SELF-Discipline: Your Own Personal Gold Mine

By Reg Scheepers

I went to an ACE school my whole life. In general it's a system where the student has more to remember and has more responsibility placed on them than in public schools and it's an environment of high discipline, at least my school was.

(I won't go into how much or little I like that system, and what a very highly qualified psychologist has told me about placing a large amount of responsibility on a child at too young an age)

In 1999 I got expelled from school, an event I'm rather proud of believe it or not. I have since become great friends with the teacher responsible, and though it took him a while to come around, he now sees things (read: the teachers' attitudes and ridiculous endless unnecessary time-wasting procedures) the same way I do.

Anyway, after being "asked to leave" I spent my days waking up at 1pm or later. I argued that since I "work" until late in the evening, it was OK to get up at 1pm. I spent a large part of the day watching TV, not working.

I drove my dad's Mercedes convertible around as if it was my own. I was paid a salary for working on a sideline project my dad and I started to encourage teenagers to become a doctor, surgeon, nurse or specialist. I didn't even come close to justifying that salary.

For years I held on to the possibility that my dad's project would explode and we would all be multi-millionaires. Then something interesting happened: I grew older. I started to realised that my life was going nowhere. I realised that I needed to do something.

I decided to wake up early in the morning and work full days on my dad's project to help it get on its feet. The next morning I didn't wake up. I set the alarm, but when it went off I just killed it.

With self-discipline and persistence you can reach any goal

I made a serious decision that the next day I would wake up early. I couldn't do it. The warmth and comfort of my bed was just too much every single morning. I'm a Christian, and one day I was in church and the pastor spoke about self-discipline. This was the issue I was struggling with so I listened attentively.

It made no difference though, other than to reinforce that it was important and I needed it. I knew I had to make a change, but I had declined so far after years of not having to wake up early and do anything. I didn't have the strength of character and self-discipline necessary to make the change. And then I prayed, honestly and sincerely - because the simple fact was I couldn't do it. I had tried.

A few months later I got a job offer from an old acquaintance. I wasn't even slightly qualified for the job but he held a fatherly role in my life, so he was willing to mentor me and teach me accounting and financial reporting etc, stuff I knew just absolutely nothing about, and when he told me he would pay me 10,000 Rand a month I tried my best to act as if that was "OK I suppose" but inside I was doing cartwheels.

I told him I'd think about it, but I was sold right away. R10k a month, are you kidding me!!
Well he drove me to the limit, no beyond it. Every morning I'd wake up at 5am to leave for Edenvale before 6am because ANYTHING was better than sitting in the traffic and anything was better than being crapped on for being late. Since I was in the area from 6, I started going to the gym. I might as well do something with the two hours I had to kill before work.

At gym, my new boss started showing me that I can go beyond the limits I thought I had. I nearly blew chunks a few times in gym, but I became fitter and healthier, feeling better about myself.

At work, my boss shouted at me for every mistake. Once I forgot to call him after finishing a meeting at a client. He called me and asked me how it went. I told him and then he asked me why I didn't call. I told him what I considered to be a perfectly acceptable reason, I forgot. I mean, people are people, we forget stuff.

Well he scolded me big time, "Reg you don't forget. This is the last time you ever forget anything, ever again if you are working for me."

I think you'll agree that that's not a reasonable boss speaking. A funny thing happened though, I didn't forget much after that. For the simple reason that I didn't want the pain of him crapping all over me if I did. Today, in business, I seldom forget things I have to do.

I hated my job, my life, so much I can't even express it to you. I cried once while driving somewhere, it just became too much.

Do I recommend my boss' leadership style? Absolutely not. He's gone through many employees in the name of building their character by making their life tough. He lost all his employees three times over at last count, leaving him man-alone. I think his company would be much larger, happier and successful than it is today (though it is successful) if he didn't make his employees' lives a living hell. But, it was what I needed at the time in my life when I needed it.

The point I'm making is that it was terrible. So terrible in fact that one day in January, after only six months of working for my boss, I called up my close friend Harry Baladakis, and 1 Feb I handed in my resignation. The first day of March we launched a team-building drumming company.

Since that period in my life, I get up early, I have a schedule every day, and I'm productive the whole day. I'm unmarried as of this writing, so I don't feel at all embarrassed telling you that I want an attractive female PA. Why not kill two birds with one stone right!

