Everyone cherishes moments of being a champion. The sensation of being victorious is both elevating and healthy. Winners are admired by the masses. Many would want to emulate Roger Federer, Tiger Woods, Thomas Edison, Oprah Winfrey, Usain Bolt, and many more. Do you know you are a champion?

Before anything else, it’s important to clarify the origin and cultivation of the qualities of a winner. Champions exhibit high levels of energy, courage, confidence, self-belief, and a strong character. The soft-hearted get broken-hearted, but the victory-hearted person thrives on challenges and defeats intimidating trials. One way they stay motivated is by reading talent quotes.

Champions never walk like little chickens but rather keep the company of eagles. Little chickens are people who have no desire to climb higher heights of success. Their vision is limited and their dreams are not worth dreaming. Eagles are people with a strong vision for the future. Eagles are big dreamers and are eager to tackle their future opportunities and challenges. Winners are eagles.

Victors have a good sense of direction. They know where they are going. They know their starting and finishing lines. They set clear and smart goals to realize their dreams. They have a pointed concentration on the end result. There is no provision for loss of concentration.

You are a winner. Now is the moment to decide not to be intimidated by negative influences and people. Negative voices should serve to increase the momentum in your life. The company you keep ought to motivate and inspire you. You have to think it, believe it, speak it, walk it, and speak it – the way a winner feels. You have what it takes to be in the winner’s circle. The potential of a champion is always inside you.

Related:

• Visualization is one of the techniques that winners use to insure success. Take a look at this article on Visualization to learn more about how to apply that technique:  The New Visualization Breakthrough: Mental Training Tactics For Health And Fitness Success

Most personal development teachers will agree that motivation plays a big role in your ability to achieve anything. This article will look at the essence of motivation and outline some of the ways it can help or hinder the progress towards your goals. (See Motivational Speakers for more information.)

If you think motivation is the key to success you are wrong. Different people define motivation in different ways but for the purposes of this article here’s what I think…

Most people define motivation as an ability to take action. To these people motivation is a state of mind, it’s a feeling. In other words it’s a mental construct, it comes from your brain.

My problem with this is that as a state of mind, it is subject to continual change. You know what I mean, right? For most people motivation comes and goes. Some days you are motivated and some times you feel lazy. In other words, motivation never lasts! If, as many success experts teach, your level of achievement rests on your ability to ‘motivate yourself’ we are all in a lot of trouble!

Most people in this frame of mind talk about motivation as coming from a desire to achieve a certain goal. As psychologists would tell us, motivation can be intrinsic, arising from a desire we hold within, or external, when we are motivated by some external influence, like a coach or a deadline. Again whether it be internal or external, these factors are subject to change: our desires fluctuate like the changing tide and external factors are in also in perpetual motion, increasing and decreasing in their effect on us.

In my mind I believe the motivation that we need is something very different.

I believe that to be ultimately successful we have to be driven forward by things that are eternal. We have to have as our motivation the underlying principles, thoughts, feelings, beliefs, values and goals that will never change. By being motivated this way, we can retain the sense that we must continually take action regardless of how internal or external circumstances change.

So what factors of our lives have this level of consistency?

While there are many, the main one is your purpose. When your action each day is inspired by a desire to fulfill that which is the essence of your existence on this planet it will push you farther than any emotional or physical external influence.

What else? Your values!

The things you value as a person are far more concrete than fluctuating impulses of desire that you experience daily. The urge to live these values and be congruent with that you value and believe also represents a powerful source of motivation.

While there is more, I intended this article to be merely a sample of some of the sources of motivation that are truly compelling. With a deeper level of introspection and a greater clarity of who you are you can experience a profound sense of motivation that can guarantee continual action and progress through all the seasons of your life’s journey. Visit this Professional Speaker article for further information.

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Along with determination and belief you must be enthusiastic about your goal. Everything that happens along the way is another joyous milestone, moving you another step closer to success. Enthusiasm adds to your positive perspective and affirms your personal motivation in the outcome.

Enthusiasm comes from inspiration. Inspiration comes from knowledge and enrichment of the mind, while ignorance fosters and intensifies fear. Inspiration also helps you to further define and detail your plan of action. There are many sources from which to get inspiration, the most obvious being education, whether it is motivational material to keep you on your path or gaining more specific knowledge to achieve your success. Education may be reading books, magazines, and journals, taking workshops and classes, listening to tapes/CDs, and watching videos that provides motivation tips in the area of your goal. You become what you study, so expose your mind to anything and everything that adds to the achievement of your success.

Also, include educational and motivational materials that will help you after your success is achieved. Currently, you are in “the process”. Once your goal is achieved, you should already have the knowledge and motivation to use the success in a positive manner and keep it moving forward.

