Unfortunately, business culture more often than not fails to see it this way. A business decision in modern society generally means a decision made for the greater good of the company but at the expense of the community. These decisions are short-sighted and do not always give the company a competitive edge.

Bhopal – A Profit-Driven Blunder:
Bhopal, India used to be the home of a Union Carbide facility holding toxic chemicals but profit-seeking opportunists ruined the reputation of Union Carbide and is in turn, hurting the brand name of Dow Chemical, the company that bought Union Carbide. In 1984, a tank of methyl isocyanate leaked into the air and gassed almost four thousand people within the town of Bhopal.

Over two thousand people became permanently disabled, and extremely high cancer rates are suffered from the town’s residents. Women from that town now have a high chance of birthing children with life-altering birth defects, and can’t find husbands to marry them. This entire town had a shadow of grief and hardship cast over it for what was later discovered as cost-cutting measures.

Operators in the plant were not given proper training or manuals in their native language. Maintenance was severely cut to save money as well, allowing machinery to become old and dilapidated. Staff was cut back to such a degree by the time of the incident, that barely enough people were in the facility to keep it running, let alone pass safety standards in most industrialized nations.

By 1984, the isocyanate tank alarms did not work, the flare tower was out of service, and every safety measure to stop the gas from escaping the facility was no longer working properly or disconnected.

Since that incident, Union Carbide was evil in the eyes of the Indians in and around the town of Bhopal and many others who have heard of the incident. The company payed the town 470 USD in settling its criminal and civil liabilities, but that still was not enough to treat those in the town. The people of Bhopal are still looking for funds to treat their illnesses from the incident and the town itself still has residue from the gas leak.

Union Carbide failed to first properly maintain their facilities because of a lack of concern for the townspeople, and afterward, they failed to properly compensate the town. The CEO at the time, Warren Anderson, has been charged with homicide by the Indian government since then and the name of Union Carbide has been destroyed because of this.

After Dow Chemical bought Union Carbide, the people of Bhopal, humanitarians, and environmentalists have criticized the company for not spending the money and picking up where Union Carbide failed. The company hasn’t done anything yet and its image has suffered greatly from it. In this case, the company’s image was ruined because of unsympathetic business decisions.

Henry Ford’s Good Example:
From the first days of Ford Motor Company, Henry Ford was an innovator and a good business man. He had talent and knew how to make the company progress without taking advantage of workers and his neighborhood.

Starting with the $5-per-day program in 1914, Henry Ford started paying his workers more to decrease the amount of turnover and in doing so, keep skilled workers that cared about their jobs. Though scoffed at by other industrialists, Ford believed that if his workers made enough to be proud of their work and buy Ford cars, he would still gain a profit.

He was correct and soon enough, his idea of good wages spread throughout the industry. This idea may be dying out in modern times, the argument has to be made that this mentality gave Ford Motor Company a strong following among those that worked in the company.

Customers react positively to good corporations. Google’s informal slogan “don’t be evil” has not only given the company a good name with customers, but it may have also helped with the company’s success. If a customer can choose between two companies that produce a similar good or service, the customer is more likely to buy from the company with the best reputation.

It can be seen with fans of automotive companies. Entire families may only buy one specific brand of car for life, not even realizing that a different brand they find to be worthless is owned by the same company.

This has happened with General Motors and Daewoo. Most American consumers fail to realize that certain elements of the cars they drive are even influenced by a foreign car, but the feeling that they are driving a model of craftsmanship built by a company that values workers’ rights makes them blind to areas in which their cars fall short of expectations.

A good name can really go a long way. Humanitarian efforts within business will encourage potential customers to become faithful customers even if prices are higher because their consciences feel slightly better working with people who share their beliefs.

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Moreover, recent economic events have made many people believe that there is a finite amount of money in the world. That is not true. More wealth is being created every day. The supply of money is truly infinite once you apply certain principles that have made millionaires and billionaires over and over again. There are people out in the world that are making hundreds of millions of dollars a year!

2. Study the Laws of Money & Finance
Secondly, I recommend that you study the laws of money and finance – both the spiritual laws of abundance and prosperity consciousness, as well as the world of investing. Read books, listen to CDs, take seminars. I read at least one book a week, often more, in the areas of law of attraction, principles of success, finance and investing, psychology, relationships and spiritual growth. You can also join an investment club. Your local library or bookstore can get you started. Peruse the business, self-help, and psychology sections. You’ll find lots of materials to begin your studies.

