But if you’re serious about changing your life, you’re going to have to cannonball into that pool. You’re going to have to do more than just step out of your comfort zone. You’re going to have to step into – and I mean ALL the way into – your discomfort zone (Forget saving $20 – do some serious belt-tightening!).

You are where you are in life right now because of the habitual decisions you make. The person you are and the capabilities you have are what brought you to the place you are in life. If you’re going to grow as a person, though, you’re going to have to press yourself to do things that you aren’t able to do right now.

You’re going to have to make those cold calls you’ve been dreading. You’re going to have to make some sacrifices in your spending habits. You’re going to have to discipline yourself to do the things you currently aren’t capable of – or haven’t been willing to do. You’re going to have to force yourself to live in that discomfort zone until you’re comfortable with it.

You don’t change your life by

stepping out of your comfort zone. You do it by conquering your discomfort zones. You step in, take the pain, and ride it out … until your discomfort zone isn’t so bad anymore. Until you thrive in it. Then you look for the next discomfort zone and you do it again.

When it comes to changing your life, it’s not just about positive thinking and a good attitude. You’ve got to walk into the areas of life you’ve been avoiding and stake your claim … or else you’re going to be stuck where you are for the rest of your life.

And when you think about it, that’s not really a comfortable place to be.

Do This NOW!

1. Get a pen and paper and write down two of your “discomfort zones” – two boundaries you haven’t been willing to push (like making cold calls or publicly joining a weight loss program).

2. Make a Plan – What would it take to be comfortable in these areas? What skills would you have to master or what actions would you have to take to conquer the discomfort?

3. Apply What You’ve Learned – Do whatever you have to do to make this stuff happen. Get someone to be accountable to, get a coach, do whatever you need to, but do it – and get to it – NOW!

Dave Navarro is the Rapid Results Coach who can help you get unstuck from the problems that put limits on your business wealth. Check out the Results Right Now newsletter at http://www.resultsrightnow.net to get a free 30 minute coaching session and a Crash Course in Creating Instant Momentum! Do it now, before this month’s free coaching slots are used up!

In my youth, I was a musician. I practiced with bands for about 15 years in all. One thing I became incredibly aware of is that as my bands got well versed in performing certain songs, we all found ourselves hating them. As I got older, I found the same thing to be true of many types of projects. Quite frequently as we progress through a goal, we started to burn out. Often this burn out leads to us abandoning our goal.

Learning from experience, I’ve figured out that if you get burned out on a project, it simply means to take a full steam attitude. When you hit burn out, you’re almost there!

It is important to keep the momentum going because if you lose it, it is likely to be impossible to get it back.

Here are a few suggestions on how to handle the burn out:

* Listen to

something inspirational. It doesn’t matter if it is Heavy Metal or Tony Robbins, just get yourself psyched up about your project!

* Fire up the coffee maker and try to push some overtime. It is often better to strive for a 12 hour stint than keep the momentum from day to day.

* Reread your goals or project plans. Often if you simply refocus on your intended goal as it is written explicitly, you’ll find that second wind!

* Eat lighter meals more frequently. Staying just a bit hungry always seems to make me work harder!

* Visualize the project completed. Feel it, smell it, see it and imagine how it will in some way make life better!

Remember anything worth having is worth striving for. I hope these suggestions will help you reach your goals!

All the best to you!

Rasheed Ali (#1 Adversity Consultant) and Bill White (Syncronicity Expert) have just launched http://www.SleepYourWayToRiches.com — a powerful new success and wealth creation website and http://www.SolutionCoach.com –a powerful business and success coaching site.

How can you become more optimistic?

I will divulge five little-known “secrets” to help you immediately feel upbeat, confident, and optimistic.

Research: Why Optimism Is Good for You

Tons of research prove that optimists do vastly better than pessimists in their

1. Health

2. Wealth

3. Career success

Health.

A growing body of “psychoneuroimmunology” medical research links how a person’s emotions affect his or her health. Some intriguing findings: Optimistic people are less likely to get sick than pessimistic or depressed people. This includes illnesses ranging from common colds to cancer. Optimistic people also get well faster than pessimists.