The people that surround you influence your path, your attitude, your determination, your belief, your inspiration, and the outcome of your success. You should surround yourself with people who share your positive vision and desire to achieve your goal. Otherwise, you may be sabotaging your success through the power of negative association.

Donald Trump, as an example, associated with those people whom he wanted to emulate and who could assist his success. Now, whether or not you want that level of success, the point is that the associations you keep impact your goals. Here’s an example.

Darren used to be an alcoholic. After he hit bottom, he went into rehab and cleaned up his life. He joined Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and tried to convince his wife to join Al-Anon, an arm of AA that helps spouses of alcoholics to eliminate all of their “old habits” they developed over the years to cope with the alcoholism.

She refused any type of counseling and, at every opportunity, would “push Darren’s buttons.” Having difficulty retaining his sobriety under his wife’s subconscious attempts to return to her comfort zone (even though it was detrimental to her well-being, since Darren was physically abusive when drunk,) Darren eventually divorced his wife. He’s now been sober and happily remarried to a supporting spouse for many years.

One of the most supporting and inspirational tools to achieve success is to have a hero.
Oprah Winfrey, well known talk show host, once told Barbara Walters, renowned interviewer and newscaster, that, if it were not for Ms. Walters, she wouldn’t be where she is today. This is a wonderful example of using a hero to achieve. The great thing about emulating heroes is that they can be living, dead or even fictitious.

Finding a hero (or heroine) to emulate gives you many achievement advantages. That person is already the success you seek. Learn all you can about them. If possible, take them to lunch and interview them. Find out what they purposefully did to achieve. What did they do to speed up the process to success? Put photos of this person all over your living space and on your desk at work. Keep a list of the person’s traits that you wish to emulate, and incorporate them and anything that helped your hero to achieve into your plan of action.

Look around you. There are many sources of inspiration for you to draw upon. The more inspired you get, the more likely you will strive towards achieving your goals in life.

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We have all heard the old phrase, attitude is everything, and that phrase is certainly true. Your attitude can have a profound impact on your personal motivation, therefore it is important to keep that positive attitude, no matter what challenges and roadblocks are thrown up in your way.

As a matter of fact, keeping your attitude a positive one in the face of overwhelming odds is the motivation tips that owners of the most successful businesses will all give you. The most successful business owners, from the Sam Walton to Bill Gates, have all been able to triumph in the face of adversity. It is those successful business owners many people have in mind when they tell you that attitude is everything.

One of the most important ways to implement that attitude is everything axiom is to observe who you associate with and who you surround yourself with. Surrounding yourself with people who exhibit positive attitudes will also be contagious, but in a good way. Keeping your network of associates, colleagues, coworkers and friends as positive as possible is a great way to put the phrase “attitude is everything” into practical use.

Whatever you decide to do in life, your attitude will have a profound effect on the success you achieve. Success, whether in the world of business or personal life, is directly related to your attitude. A positive attitude will help you achieve greater success in your job, no matter what your current level of employment. Many people are still able to work their way up through their companies, even in today’s competitive environment. Exhibiting a positive attitude can go a long way toward helping you get the most from your employment, and it can help you get the attention of those in a position to help your caree. Business achievers understand a good attitude and they can recognize yours and award it appropriately.

A positive can do attitude is important to being a quality employee, but taking that attitude to heart is absolutely essential if you plan to start your own business. Whether your plans are for a one person part time enterprise, or a nationwide company employing hundreds or thousands of people, the attitude you express will be reflected in your business and in the members of your staff.

Special Gift: Get over 6 hours of audio program from best-selling authors, world-class trainers and success gurus for free, here = > Success Training.

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The problem lies in the most basic part of the process – setting the goal.

When it comes to setting goals the real problem is in how we set them as well as what we do once we set them.

For starters, to look first at the big picture, it is essential to know what your personal lifetime goals are.

Think about that for a few minutes. Sit down with a blank sheet of paper (yes, you can use your computer too!) and avoid all distractions for ten minutes.

Write down anything and everything that comes to your mind in regards to your goals.

• What are they?
• Where do you picture yourself to be in a year’s time?
• Who do you want to have with you?
• Where do you see your business in five years? 20?
• What is the sales figure in dollars do you expect to make this year that will give you satisfaction?
• What do you need to make in profits to reach a new level of satisfaction each year?
• And so on.