3. Clarify What Wealth Means For You
Thirdly, I would ask you to take the time to clarify what wealthy means to you. For some people $100,000 a year would make them feel wealthy. For someone else, wealthy might mean $20 million in the bank. So take time to sit down and write out a complete description of your ideal wealthy life. What does that word mean to you? How do you see yourself as wealthy?

The third thing is that if you want to make a lot of money, you have to play a game where lots of money is made. You will not become a multi-millionaire being a preschool teacher. You can argue that preschool teachers are more valuable than professional baseball players, and you would probably be right, but it doesn’t matter. It is what it is. As Byron Katie teaches, when you argue with reality, you always lose. So you have to enter into an arena where money can be made.

You could join a network marketing company. I met a man not too long ago who lost his job as a mortgage broker and his home during the financial collapse last year. Now, less than 6 months later, he is on track to make $300,000 in 2009 as a distributor for MonaVie. He has built up a huge down line in less than half a year. He is leveraging his income through the efforts of others that he has enrolled and caused to be enrolled in the business.

4. Expand The Impact of Your Service
Another principle of wealth building is to expand the impact of your service. Reach more people and serve them more fully. Here is where the Internet can be a great accelerator in building wealth and building it quickly. One of the people I write about in The Success Principles makes millions of dollars a year selling pool tables on eBay. He is serving thousands of people a year through the power of the Internet.

Another student of mine has started an Internet-based business selling urine tests that parents can use to see if their teenagers used drugs while out that night. Take a course on Internet marketing. You’ll find hundreds of them listed on Google. My own seminar business began to skyrocket after I started doing a free tele-seminar on the first Wednesday of every month. We have had as many as 4,000 people on that call. (If you’d like to join us, go to www.AskJackCanfield.com. You can even submit a question that you would like me to answer.)

5. Find a Need and Fill It
Yet another principle of wealth building is to find a need and fill it. There are all kinds of businesses that have been built around seeing a need and fulfilling it. One company I know picks up people’s dry cleaning off a hook beside their front door, delivers it to the dry cleaners, and then returns it, saving people a lot of time. There are personal shoppers, restaurant delivery services that deliver for 30 different restaurants, people who prepare all your organic or raw food for a week and deliver it in containers that just need to be heated up.

My favorite story is that of an Avery Label salesman, who discovered that his restaurant clients wanted preprinted labels with the days of the week printed on them so they could label what day their fresh produce had arrived so that they could know which fruits and vegetables to use first, thus reducing spoilage.

When Avery said, “We are not in the printing business,” the salesman bought a small printer and began printing labels on the weekends. This weekend business, which was started in his garage, eventually grew into a company called Day Dots, which printed and sold millions of printed labels a day. He eventually sold his business for tens of millions of dollars!

6. Save and Invest
Finally, if you are going to become wealthy, you must save and invest at least 10% of every dollar you earn. Stop amassing debt. Become disciplined in saving and investing. Live within your means. You must find ways to get your money working for you. In addition to The Success Principles, I suggest you read The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach. You’ll find both of these books, by the way, in the sections I mentioned above worth investigating at your local library or book store.

About the author:
© 2009 Jack Canfield. Join Jack Canfield for a free, one-hour audio training to up level all areas of your life. Plus, by participating in this audio training, you’ll have to chance to win a free, one-on-one coaching call with Jack Canfield himself! Get all the details at: www.canfieldtrainings.com/free

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Whether its money, information, support, assistance, or time, most people are afraid to ask for what they need in order to make their dreams come true.

They might be afraid of looking needy, ignorant, helpless, or even greedy. More than likely though, it is the fear of rejection that is holding them back. Even though they are afraid to hear the word no, they’re already saying it to themselves by not asking!

Do you ask for what you want or are you afraid of rejection?

Consider this: Rejection is just a concept. There is really no such thing as rejection! You’re not any worse off by hearing no than you were before you asked. You didn’t have what you asked for before you asked and you still don’t, so what did you lose?

Being rejected doesn’t hold you back from anything. Only YOU hold yourself back. When you realize that there’s no merit to rejection, you’ll feel more comfortable asking for things. You may just need a bit of help learning how to ask for what you want.

