7 Tips for Replacing Bad Habits with Positive Habits

How to create a happy life by implementing "The Slight Edge" philosophy

Whether it’s smoking cigarettes, being late, drinking soft drinks, blaming others or biting our nails, we all have personal and professional bad habits that we would like to break. As much as we despise our bad habits, it can be challenging to make these habits things of the past. So, what is the solution? I have found the best way to erase a bad habit is to replace it with a positive habit.

First, think of our habits as a cycle. A habit is something you do without thinking. And, there are two kinds of habits: Those that serve you and those that do not serve you. Brushing your teeth is a habit that serves you; biting your nails is one that doesn’t. Thinking things through for yourself serves you; blindly accepting everything you read online or hear through the gossip grapevine doesn’t serve you. Be aware of your philosophy, which creates your attitude, which creates your actions, which creates your results, which create your life. A positive philosophy turns into a positive attitude, which turns into positive actions, which turns into positive results, which turns into a positive lifestyle. The small decisions are easy, and when you add them up, they can have an enormous effect on your life. This cycle is hard to maintain, but I go into more depth in my book, The Slight Edge. 

The cycle to create positive habits can be accomplished through these seven powerful actions:

1. Show up. 

If you’ll just commit to showing up, that’s half the battle right there. By simply showing up you can rise above half of the population in any circumstance.

2. Show up consistently. 

Keep showing up when others fade out. According to Woody Allen, 80 percent of success is showing up. That’s a philosophy I subscribe to wholeheartedly -- but I would add two words: 80 percent of success is showing up every day. As essential as it is to show up, it is consistency that greatly multiplies its power. Showing up consistently is where the magic happens.

3. Cultivate a positive outlook. 

See the glass as overflowing. There are days when I wake up and I’m in a funk. I might not even know why, but life feels heavy and depressing, and I just don’t want to get out of the funk. When this happens, the first thing I do is take inventory of my blessings. According to positive psychologists, a habit of gratitude is one of the most common traits in consistently happier people. 

4. Be committed for the long haul. 

You’ve probably seen those weight loss and workout programs that promise to change your life and create “a better you” in 90 days. I’m not saying that you don’t get results, but here is the problem with a 90-day program: It doesn’t give you enough time to build up a new belief level in yourself that you can continue once the 90 days are over. Instead, think of farmers. They know they have to wait a full season to reap their harvests. In our post-industrial world, where so much of everyday life is accessible through the click of a mouse, it’s easier than ever to forget that.

5. Cultivate a burning desire backed by faith, not hoping or wishing, but knowing. 

A burning desire backed by faith simply means deeply, passionately wanting to get somewhere and knowing -- not hoping, not wishing, but knowing -- you’re going to get there. In other words, there has to be congruence between your desire and your faith.

6. Be willing to pay the price. 

Whatever the dream or goal, there is a price you’ll need to pay. Sometimes that means giving something up. It may be something as simple as giving up a type of junk food you’re attached to, for the sake of your health, or something as subtle as giving up your right to be right, or your habit of exerting control over conversations for the sake of a relationship.

7. Do the things you’ve committed to doing, even when no one else is watching.

I have found the best way to erase a bad habit is to replace it with a positive mental or physical habit. So, the next time you find yourself wanting to partake in that same bad habit remember you can change your negative habit into a positive one and the result will be a happier life for you and those around you.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/283178

Arnold's 6 Rules Of Success (Full Speech)

Wise words from a really wise guy! I'm a big fan of Arnold Schwarzenegger and inspired by all he has done in life. 


What do you think?

6 Habits That Turn Dreams Into Reality

The secret of turning wishful thinking into a life of action and achievement.

When I was growing up, I wanted to be an entrepreneur. I discussed this aspiration with career advisors, family and friends. I outlined my plans in university student kitchens at three in the morning. It was the main conversation in the staff cafeteria of the large corporation I joined to tide me over until I launched my enterprise. I met up with an old friend whom I had not seen for fifteen years, and we chatted about old times. After the talk of foreign assignments, pension plans and leadership roles had died off, I mentioned that I was looking to start my own company. My friend took my hands in hers, looked me in the eye and said, “Ric, you´ve been talking about that dream for twenty years. Don´t you think it´s time to do something about it?” 

