportsmen the world has seen. During his professional playing years there have been several years where he lost ranking and did not win major tournaments. However, he always worked hard to regain his position. What is probably not that well known either is that he was legally blind without contract lenses or glasses until 1999 when he underwent the LASIK procedure. He has also won many tournaments against all odds, through sheer determination and effort.

In your own life you would have experienced these failures and successes. And your successes would have depended on whether you would have been able to continue through your failures. This could have been just completing a puzzle, building something with your Lego blocks as a child, or later finding you had talent and ability in athletics for instance and working on your talent until you won the championship race. On the path to that, there would have been many failures which could have either stopped you from continuing, or encouraged you to put in even more effort.

Our lives as adults are very similar, although we do tend to allow failures to determine our efforts more than when we were youngsters. As one gets older, the consideration that we could actually fail, many times prohibits us from even starting. This often affects whether we strive for some achievements in our life, or whether we sell out to mediocrity and vegetate through life.

Anja Merret lives in Brighton, UK. She has recently started a blog and writes on issues that interest her from self-improvement, wealth generation, motivational thinking and anything else that amuses her. You are invited to follow her journey on http://www.anjamerret.com Also see http://www.anjamerret.blogspot.com for further info on Get the Edge.

She now looks after the business interests of her daughter who is a Flash and Accessibility expert at http://www.niquimerret.com

If you feel that you are just drifting through life right now, and that you know inside yourself that there is something better out there, that you yourself were meant to do more, feel more fulfilled within your life, strive towards challenges, earn that first Million Dollars, no matter your age, then you might want to consider getting yourself some help by getting your copy of Get the Edge, a great mentoring program that will challenge and guide you to greater personal power and fulfillment. A link to this may be found at http://www.anjamerret.blogspot.com

There is an old story about two men hiking in a forest. They stumble across a big grizzly bear and her cub. The story goes something like this.

Ray says to Bob, “That bear sure looks angry.”

“Yep,” Bob replies.
“That bear sure looks fast too,” says Ray.

“Yep,” again is the reply from Bob.

“We better run”, says Ray.
-
“Yep, on the count of three,” Bob says laughingly.

“Bob, what you laughin’ for you ole fool, we are gunna die!”

Bob replies, “I am laughing because I got a secret.”

As they are running, Ray turns and asks, “What’s the secret Bob?”

Bob smiles and says, “I don’t have to be faster than the bear; I just got to be faster than you!”

The secret that Bob possessed was that you must know what your goals are, know who your real competition is, and accomplish what it takes to stay a “Half Step” in front.

Bob understood the secret of the Morgan “Half Step Concept.”

Consider this, the difference in winning a Gold Medal and last place is usually measured in microseconds. In a 100-meter dash, all the sprinters are clustered together at the finish line. The race is so close that high speed photography is utilized to determine the winner. In the Gold Medal race, a half step can be the difference between the winner and last place.

At the 2006 Torino Winter Games, the tip of a ski decided the men’s 4 X 10 kilometer Cross Country Skiing Relay. After four years of training, a 40 kilometer course, twelve athletes on three different four man teams, all performing at the highest level, victory was determined by less than one half step.

Microseconds or micro-activities may determine the difference between success and losing at the Olympics Games, or in life. In fact, the secret to winning in most of life’s activities is remaining one “Half Step” ahead of your competition.

In business and life the same principle applies.

Consider a game in the National Football League. The difference between a receiver catching a pass for a touchdown and the ball being intercepted by a defensive player is usually one half step.

Eleven football players are accomplishing different assignments, i.e., blocking, running, and decoying. All with a common goal to get the receiver one half step ahead of the defender. The linemen, who may be physically distant from the play know that their receiver needs “one half step,” so they hold their blocks a little longer.

The quarterback fakes handing the ball to the fullback to make the defense believe that the fullback will run the ball. The fullback is the decoy. In the meantime, the receiver runs his pass route with discipline and precision. The quarterback knows exactly where the receiver will be at a certain time. The offense is all on the same page. They know when and where the quarterback will throw the football. The precision and coordination of all this activity is designed to give the receiver a “one half step” advantage on the defender.