How to Ask for What You Want
There’s a specific science to asking for and getting what you want or need in life. And while I recommend you learn more by studying The Aladdin Factor, here are some quick tips to get you started:

1. Ask as if you expect to get it. Ask with a positive expectation. Ask from the place that you have already been given it. It is a done deal. Ask as if you expect to get a “yes.”

2. Assume you can. Don’t start with the assumption that you can’t get it. If you are going to assume, assume you can get an upgrade. Assume you can get a table by the window. Assume that you can return it without a sales slip. Assume that you can get a scholarship, that you can get a raise, that you can get tickets at this late date. Don’t ever assume against yourself.

3. Ask someone who can give it to you. Qualify the person. Who would I have to speak to to get…Who is authorized to make a decision about…What would have to happen for me to get…

4. Be clear and specific. In my seminars, I often ask, “Who wants more money in their life?” I’ll pick someone who raised their hand and give them a quarter, asking, “Is that enough for you?” “No? Well, how would I know how much you want. How would anybody know?”

You need to ask for a specific number. Too many people are walking around wanting more of something, but not being specific enough to obtain it.

5. Ask repeatedly. One of the most important Success Principles is the commitment to not give up.

Whenever we’re asking others to participate in the fulfillment of our goals, some people are going to say “no.” They may have other priorities, commitments and reasons not to participate. It’s no reflection on you.

Just get used to the idea that there’s going to be a lot of rejection along the way to the brass ring. The key is to not give up. When someone says “No”– you say “NEXT!” Why?

Because when you keep on asking, even the same person again and again…they might say “yes”…

• on a different day
• when they are in a better mood
• when you have new data to present
• after you’ve proven your commitment to them
• when circumstances have changed
• when you’ve learned how to close better
• when you’ve established better rapport
• when they trust you more
• when you have paid your dues
• when the economy is better
• and so on.

Kids know this Success Principle better than anyone. They will ask the same person over and over again without any hesitation (can you relate!).

Getting a good perspective on rejection and learning how to ask will make a world of difference for you as you work toward your goals. Practice asking and you’ll get very good at it! You’ll even speed your progress by getting what you need, or improving yourself in order to get it later.

Make a list of what you need to ask for in all areas of your life, and start asking. Remember, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE… if you dare to ask!

About the author:
Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: FreeSuccessStrategies.com

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The Principles of Successful Manifesting - How to make your life dreams come true.
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Whether you are an entrepreneur, manager, teacher, parent, coach or simply a friend, if you want to be successful with other people, you must master the art of appreciation.

I’ve never known anyone to complain about receiving too much positive feedback. Have you? In fact, just the opposite is true.

Consider this: Every year, a management consulting firm conducts a survey with 200 companies on the subject on what motivates employees. When given a list of 10 possible things that would most motivate them, the employee always list appreciation as the number-one motivator.

Managers and supervisors ranked appreciation number eight. This is a major mismatch, as the chart below so clearly shows.

10 Ways to Really Motivate an Employee

Employees

• Appreciation
• Feeling  “in” on things
• Understanding attitude
• Job security
• Good wages
• Interesting work
• Promotional opportunities
• Loyalty from management
• Good working conditions
• Tactful discipline

Supervisors

• Good Wages
• Job Security
• Promotional Opportunities
• Good working conditions
• Interesting work
• Loyalty from management
• Tactful discipline
• Appreciation
• Understanding attitude
• Feeling “in” on things

Notice that the top three motivators for employees don’t cost anything, just a few moments of time, respect and understanding.

Keeping Score
When I first learned about the power of appreciation, it made total sense to me. However, it was still something that I forgot to do. I hadn’t yet turned it into a habit.

A valuable technique that I employed to help me lock in this new habit was to carry a 3” x 5” card in my pocket all day, and every time I acknowledged and appreciated someone, I would place a check mark on the card. I would not allow myself to go to bed until I had appreciated 10 people. If it was late in the evening and I didn’t have 10 check marks, I would appreciate my wife and children, I would send an e-mails to several of my staff, or I would write a letter to my mother or stepfather.

I did whatever it took until it became an unconscious habit. I did this every single day for 6 months—until I no longer needed the card to remind me.

Appreciation as a Secret of Success
Another important reason for being in a state of appreciation as often as possible is that when you are in such a state, you are in one of the highest emotional states possible.

When you are in a state of appreciation and gratitude, you are in a state of abundance. You are appreciating what you do have instead of focusing on, and complaining about, what you don’t have. Your focus is on what you have received… and you always get more of what you focus on.

