What Is Success Worth To You?

Regarding how you view success, may I ask you a simple question?

"When you consider the PRICE of success, what is it WORTH to you?"

Why do I ask this?

Well, the fact is you will usually have to give up something to get something in life. Success is no different. Either you'll have to give up your steady job to focus on that part-time company, or you'll have to take time from sports, hobbies, or maybe even family in order to do it.

Case in point: back in the 1980's and 1990's a receiver played for the San Francisco 49ers who broke all of the receiving records in the NFL. You probably remember Jerry Rice. I loved Jerry for many reasons. He knew that if they could get the ball in his hands, that he could help them win games. And, win a lot of games is exactly what the 49ers did! What made Jerry different? If you stacked up all the tall, slender, fast receivers in the NFL with "good hands" he probably would have stood out as just one of the many if it weren't for two things:

1. Work ethic.
2. Execution.

Most people fail because they lack either of these two qualities. Jerry succeeded because he began his workout campaign in both strength, endurance, and speed exercises running up hills, bicycling, and running sprints when the others guys were taking time off playing and messing around during the "off-season". To Jerry, he didn't have much of an off-season. As soon as one season finished, he'd take a quick break, then immediately get back to work to prepare for the next year. Jerry also was the best I've seen at running specific patterns and being in the right place at the right time. This increased the chances that he would be in the right spot to make the catch. Then, he used his athleticism to make moves to run after the catch and make more yards than any receiver ever before or after!

If you are not currently *feeling* successful, the odds are likely something is not happening yet in your path to live your dreams. That something is the *release* of what is blocking you from walking (or running) on the path you need to take in order to realize your personal journey. Usually, what is blocking you is your work ethic: the way you spend your time is not conducive to you winning the way you intend. Or, you are not executing on your plan. Either you stop and give up or change directions so often you never master any one thing.

If you take anyone great, the reason they become great is usually because they spend a lot of time, energy, and focus mastering their subject. Their sole intention is to master this area and know it better than anyone else. Usually, this mastery leads to higher pay, more options in career choice, and higher rewards in other ways, too.

Can you dig what I'm talking about?

How does your thinking match your ability to manifest what you want? I recently spoke with someone about a job they'd interviewed for the preview week:

"Did you get the job?" I asked. "I'm not sure yet... but I like the pay!" She replied. "The pay is good, then?" I continued, trying to pry without prying. "Hey - it beats social work!" She finished.

Well, yeah! What doesn't beat social work pay, right? So, I don't think she'd exactly set the bar high for what she considered high pay. But, if she was happy, then she'd factored the value of pay, time, and lifestyle into her choice of employment.

I once asked a group of seminar attendees a question regarding money.

Please write down your answer to this question:

"How much money do you feel you are worth an hour?"


Okay, did you write down your own answer?

Here is an interesting chart that will show you what you think you're worth:



Source: AspireNow.com

Most people will identify with this chart (above) in relation to money and the hours they work. Keep in mind, if you're working 12 hour days to make that same money, you might as well reduce your hourly worth by 1/3 because you're working that much harder to earn your keep.

But what if your goals are to make $1 Million a year? If you want to earn $10 Million a year, then what are you worth per hour?

Well, I don't even have to break out my calculator to tell you that if you make $1 Million a year then you'd better think of your hourly worth as $600 an hour, approximately. If you want to earn 10x that, then your hourly worth is about $6,000 an hour! If your time was worth $6,000 per hour, how would you spend it? What things do you do now that you would hire someone else to do? Can you make any of those changes NOW? (Hey - this is called AspireNOW for a reason!)

Have you ever thought of money like this before? If not, now is the time to start rethinking how you approach money.

If you are going to have a "millionaire" approach to money, then your worth per hour is now, from this day forward, $600 per hour.

When I, personally, made this shift in mindset, I started to say:

"I am now worth $600 per hour."

Does this change how you feel about housework? Playing that game of solitaire during your lunch break? Talking to that friend who just chatters away time meaninglessly every day? I'm not saying to become a jerk and never help out around the house, never have fun playing, or cut out every friend who isn't rich. I'm just suggesting that you consider your time WISELY. Make it count: every second of it! And, make your money count, too! Because the money you make will make you more money if you use it to work for you, rather than against you (accumulate assets rather than debt).