The receiver is relying on his teammates’ activity so that he might gain a “one half step” advantage on the defender. All this teamwork is required to give the receiver the “half step” advantage he requires for success.

The team knows that one half step gained could be the difference between scoring a touchdown (six points) and losing possession of the football (zero points).

The concept is true for the defensive team as well. The defensive players understand the “half step concept.” The defensive players are all searching for a method to give their teammates a one half step advantage over the offense. If they can disrupt the offensive players, they can make the difference in the outcome of the play.

The defense understands, if the quarterback’s pass is intercepted and returned by a defensive player for a touchdown (six points) this is a point swing of twelve (12) points. The offensive team not only failed to achieve its goal (six points), but the defensive team scored six points. These points, perhaps caused by a half step difference, could determine the outcome of the game.

What does this have to do with your business?

Like a football team your organization has multiple parts and many people working together as a team to achieve goals and reach organizational objectives. You have many different individuals all accomplishing various and different tasks but relying on each other to accomplish goals. Each individual, no matter how far “away from the play,” must understand that they must contribute their part if the “half step” advantage is going to be achieved.

Your business is a team and everyone from the leader to the lowest employee must understand the goal. Whether that goal is selling used cars or making widgets, everyone must understand that gaining “one half step” on your competition must be accomplished. This requires that EVERYONE in the organization develop and possess the attitude, skills and knowledge to be the best. They must accomplish the difficult tasks required to achieve goals regardless of the setbacks or the difficulty, but most importantly to stay one half step ahead of your competition.

An extreme position? Exaggerated? Are we being too tough on you?

Well what do you think about a half step now? It is a larger, often elusive and more important advantage than you thought? Think about this…How many times have you missed opportunities or been defeated by challenges? You may have accomplished everything expected of you, but still came up “one half” step short of achieving your goals.

Worse yet…you probably did not know what happened and the reason you came in second place. You lost because you simply did not understand the nature of competition, pay the required attention to detail, and were ignorant of the “half step concept.”

At the Life Performance Institute we emphasize and you will learn the leadership attitude, skills and knowledge to solve problems and achieve goals. You will learn the “Half Step Concept,” a “Warrior’s Mentality,” and a “can-do” philosophy of life. When the understanding of these concepts are linked together with an intense work effort, a pre-determined action plan and the leadership to follow through, they synergistically form a powerful life force. This force will allow you to move yourself to action so that you reach your business goals and achieve your dreams. You will combine these new leadership principles and strategies into a new pattern of performance, production, and operation.

The Life Performance Institute, Leadership, Personal Training for Your Mind

http://www.lifeperformanceinstitute.com/index.html

“Desire is the key to motivation, but it’s determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.” Mario Andretti

Desire is the key to motivation, and visualization of your goals and dreams will keep the desire alive. Paint a picture in your mind of the lifestyle you are working towards and bring it to mind several times a day. Create a “dream board” or “vision board” with pictures of the material things you wish to acquire, or the activities you want to pursue when you have the means to do so and put it in a prominent place where you can see it often.

“It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.” Muhammad Ali

Affirmations will help to keep away the demon of self-doubt and encourage you to keep plugging away. Develop a list of at least four or five positive affirmations and make it a point to repeat them throughout the day…and when the demon comes to roost on your shoulders, repeat those affirmations until he goes away!

“Great things are not done by impulse, but by a series of small things brought together.” George Eliot

Small victories will build your confidence. When you’re starting out in the Network Marketing industry, getting one signup or even a prospect will be exciting. Use that excitement to bolster your confidence, and keep doing whatever it is that got you there in the first place!

“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it daily.” Zig Ziglar

Habituate yourself to the process of self-motivation. It’s always nice to have other people validate what you’re doing, and express confidence in your ability to succeed, but at the end of the day, you must have the internal fortitude to keep yourself going when things aren’t working out quite the way you’d like them to.