Think about where your business/life will be within the next few years. Then, follow these tips:

1. Write down your longest term goal. This is the place that you want to be in a number of years, or the place you need to be to be as successful as you plan to be.
2. Give yourself a time limit for making that happen. You may want to say that you want to make X number of dollars (Euros, etc.) in two years. Or, it may take many more for that to happen, but it still needs to be defined. Giving your goal a timeframe helps to get your mind set in how to make that happen. If you leave it open ended then there is too much opportunity to let things slide away..
3. Give yourself smaller goals to reach as steps up to the larger one (aka: Babysteps.) For example, the new entrepreneur may be able to say that he wants to have an office set up and running within a month’s time. In six months, he plans to be running into profit, after expenses have been paid down. Determine what your steps are to reaching your goal. Make sure that you include the timeframe, set the date to accomplish that goal. .
4. Now, write them by hand on paper in the following manner. “Within six months, I will have paid off all debt that I owe (include the smaller goals that will get you to this bigger one) and be running in the clear. I will do this by … ” In this manner, you have listed not only what the goal is and the time frame to have it done, but also how you will get there.
5. Take this piece of paper and place it in several places. The idea is to see that goal and think about it several times a day. Seeing it will allow you to think it. Thinking about it makes it happen. Goals lead to success.

Now that you know what your goals are, it is essential for you to make sure that they happen.

You will need to read those goals each day, at least once, but more is better. When you think it, see it, feel it, you make it happen.

When you go through each step, determine your goal for it. How will you implement it into your current work day and how will you insure that it will happen?

Remember, it all boils down to setting it in the first place. Be specific. Have in mind exactly what you want to happen, how long you give yourself to achieve it and the steps you have to take to achieving that goal.

Get that right and you’re off to a great start.

Special Gift: Get over 6 hours of audio program from best-selling authors, world-class trainers and success gurus for free by clicking this link –> Success Training.

Resources:

10 Steps to Getting What YOU Want in Life: Creating YOUR Reality

Several Articles on Goal Setting

Would you like a FREE program from Brian Tracy?

Before you begin making efforts to beat your fear, you wish to be sure that you identify your fears correctly. There is no point struggling with a thing that is not the real reason for your fear. Many a times folks feel scared of a particular thing like water or heights, while it is something else that’s the real reason for their fear.

Before you start any efforts to overcome your fear, you must identify the things you fear. Fighting fear involves deliberately leaving yourself open to things you are afraid of; for example, if a person is terrified of water, he should expose himself to water by sitting by a river or pool (not on a rock in the middle of it!) For those afraid of public speaking, they should not let any public chatting opportunity pass, even in parties for instance. You will be using baby steps to overcome your fears. .

One thing that you can not do without is your self image. Self confidence is the sure shot means to drive away the strongest of fears. The best way to raise your level of self confidence is to make use of affirmative statements (Mind Zoom will help you with this.) The best statement in this context is “I can do it/that.” This bolsters the belief in yourself which is a pre requisite to battle the problems and the fears that you may face.

In the public speaking example above, say to yourself, “I can do that!” Visualize yourself doing it. No, you don’t have to now, but someday you might find that you are willing to do just that. Wouldn’t that be cool?

Read positive learning material on self development. Expert guidance always helps, particularly when you are wrestling with your fears. Reading positive material may help you analyze your fears better. With the help of such material, you might be ready to figure out the exact cause of your fear. Also, such positive books help you grow as a person. Play positive, motivating CDs while driving to work or even while gardening (or working around the home.)

Turn off the “Bad News 24/7″ TV stations, too!

Gather some support. Fighting your fear or any other problem becomes a lot easier when you have support around. You could garner support from your family, as well as pals, if you trust them not to make fund of you. Tell them your problem and make them understand. Their recommendation or their support might be able to help you greatly. You could also find yourself a mentor or a role model whom you can look up to for inspiration and motivation.

So don’t let fear stop you from living life to the maximum. All you need to do is to make use of the tips presented, practice them regularly, and that fear will become a thing of past for you, or at least a lot easier to deal with.

One fear that people (adults as well as teens) have is acne, especially if it’s bad. Here is some information on an Acne Program Treatment and you can also read about customer testimonials on Acne Skin Care Products.

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Inside A Champion’s Mind

How many times have you heard a true champion speak with doubt? How many times have you heard a boxer say, “It will be a tough fight, we will just have to wait until Saturday and see how it all works out”? Never, because doubt will knock you out before you even begin.

The athletes that are remembered are always those that performed memorably during times of pressure. I say memorably because they could be remembered for choking or rising to the occasion. Anyone who has played competitive sports knows that there is a different feeling during a play-off game, but as with all things in life, that by itself is not a bad thing, it is all in the way you handle it.

People are disturbed not by things but by the view they take of them– Epictetus 200AD

If you let self-doubt enter your mind, anxiety is sure to grow. Once you start to doubt whether you are capable of winning you’re on your way to disaster, because the mind can only hold one thought at a time. You are either thinking of winning, and visualizing what winning will be like, or you are worrying about what happens if you don’t win. You can only hold one picture at a time. Sure some athletes waver back and forth, but at any given time you can only be holding one thought.

What the mind sees, feels, and thinks, it works towards. The mind needs to be given direction and then it works towards making that given destination a reality. The mind is constantly working towards results, the trouble is what directions are we giving the mind. When you learn how to control your mind, greatness is achievable. Learning how to think like a winner is the first step towards better personal motivation.