Next, consider the intrinsic value you receive from the activities in your life. For one week, break down how you spend your time. Each day, write down how many hours you spend on each activity. For example:

Eating
Sleeping
Working For Someone Else's Dreams
Working Towards Your Dreams
Getting Kids Ready
Driving/Commute
Travel
Resting
Thinking
Playing/Leisure
Sports/Working Out
Education - In Class
Reading A Magazine
Reading A Book
Personal Care
Sexual Proclivity
Talking On The Phone
Religious Activities - Praying, Meditating, Attending Service
Computer (break down time surfing, social networking, playing, or working)
Watching TV or a Movie
and so forth...

After a week or two of tracking, you'll have an idea what is important to you, based upon how you spend your time. After you've done this exercise, consider: does this way I spend my time match how I see myself in success? If the answer is "no", consider remapping how you spend your time!

The majority of people who do not accomplish their dreams often spend a considerable amount of time doing things like mowing the lawn, shopping, watching television, laundry, or driving to and from work. Obviously, while you're doing these things, you are typically not doing the things that can help you accomplish your dream(s).

When you're considering what is success worth to you, factor in the money, and factor in how you define success in time, people, and lifestyle. Then start to plan for your future with that revised understanding and mentality. Here's to our mutual success!

Bonus Time Management Section:

Interactive Chart: How Americans Spend Their Time

According to the NY Times: "At 9 p.m., nearly two-fifths of people are in front of the television. But at almost any hour of the day, a larger share of unemployed people are watching television or movies."

Bonus tip:
How to be twice as effective as the average person in America?

Stop watching television and spend that time networking, developing a company, or bettering YOU. My comment: Don't be "typical" - be unusual! Cut out the stuff that burns time like television and your productivity will increase. Plus, you'll have more of a social life!

The average American with High School education spends almost as much time watching television as they do working! (Note: The American with an Advanced Degree spends only 1/4 the amount of time working watching television, but this is still over an hour a day, on average.)

Related articles:
Value of Our Time
8 Tips for Healthier Living
Create More Financial Success

Related products:
Keys To Discovering Your Purpose
___________________________________________________

Copyright © 2009 AspireNow. Chart by NY Times - see article there for interactive chart - it is interesting to see where people spend time.

All rights reserved. Want more? Subscribe to the A-Blog.

Like it? Share on del.icio.us or Stumble Upon!

Setting Goals For 2008

Are you wondering what New Year's Resolutions people are setting this year?

In a release this week over the Businesswire, FranklinCovey (NYSE:FC), a global leader in effectiveness training, productivity tools, and assessment services, today released the results of its third annual New Year's Resolutions Survey, which polled 15,031 customers. The survey found that respondents' top three New Year's resolutions or goals for 2008 are to (1) get out of debt or save money, (2) lose weight, and (3) develop a healthy habit like exercise or healthy eating.

The Top 10 New Year's resolutions or goals were ranked as follows:

TOP 10 NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS FOR 2008
1. Get out of debt or save money
2. Lose weight
3. Develop a healthy habit (e.g., exercise or healthy eating)
4. Get organized
5. Develop a new skill or talent
6. Spend more time with family and friends
7. Other
8. Work less, play more
9. Break an unhealthy habit (e.g., smoking, alcohol, overeating)
10. Change employment

The survey also found that 35 percent of respondents break their New Year's resolutions by the end of January and only 23 percent of those surveyed don't ever break them. Nearly 40 percent of those surveyed attribute breaking their resolutions to having too many other things to do, while 33 percent say they are not committed to the resolutions they set.

Interesting survey, don't you think? If only 2/3 of people are truly interested in their resolutions, and of those only 23 % follow-through, then people are obviously closely following the Pareto principle, where 20% of people do and 80% of people either watch them or just try to do, without action succeeding. Notice that commitment is a mental promise to our own self. Making or breaking, on the other hand, is an ACTION word. So, to me, the first key to success with your resolution or goal is to have the proper mindset. Then, take the right action to achieve the goal. If you have the right mindset, finding the choices and making the right actions are far easier.

When it comes to recommendations, I expect myself to achieve over 80% of my goals. However, if you set too many goals, you'll struggle to achieve them all. So, set a simple goal, get the right mindset, and then keep the goal in mind until you achieve your vision.