Walt Disney once said, “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” I finally turned my dream into a reality, not by wishing upon a star, but by converting it into a concrete vision. Today, I own my own leadership development company.

Dreams and visions are quite different.

 
 Dreams are…                                               Visions are…

Inward looking Ephemeral Aspirational

Outward looking Enduring Intentional

A dream is something, a vision does something; a dream is a place to be, a vision is a place to go. A vision, in other words, is more structured, intentional, enduring and rooted in daily living than mere wishful thinking.

Related: Richard Branson: The Key to Success Is Intention

In his seminal text, The Path of Least Resistance, Robert Fritz describes a vision as a hybrid between future state (the result you want to create) and current reality (the starting point). Fritz argues there is an inherent tension between these two states that can help you “organize your actions, focus your values, and clearly see what is relevant in current reality.”

Moving from one to the other. 

And herein lies the secret of turning ephemeral dreams into tangible outcomes, of launching that company that's been on the bucket list for decades, or publishing that novel that´s been languishing in the bottom drawer since the dawn of time -- it´s being able to structure the dream into something that inspires action and momentum.

Here are six habits that can help turn dreams into tangible outcomes:

1. Materialize your dream using visualization. 

Visualization, or what Shakti Gowain calls ‘Creative visualization’ in her book of the same title, is a technique in creating what you want from life using the power of imagination. Using some common visualization techniques can help participants convert their dreams into future possibilities. Sportsmen and women, for example, use visualization to inspire them toward excellence and success in competitive events. Visualization techniques are also widely used in business contexts for people to create goals and aspirations for themselves.

Related: 4 Visualization Techniques That Can Propel Your Success

2. Prioritize your dreams.

One of the habits in Covey´s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, is to begin with the end in mind. Having a clear idea of what you want to achieve and being able to prioritize sundry aspirations into a single sustainable “highest goal,” as Michael Ray terms it, is a way of beginning to work strategically with your dreams. Goals should have a degree of tension --not too removed from current reality (which will make them impossible to achieve), neither should they be easily attainable. Consider an elastic band. A slack elastic band has no tension. An overstretched elastic band can snap. Fixing a goal which is challenging, but not impossible, motivates us to work toward our vision. Fritz says in Creating, “In fire building, a log on top of the pile will drive the flames upward. In the creative process, a place that is bigger and higher than where you have gone so far can increase momentum, energy and creative power.” 

3. Set key milestones. 

Warren Bennis once said, “Mountain climbers don’t start climbing from the bottom of the mountain. They look at where they want to go and work backward to where they’re starting from.” It is the same for goal setting -- when you begin with the end in mind and set an action plan, you can begin to work backwards and set interim goals which advance you toward your vision. Achieving things in small incremental steps has great power. Professor Stephen Morris posited a theory that if dominoes were lined up starting with five millimeters and increasing in size by one and half times, it will take just 29 dominoes to knock over the Empire State Building. Best-selling author, Ramit Sethi,applies this principle to goal setting in his domino strategy which advocates starting small and creating momentum through incremental steps.

Related: How Marking Milestones Boosts Employee Productivity

4. Monitor progress. 

One of the benefits of a structured approach to goal and vision setting is that individuals can clearly see how each action and effort propels them toward their highest goal. This helps build momentum and motivation. Dreams, on the other hand, are wispy by nature and it can be baffling to know how to get a handle on them.

5. Enlist support.

Dreams that are not anchored in reality and lack structure or outcome can be crushed by “dream stealers.” In his poem, "The Cloths of Heaven," WB Yeats writes: "I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly because you tread on my dreams."

A realistic, goal-orientated vision withstands all these negative forces and increases the likelihood of people sharing their vision. In his book Synchronicity, Joe Jaworski explores the positive outcomes of openly sharing structured goals and visions -- people begin to understand your aspirations and priorities and how they can contribute to your success.

6. Know when to give up.

I know we are taught through motivational stories that we can achieve whatever we put our minds to and make our dreams come true; but as Robert Fritz says, goal attainment is linked to current reality. Give up on those unrealistic dreams that suck up your energy and creativity and set achievable aspirations -- otherwise that elastic band will keep snapping in your face.