Wealth.

A fascinating study found that self-made millionaires worry much less than people who earn as much money but have not achieved millionaire status. What is the connection between being optimistic and making yourself into a millionaire? Optimists are much more likely than pessimists to make a goal of achieving millionaire status. They also keep plugging away at being frugal, investing wisely and working hard to turn financial dreams into reality. In contrast, pessimists are less likely to set net-worth goals or consistently take actions to become millionaires.

Career Success.

Many companies use my firm’s Abilities & Behavior Forecaster™ pre-employment tests when choosing applicants. To start, a company has high-achievers take the test. Also, underachievers may take the test. Then, we identify how the high-achievers score, so the company can prefer hiring applicants who score like its profitable, productive employees. Intriguing finding: One of the Forecaster™ test’s 18 scales is Optimism. Typically, high-achievers typically score high on the Optimism test scale, while underachievers score moderate or low on Optimism. This repeated finding verifies that optimists achieve greater career success than pessimists.

So, how can you boost your optimism to achieve greater health, wealth, and career success? Here are five immediately useful techniques. Each takes only one minute to do, so you can start fast and get results today.

1st Technique: Straight Posture & Big Steps

Optimistic people use straight posture, walk fast, and take big steps. Pessimistic people slouch, walk slowly, and use small steps. Imagine seeing someone walking with his or her head held high, shoulders back, walking fairly fast with big steps. That person exudes confidence. In contrast, a person whose head and shoulders slouch and walks with slow, small steps reeks a gloomy mood.

Why is a straight posture crucial? Because before you can straighten out your head, you first need to straighten up your body!

2nd Technique: Cheerful Voice

A lightning quick way to feel upbeat is to use a cheerful voice. Think of a

time when you felt annoyed. Then, your phone rang. You answered it, and your caller was someone you wanted to impress. I bet you spoke in a cheerful voice so you would impress your caller. Result: You immediately started feeling your mood lift.

Why is a cheerful voice an incredibly powerful optimism tool? Psychological research proved that a person emotionally feels the emotion he or she is acting at the moment. So, if you act cheerful, you feel cheerful. And a cheerful voice is the fastest way to act optimistic.

3rd Technique: Use Upbeat Words

You can use types of words: upsetting and upbeat. Pessimists relish using upsetting words, while optimists excel at using upbeat words.

Examples:Upsetting Words: Problem, Tired & Depressed

Upbeat Words: Opportunity, Recharging, Bumming

For example, a pessimist says, “I have a problem.” In contrast, an optimist would say, “I have an opportunity to do better next time!”

4th Technique: Use Upbeat Attitudes

I find the chief way to become an optimist simply is to focus on solutions – and not focus on problems. Every time a difficulty pops up, immediately create solutions and put them into action. Examples:

Upsetting Attitudes: Focus on problems, Dwelling on weaknesses,and Thinking about financial woes.

Upbeat Attitudes: Focus on solutions, Dwelling on strengths andThinking about achieving prosperity

Why is a solution-focus ultra-important? Because you can only have one thought in your head at a time. So, if you focus on solutions, you cannot wallow in problems, complaining, blaming, or moaning.

5th Technique: Be a Magnificent Role Model

Remember a time you were a role model for someone. As you helped that person, you also helped yourself. As the proverb goes: “What goes around, comes around.” If you are a delightfully optimistic role model for employees, co-workers, family and friends, then you simultaneously make yourself optimistic.

How do you do this? Make sure people see you using straight posture, taking big steps, speaking in a cheerful voice, using upbeat words and focusing on solutions.

Anyone can become an optimist. When people use these five techniques, they invariably tell me they feel heavy burdens lift off their shoulders. They feel positive, upbeat, and confident. You only need a few minutes to put these tips into action. They can be your key to enhanced health, wealth, and career success.

© Copyright 2005 Michael Mercer, Ph.D.