And because the law of attraction states that like attracts like, the more you are in a state of gratitude, the more you will attract, and even more to be grateful for. It becomes an upward-spiraling process of ever-increasing abundance that just keeps getting better and better.

Think about it. The more grateful people are for the gifts we give them, the more inclined we are to give them more gifts. Their gratitude and appreciation reinforces our giving. The same principle holds true on a universal and spiritual level as it does on an interpersonal level.

I challenge you to discover ways to immediately appreciate someone in your life, starting today!

For more tips and suggestions on how you, too, can find ways to appreciate those in your life, read Prinicple 53 in The Success Principles.

About the author:
Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: FreeSuccessStrategies.com

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The Principles of Successful Manifesting - How to make your life dreams come true.
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As the years go by they may feel they are living in what Thoreau called “quiet desperation,” but are reassured by the thought that most everyone else is too. That’s just the way it is.

But “the way it is” does not mean “the way it has to be.”

Sure, we all have changes we’d like to make. You might suppose you could afford to lose a few pounds, or be friendlier to other people, or get more organized. Perhaps you’ve noticed that you are a bit too negative, that your tendency to be overly critical of yourself and others is counterproductive. Maybe you just have a vague sense that you could be a better spouse, parent, employer or friend – but you and the people in your life seem locked in rigid patterns of behavior that seem impossible to break.

People in 12 Step programs like Alcoholics Anonymous refer to such malaises as “high-class problems.” AA members use the spiritually-based Steps to deal with such issues – but only after freeing themselves from their most destructive and deadly compulsion: the abuse of alcohol or drugs. Once that crucial first step is taken, they undertake a spiritual path to recover their lives.

Alcoholics and drug abusers can’t begin this spiritual journey until they’ve “hit bottom.” They must reach a point where they see the utter hopeless of their condition and realize they can’t change it on their own will power.
They must admit they need spiritual guidance. This is a humbling, often painful admission.

There are many who say AA and other 12 Step programs don’t work. In fact, they’ve worked for millions of people – but they never work for those who have not hit bottom.

In the early days of AA, membership was limited to drunks in the advanced stages of their illness – those who were unemployed, penniless, facing commitment to asylums or on the verge of death. But today there are a great many “high bottom” recovering alcoholics in AA. They somehow hit bottom and were motivated to make major changes for the better without ever suffering the most severe consequences of their illness.

Do a few extra pounds have to multiply into morbid obesity before you’re ready to change? Does your tendency to be a bit too negative have to escalate into bitter hatefulness?

You may need to hit bottom. But the bottom needn’t be any lower than where you are right now.

Admit And Surrender
You may have already admitted to yourself and others that you have a bad attitude or you’re not very organized. But have you told anyone how much it really bothers you? Have you admitted that you feel utterly powerless to change your behavior?

AA doesn’t work for even the most miserable alcoholics if they have other ideas. If you’re still kidding yourself that you’ll do it “when the time is right” – whatever that means – or are constantly coming up with ideas that sound good but never lead to meaningful action, you are likely to remain stuck.

Don’t just admit that you have a problem. Admit that you’re utterly and hopelessly defeated by it.

Think It Through To The End
High bottom AA members benefit from the stories and experiences of the so-called “last gaspers.” As low bottom alcoholics relate the stories of their lives, the high bottoms see that their current attitudes and behaviors were present in the low bottoms long before extreme difficulties arose. They see the progression of the illness and realize they can stop it now, before they’ve lost everything.

If negativity is your issue, think of people older than yourself who have taken that quality to the extreme. Imagine yourself as a bitterly unhappy old man or woman, alone in the world. Are you a little disorganized? Think of the most exasperating, scatterbrained people you’ve ever had to deal with. See how your lack of organization could only be the beginning.

Taking your little problem, whatever it is, and blowing it up to the extreme may seem absurd or even comical at first. But it’s a spiritual axiom that we are either moving forward or moving backward. If a behavior is blocking you from your spiritual center, you are moving backwards. A behavior that seems bad now will become more ingrained and increasingly cut you off from the world of joyous possibility.

There are people in AA who have never driven drunk, never been to jail, never lost a job or been divorced or suffered any form of public humiliation. Yet they feel a spiritual kinship with those who experienced all of these things and worse.

Your problem doesn’t have to be severe to be serious. Any obstacle to joyful living is a serious obstacle.