The funny thing about habits is…the bad ones are hard to quit, and the good ones are hard to start. Use any means at your disposal to remind yourself to self-motivate. Set up your computer, your cellphone, or your PDA to jog your memory about your goals and dreams and positive affirmations on a regular basis. You can also post notes on your mirror, your dashboard, or inside the cover of your day planner to bring these things to mind.

“He who controls others may be powerful, but he who has mastered himself is mightier still.” Lao Tzu

Desire, motivation, visualization, affirmations, and habituation will start you on the path to taking control of your own life and achieving the success you deserve. Here’s one last quote to get you going!!!

“There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.” Buddha

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Daniel H. Pink in “Free Agent Nation” writes “large permanent organizations with fixed rosters of individuals are giving way to small, flexible networks with ever-changing collections of talent.” The way we do business is changing, and so is the mindset of the worker.

Along with the disappearance of company and government guarantees that protected our careers and our retirement, more and more people are seeing the importance of developing personal strategic plans. To realize fulfilling careers, achieve balance in areas that are important to us, and live retirement in the way we see fit, it is only our own planning and well thought-out strategies that will get us there.

Because our lives are complex, personal strategic planning goes beyond business/career planning and includes financial, ethical, family, mental physical and social considerations. The bottom line is if we don’t do this for ourselves, nobody else will do it for us!

FREE AGENT THINKING
While it is not clear how many people are opting for work with more flexibility or independence (consultants, freelancers, individuals in 2-3 employee companies, telecommuters, part-timers, etc.), there is a growing contingent of people in the workforce who are thinking like free agents. The mindset is not just found in independents, but in employees who hop from project to project within a company, and in those who change jobs every few years.

Free agents are driven by their desire for personal empowerment and ongoing learning and growth. They maintain a constant focus on accountability, networking and opportunities for collaboration. Free agents see themselves as having the ability to challenge and shape their lives by defining success, working towards goals, and creating results.

LEARNING AND GROWTH
While many employees realize they have no choice but to keep learning, free agents thrive on the opportunity for ongoing personal and professional development. As education increases, so does confidence in the next career step. The more we know about our fields, the more we know about prospects and potential. Successful free agents know they need to keep building on their strengths to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.

ACCOUNTABILITY
When you put your name on your business, you put yourself and your income on the line. Most people want to be held accountable if they can reap the rewards of success (even if there are penalties for failure). When you are only as good as your last project, there is a much greater focus on making each project excellent.

NETWORKING, COMMUNICATION and COLLABORATION
If you view work as an engagement rather than employment, a continuous assessment process takes place:

What do I do?

What have I done?
Who among my customers will testify to it?
Who new do I know, beyond this company’s/clients walls?
Am I effectively getting my message out?
In the past, security came from working for a good company. Free agent thinkers gain security by spreading their risk across a portfolio of projects, clients, skills, and customers. To accomplish this, networking and building a strong Rolodex is a primary skill and activity.

Strategic partnerships and alliances can increase “reach” and enable a business to expand product and/or service offerings. Free agents are always looking for new opportunities to grow their value and expand their network.

IT’S WORTH IT!
While most people will not end up independently employed, personal strategic planning is important for everyone. As more people take ownership for devising strategies based on their own definition of success, I believe we will see increased accountability, a greater focus on quality, more people leveraging their natural strengths, and enhanced job satisfaction.

Helene Mazur, MBA, CFP is the founder of Princeton Performance Dynamics, a business coaching company. Helene coaches professionals, business owners and their teams to reach out of their comfort zone to achieve important goals and do more of what makes them come alive.

Her website is http://www.ppdbusinesscoaching.com

Is It Time For Change ?

Life is actually very similar for us all. Oh yes some are born into a more privileged environment , some are more lucky and some just seem to be more blessed but here in North America the playing field is reasonably level. You can be successful with the right choices and a certain amount of ability and determination. So why do so many people seem to be unsuccessful and unhappy with their circumstances ? We need to explore that question in order to determine what it is that seems to separate the winners and losers in the game of life.