Now, I finish what I start and very importantly, I don't wait for things to happen, I make them happen. It's empowering to know that if you want it to happen you can make it happen. Novel concept I know! Someone once said, "Reg is trying to start a business", and I told them without hesitation and with complete conviction, "I'm not trying."

I made more money in the first year of my interactive drumming company's existence than I would have earning the salary I got at my job. Between November and December of 2009, only a year and a half after quitting my job, we made more in those two months than I would have earned in a whole year at my job.

As Anthony Robbins always says, I say this not to impress you, but to impress upon you the benefits, the value of cultivating self-discipline in your life. It's VITAL for success. It's a precious character trait to develop, and whenever I'm tempted to sleep late on a week night, I just remember what it took to cultivate my self-discipline and that's enough to make me never want to go through it again, so best I maintain it. It's literally, an answer to my prayer.

I look at friends and people I know that are in the same place I was at a few years ago, trapped in a place where they think life owes them a living, believing that some day, something will come along and they'll be just fine. It's not going to happen.

You should do something every day that you just don't feel like doing. Some days you'll have to do many things you don't feel like doing, but do them. If you can, spread them out over a week or so so that you don't lose all inspiration, but do them.

If there's something you're always postponing or something you hate doing, make it your first order of business. If you do it last you'll be more-easily tempted to push it down until tomorrow.

Something that also helped me is an audio course called 'The Science of Self-Discipline'. It helps with the practical steps you can take, but unfortunately the motivation to do it needs to come from within.

This entrepreneur and author shows you How to Become a Make-It-Happen Person by relating lessons learnt while doing everything from training with an Israeli Special Forces/Mossad agent to practicing exotic, sensual Salsa Dancing.

Visit http://www.RegScheepers.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Reg_Scheepers

Take A Six-Minute Trip To Mars

By John Lee

OK, so this may not be the kind of video you'd expect to see on a blog about personal development, success, achievement and health and fitness.

But this is such an impressive and captivating film – even though it's only a few minutes long – that it's well worth sharing.

It relates to NASA's Spirit, MER-A (Mars Exploration Rover-A) project and is filmed in HD, which only adds to its impact and beauty.

The joy, anticipation, nerves and excitement displayed by those who make up the mission control team also reminded me of the huge strides the human race has made.

I was reminded, too, of just how much we can all achieve if we set our minds on a clear goal, take action and believe.

Click on the link below and you'll be taken to the original movie. And be sure to watch on 'full screen' to gain the full effect! I hope you enjoy it...

http://tiny.cc/zl1qmw


Take a six-minute trip to Mars




Why Success is Happiness

By Alex Markham

The pursuit of success is a natural human drive. We all desire success in one form or another. Perhaps you want to get a promotion, or run a successful business, or be respected for your art. But if we are going to put a good deal of our energy into achieving a goal, it’s worth taking the time to ask ourselves whether the goal is worth attaining.

If we ask ourselves why we wish to achieve anything, the inevitable answer is that we believe it will make us happy. Now we must ask ourselves if this is true, and whether there might be a quicker route to happiness, and most importantly, whether the pursuit of this future happiness is jeopardizing our happiness today.


Happiness is never far away

The Greek philosopher Aristotle proposed an experiment about happiness. He said that if you ask anyone why they are doing what they are doing, their ultimate answer will be because it makes them happy.

A person starting up her own business might initially say she wants to make money and have more freedom. Ask her why and she’ll say because it will let her spend more quality time with her family, ask her again and she say that this quality time will bring her happiness.

We all pursue happiness most of the time every day. But we rarely stop and ask ourselves – are we pursuing it in the most efficient way? We’ll examine how efficient our business plan is, or our work schedule, or our golf drive, but we don’t stop to look at whether we are efficiently moving towards happiness.

In order to achieve the goal of happiness you should consider asking yourself whether your life map is leading you towards happiness by the fastest route.

The title of this article is powerful. Understanding the idea could make your life easier. We all want success, and we all want happiness. So what happens when we unify these two powerful ideas? Two words, with one meaning. Success and happiness are the same.

For me, realizing this has been a very liberating process. The old me who was stressed, addicted to work, constantly traveling and never arriving, has been allowed to relax. I no longer pursue my goals with the same fanaticism or fervor. Is this a good thing?