Try, Try Again
Once you have convinced yourself that the problem you have is serious and could lead to much greater unhappiness in the future, try whatever techniques you read about or saw on TV years ago that “didn’t work.”

They may not have worked because you hadn’t hit bottom.

Maybe they won’t seem to work at first this time, either. A great many AA members did not get sober immediately upon joining the fellowship. Relapse is sometimes a necessary part of recovery.

If you don’t succeed immediately, don’t immediately blame the technique. Don’t even blame yourself. Simply realize you haven’t yet bottom yet – and go through the mental process described above yet again.

You’re life may not be that bad. But if something is preventing you from being your fully actualized self, you have a serious problem. Decide to hit bottom now. It’s the only way to reach new spiritual heights.

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Transforming a vision into reality, however, requires time and effort. Following these success secrets will show you how to turn a vision into a plan.

Success Secret #1: Clarify Your Vision
A vision is the big picture – it can be broad, but it must be clear. Whether stated to encompass your entire life or tailored to a specific area, a vision must clearly establish what is desired. This is extremely important! Life usually gives us exactly what we ask for, whether or not that is our intention. Ensuring that your written vision statement is an accurate description of what you desire is the key to achieving your dream.

Be sure to take the time necessary to develop your vision and put it in writing. Allow a few days to let your vision evolve, revising it until you have a clear, concise statement of precisely what you want. Once your vision is finalized, copy it to several colored post-it notes or index cards. Post the vision statement conspicuously around your home. Carry it with you everywhere. Review it at least daily. Once clarity has been achieved, a plan to accomplish the vision is in order.

Success Secret #2: Develop a Workable Plan
Be confident yet realistic. Have fun! Focus on developing a plan but avoid getting bogged down in the planning process. Determine when you do your best thinking and develop your plan during those peak times. Choose a format that suits you. A pen and some paper may be all that is needed, or you may be more comfortable drafting your plan with a word-processing or spreadsheet program. Decide what works for you and get started!

Carry a notebook and pen with you at all times. Keep paper next to your bed for recording late night or early morning inspiration. Invest in other tools that will help you develop a plan to achieve your vision. A voice recorder, for instance, is ideal for capturing ideas while driving or any other time when hands are not free to write. Ideas often come at the most unlikely times and places. Be sure to have a system in place to catch those fleeting thoughts! Record them as they come and promptly incorporate them into your plan.

Identify available resources and complete a personal needs assessment. What do you already have that will help your vision become reality? What are you lacking for success in realizing your dream? Are there people who can help? Do you have the necessary financial resources? Are certain tools or skills required? Would it be helpful to join an appropriate group or organization? Accessing or acquiring needed resources must be included as an early part of your plan.

Set definite goals that will achieve your vision. Goals should follow the SMART format and be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. Brainstorm your goals with a friend, if possible. Once you determine the goals appropriate to attaining your vision, break each goal into manageable steps.

Develop a timeline for each step within each goal. Commit your timeline to a calendar. Be realistic and ensure that each step is doable during the timeframe for which it is scheduled. Consider whether the required resources or skills will have been attained by that time. Strive to achieve some progress most every day, even if it is just a phone call or a bit of research.

Be attentive to detail but don’t force the process. Allow ample time to create a workable plan. Include enough detail to provide a clear route to success but don’t turn it into a chore by over thinking the path you have chosen. Beware of shortcuts, making sure to go through the whole planning process. Don’t skip any portion as one part builds on another. Taking shortcuts can lead to failure.

Success Secret #3: Implement the Plan
Developing a plan is only one a small part of successfully achieving your vision. You must actually implement the plan if you want to realize your heart’s desire. Just as a vision will rarely be achieved without a formal plan, the plan will never be successful unless it is implemented.

When implementing your plan, keep moving forward. Review your plan and timeline regularly to ensure that daily actions match your goals. Ask how every action in daily life is contributing toward achieving your vision. Keep moving forward with your plan, even if only through small steps. Do not allow paralysis to set in as a result of procrastination or inactivity. Take baby steps and do at least a little bit almost every day.

Distractions can quickly derail even the best plan. Monitor and modify your environment to be conducive to achieving each step. For instance, if your vision is increased health and your goal is to eat low fat, nutrient rich foods, consuming a bag of potato chips is counterproductive. Control your environment by not bringing potato chips into your home.