As a student of human nature being an employer for over 30 years I have had the experience of getting to know a lot of people as employees and as customers. A wise old man once said to me “We are all the total sum of our past experiences”. As we experience life our character is formed and shaped by those experiences, the good, the bad and yes even the terrible. These experiences make you who you are today, at this point in time, based on your past. YOU are YOU. You have your habits (good and bad) You have a belief system and you have opinions (right or wrong). In my opinion people who do not succeed are overwhelmed by their past. The habits they have formed and the choices they have made. In many cases they are carrying memories of a troubling childhood, grief from a lost loved one, a broken relationship or just the memory of a betrayed trust. All still part of the sum total of who they are. Today still influencing the decision and choices they make.

I don’t think I ever met anybody who did not have the ability to be successful unless of course handicapped in some way but only then if so severely handicapped that they are not able to function. Stephen Hawkins certainly did not let his handicap slow him down much.

So what is the answer ? What am I trying to say ? Here is the answer in a nutshell. You have the ability to be successful . All you have to do is change. Sounds simple. Think about this . If you keep doing what you have always done nothing will change in your life. The only way you can change your life for the better is to make a decision to change . Then make sure that change will be a positive one that you can commit to and be able to support for enough time to achieve results.

Now , we know that it is not easy to change . That is so obvious because so many of us (over 90%) never change . Why is that ? I have a theory. Our brain is a biological computer and like the electronic computers we use today once programmed can not be reprogrammed with out cleaning off the hard drive and reprogramming it . So based on my theory to move from being mediocre (unsuccessful) to being exceptional (successful) we must do two basic things. Number one: Remove all negativity from our hard drive (brain or mind) Number two : Replace all that negativity with positive thoughts . Basically change our mind set . Change our pattern of thinking. Change our programming . With out these two basic steps your computer (brain) will not recognise or be able to utilise the software (success concepts) to be able to follow the path to success . Now take a moment to think about this . Do you agree with my theory? To move forward you have to understand and accept your own faults and weaknesses . Developing the right mind set is the most important step and essential to moving along the path to success but you will also have to overcome some faults and weaknesses (bad habits). Some of those could include the following:

Laziness (poor work ethic)

Procrastination (putting things off )

Dishonesty ( with yourself and others )

Disorganized (poor time management )

Lack of focus (going in too many directions at once )

Lack of commitment (never completing any thing )

Lack of Loyalty (always putting yourself first )

Lack of empathy ( unable to put yourself in the other person’s place )

These are just some of the road blocks to success that may have to be overcome. The right mind set will give you the inner strength and power to overcome any bad habits you may have formed over the years. Don’t worry, all successful people have had to overcome their own personal demons on their road to success. Success is all about overcoming . Interior influences. Those thoughts we have within ourselves (self doubt ) and exterior influences, (our environment and people around us.) Interior and exterior factors all need to be changed from the negative to the positive in order to achieve that success we so desire.

WHY IS IT SO HARD TO CHANGE ?

We know change does not come easy. If you agree with my theory you have already made the turn towards the path to success. The first step is to admit you have to change. You are being honest with yourself. You recognize the need to change. Congratulations !! I’m impressed. Henry Ford once said ” I would rather have youth and enthusiasm than experience any day.” Why do you suppose he said that? Would it not be better to have someone with experience because they would know more? Not in Henry’s opinion. I’ll tell you why he felt this way. His experience had taught him it was easier to program someone to do things the way he wanted them done than it was to try and re-program someone who already thought they knew how to do it. He realized how difficult it was to change someone’s mind set. I have experienced this in my own business career. I have been more disappointed by employees that were supposed to know what they were doing. In fact my best employees have been those with the least experience who did not question the way I wanted things done.

Please understand this does not mean skills acquired through experience. We all realize it takes time to develop certain skills. What Henry was concerned with was attitude. Someone with the best skills can be an employers worst nightmare with the wrong attitude. The world is full of amazingly capable people with the wrong attitude who never succeed at anything. I am always saddened when I meet these people . So much ability ruined by such a poor attitude. Some are such good communicators that they convince those around them that their way is the best way. They even manage to pass their attitude on to their children and grandchildren. When you understand this you come to understand why change can be so difficult for some people.

HOW DO I KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT CHANGE ?