We should never stop dreaming; after all, our dreams are what makes us human. They shape and guide us. But there is a world of difference between being a dreamer and transitioning your dreams into something tangible. This ability to build personal momentum and achieve realistic objectives is the cornerstone of self-mastery, and every effective entrepreneur that I have ever met gets this right.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/284511

5 Brain Hacks to Boost Your Motivation

To procrastinate is human. To beat procrastination is to be an entrepreneur.

You sit down at your computer with every intention of working on your next project or task, then procrastination sets in. Two hours later, you realize you still haven’t begun the task in earnest. Why is it so easy to shrug something off, even when you know the job must get done?

Research shows that our brains are wired to have two types of motivation. We are either driven by internal (or intrinsic) motivation to achieve a goal, which is when we do something because it is personally rewarding. Or we are driven by external (or extrinsic) motivation, which is when we do something to earn a reward or avoid punishment.

Each type of motivation can be effective. Internal motivation is thought to work best in the long run, but external motivation can be a useful tool in some cases, such as prompting you to complete a task or assignment that doesn’t internally interest you.

The secret is knowing how to tap into both types of motivations to overcome procrastination and be more proactive. To help you do that, here are 5 brain hacks to boost motivation and stay productive, even when distractions abound.

1. Tap into your bigger purpose.

When you find your motivation is lacking, try focusing on the purpose behind what you are doing or on how it plays into the larger goal of what you want to accomplish.

Focusing on the bigger goal gives you the feeling of working on something greater and being part of something bigger than yourself. It gives deeper meaning to the objective you seek or the project you are putting long hours into.

For instance, try thinking about how what you're doing is adding value to your customers and their lives, or about how your business is impacting the world (even in small ways). When you consider the larger effects of what you or your team is doing, you'll feel more connected to the whole and will be more motivated to do your part.

Related: 6 Habits That Turn Dreams Into Reality

2. Don’t over think it.

Overthinkers complicate an easy task by anticipating unlikely problems. When you over think a project you are working on, it creates more stress and pressure. Ultimately, it obstructs your motivation.

Research has shown that chronic stress and anxiety can actually shrink your brain. A relaxed mind is better able to focus and solve problems.

To counter a tendency to over think a problem, make sure to keep your goals simple and small. This will break your objectives into more manageable chunks. Focus on accomplishing each step. This in turn creates motivation, because you see yourself moving forward and accomplishing your goals.

Related: How I Decreased My Weekly Office Hours From 40-plus to Less Than 8

3. Overcome mental blocks.

Nothing is quite as de-motivating as a mental block that feels like glue poured into your brain. Your creative process feels locked up and nothing seems to work right.

Becoming stuck is often a symptom you're caught in a negative thought loop. You tell yourself: “What’s the answer to this problem? What should I do? I should know this!” Round and round you go, and the more pressure you put on yourself, the more stuck you become.

To unstick yourself, start by reasking the question or reframing it from a different perspective. Take a deep breath, relax and allow your subconscious to find the answer. This is your “ah-ha” moment.

Related Book: Think Big, Act Bigger: The Rewards of Being Relentless by Jeffrey Hayzlett

4. Counter negative perceptions.

Observe how you feel as you begin a task. Are you dreading the assignment? Are you anticipating it will be tedious or difficult to accomplish? That mindset will stymie your motivation and sap your inspiration before you even start.

You can change negative perceptions, just as you can train your mind to detoxify bad memories. To weaken a pessimistic perception of something, think about the task and bring the memory of doing it into your mind.

Imagine the memory getting smaller and dimmer, like you’re watching a tiny black-and-white TV. Now add new details to the memory that change it. Make it fun. Make it silly. Make it seem less threatening. Imagine being engaged with and enjoying the work. 

Do this five to 10 times and you’ll discover your perception has changed. The unpleasant memory no longer has the same sting.

Related: 10 Bad Habits You Must Eliminate From Your Daily Routine

5. Strengthen your good memories.

Another way to tap into your natural motivation is to strengthen those memories where you are succeeding and accomplishing your goals. By doing this, you can enhance and encourage your motivation and inspiration.