Prepare to overcome, or work around, obstacles. Every plan, no matter how well crafted, will encounter challenges during implementation. Even if you cannot work toward the big goal in a big way, there are always small steps that can be taken regardless of current circumstances. Be open to alternate opportunities to move forward.

Also, have a contingency or backup plan. Don’t tie yourself to just one route to achieve your goals and vision. Be flexible when warranted. Seize opportunities as they arise. Update your plan by rewriting your goals or steps, as appropriate.

Finally, in all that you do, follow the Golden Rule. Integrity and honesty in dealing with others is key in achieving your vision. Build charity and compassion for others into your plan – it shouldn’t be all about you.

Success Secret #4: Stay Motivated
To fully achieve your vision, you must remain motivated. Be kind to yourself and reward your progress. When things don’t go exactly according to plan, learn from the experience and move on. Remember to schedule some regular rest days when you can have a break from actively striving toward your vision and be sure to build rewards into your plan. Each milestone should be celebrated in a way that is meaningful to you.

Always affirm that failure is not an option. Working toward your vision may be difficult, at times. Be persistent and focus on the end result.

While achieving your vision is the ultimate reward for all your planning and hard work, remember to celebrate your final success. Creating a personal ritual or holiday to commemorate your achievement not only reminds you of how far you’ve come but also provides motivation for accomplishing a new dream!

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Live life to the fullest – that is a wonderful creed to live by. Living a full, successful life can be as simple as putting your ideas and plans into motion, but sometimes that can be easier said than done. Where do you start?

Set a Clear, Concrete Goal
The first action you must take on your path to success is to set a goal for yourself. A clear goal is your map and compass on your path to purpose and fulfillment; big or small, it will help keep you on track and guide you every step of the way.

Avoid making your goal something vague. A goal shouldn’t be something too broad like “I want to be a millionaire.” Your goal should be something specific; it should be decisive and personal. What do you hope to gain in life, and how will your goal play a part in that dream? You should not only be pleased with accomplishing this goal, but you should want to shout it from the rooftops!

That means that you shouldn’t just go with whatever sounds good on paper. While it may be wise to get advice from friends, family members, and professionals, it’s important that you set your focus on something you’d enjoy doing. Consider somebody that you admire; what do you admire about them, and how you hope to emulate what they’ve done? Find a source of inspiration that will really fire you up and get you excited!

After all, this is your life and your dreams. If you choose to do something that doesn’t appeal to you, then what is the point of setting this goal in the first place? Decide on something that you will find fulfilling and you will have a greater chance at reaching, and exceeding, more than you ever thought possible.

Take Action!
Once you have defined a goal for yourself, the next step you must take is creating a battle plan. How do you hope to succeed your chosen goal, and what steps will you have to take in order to reach it? Make a list of “mini-goals” you need to accomplish in order to make your dream a reality. These short-term goals will boost your morale and keep you on track, plus it will be satisfying to realize that with every mini-goal you accomplish you are one step closer to achieving the grand prize at the end.

Break down that list of mini-goals further by visualizing what you need to do in order to accomplish these short-term goals. Set a deadline for yourself in order to reach each goal, and don’t let yourself make excuses as to why you can’t complete them. Give yourself something to look forward to upon meeting your deadlines. Think of it as an instant treat to remind you that all the hard work your doing is worthwhile. This treat could be a nice dinner out to that fancy new restaurant, or that gadget you’ve been eying for the last few months. Reward yourself for your success.

Do not, however, be too hard on yourself if you don’t meet a deadline. Instead of beating yourself up over it, just try to meet your goals as close to the set date as possible. You can’t accomplish everything in one day, so don’t discourage yourself because you’ve only checked off one thing from your list. Even small steps take you a little bit closer to the finish line.

Take Risks
Sometimes it’s easy to become complacent. You become comfortable where you are because, while you are not gaining anything, you are also not losing anything. Get out of that mindset – you are missing out on important oppurtunities. Each minute you sit on the sidelines there are dozens of other players trying to reach similar goals as you, and you may miss out on something amazing because you’re afraid to get into the game.

This doesn’t mean, of course, that you should invest in every little thing that comes your way. Take time to educate yourself before you put money into anything. A little research can go a long way; it can mean the difference between making and losing money. Sometimes it may be beneficial to get a little professional insight; talk to an advisor about any questions you have and check statistics to see where your investment may be heading, because it may not be worth it in the long run. Most of all, trust your instincts. If your gut tells you it’s a good idea, don’t be so quick to discount it.