Your probably asking yourself that question about now. What makes me think I can be some kind of self proclaimed expert about success and the changes you might have to make to become successful ?

That’s a fair question . To answer that question I need to tell you something about me and my life. Remember what the wise old man told me ” We are all the total sum of our past experiences”. That statement of course applies to me. I am the total sum of my past experiences .

Here is my story. I believe life is all about overcoming. Life continually throws us knuckle balls. We continually strike out. Some people become discouraged and stop swinging. These people are the losers in the game of life. The winners keep swinging. Everyone knows Babe Ruth was a home run hitter, the best of his day. Most do not know he had more strike outs than anyone else. The Babe never stopped swinging and he always went for the home run. He was and history has recorded him as a winner.

My first knuckle ball was when my father died when I was seven years old. My mother received $80 per month widows allowance and the rent for a little two room house was $40 per month . We had no plumbing or hydro and our only heat was a wood stove. I was the oldest of 4 boys. You could say we were poor. When I was eleven years old I went to live and work on my uncles farm in exchange for a better house for us to live in. My uncle worked away through the week and I did the chores before and after school. That year my mother married again and our step father moved in with us. When I was thirteen years old the barn burnt and I worked in the woods yarding logs with a horse for lumber to rebuild the barn.

That spring my uncle purchased a dairy farm and I moved there to work on that farm where I remained until I was fifteen. By this time my mother and stepfather had 3 more boys. I then moved home with them. Our youngest brother passed away that winter and we survived another knuckle ball. When I was sixteen years old I went to work driving a truck in the city for 75 cents an hour.

Some weeks I worked over 100 hours. The first year I bought my step father a car and my mother a new fridge and stove. When I was seventeen I met Peggy who was fifteen and my future wife.

When I was nineteen I joined the military. That fall my step father died from a bee sting and I received a compassionate posting near home to help my mother with my five brothers . We survived another Knuckle ball . When I was 22 Peggy and I got married and I went to work as a laborer and then a carpenter. Again in order to stay near home to help Mum and the boys . When I was 24 I moved up north to work as a miner. Two of my brothers came up to work with me. When I was 25 I moved home and became a real estate salesperson. Peggy and I bought a little house for $2500 with no plumbing . I sold real estate, worked at carpentry and worked in the woods cutting pulp. I thought I was successful and was quite content with my life. Then I read a book. That book changed my life forever. When I was 27 I started my own real estate company and everyone thought I was crazy. The year I turned 30 my youngest brother Brian was killed in a car accident. He was only 14 years old. Life had thrown us the worst kind of knuckle ball. He was like a son to me and I was devastated. My mother was worse but I now had two daughters and we had to keep swinging.

We had to overcome. Since then the years have flown. Mum passed away in 1996. Three years ago my brother Ron had a brain injury and we look after him at home. He is only 50 and requires 24 hour care. Another terrible knuckle ball. You have to keep swinging. We have a successful business. Two wonderful daughters and a grand daughter. Every day we work on our attitude.

HOW DID I MANAGE TO CHANGE MY LIFE ?

You have to be asking yourself that question. How did I manage to overcome so many set backs? My brief history is only the tip of the iceberg. My business set backs would fill a book. Like how I survived the banks calling my loans when I owed over $1,000,000 dollars. How I survived a heart attack when we were out of cash and could not borrow. How I managed to keep our restaurant when the lender would not renew our mortgage. How I survived in business when a large insurance company obtained an attachment order against me and the Sheriff went around and cleaned out all our bank accounts. Just to name a few of the challenges I’ve overcome. I’ve told you all this not to brag or make you think I’m exceptional in any way. I tell you these things to convince you I know something about change. About challenges and about overcoming. About the knuckle balls life throws and that we are all the same. We all have the choice to keep swinging. No matter what, we do not have to give up. I am no better than the next person. I just do not quit. I have programmed myself to be that way. This didn’t happen by chance. This wasn’t part of my personality or character. This wasn’t the way I was born. There was no mentor or anyone whose example I followed through the years. No one taught me anything. Most of what I’ve learned has been through my own mistakes and the sometimes painful results. I have learned that change is a continual part of growth. What I have done is learned to learn. To continue to evolve, to continue to reprogram. I have a system I use to do that. This system is what I want you to learn and apply to your life. Yes that book I read when I was 25 is an essential element of that system but only a beginning on the road to success.