A lot of people are attached to fervor, believing that with great motivation comes great rewards. I disagree, because I recognize that the more I want something, the more I push it away. In fact, through letting go of our attachment to outcomes, we become more likely to achieve our goals, and moreover, we become more likely to be happy.

Don’t burn out your life living like a fanatic. Take a good look at your map, and ask yourself, if it leads you to happiness. It shouldn’t take long to reach happiness because happiness is never far away. A few minutes of mediation, spending an afternoon with your family, playing some sport with old friends – these are the things that will bring you happiness today.

It’s easy to be happy, as long as you are willing to let go of your intense desires, and let things be. Find your patience, find your inner peace, and realize that happiness is right here, right now, waiting patiently for you
——
Alex Markham is a life coach and creator of www.InspiredPrimate.co.uk. His passion is learning what makes people happy, and sharing ideas for living the happy life. Check out Inspired Primate to learn more about how to be happy.

Article source: http://tiny.cc/HappySuccess

Creative Visualization – A Practical Guide from a Star of The Secret

With John Lee and John Assaraf

One of the most powerful tools you can use to attract, manifest or align yourself with the life you truly desire is visualisation.

And John Assaraf – one of the stars of the global smash-hit movie, ‘The Secret’ – is a true master of this remarkably powerful personal development tool.

In fact, in the movie itself, he tells an amazing story of how he attracted into his own life and that of his family their dream home.

In this free video he offers some excellent advice on how you can harness the power of visualisation to achieve your goals and dreams.

Just click on the link below and you'll be taken directly to the original video…

http://tiny.cc/k34gmw

What to Do When Work Runs Your Life

By Clay Nelson

In a challenging economy, the prevailing mindset, generally, is to work as much as you have to in order to get ahead, stay ahead, or simply stay afloat. However, there's a difference between being committed and burying yourself in such a way that work takes you over, and you officially become a workaholic.

Recognizing that work runs your life usually doesn't come until you reach rock bottom, when either an important relationship fails, you actually screw up something at work because you aren't taking care of yourself, or you begin to notice that "something" is missing.



Are you becoming a workaholic?

Recognizing it sooner rather than later isn't always easy to do. The world is so programmed to work-work-work that anything short of working, feels like failure, and it generally takes a hard knock to send us running the other direction.
The good news is that once you realize what you are doing to yourself and your family, the cycle can be broken with the following:

Personal Planning

Personal Planning is a tool that helps you take care of you! It puts you squarely in the driver seat with a written plan that says what you are committed to do in order to recharge your own batteries and by-when you are going to do it.

Personal plan item examples include reading a book, playing with your children, going for a bike ride, and even doing nothing! The point is to do things that YOU love to do and that will help you recharge.

Personal Planning is simple, and when combined with a team that holds you accountable for doing it, it is a very powerful tool.

Team Building

Workaholics aren't the best team builders. However, if you can get to a place where 1. you are willing to surrender control and not come from a place of believing you need to be in control of everything and 2. you understand that by building a team, you can meet your business/professional goals and have a life, then you have won half the battle of living life as a workaholic!

Accountability and Delegation

Accountability and delegation are the keys to overcoming a life of work-work-work. First of all, as a workaholic you have to be willing to be held accountable for living your written personal plan. Second, you must surrender control and delegate as much as possible to your team members. It is the only way you will get to where you want to be, with sanity, and have a life that you love!

Teaching

Finally, workaholics tend to be the people with all the answers – not like a know-it-all, but more as the keeper of all the stuff, the decision-maker, the person in control. The only problem is that in order to have a company or team of people continually moving forward, the 'answer person' always has to be available to tell their team what to do!

So, as someone who is committed to giving up your workaholic ways, you also have to learn how to teach those around you how to think on their own. This is best accomplished by being the question instead of the answer – asking your team what they would do if you weren't there when circumstances and/or questions arise.

There you have it, the keys to overcoming your workaholic ways. When you implement the above keys in your life, you will find yourself feeling lighter, happier, and more productive, because when you are charged up personally, your work goes smoother too.

So, yes, work is necessary to live the life you have, but living is also necessary to you to have the energy and passion you need to do your work. So what are you waiting for? Remember – money can't hug you. Only people can.