To Become a champion, you must first look and act like a champion. — Muhammad Ali

Some people say you cannot control what comes into your mind. I believe with the proper training you can. Regardless of whether or not you can or cannot control what enters your mind, you can definitely control how long you hold any thought that does enter your mind. If a seagull decides to have a bowel movement while flying overhead, you cannot exactly control that but you sure the heck can control how quickly you clean yourself off.

It is the same with your mind. When a negative thought enters, clean it out with a flood of positive images. Focus on what you want, not on what you don’t want. Focus on winning, not on not losing. Begin to daydream, make this daydream the ideal outcome. Not what you will settle for, but what would be perfect.

There are many courses and books on motivation tips to help you with this.

It’s not what you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you are not. — Denis Waitley

Special Gift: Get over 6 hours of audio program from best-selling authors, world-class trainers and success gurus for free by clicking this link –> Success Training.

End of article

Also check out The Habit Guide

My home page for the internet is Louise Hay’s Affirmation page, so every time that I go online I have a nice affirmation there waiting for me. Today the affirmation was “I balance my life between work, rest and play. They all get equal time.” Hmmmm. How true is this statement in your life?

Do you balance work, rest, and play? I realised (somewhat to my horror!) that, in my case, playtime really comes in only if I’ve ‘booked’ time to play – like my day at the beach last week, or going to see Hamlet in Stratford tonight – or if I have time ‘left over’ to play after I’ve worked and rested! The end result is that playtime is getting about 20% of my time at most. RUBBISH!

Enough already! It’s time to bump playtime up the priority list! I admin I have gotten into bad habits lately. I’ve been busy and working quite a lot…and because I am good at self care, resting a lot too…but at the expense of playtime! Shocking.

And what’s worse, I know that I am better at this balance than most people I know. Many are very unbalanced (in terms of “work, rest and play” that is – not mentally unbalanced!), and the big missing ingredient is playtime. It’s heart-breaking to see, because playtime makes you come alive, playtime is fun, playtime is vital to you having a happy life – let’s face it, how much better do you feel when you’ve been on holiday? And why?
Because you’ve had uninterrupted playtime!

Holidays are all about recharging your batteries and devoting yourself to having some fun…and then we come home and forget to play for another 11 months and 2 weeks. It’s foolish to neglect your fun muscles – if they get flabby you’ll get miserable. I’m sure I don’t really need to extol the virtues of play – you know yourself that when you take part in activities that you enjoy, you feel better.

So when was the last time you deliberately took part in an activity you enjoy and made a conscious choice to savour that playtime? Why not start tonight? Instead of sitting numbly in front of the idiot box, make an effort to do something playful and fun (if that’s tv for you, ok…but as long as you’re actively enjoying it, not just wobbed out in front of it!). You see people, it’s time to take playtime seriously!

Something to play with

Part 1: What is the balance of work, rest and play in your life? 60/30/10? 40/40/20? Have a guess at the proportions – your best guess will be quite accurate! What can you do TODAY to start restoring the balance (especially the playtime bit!)?

Part 2: What do you do to play? Aim to get a list of 100 things (it might take time, but you can do it!).

Part 3: Do something off that list DAILY.

This is a syndicated article, courtesy of Syndicate Kahuna

More about…

• affirmations
• Goal setting

We are in the driver’s seat and we have to get past a few issues to move on. Fear holds us back, not the “other guy.” Fear is a habit and if we can get past the fear we can move far beyond where ever we are now.

Case in point, our new (US) Pesident, Mr. Obama. All politics aside, if the stories are true about his very humble beginnings (what, Pols don’t exaggerate, just a bit?) you have a guy starting from pretty much zero and making it to the top of the pecking order.

That’s some major heavy-duty accomplishment.

He got there because he put himself in the right place. He put aside any fears, worked his *** off, made the right connections, made his own luck, and now he’s got the top job.

I really enjoyed this post, which really goes into what holds us back:

You have great potential inside of you. I have great potential inside of me, too. The thought of realizing this potential can be paralyzing and it can be frightening. There have been many times when my fear has held me back and kept me from experiencing the happiness or success I wanted.

Fear can keep us stuck in a place where we believe we are not good enough. Fear can keep us from realizing our dreams and it can keep us from creating the life we want.

Fear can also hold us back.

When I was a boy I loved to play baseball. My family lived in a rural setting which did not provide Little League or youth baseball opportunities. Instead, I would play catch with my father or pretend I was playing in a big league game complete with line-up cards I would fill out for both teams (I always batted third and played first base for the winning team) and a uniform I got from a Sears catalog.

At age 14, we moved to a more suburban setting. There was finally a chance for me to play real baseball with real players. I was horrified…

What’s Holding You Back?