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE INTERNALLY

Remember I said we all have internal and external factors in our lives. The internal factors are all those things (the total sum) of our life experiences that make us who we are as a person today. Not yesterday or tomorrow but today. The first thing you need to do is make a list . Start from childhood and make a list of all the negative experience that you feel have had an impact on how you feel TODAY . You will need a quiet spot free from distraction and allow as much time as you think you will need but do it in one day.

Once you have written the list study it for a while. Think about who was involved. T his may be emotional and that’s okay. Cry if you feel like it. That’s all part of the process . I want you to write at the bottom of the list the date and sign it. Also write a PS… That this is the last day those experiences are going to effect your future . Then in your mind I want you to visualize a video of your life running backwards erasing all those experiences. Then I want you to burn the list and watch it burn. As you watch the flames destroy the list repeat to yourself… TOMORROW IS THE FIRST DAY OF THE REST OF MY LIFE !! I WILL GET UP IN THE MORNING WITH A NEW AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE . MY MIND NO LONGER HAS THE ABILITY TO STORE NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES BUT WILL PERCEIVE THEM AS CHALLENGES TO BE OVERCOME . (repeat at least 10 times)

Then tape this message where it can be seen first thing each morning and repeat it 10 times each morning . Do this faithfully. REMEMBER YOU HAVE A LIFE TIME OF NEGATIVITY TO ERASE . WHAT YOU BELIEVE YOU WILL ACHIEVE.

Continue to do this until you no longer feel tempted to dwell on the negative. Do it for as long as it takes. REMEMBER YOU NO LONGER QUIT . YOU ARE NOW ON THE ROAD TO SUCCESS !!!!!! NOW YOU ARE READY TO CHANGE .

HOW TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE EXTERNALLY

We all have our own external appearance. This is made up of how we perceive ourselves and how we are perceived by others. Quite often our own opinion is quite different than that perceived by others. The key question here is how do we want to be perceived?

Do you take pride in how you look. Do you look successful? Are you out going and friendly? That is how most of us want to be perceived. Think about this. Do you have to change? Here’s some questions to ask yourself.

Do I always greet people with a smile and hello ?

Do I speak first or wait for them to speak first ?

Do I look people in the eye ?

Is my handshake firm and strong ?

Do I dress neatly?

Do I tell my friends how much I appreciate them ?

Do I tell my loved ones how much I love them ?

If I can’t say something good do I say nothing at all ?

Do I understand why appreciation is the greatest human want ?

Do I have the ability to put myself in the other persons place ?

These are 10 simple questions but so important when we consider how we are perceived.

DO YOU NEED TO CHANGE . PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT . PRACTICE THE GOLDEN RULE AND BE AMAZED HOW YOU WILL BE TREATED IN RETURN !!

Our external environment influences us greatly. Are you happy where you’re living? Are you happy at work? Do the people you associate with influence you in a positive way? Do you have to make some changes? Remember to involve your loved ones in any planned changes. For you to be happy so must they. Let them know you are on the road to success and you want them to travel with you because you love them and success would be incomplete with out their involvement.

You can change your life and circumstances. You can influence and change the lives of the people around you and most importantly the people you love. YOU CAN OVERCOME. YOU CAN BELIEVE AND ACHIEVE. WHY NOT LET TOMORROW BE THE FIRST DAY OF YOUR NEW LIFE. IT ALL STARTS WITH CHANGE.

To help you get started I will send you the book I read that convinced me to change. Just send me an email staff@easthants.com and I will send you the book as an eBook. FREE NO CHARGE. Also if you want to enroll in my Path to success program just let me know in the email and you will receive free positive success tips on a regular basis to help you STAY ON THE PATH TO SUCCESS .

In closing I wish you all the best and may God richly bless you on your new path.