A well-known executive business coach, Clay Nelson is no ordinary, fly-by night, new-to-the-game coach! Clay Nelson has been coaching executives for over 30 years. Coaching from the core fact that growing people is the key to growing any business, Clay has helped countless business executives and their teams come together to not just improve their businesses, but to improve their lives.

Clay's personal life experience, years of coaching, and his natural abilities to motivate, teach, and develop leaders is what makes him stand apart as a leader in the field... committed to making a difference wherever a difference needs to be made.

Clay Nelson is also a well-regarded motivational and educational speaker, providing outstanding programs customized to the audiences he is speaking with. Able to speak on any number of topics within his noted specialties, Clay Nelson is known for moving audiences from the status quo to action as they create the businesses and lives they say they want to have.

For more information go to: http://www.claynelsonlifebalance.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Clay_Nelson

There's No Such Thing As Just For Now

By Douglas R Kruger

She's much younger than you'd ever expect a regional manager to be. And yet she's the current head of Air Mauritius for Southern Africa and Latin America. Before that, she managed Global Sales and Distribution for SAA. And before that, she was an air hostess...

Granted, there were a number of links between those points, but Carla da Silva achieved this exponential career growth – air hostess to regional manager – in a period of just over ten years.

Most air hostesses who began ten years ago are now... air hostesses. So, how did she do it and what can we learn from her progress?

Douglas R Kruger

The answer is – Carla used the Joseph Principle.

A quick historical refresher – Sold into slavery by his brothers in the early pages of Genesis, Joseph was put to work in the household of a stranger. Slavery was hardly Joseph's chosen career-path. It certainly wasn't in line with his life goals and it definitely wasn't well remunerated.

How seriously would you take your 'job' under those conditions? Nevertheless, he invested himself deeply, proved his skills and talents at every turn and rose to be the head of that household, which was, in fact, a well paid position and one of great trust.

Joseph did it again in the courts of the Pharaoh, rising to become second in command of the Egyptian Empire. He didn't see himself as a victim. He constantly and consistently brought his best efforts to every vocation.

Impressive. Yet we tend to look at any work that isn't precisely aligned with our goals as 'something for now'. And we often resent it, whine about it, or underperform.

The truth is – there is no such thing as a 'something-for-now' job. Every job is a part of your total career curve. It all adds up and becomes who you are – a chapter in your total life story. We tend to imagine that we will bring our A-game once we land the right job. The reality is that unless we've been practicing our A-game, we're unlikely ever to arrive at 'the right job.' The former creates the latter.

Carla did her job as an air hostess so diligently and wholeheartedly that she was invited to join SAA's training academy. She took that so seriously that it inevitably lead to the next thing, and then the next, culminating in an astonishingly successful total career, because of her personal investment at every level.

How seriously are you taking your 'just-for-now' job? What difference might it make to your life if you invested a little more of yourself, played the game with slightly greater professionalism, displayed a little more energy? Could you be missing out on that perfect job because you are not creating it by doing your current job perfectly?

It's about what the work makes of you

Remember that the job itself is not the point. It's what you learn while doing it – the business lessons, the skills, the processes, the insights, the ways and means of interacting with others. These things will matter to you no matter what your ultimate career goal.

Plus, you never know who's watching:

If you were to perform your job seriously and were then headhunted by a customer who was impressed by you, it certainly wouldn't be the first time in history. These things happen and they happen often.

So don't work for your boss. Work for yourself. Work for the skills you can learn and the intelligent, insightful and educated person you can become as a result of the work.

Invest yourself in what you do. Bring your personality and the best you have to offer to the table. After all, this isn't just for now. This is the beginning of your story.

It's all one long career curve.

Douglas Kruger is a professional speaker, trainer and author of the '50 Ways' series of books. His most booked keynote speeches are: The Rules of Hamster-Thinking, The Big Bum Theory, and How To Position Yourself As an Expert.

See him in action or read more of his articles at: http://www.douglaskruger.co.za. Email him at: kruger@compute.co.za or follow him on Linked In or Twitter: @douglaskruger

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Douglas_R_Kruger

How to Have What I Want – Vampires, Zombies and Thoughts, Oh My!