I suggest you keep one primary goal in mind. In order to succeed, you must set the right mental thinking around your goal. You must first associate pain with NOT achieving your goal.

The first goal from the survey is to get out of debt and save money. With the skyrocketing credit problem in America and other countries, clearly debt is a huge problem for many, many people. So, say your primary goal is to get out of debt.

First, make a list of all the negatives, in terms of events, charges, cost, stress-level, fun-factor, and influence on all areas of your life that this debt is having on you. I know - debt can be a bummer! Now, before you get too frustrated and give up, make a NEW LIST.

The second list will include of all the BENEFITS - both in fact and emotion - that you will receive from saving money and getting yourself in the black. These may include ability to go out, buy what you want, do what you want, launch that company you've dreamed of, and also impact your weight, friendships, dating/relationship, and more. After all, dating with no dough isn't easy! It's also hard to have as much fun without money. So, getting out of debt might FREE you to do so much MORE with your life!

You want to make sure you use EMOTIONAL words when you associate the benefit. Here's an example of how I would set a goal to get out of debt and get financially free to save and get my money working for me:

Eliminate Debt: I will eliminate struggle with finances, earn more than I make, and pay off all of my debt. I will resolve, negotiate, and clear my name of all debts and get my credit clean. The feeling I get from my debt is burden, negative, and restraining me from doing all I need to with my friends, love, family, and business. It also impacts my ability to grow and do what I want. This makes me feel more stressed-out and causes mental worry that distracts me from my purpose.

SHIFT TO NEW THOUGHT:

My finances are healthy and in order. I pay my bills ahead of time. I earn more money than I spend each month. I am able to save through my 401K, IRA, savings accounts, and put money away for my future needs. I am able to do what I want, when I want, because I have the financial wealth that supports me. I attract riches and earnings in abundant ways that are both pleasantly surprising and timely. People are drawn to give money to me and contribute towards my goals and objectives. I feel so alive with my financial health! My financial future excites me, and I can see and feel the difference in how I can contribute to make a difference in the world with my financial resources that I accumulate. I experience joy through abundance. Waves of money come to me and give me freedom and flexibility to save, spend, or use my money wisely. I love the way I feel when I save money and have all the money in the bank I need to support my dreams, life, and goals.

Do not put your focus on the first list. Many people make this mistake and therefore miss out on their potential to manifest the law of attraction.

After you write both of these, I strongly suggest you BURN the first list, and keep ONLY the SECOND LIST. This is how you shift your thinking, eliminate the old, and move to focus only upon what you want.

Now, to achieve and put the focus of this second thought statement's benefits into reality, read this list EVERY DAY for 40 days. Tape it to your mirror where you get ready in the morning. Read it after you shave or put on facial lotion. Read it out loud, while looking yourself in the eye (goals tend to manifest better when we connect with our own soul physically).

After 40 days, see how much progress you're making. Evaluate, refocus, and continue to grow in realizing your goal!

Here are some related books from Amazon to help you set your goals:

The 10 Keys to Personal Power 64mins VHS Brian Tracy
Amazon Price: $28.00 List Price: $70.00

View from the Top
Amazon Price: $4.70 List Price: $14.99

Deepak Chopra: The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire
Amazon Price: $39.99 List Price: $43.98
_______________________________________________________

Contact Franklin-Covey for more information about their survey at: 801-244-4474 debra.lund@franklincovey.com. Survey Source: Business wire. Copyright 2008, no infringement intended. The remainder of this article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. To get more articles like this, Subscribe to the A-Blog.

Online Self Help Experts

Are you a life coaching expert? If you're providing self-help, coaching, dating and relationship advice, motivational speaking, financial advice, and things of this nature, you are invited to join my AspireNow Self Help Expert Coaching network at Plaxo!

The criteria to join the self help expert coaching network is:

1. You've been providing coaching on a paid basis for more than three (3) years.
2. You speak professionally either online, on the radio, or on TV.
3. You are interested in collaborating with other coaches.

If this is you, you are invited - click here to join!

http://selfhelp.plaxogroups.com

Also, make sure that you do not spam the group - it is really important that we moderate and keep comments focused on coaching. Aside from that, if you like the group, make sure you CONNECT with me at Plaxo, too, so we can join our networks!
_______________________________________________________

This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. Plaxo is a trademark of Plaxo.com. No infringement intended.