Michael Mercer, Ph.D., is a consultant, speaker, and founder of The Mercer Group, Inc. in Barrington, Illinois. He delivers speeches and seminars at conferences and companies. Dr. Mercer’s Forecaster™ pre-employment tests are used by companies across North America. He co-authored “Spontaneous Optimism®: Proven Strategies for Health, Prosperity & Happiness” and also “Hire the Best — & Avoid the Rest™”. You can (1) subscribe to his free e-Newsletter at http://www.DrMercer.com or (2) phone him at (847) 382-0690.

Health Guide

Health questions and answers archive. Ask our experts your own question for free!

Clients, friends and colleagues often comment on the fact that I am a walking and talking field of positive energy. They wonder, often in amazement, how I keep a balance of calm and joy on a day to day basis. I ingest is intention, the intention of appreciation, gratitude and joy every moment, every day and in every way that I can. When I get out of sync, as we all do, I put an elastic on my wrist; give it a little tweak to remind me to live every moment as mindfully, as joyfully as possible.

Life has taken me on a personal journey fraught with tremendous challenges and also incredible success and satisfaction. I have achieved what was trailblazing success and material wealth in my career; I have been stripped of all material and social security in fleeing an abusive situation with my children, $100 and the clothes on my back. While my personal journey has been one of extreme success as well as extreme peril, I recognize that we all go through bouts of success and despair, perceived material security and loss. We all have different journeys, different challenges and lessons to learn. However we are all sisters and brothers in the journey of life. A journey that gives each one of us crisis and calm, happiness and hardship. Our strength and our hope lie not in our ability to move forward after crisis or defeat, but rather to move forward with our mind, heart and soul in tact, in a positive place.

What is my secret to living life with my glass of personal energy half full? My secret starts with recognizing that everything in life is a choice, a personal decision. We cannot control what happens to us, but we have the ultimate control over what we do with our experiences. No one can control our thoughts, our emotions, the seedbed of our strength. We are the masters of what is most important and most powerful in our life: our consciousness, our intention.

On our path to discovering a life of joy, a life of happiness we always come head to head with the opponent. The opponent is not the not the boss or the job we do not like, it is not a person who did us wrong. The opponent we face is not outside our self. Our greatest opponent lies within us. It is the

voice that speaks of fear and desperation. It is the voice that talks about all we cannot do or achieve. It is easy to be seduced by the opponent, by choices that we do not really want to make, by negativity that drains our energy and impedes our true passion, purpose and talent.

How can we beat our internal opponent and reach in and out with more joy, more energy, more enthusiasm for life? How can we get on the JOY TRACK? We must realize that wishing for, yearning for, hoping for or being desperate for happiness or joy does not represent positive intention, but rather speaks loudly to what we lack. When our thoughts come from a place of need, they also come from a place of fear. The energy we transmit attracts more of the same.

No matter what has transpired in your life, you have the power now at this very moment to fight the opponent, to move past a place of need a place of yearning for, wanting, asking, and hoping to a place of personal strength and positive certainty.

Decide to hold your glass half full today. Experience 24 hours without fear, uncertainty, worry, negativity. Take the garbage out for a day, put negativity and thoughts that sap your energy on pause. What would your day be like if you decided to stop yearning for, wishing for, hoping for happiness and just got up in the morning with the conviction to make this a joyful day? Try joyful conviction on for size today, and let me know if you attract more joy in your life and your work.

© 2004 Irene Segal

About The Author

Empowerment…. Irene Segal is a business and life coach who works with issues of change, business growth, leadership and self-empowerment. She was recently appointed as the Personal Development Expert for Enterprise Toronto, a branch of the Economic Development Office of the City of Toronto and is also an Ambassador for the Toronto Board of Trade. Irene’s professional journey includes running a multi million dollar steel business, mentoring entrepreneurs, financial consulting and co-authoring a book about coaching, Exploring Coaching. She received her coaching certification from Coach Training Alliance, who described her as one of the stars in their program. Irene was one of 10 Canadian women chosen by the Federal Development Bank to set up the first mentorship program for women in the country- Step Up. She was also the first woman Rotarian in Canada.

irene@justcoachit.com

Your destiny is the dream that lies within you of your desired and preferred future. And the things that we choose each day are what lead us to that destiny: Our actions, our words, our attitudes, and our relationships. They all add up to develop and shape that date on which we will reach our destiny.