To do this, recall as vividly as you can a fulfilling memory of succeeding or accomplishing your goals. Imagine this memory as if it were being projected on a huge IMAX screen.

Make the memory bright and loud. Now increase the positive feelings that you experienced, just like turning up a dial.

Do this 5 or 10 times, and you'll discover that what was once just a positive memory is now a driving motivation. The more you experience the memory, the more you'll want to relive it and make it real again.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/286021

Personal Development: More Than Self-Motivation and Positive Thinking

Personal development happens when you finally decide to change the way you live your life for the better. It must be emphasized that the whole process is not only made up of good experiences or formal workshops. Even bad experiences can help in pointing a person to the right direction in life.

But most, if not all mentors would try to fix on self-motivation and positive thinking as the two most important considerations that ensure personal development success. Well, they may be right, but a holistic approach to self-development goes way beyond these two factors. Read on to know what else is needed to help you attain self-awareness and development.

1. Personal Development Game Plan

First off, you need to have a system to reach your development goals. There is no use in simply talking about how badly you want to attain self-awareness or development. You will need to adopt a system and see the big picture. As you may know, personal development is a very broad area of interest and you can easily lose your way if you do not have a plan. You can put down on paper what you intend to do with your life and where you want to be after you undergo the program you have planned.

Always remember that only by having a definite course of action will you be able to determine if you have become a better individual or if the circumstances in your life have improved. Your plan, when done correctly, will serve as your gauge with which you can measure your progress.

2. Take the Plunge

You may have enough motivation or positive thoughts, but if you do not take action today, your personal development will never become a reality. Remember, becoming a better person does not happen overnight and time is of the essence. So, start now or lose the chance to improve yourself. Take the risk. Life is supposed to be an adventure, so if you do not get out of your comfort zone, you will be left rotting in your current situation.

3. Open Yourself to Change

The operative word in personal development is change. If you cannot handle change, then you will never be able to improve yourself. Well, you can argue that change will happen even if you do not welcome it. The question is would you rather be changed by factors that you do not control? Obviously, it is better to be prepared for or personally carry out the changes in your life. This way, you will know what actions you need to make.

4. Sit on the Shoulders of Giants

If you want to speed up your personal development, you need to learn from people who have been in your shoes before. You really do not need to re-invent the wheel. All you have to do is study other people’s experience, especially those that have become successful in their quest to become better individuals. To leverage your time and effort, it is always a good idea to have a life coach or mentor. You can also read books or listen to self-development CDs.

5. Be Responsible for Your Personal Development

You are what you allow yourself to be. In other words, the things that define you today have happened because you allowed them. If you have been lazy or indifferent all these years, you have no one to put the blame on but yourself. Even your environment cannot be made accountable for the person that you have or will become. You have always held the keys to improving your life. So, the initiative to improve yourself should come from you and whatever result you get from self-development programs is your responsibility.

BY MARK FOO

Source: https://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/personal-development-motivation-positive-thinking/

Tim Ferriss's Top 10 Rules For Success (@tferriss)

Some more top tips from Tim Ferriss... this time some rules for achieving success. Which rules appeal most to you? 


Take those and act now!

How to Actually Make the Law Of Attraction Work For You

The Law of Attraction is based on the principle that all matter is made up of pure energy, which is in a constant state of vibration and spin.

The LOA implies that thoughts and emotions are also energy, each having a unique energy signature. Every energetic frequency is in a constant state of attraction or repulsion with all others. With the recent emergence of quantum mechanics, this notion has been largely supported at a micro level.

The Law of Attraction states that “like attracts like,” and we are in a constant state of creating our reality through the energy we emit in the form of thoughts and emotion. We continuously interact with the fabric of reality (or quantum field), through thought and emotional energy, and whatever we focus on is likely to manifest. We are each creators of our own reality, and what we put out is what we will attract.

3 Things You Need to Know First

1. A key factor missing from the LOA is that we are creating on both a conscious and subconscious level. This accounts for the seeming contradiction between “opposites attract” and the major principle of LOA, “like attracts like.” 