You may republish this article only AS A COMPLETE WHOLE with ENTIRE LINKS and copyright messages attached. All rights reserved. Subscribe-don't miss out!

Tips on The Big Idea

Joe Vitale was interviewed tonight on The Big Idea, my favorite TV show.

For those who don't know, Joe Vitale was one of the stars of the hit video called The Secret. I've covered this video in depth before at my articles: The Most Powerful Law In The Universe and The Law of Attraction.


Anyway, Joe shared several "millionaire secrets" with Donny Deutsch, the host of the show. I liked Joe Vitale's points, but wished he had more time to elaborate. So, I'm going to run through each of his points, then provide further commentary for those of you seeking to learn more about manifesting, the law of attraction, getting what you want, and attracting the things you seek for a better life:


1. Know what you don't want. I found it interesting the Joe started with this. But, in my coaching, I've often found that when I ask people their purpose, they'll start listing off what they don't want. It is useful as a starting place, but you must recognize that you'll need to SHIFT from this VERY quickly to the other points on this list.


2. State your intention. This is important. It is vital to know what you DO want, and to state it as an intention. Many people complain about things and then wonder why they get more of that. Try the challenge to stop complaining for 30 days! If you can rid your complaining about aches, failures, pains, loss, blocks, and other things, you just might stop attracting that in your life. Instead of talking about those things, SHIFT to WHAT YOU WANT MOST. This is where life transformation occurs!


3. Get clear. It is vital to find ways to get clear on your intentions and eliminate anything in the way of what you want most.


4. Nevelize. I didn't understand this word, but I did understand what Joe was talking about regarding internalizing your dream into present reality. The importance here is to FEEL the process of your intention. Note, I said process, not result. Manifesting is about the process as much as the result, and the feeling is what we feel in the process. Writing down your intentions, creating a journal, a collage, a video, an audio, and making sure to associate the moment of what you want with how it feels to experience that. He mentioned how it feels to be on The Big Idea and smiled. I liked that and could relate. I immediately imaged how it would feel to sit across from Donny and share my own ideas about collaboration, software, helping people launch dreams, and make a difference (yeah, it felt great!!). This is an important step in manifesting that many people (especially skeptics) hardly ever take into account. How will you feel when you experience your intention? Write, record, imagine, think, and speak from this position.


5. Let go and take INSPIRED ACTION. This is where passion comes into play. People who are most successful are usually those who are most passionate about their dreams. Have you noticed this? It is for this reason that everything I do, I try to do with passion. If you act from inspired action, your actions will have more power.


These are all steps I've put in place at both AspireNow (http://www.aspirenow.com/) and ARRiiVE Business Solutions (http://www.arriive.com/). In fact, if you visit my blogs to those pages that I'm recommending and using these with the blogs, too.


Donny then asked Joe a few questions, having to do with "what if 'yeah, I heard all that, but I still haven't made it, or I'm struggling with my dream, or I'm doing things but it still isn't happening.' What do you say to those people?"


Joe accurately pointed out that what Donny was describing a problem with step 3 - getting clear. This is the biggest thing I've noticed with people in my life and business coaching: people block themselves! It is this inner critic (or even the critic from other people) that blocks the intention! Joe's advice was to DUMP the garbage and get clear. I loved it. How true that all of the critiques and naysayers - whether internal or external - are just garbage.


When we dump the garbage, we can get that positive feeling back that rejuvenates our soul! When we are clear of the junk blocking us we can manifest our dreams because we can truly act from inspired passion.


So, try these tips in your own daily life to manifest more of what you want. If you're finding your critic sneaking in - dump it! You don't want that, right? Get clear, restate your intention, feel how it feels to realize your dream, then let go and take the inspired action that will make it so!


Check it out: If you're seeking to learn more about The Secret, you might want to visit my article on The Most Powerful Law In The Universe and The Law of Attraction. I've also published products for helping people with their PURPOSE and GETTING WHAT YOU WANT called The Transformation Power Pack.