Here are some thoughts to think about as you work on shaping your Date with Destiny:

The Mental Question: Do you believe that you can achieve a life of abundance? The frank truth is that many people simply do not believe that they can achieve what lies in their heart. Success is for someone else, a better person, or a smarter person. This is not true and is perhaps the greatest obstacle we face on the journey to our destiny. If we are to achieve the abundance in life we must first believe we can, or face our own continual self-sabotage of what a college professor of mine called “stinkin’-thinkin.’”

Here is the truth:It doesn’t matter what your intelligence is.It doesn’t matter what your current resources are.It doesn’t matter what you currently earn.It doesn’t matter what family you came from.

Nothing in your current circumstances matter in whether or not you can achieve your destiny! Nothing! Now, your current state may make it a longer or harder journey than someone else, but the possibility is always there no matter what your current circumstances are.

And that is the message we need to continually tell ourselves. “I can do it.” Not “I can’t do it.”

Clear vision. Do you have one of your destiny? Here are some questions to determine whether or not your vision is clear.

Can you describe it in intricate detail?

Can you “see” it?

Can you “feel” it?

Can you “hear” it?

Here are a couple of illustrations.

Perhaps you came from a dysfunctional family and your dream is to have great moments with your family. Let’s start with a

Thanksgiving meal. Can you see each person there? What are they wearing? Are they smiling? What is the conversation? Can you hear the laughter? Can you experience the joy? Can you smell the turkey? Can you see people hugging each other and saying “This was wonderful,” as they leave?

Another scenario: Your company. Can you see the large building you are in? Can you see the workers? Can you feel the positive attitude they have as they carry out their work? Can you experience the excitement as you get the quarterly results? Can you see yourself handing out healthy bonuses that bring pleasant surprises to your employees?

This is where it begins. A clear vision of your destiny.

Consider your resources. Are you aware of the resources you will need in order to set your date with destiny? Do you know how you will go about getting them? What are your natural gifts and talents that you have? How can you best utilize them in achieving your destiny?

What are your current level of resources?

Money?

Time?

Emotional health?

Help from others such as friends, family, employees or volunteers?

What will be your needed future level of resources? And have you developed a plan to achieve this level?

The last thing I would encourage you to do is fix a date in the future that you believe you could believe you will be living your destiny by. A real date. What this enables you to do is then begin to work backwards in setting goals to move you along the way, proving you with future points to strive for and evaluation point to reflect upon.

Here are the points again:

Answer the mental question: Do I really believe?

Develop a clear vision.

Consider the resources needed.

Set a date with destiny.

Develop a plan to get there.

About The Author:

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of Made for Success, a company helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams.

To see Chris “live” at the upcoming Jim Rohn Weekend Event as he speaks on the subject of Secrets of Influence go to http://Chris-Widener.InspiresYOU.com/ or call 800-929-0434.

I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I have started and run several businesses, and as I look back, I think the most important element in financial and personal success is awareness of purpose and the capacity to stay open to it.

Many years ago I was a participant in a seminar. At the end, the leader took us through a guided meditation in which we asked ourselves, “What is my purpose for doing the work I do, in my relationships, and for being alive in this time and place?”

The word ‘connection’ popped up in my mind, and it felt right. My work then and now is helping people manage conflict with power and grace, and about removing the barriers to connection. Outside of work, as well, I want my actions to reflect this purpose. So when the word came up in the meditation all those years ago, it gave a name to something I already recognized.

My work is still about connection. On rough days, knowing this keeps me going. On good days, when life flows, it is reaffirmed. It doesn’t matter whether it makes sense to anyone else. My life is about connection.

What about you? What purpose underlies your work and your life? Is it Creativity? Compassion? Diversity? Empowerment? Relationship? Health? Beauty? Spirituality? Love? These concepts occur as I think of friends and colleagues and their work in the world.

Like peeling an onion, the external layers of our work are the activities we engage in. Each layer moves us closer

to a central purpose that is behind the time and effort we expend, and behind the gratitude with which we celebrate our success.