Sincerely Yours

Larry Matthews

Larry Matthews is a successful entrepreneur and has operated various successful business ventures for the past 30 years.Over his life time he has risen from poverty to being a successful entrepreneur . He and his wife Peggy have been together since teenagers and his two grown daughters are active in his business along with his wife’s sister and her son. Larry has been awarded a certificate of recognition by the local municipal government for 25 years of quality service to the public and a resolution was passed by the government of Nova Scotia recognizing Larry and Peggy for their perseverance and hard work.

Here are some of Larry’s websites

www.easthants.com

www.hantsfinancial.ca

A “Warrior’s Mentality” is a combination of mental strength, spiritual toughness and Arthurian Chivalry. It is possessing the need, the will, and the attitude to engage life with purpose and to accomplish goals regardless of the difficulty. It is having the resolve of a fighter, a gladiator, and a combatant, to face doubt, fear, and pain, often in the face of overwhelming odds.

It is possessing a mindset that is positive in thought, words, and deeds. It is the mindset to never quit attempting to reach your goals regardless of the difficulty or setbacks. It is possessing the attitude, skills, and knowledge to successfully accomplish goals and solve problems.

A “Warrior’s Mentality” starts with a mental strength and spiritual toughness, that is brave and strong which leads to accomplishing great deeds. Like a Medieval Knight, it is behavior which is orderly, controlled, disciplined, faithful and virtuous. It is the presence of honor and integrity in your behavior and it is the absence of cheating, foolishness, hysteria, or selfish behavior.

The late Bruce Lee widely regarded as the World’s greatest martial arts champion said, being a “Warrior” is:

“Honesty in expressing yourself in every activity and it is obedience to high standards.”

To achieve this mighty “Warrior’s Mentality”… You must have a NEED to be the best!

A “Warrior” has a burning, almost insatiable need, craving or requirement to be the best. Like a “Warrior,” you must discover and develop an “inner need’ to succeed that is so intense that “nothing” will stand in your way of achieving your goals. You must look within your soul to find this need. You must find the “fire” within you to accomplish the difficult tasks to be the best. You must “need” to operate the best shop, company or corporation in town.

You must have the WILL to be the best!

A “warrior’s” will is a conscious and deliberate expression of action and movement. Often, it is movement against overwhelming odds. It is the process of forging your mind, your body and your spirit into a powerful synergistic life force, where movement toward your goals is your only acceptable option.

A “warrior’s will” is a head strong, intentional choice to take upon yourself, the idea that you have the absolute right to succeed. It is backing your ideas, with movement and a resolution that you simply will not fail.

You must have a “Warrior’s” ATTITUDE!

A “warrior’s attitude” is a “can do” demeanor and a powerful spirit to succeed. It is tackling difficult tasks with vigor and enthusiasm. It is the rejection of negative thought. It is possessing a positive spirit to counter and defeat those inner voices of doubt, fear, and pain. A “Warrior’s” attitude is a mental, spiritual and physical demeanor that is positive in thought, words and deeds. It is the process of “being positive” especially when facing adversity.

The “Warrior’s” mentality demonstrates the need, will and attitude required to succeed in business. We have shown you “what” you need and “why” you need to be a Warrior…but unfortunately you still have to move yourself to action…nobody can do it for you.

You must commit!

You must commit to become the absolute best. This is not rocket science! Your decision to be the best and your commitment to this goal must be with 100% cooperation of your mind, body and spirit. This commitment is a self-imposed commandment that you will not quit or fail. It is when your need to succeed, your will to move, and your attitude to persevere, form together and become a synergistic force that is unstoppable.

You will become a warrior!

Like a “Warrior,” you will learn to enjoy the thrill of competition. “Warriors” hate to lose, but they understand that in life they may often lose. They understand that losing has the potential to make them STRONGER, not weaker. And they understand that they may lose 100 times before they win once. When “Warriors” lose, they lose like true gentlemen [women] and remain unbroken in spirit like a true champion.

No matter how many times they lose, “Warriors” stay the course, never give up, and therefore often win when others quit. They possess a performance driven approach to life and NEVER OFFER EXCUSES for lack of performance or failure.