By Catherine Lenard

Have you ever asked yourself, "How can I have what I want in my life?" I did. While the complete answer to your question is beyond the scope of this brief article, know and understand this. When you have a heartfelt desire and are willing to do your part, Infinite Intelligence (another name for the God energy) will support you, beginning with the thoughts and energy you consistently hold. Awareness is key.

 

Using a personal example, a realization relates to becoming aware of my subtle thoughts. Fundamental to the, "Have what I want" equation is a heartfelt desire and definite purpose (or calling) for an endeavor I believe will benefit all involved.

While I'm taking consistent action in moving this project forward, I've noticed subtle thought undercurrents. They're automatic, barely above the level of consciousness and – sometimes louder, sometimes softer – hiss not very pleasant things like:

* "It will take forever to get this off the ground" or

* "Good luck with getting clear on that" or

* "I don't have enough time, resources, compensation" or

 ...fifty thousand other disempowering thoughts that don't support conscious goals to have what I want in my life. I'm not talking about fleeting thoughts. I'm talking about automatic persistent thought patterns that vampire your time and energy when they're not managed.


Beware those Vampire Thoughts!

If these vampire thoughts are allowed to run wild, the universe will graciously respond with experiences that mirror specifics – delayed fulfillment of goals, lack of clarity, "not enough". This elegantly simple reflection merits a vital reality check. 

Solution?

* Shine the light of awareness by self-observation. Become aware when subtle thought patterns assert themselves that drain the life out of your conscious goals. No pointy fingers necessary. A simple notice of, "Oh, there it is again" will do in many cases. This takes you out of the zombie trance your subtle thoughts have held you captive in and puts you back in charge.

* Next, take a deep breath and congratulate yourself for waking up. Deliberately focus on your consciously chosen goal and a joy-filled thought related to its fulfillment. Repeat as necessary. Self-awareness is crucial to banishing thought vampires that interfere with realizing your definite purpose and goals.

As I become more aware of my counterproductive thoughts, I transcend being victimized by them. It's deeply empowering to know we all have the ability to choose life-giving thoughts and the subsequent actions that support the fulfillment of our heartfelt desires.

Catherine Lenard is a writer, author, and experienced metaphysician. Her latest book is 'Divine Riches – Unveil Your Power, Create Your World'. She is a speaker and facilitates seminars that teach, 'How to create the life you deserve'. For more information, please visit http://www.divineriches.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Catherine_Lenard

The Art Of Manifesting Our Dreams

By Dawn Gluskin

Ever wonder why some people seem to walk around with a dark cloud hovering over them and others appear to bring their own sunshine wherever they go?

While one group tends to be generally unhappy, finds things to complain about, and nothing seems to go their way, the other group can walk the exact same earth finding gratitude in everything around them, keeping up a positive outlook and easily creating the lives they want.



Entrepreneur, speaker and mom - Dawn Gluskin

In both cases, these individuals are very much creating their own destiny as the law of attraction is at work with the basic principle, 'Like attracts like'. Simply put – if you focus on positive things, you will get positive results. If you focus on negative things, you're going to attract negative results.
Don't get me wrong. You can't just say, "I want a million dollars", focus all of your attention on that desire and then voila – instant millionaire. There's more to it than that. Actual hard work, for one thing! But, there is a spiritual element to it as well. Sometimes the universe has other plans for us, or we just aren't ready to receive yet. This phenomenon is also well-documented in science with the placebo effect.

I can personally attest to the power of purposefully attracting and manifesting. I have somewhat honed this skill over the years out of pure necessity. Having multiple business and social ventures of my own as well as being a mother to a young child with another one on the way, I have been forced to adopt a very Yoda-like mindset in my daily routine – "Do or do not. There is no try".

Having many people rely on you for their livelihood and wanting to be there for them is surefire motivation to find a way to get things done. From scoring national press coverage and columnist spots for my businesses, to generating revenues in a tough economy and competitive marketplace, to just making sure my family gets a healthy dinner at night and mama bear doesn't totally burn out in the process are all major accomplishments that I have purposefully manifested over recent years.

Reflecting back on these, I have come to realize there are some basic principles involved and would like to share with the intention of helping others get a little closer to their best potential self!