So take some time today to give yourself a gift. Close your eyes, relax, and ask your inner wisdom what your work is really about. Then keep that in front of you as a beacon. Refine it, nurture it, and hold it close at hand. This is essentially what each of us is called to do — to explore and to discover our fundamental motivation, not just occasionally but every day, and with every decision. You’ll rediscover, reinvent and revitalize your work, moment to moment. And you’ll have fun doing it. I wish you good energy.

—————–

There is a vitality, a life force, an energy, a quickening, that is translated through you into action. . . You do not even have to believe in yourself or your work. You have to keep open and aware directly to the urges that activate you. Keep the channel open.

­ Martha Graham, dancer, choreographer

—————–

© 2005 Judy Ringer, Power & Presence Training

About the Author: Judy Ringer is Founder of Power & Presence Training, specializing in unique workshops on conflict, communication, and creating a more positive work environment. Judy is also a black belt in aikido, and is writing her first book on the connection between aikido, conflict, and living a more purposeful life. To sign up for more free tips and articles like these, visit http://www.JudyRinger.com

Note: You’re welcome to reprint this article as long as it remains complete and unaltered (including the “about the author” info at the end), and you send a copy of your reprint to judy@judyringer.com.

Since we all are experts in making up excuses, we won’t need much training in this area, just a shift of focus. Instead of focusing on what we can’t do, lets focus on what we can do. Instead of coming up with all kinds of excuses why it won’t work, lets focus on why it can work. Get the idea?

Instead of focusing energy on excuses that don’t serve you in

moving forward, make up excuses that inspire and enthuse you to do what you want to do. Excuses like “there is no time like the present, I am old enough, I am just the person to do the job, I know all the ways it can work.” Actually, there are an unlimited number of excuses as to why you can. Be creative and think of as many as you like.

About The Author

Coach Lee is a Certified Master Coach specializing in working with business owners and professionals in being more profitable and productive while staying sane and balanced. Coach Lee is the publisher of the award winning e-zine, 365 Days of Coaching, because life happens every day. Visit Coach Lee at her websites coachlee.com and 365daysofcoaching.com. True Direction, Inc. Copyright

rachelle@coachlee.com

Capital in your business isn’t what matters. It isn’t the money that buys you a future; it’s your skills that buy you a future. Money and no skills, I’m telling you, you are still poor. Money and no ambition, where are you? Money and no courage, you’re broke. A little bit of money and a whole lot of courage is all we need.

When looking for people, don’t always look for the ones with money, money doesn’t matter. What matters is somebody’s willingness, somebody’s ingenuity, somebody’s willingness to try. If they have a dollar to invest that’s plenty for me. A dollar and some ambition and I can show you how to get rich and it will be one of the classic stories of the company. When recruiting somebody and they would say, “I don’t have any money”, I’d say “I’ve been looking for you for six months! Let me show you how to do it without any money.”

Because here are the rules of capitalism: you can either buy and sell or, if you are in certain circumstances, you can sell and buy. That is, if you’ve got ambition. Now if you

haven’t got ambition we can’t cure that and money can’t cure it – lack of ambition. But if you have a dollar and some ambition I will show you how to get rich. Even if you don’t have a dollar I will show you how to get rich, because you can sell and buy. Somebody says, “As soon as the product arrives I’ll sell it.” No, no, you don’t understand. You don’t understand the magic of fortune if you say I have to wait till the product gets here. And you probably don’t understand the value of your own story.

By selling and buying you are simply sharing from your own excitement and belief about the product and the opportunity. Once the customer says yes, ask for the money and then go get the product. After doing this three or four times, you will be able to buy and sell, but never let money keep you from an opportunity when you have in it’s place true ambition, faith and courage.