Michael Jordan, NBA All-Star, and member of the NBA Hall of Fame, said it clearly

“I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. 26 times I have been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over and over in my life and that is why I succeed.”

Like Michael Jordan, you should understand that in order to succeed in life, business, sports, politics, or personal relationships, it is necessary for you to learn to be focused and determined, never give up, and to develop this “Warrior’s Mentality.”

Your competitors are already warriors!

This mentality is necessary for your survival because it is the mindset of your competition. You can be certain that your competition is already accomplishing whatever difficult tasks are required to win, to succeed, and most of all to beat you! In fact, you can be certain that your competition already has a warrior’s mentality, and has a desire to win that is greater than you realize. You can be certain that your competition is actively, not passively, trying to beat you.

You must counter the Herculean effort of your competition, you must measure up or perish. The barbarians are at the gate and they are after you!

At the Life Performance Institute, we emphasize, and you will learn the leadership attitude, skills and knowledge to solve problems and achieve goals. You will learn the “Half Step Concept,” a “Warrior’s Mentality,” and a “can-do” philosophy of life. When the understanding of these concepts are linked together with an intense work effort, a pre-determined action plan and the leadership to follow through, they synergistically form a powerful life force. This force will allow you to move yourself to action so that you reach your business goals and achieve your dreams. You will combine these new leadership principles and strategies into a new pattern of performance, production, and operation.

The Life Performance Institute, Leadership, Personal Training for Your Mind

http://www.lifeperformanceinstitute.com/index.html

I’m going to start off with a really powerful quote by Mike Murdock, which goes, “the secret of your success is hidden in your daily routine”. I saw another good one too the other day that said, “successful people do what unsuccessful people are not prepared to do”.

And that’s exactly my point: there are hundreds of little things we either are doing or not doing that affect the degree of success that we’ve achieved.

A habit is an action done so many times that we don’t even have to think consciously about doing it anymore.

Most people agree that it takes 21 days to form a habit and only 3 days to break it. For example, when we were very small, we were all trained to brush our teeth every morning. The toothbrush with toothpaste was given to us and we dutifully brushed our teeth every day. Now, I don’t know anyone at my age (!) who has to really think about brushing his or her teeth. I know that I stumble to the bathroom, half-asleep, and brush my teeth automatically. Why? It’s a habit.

If you take time to think about your daily routine, you’ll notice lots of good habits like driving within the speed limit (J), drinking 2L of water daily, etc. A few years ago, I decided that I needed to start drinking more water. So on 1 January 1998, I started forcing myself to drink 2L of water every day. This habit took hold in only 14 days because after the first two weeks, it was easy and it’s been that way ever since.

Now, in the same way that good habits are formed, bad habits are also created just as easily. I know of people who start saving, say R100 every month, and everything goes well for three or four months. Then they decide to go on holiday and stop saving for one month. The snag is that it doesn’t end up being just one month, because the habit they were creating has been broken. The next month it’s easier to spend that R100 on clothes, and after the third month, they’re back to square one!

So this month, I want to encourage you to think about some good habits you want to start implementing and some bad habits that you need to replace with good ones.

If you currently have a bad habit at work of shuffling paper around and not dealing with it, start this month by being disciplined and either filing it, working on it or throwing it away. When you’re tempted to just throw it back into your in-tray or start making a pile on your desk, STOP!

Remember that you have the power to break that bad habit and start creating some good ones. And the same goes for driving - if you’re like me and let other drivers on the road irritate you, stop and tell yourself that you’re going to replace all that negative behaviour with something positive. Maybe you need to start saying things like, “I am perfectly calm and stress-free in traffic.”

Action challenge

Print out the habits worksheet.

If you work outside the home,copy it so that you have one at home and one at work.

Read through your list every day to remind yourself of the habits.

Start implementing it. Make like Nike and “just do it”

Marcia Francois is a personal life coach and professional organiser who teaches small business owners and other busy people how to have more time, less stress and a more organised and fulfilled life. Visit http://www.takechargesolutions.org for your free Organise your Life e-book and other helpful tips.