Tips on Allowing the Law of Attraction to Work for You:

* Is it meant to be? Use your inner light as a guide. The musical key of your life's symphony must be in harmony with the desire you wish to manifest. In other words, there needs to be a strong connection with what you want and what you're destined for. I have had plenty of "pouty" moments in my days after working so hard for something and coming up short in the end.

But after the fact, I always came to realize that there was a reason something didn't happen exactly how or when I wanted it to. Don't let this stop you from trying, though, as you miss 100 percent of the shots you never take! You just have to trust your gut and have faith in your instincts, which will become stronger the more you become self-aware.

A meditation practice also helps bring more insight. Some good questions to ask – Is this desire in line with my life's passion and purpose? Is my intention positive and for the greater good of many and not just rooted in self-interest? If the answers are "yes" and something in your gut is telling you to go for it, then chances are you're on the right path. Just remember to hold ever-so-loosely to your desires, as too strong of an attachment will likely bring disappointment and suffering.

* Hold powerful visions. Now that you've identified your desires and they feel intuitively right –Imagine yourself as actually having achieved your dream already. In this visualization, really see and believe it. Incorporate all of the senses: How does it feel, smell, tastes and sound?

Think about all of the important aspects of your life and what they look like when this happens. What were some of details that surrounded getting there? Writing out your vision story is a very productive and powerful tool as it helps to make your dreams seem more real, brings your vision into focus in your present situation and triggers your subconscious into action.

* Identify blocks and fears... and believe! You have to really believe in yourself and your vision. It's not a matter of if you can, but when you can. Self-doubt is a form of negative thinking that will actually prevent your dreams from manifesting. Believing is receiving!

The more you resonate with your fears, the more likely you will make them come true instead of allowing your real desires to manifest. For example, if you have a fear of public speaking and focus on all the things that could possibly go wrong before your speech – don't be surprised if you fall flat on your face when you get on stage for your big moment. Literally!

To avoid this, try noticing any internal resistance or self-doubt that comes up when you think about your desire and realize that both fears and desires exist only in the mind. It is best to identify any fears or roadblocks as soon as possible so you can accept them and move forward despite them. If the little voice of self-doubt in your mind is too loud to allow you to move forward or you are not sure what is holding you back, consider working with a business or life coach to help you work through it.

* You've got to work! You've set a positive intention; now focus your energy on its manifestation for the highest good. It's not magic, though. If you want it bad enough, you'll need to roll up your sleeves and put in the time and effort to make it happen. The more systematic you are in the execution stage, the better results you will see.

Start setting goals and creating new daily habits to help inch you towards making your vision story a reality. Have an accountability system in place whether to yourself, friends and family, or to a coach. Remember to celebrate all of your small successes along the way. Having a vision is a great start and often referring back to it is very powerful.

However, remember, "Vision without execution is hallucination." – Thomas Edison. Work it!

* Trust and allow. Don't get tripped up in your wants and desires. Have faith and confidence that if/when it is meant to happen, that it will. Keep your eyes and mind open for clues in the universe that will tell you if you are on the right path, or if you might need to tweak your vision slightly (or vastly, even!).

Remain living in the 'now', while you ever-so-loosely and delicately hold onto your dreams and allow them to unfold as they are meant to. If you are totally focused on what you want for your future, then you are focused on manifesting more of what you don't have. Trust and allow that things will play out as they are supposed to while you gently help to guide things along.

There is perfection in everything that happens along the way. Enjoy the journey!

Article source: http://tiny.cc/z8arlw

Manifesting With The Masters - John Assaraf

By John Lee

By his own admission, John Assaraf – one of the stars of the hit movie, 'The Secret' – was less than a 'model teenager'. In fact, he had more than one brush with the law during these formative years.

Yet, here's a man who turned his life around completely, becoming one of the personal development world's most capable, insightful and respected leading lights.

He also lives the life that he always dreamed of – and the kind of lifestyle to which so many of us aspire. So how did it do it?

Well, in this characteristically lively, candid and incredibly helpful video interview, John tells you exactly how.

Better still, he outlines five daily habits he personally uses to keep himself on track and a highly effective visualisation process that can help you stay positive when everything around you seems bad.

Click on the link below and you'll be taken to the video. I hope you enjoy it.

http://tiny.cc/JAssaraf

Star of 'The Secret', John Assaraf