Keep Your Eyes on The Prize
Problems sometimes arise, even when you try everything in your power to stop them. Obstacles are only a minor inconvenience; they usually can’t be avoided and they aren’t always a quick fix. Don’t be disheartened by this. Instead of focusing on what you can’t do at the moment, remember everything that you have already accomplished.

Most importantly, don’t give up when things get really tough, because it will be worth all the trouble in the end. Don’t bring yourself down by thinking, “I can’t get past this,” or “This is hopeless.” Find ways to get around any problems that come your way. Think outside the box, and never be afraid to ask for help; everybody needs assistance every once in a while.

If you’ve tried everything you can think of and you still can’t overcome your obstacle, take a step back and look at your mini-goals. Try to accomplish some of the other goals on your list in the meantime, then come back to the problem when you’re better prepared to deal with those issues. Often times problems seem a lot bigger than they really are because you’re stressed, but once you get back a success oriented mindset it’s easier to spot things you didn’t see before.

Stay Motivated – Persevere
Sticking with long-term goals can be overwhelming, so you need to make an effort to keep yourself motivated every day. Keep reminders of your overall goal around you so it’s never out of your mind for long. Watch motivational videos, read success stories, and surround yourself with positive people who believe in you and your ideas. Nothing bogs a person down more than a friend or family member telling them that they aren’t going to accomplish their goal.

As mentioned before, don’t focus on your failures, focus on your success! Keep mementos of everything you’ve accomplished to remind yourself how far you’ve come. It’d be a waste to put all that time and effort into something just to give in to doubt. Go out there and do it! You can do anything you set your mind to, and all it takes is a little will power.

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So what if your aspirations were a rigged slot machine that always supplied you with your desires instantly? What if you got everything you wanted tomorrow? What is the trap?

You Don’t Get a Chance to Change your Mind
The beauty in manifesting at a measured pace, is that you get the option to modify your wants. Have you ever receive something you THOUGHT you wanted only to discover that it wasn’t what you wanted after all? The gift in the desires and wants flowing to you in their right time, gives you the option to modify your request.

You can even want things for all the wrong reasons or want something that isn’t right for you. For example: you hate your job and wish you could leave. Well instant gratification could land you out of a job without a plan of attack for finding more meaningful work or additional income.

Manifestation over time allows you to frame EXACTLY what you WANT and NEED. The time would tell you that perhaps there are things about your job you do like. Time would tell you that more things flow to you in a state of gratitude. Time would tell you that maybe if you shifted your perspective slightly, you could have what you wanted. It may also reveal the next plan of action, which included not walking out on your present employer today.

When we want things compulsively, we get an unwanted outcome. The need for a knee jerk manifestation makes us desperate. Desperation often has us making horrible decisions with an even worse outcome. When you slow down, just a little, in your requests, you may uncover that the path you needed to take, may in fact not be the correct one or even the quickest one. And sometimes only slight modifications are what are needed to make dramatic change.

If you’ve ever played golf, you’d know that just a small little change in the position of the club, determines whether your ball ends up in the water or in the hole. One small shift not made in desperation or fear determines your outcome.

You Don’t See the Beauty in the Process
As good things start to unfold and you exhibit gratitude, you get to see all the beauty that unfolds in the process. And more things flow to you in the state of gratitude. You also get to meet new people on your path, people who you may not have met otherwise. You get to have new experiences that inspire new ideas and greater levels of abundance. So essentially you also get to have the potential of a greater level of attraction and a greater level of abundance that you wouldn’t have had with instant gratification.

Imagine that, the possibility of more abundance, not based on instant gratification, but rather things unfolding as they should, based on right action.

And you get to feel things unfold that further put you in a state of perpetual gratitude. It’s an endless cycle. That which you have to feel good about, opens the flood gates of more things to flow to you and more things to feel good about. And you may get a few bruises along the way, some which may help you modify your request, others which will give you fortitude to keep you along your path and have a story to tell. Your gift to others is your story. Having everything unfold instantly doesn’t have much meaning to others.

Your Journey Becomes Meaningless
Charles Kuralt did a segment on CBS News Sunday Morning titled “Everyone Has a Story”. It chronicled a reporter throwing a dart at a map and then calling random people from the phone book in that city and town. The people called would ALWAYS have amazing stories to tell. They contained ups and downs. Triumphs and defeat.