We are still attracting the part of the whole that has been splintered and repressed into the subconscious mind. Basically, the actively repressed traits within ourselves are still charged, and this suppressed energy is also a point of attraction. Until we acknowledge and integrate it, it will still play a role in the creation of our external reality.

2. Our belief systems alter our manifestation process. If you want to manifest $10,000 in one week, but your underlying beliefs are largely identified with a state of lack, you will only manifest more lack.

This is because Law of Attraction works with both thought and emotion, and if you try to think your way into something that you don’t believe, your emotional reaction will support your unconscious beliefs more than your conscious thoughts. 

If you try to affirm, “I will be abundant,” but don’t believe it, those beliefs will surface via an emotional response that insinuates the opposite feeling. At that point, you are literally putting the gas and the breaks on at the same time, making manifestation very difficult.

One great tip to overcome this, as stated by Abraham Hicks, is to “start general, and then get specific” with your manifestation process. Start with what you can believe, and continue to expand as you see evidence of your manifestations taking place. This allows your thoughts and emotions to be in resonance rather than dissonance.

3. We are always manifesting according to our highest values. Renowned behavioral development specialist Dr. DeMartini (who was also featured in The Secret) discovered that we all have an inherent set of values that is largely governing our behavior. DeMartini is quoted as saying, “All of our actions are strategies to align with our values as efficiently as possible,” along with, “all of our positive and negative emotions are feedback as to whether or not we are living in our highest values.” Essentially, the things we value the most filter our perception at a subconscious level. They are governing the way that we manifest, and the reasons we do.

This is why, for example, someone might set a new year’s resolution to lose weight and never achieve their goal. If one of their highest values is social connection, their unconscious will perceive that taking the time to exercise and eat right actually conflicts with the time they would rather be spending at social events with others.

The trick, then, is to change your perception by tying in how exercise and diet actually support your high value on social connection. For example, you might feel more confident meeting new people when you are healthy and strong. Or you can approach it from the other end by tying your value into your goal. In this case, you could try to engage your value of social connection by going to the gym or to nutrition classes with your close friends.

What You Need to Know During Active Manifestation

These are some useful tips if you are meditating on your vision, or practicing visualization.

Clear your mind. To speed up the process of manifestation, presence and focus are key. If your attention is scattered, your manifestation will be too. Write down on paper whatever is bothering you, and vow to leave it outside of your visualization. This will help you stay present.

Open your heart for the process. Connect with the feeling of gratitude as you begin. This can be done by writing a short gratitude list, or by thinking of people/events that you are truly grateful for.

According to the HeartMath Institute, “The heart generates an electromagnetic field roughly 60 times greater in amplitude than brainwaves do.” This field is measured by an electrocardiogram (ECG), and brainwaves were measured using an electroencephalogram (EEG) during these findings. The heart is a major point of attraction. 

Be clear. The law of attraction is described as a law. This means it responds to everything, without exception. If you are mixed in your emotions or vision, it will slow the process. The clearer and more detailed you are, the faster your vision will come to life.

Engage your senses. Did you know that the brain can’t actually tell the difference between experience and visualization? This is why visualization is so useful for athletes. This principle applies directly to the LOA. What do you see, hear, smell, touch, and feel when you have arrived at your vision? Feel each sense distinctly, and don’t be afraid to sit with each one individually.

Engage emotion. This is how to charge your vision. Emotions are the driving force behind manifestation.

Align your intention with your values. Tie what you want to manifest into your highest values. More simply put, make sure you can see how your goals support the things that matter most to you in life. This will help you manifest congruently from both the conscious and subconscious mind.

Don’t be desperate. Try to imagine that you are gently requesting. If you are being needy or desperate in your request, you are coming directly from an emotional space of lack. The emotional feeling of lack will counteract your thought-energy, and you are more likely to stagnate.

What You Need to Know After

Take action. Taking action will create momentum, while also building evidence towards creating the belief that your manifestation is unfolding.

Act as if it has already happened. “I AM” is a creative, powerful phrase. If you conduct your behavior as the person you have already become, you are more energetically aligned with your goal.

Be aware of your internal dialogue. Remember, you are in a constant state of attracting or repulsing what it is that you want to achieve. Your internal dialogue is always creating a point of attraction, along with the emotional reactions it produces. Be congruent!