To Your Success,

Jim Rohn

Reproduced with permission from Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine.Copyright 2005 Jim Rohn International. All rights reservedworldwide. To subscribe to Jim Rohn’s Weekly E-zine, go tohttp://Jim-Rohn.InspiresYOU.com

Some of you are already saying, “What’s the point of this!?” “This will never be real!” “Who’s got a million dollars?…Not me!” Well, the whole point is to have you dream…to take a ride. To get to the heart of what it is that you truly value. To uncover the elements in life that is of importance to you. This “story” that you create gives you clues as to the elements you can furnish your “real life” with. More so, you may find that some of the things you dream on, cost nothing. For example, a walk in the park, time spent with friends, time spent with family, flowers in your home, eating well, exercise, a new home etc. Let me not put words in your mouth. Go on, and dream!

In order to find out what it is you really want in your life, self-exploration is the first part of that process. Questions like $1,000,000 question help you to begin to design the life, the career, and/or the relationship you desire. Pose this question to any aspect of your life, removing all boundaries, all “shoulds” and “should nots” and see what you come up with. You will be sure to unravel hidden strengths, talents, gifts and values.

Values you can use in creating a game plan for your life Another important point is to be as specific as you can. Record all colors, the time of day, smells and people in your story. Be very specific. Dig deep.

It’s truly possible to live the life you dream – the life you want. But first you have to know what it is you want. Answering self-exploration questions like this is the beginning.

Clearly, this is not simple. For many of us this is a challenge, especially if we rarely give ourselves permission to dream. Pestering voices corner us. But if you allow yourself to take on this type of questioning, you will find that your personal options for living are vast and varied. With all our world of choices and unlimited possibilities, let’s begin with the dream…

I dream that I often travel the world and bring back amazing and beautiful art to share with people. And everyone is pleased with me and they say, “ooh!” “aah!” and “gimme some of that!” about my findings. Hmm…What does that say about me?

About The Author

Sandra A. Daley is the president of Daley Formulas…solutions for creative living, a life and career coaching company that believes that everyone is entitled to a full and prosperous life. She works with artists, entrepreneurs and people who are in transition in their lives and careers. Sandra facilitates several workshops: “Defining The Work You Love: A Career Fulfillment Workshop”, “So You Wanna Be In Show Business: A Workshop On How To Break Into Acting” and “Leadership and Creativity”. She also publishes an inspiring and resourceful, monthly newsletter called “Daley Formulas…solutions for creative living”. To learn more visit: www.daleyformulas.com or send an Email to info@daleyformulas.com.

For example, let’s say you promised yourself that you were going to file papers immediately before they got out of hand, but then something else came up, and the next thing you knew, you had another pile of papers that needed to be filed.

Or perhaps, on January 1 you made a vow to yourself to exercise for 20 minutes every day. You exercised for a few days. But then, by January 5, you gave up.

This happens to everyone on one occasion or another. But, you really can start getting things done!

Next time you really want to do something, and you want to actually start and continue doing it, realize that doing it for one, two, or even three days in a row is usually not enough.

It takes at least 21 days to form a habit. This means that you have to do something at least 21 times before it begins to become part of your everyday routine.

So . . .

1. Decide exactly what you want to do. Write it down and post it where you can see it every day, like your bathroom mirror. Be as specific

   as possible.

2. Schedule time to do what you want to do. Again, it takes 21 days to form a habit, so schedule at least 21 days on your calendar and don’t let anything get in the way of your schedule. If you miss one of your scheduled days, it’s best to start over and schedule another 21 days. You must be consistent and dedicated to doing what you want to do.

3. Once you reach your 21 days, congratulations! Don’t stop now though, schedule another 21 days, and then another and so on, until you do what you want to do, without even thinking about it . . . like brushing your teeth.

by Maria Gracia – Get Organized Now!

http://www.getorganizednow.com

FREE Idea-Pak and E-zine filled with tips, ideas, articles and more to help you organize your home, your office and your life at the Get Organized Now! Web site!

EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS ARE FREE TO REPRINT THIS ARTICLE IN ITS ENTIRETY AS LONG AS THE BYLINE REMAINS INTACT.

About The Author

Maria Gracia, owner of www.getorganizednow.com and author of the book, ‘Finally Organized, Finally Free’ can help you organize your home, your office and your life. Visit her Web site at: http://www.getorganizednow.com

getorgnow@wi.rr.com