_______________________________________________________

This article is written by Scott Andrews, Founder of AspireNow. Copyright 2007. All rights reserved. Portions of this article may be copyright Joe Vitale, the producers of The Secret, and The Big Idea by CNBC. No infringement intended.

You may republish this article only AS A COMPLETE WHOLE with ENTIRE LINKS and copyright messages attached. All rights reserved. To read more articles like this, subscribe to the A-Blog.

The Law of Attraction

So many people seem interested in The Law of Attraction, ranging from the movie, The Secret, to so many self-help websites on the subject, that I felt I ought to clarify our position on The Law of Attraction and clarify some commonly misunderstood perceptions.

1. First, we will attract to us what we think about.

This is the crux of The Secret. What we focus on is what we give POWER to and what we ATTRACT.

2. Second, many people think that The Secret to The Law of Attraction is about The Secret To Abundance. Guess what? It isn't! You can attract a lot of crap in your life if all you think about is crap. I have someone in my family who likes to talk about bodily functions quite frequently, in an attempt to be funny. I told him that if he thinks about that so much, that's likely what he'll attract. So, if you want to be funny, fine. Find the irony, find the gross, find the disgusting! But I think you can be funny without all of those things, too. It's like the comedian, Bill Cosby, who said, "why are so many comedians using the F-word today? It isn't necessary to be funny." I think Bill Cosby would know: I saw him perform at the Mid-State Fair when I was a kid and I laughed so hard my eyes and stomach hurt!

3. We WILL manifest many of the things we seek. Some things may not be manifested, if they are out of integrity with the world around us. Meaning, we may seek to become President, but if we are not aligned with the powers that vote in president's, then we may not become President. The person understanding the truth in manifesting will focus on the things in integrity with their highest good. So, seek out your highest good, and you'll likely manifest your dreams.

There are programs you can utilize to further your development of The Secret, such as at this link: http://thesgrprogram.com/?a_aid=cd8d7809&a_bid=51580218. But for those of you going it on your own, I suggest that you try the following tips to manifest your dreams:

• Focus on what you want, and only upon what you want.
• Focus on what you love most when you set your intention.
• Focus on what makes you happiest and most free when you set your intention.
• Focus by writing down and drawing pictures of what you want to manifest.
• Focus on your manifestation(s) goal for at least 21 straight days.

Set your goals as high as you need to, yet also set your goals clearly.
When you try these tactics, you'll find that you will often begin manifesting your dreams exponentially faster, with more gusto, and excitement than you've had in past efforts.

You can learn more about manifesting through http://www.AspireNow.com/elegant.htm and http://www.AspireNow.com/discovery.htm links. In addition, if you are launching a business, new product, new service, or other business venture, please visit http://www.ARRiiVE.com to learn ways to attract more customers, more cash, more quickly.

The Five Million Dollar Experiment

If you're a believer in the power of attraction, you'll find the Five Million Dollar Experiment pretty darned interesting. I sure did. I set in motion a similar experiment, for the purpose of helping empower people to do more and be more, live their purpose, and bring more love into the world.

With Steve Pavlina's Million Dollar Experiment, I decided to also make public my intention to help organizations empower their employees with the use of all money that comes my way through the million dollar experiment. (Actually, it was originally the Million Dollar Experiment, but now this experiement is over $5 Million dollars!)

I won't share all the details, except this. I am holding this intention:

In an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way, in its own perfect time, for the highest good of all, I intend $5,000,000 to come into my life and into the lives of everyone who holds this intention.

It's a pretty cool intention. And, one I am honoring. Care to join me in this experiment?

In an easy and relaxed manner, in a healthy and positive way, in its own perfect time, for the highest good of all, I intend $5,000,000 to come into my life and into the lives of everyone who holds this intention.

It's a pretty fun way to experiment. I mean, what do you have to lose? Nothing! Right? What do you have to gain? Whatever the universe decides to send your way. I love open-ended experiments. I'm not limiting it to myself. I want to see it go to many people and help as many people as possible.

If you want to join this experiment, either visit http://www.stevepavlina.com/million-dollar-experiment.htm or visit http://www.aspirenow.com/leader-07-what-i-would-do-with-5-million-dollars.htm.

You can also learn more about the law of attraction and the secret to manifesting money at: !!
http://thesgrprogram.com/?a_aid=cd8d7809&a_bid=51580218.