Allow! You must fully release your vision in order for it to manifest. If you are too attached to it, your need for control can actually stunt the process. Faith and belief in the process are key. It can be helpful to think in terms of being at a restaurant. Once you’ve placed your order, you have to give it time to be cooked up and served to you!

We are all creators, and we all deserve to live an inspired life. The Law of Attraction is a beautiful tool that enables us to consciously put our creative powers to use! In the words of George Bernard Shaw, “Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself.”

Source: http://www.collective-evolution.com/2016/06/26/how-to-actually-make-the-law-of-attraction-work-for-you/

3 Ways to Reboot Your Failing New Year's Resolutions

If you've already stopped trying to reach that goal you set a few weeks ago, how important was it to you to begin with?

Most resolutions for the New Year die in February.

That’s according to research and media reports, which state that a staggering 80 percent of personal goals will be abandoned by the second week of this month.

Entrepreneurs are not immune to this phenomenon. Many successful business owners subscribe to the idea of management by objective (MBO), which is based on goal setting and achieving results -- not dissimilar to the concept of New Year’s resolutions.

However, the truth is that despite their best efforts and intentions, entrepreneurs don't always achieve their business goals. If you're part of that 80 percent statistic, or can relate to it, New York Times bestselling author, productivity expert and executive coach Dan Miller says transforming failure into success is often, and literally, a matter of time. 

"One of the biggest reasons for various types of failures that I hear from clients and executive coaches I train is that they don't have enough time," said Miller. "But whether you're Warren Buffet or Jimmy Buffet, we all have 168 hours to fill each week. A critical key to success is deciding in advance how you'll spend those hours. Consider that every successful business has a budget that allocates specific dollars for specific use. We have to apply the same intention to our time. Every week dedicate specific time blocks for specific use and don't be distracted. You'll be amazed at what you can get done."

In addition to his dogged time management advice, Miller offers the following actionable tips based on his 30 plus years experience as a trainer of trainers, to help you get back on track if you happened to fail at any personal resolutions or business goals for this young year.

Related: The 4 Golden Rules of Millionaire Time Management

1. Revisit your goals.

Miller says something is misaligned if you've lost track or interest of a goal so soon after setting it. 

"It's important to honestly assess if that goal really was your own to begin with or merely something you were trying to achieve to meet someone else's expectations or for some other reason. The truth is that if you don't believe in a personal or professional objective, it's much harder to achieve, but you have to be honest with yourself about that," he said.

Related: The Tim Ferriss Approach to Setting Goals: Rig the Game so You Win

2. Know your "why".

Many entrepreneurs are motivated by the desire for financial freedom and to make a lot of money, but Miller says that's not enough of a reason.

"Making money is not a great goal for any of us because it's a very temporary and fleeting feeling once a financial objective is met -- trust me in that regard. There has to be a reason behind that to make the goal meaningful, sustainable and worthwhile. There are plenty of millionaires out there who are unhappy and unfulfilled because they don't know their 'why'," said Miller.

He explains that to help determine your "why" begin asking yourself why you're trying to accomplish a specific goal and then repeat the line of "why" questioning a total of five times to get to the underlying reason. It's highly possible it's a reason which you might not have previously recognized or addressed.

"If that underlying reason is not meaningful, sustainable or worthwhile it might be time to reevaluate and come up with another rationale because having a big why will drive big goals," he said.

Related: Why Discovering Your 'Why' Is the No. 1 Business Move

3. Effectively marshal your inner resources.

According to Miller one of the greatest ways to achieve your objectives is having the ability to apply the right skills to the right problem at the right time.

"One of the defining characteristics of an entrepreneur is that they have a lot of different skills, abilities and ideas. While those are great to have, they are not enough. To effectively achieve objectives those skills, abilities and ideas need to be shaped and transformed with direction and intention into something meaningful," said Miller.

With those three tips, it's time to resolve to reboot your business objectives---or maybe a failed New Year's resolution or two.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/288881

Tim Ferriss's Favorite Productivity Hacks

Tim Ferriss speaks on his favourite ways to harness the best out of a day


What tips do you have for making the most of 24 hours each day?