Imagine if your journey was only about getting everything you wanted? It would be tremendously boring. And, life really is about the journey that can be shared with others. Life is about inspiring others to live life and embrace obstacles to help better frame what it is they say they want.

With instant gratification, you wouldn’t get the gift of being of service to others through your journey. Instant gratification can cause you to be extremely selfish. Abundance flows through giving, and not just money, but of time and service, those things which give your life greater meaning.

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Habits are necessary. They free up your mind so you can concentrate on how to survive day to day. You don’t have to think about how to drive your car so you can be on the lookout for danger while you are driving. You don’t have to think about how to walk so you can concentrate on where you’re going.

Unfortunately, habits can also keep you locked in self-destructive patterns, which will limit your success. To become successful, you will need to drop bad habits and develop new ones that are in line with the life you want to live.

People don’t suddenly appear in the life they want to live… their habits determine their outcome!

• What are the habits you have that are keeping you from achieving your goals?
• Really be honest with yourself here… Are you always running late? Do you return phone calls within 24 hours? Do you get enough sleep? Do you follow through on your promises? Do you plan out your day?
• Imagine what your life would be like if all your habits were their productive counterparts!
• What would your life be like if you ate healthy meals, exercised and got enough sleep?
• What if you saved your money, stopped using credit cards and paid cash for everything?
• What if you stopped procrastinating, overcame your fears, and began networking with people in your field?

Would your life be different? I bet it would!

So, my suggested action step for you is to write down some productive habits you could adopt and visualize in your life, step two is to ‘act as if’ you were living these new habits right now!

I’d like to help you get moving toward creating more successful habits, so I’d recommend you develop four of your new success habits each year, one for each quarter.

Once you pick the new habit you’re ready to adopt, next you’ll want to create a method that will support your new habit.

Here are some ideas… You could write it down on a card that you keep with you and read several times a day. You could make it a part of your daily visualization. You could also enlist the help of an accountability partner who has habits to change, or work with a personal coach who can keep you on track.

It’s important to make a 100% commitment to your new habit, so be specific about the steps that you’re willing to take in order to drop an old habit and adopt a new one. Don’t be vague about how you will change your habits. Spell it out for yourself so you can recognize situations that motivate you to act out your new habit.

Just developing four new habits a year will dramatically shift your life to be more in line with your vision. And the more in line it becomes, the easier the other habits are to replace because your perspective is shifting and you can see more clearly how your old habits aren’t serving you anymore.

Make the decision. Make the commitment. Then watch your new, positive life unfold!

I’ll see you in another two weeks in the next edition of Success Strategies. In the meantime, take the time to implement just one of the strategies discussed in today’s issue.

About the author:
Jack Canfield, America’s #1 Success Coach, is founder of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you’re ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: FreeSuccessStrategies.com

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Could you save energy instead of spending it? Could you direct your life instead of being a slave to it? Could you build self-worth instead of destroying it? Could you love your relationships instead of sabotaging them?

Could you heal your body instead of disordering it? And could you sleep peacefully instead of tossing and turning every night? Could you simply live a greater life?

Of course you can!

No matter who you are or what you do, stress impacts success in each of the seven areas of life: spiritual, mental, vocational, financial, familial, social, and physical.

Moreover, success means many things to many people. For instance, everyone would love to perform as well as possible in their careers. Nobody enjoys being a failure, and successful individuals help those around them succeed as well.

We’d all love to have enough money to explore whatever our dreams and visions guide us to do. And it’s certainly stressful when we’re unable to do something or are limited in what we can experience due to a shortage of finances.

In addition, family and personal relationship interactions can make or break the feeling of fulfillment in other areas. For example, it isn’t much fun going home each night to a partner who’s unappreciative of you, despite the fact that your colleagues think you’re exceptional.

Also, becoming popular and well respected within a social network is a key part of feeling and being a “success.” A person without a circle of friends and associates is like someone who’s stranded on an island without food or water . . . and that’s certainly stressful.

On top of that, if you’re ill or tired all the time and don’t enjoy great health and energy, it can override any other successes because you always feel as if you’re behind the eight ball. And this mind-set definitely doesn’t breed success.

Our spiritual outlook and the values we strive for must be fulfilled for us to feel truly successful. Without spiritual fulfillment, how can there be genuine success?

And, of course, if we don’t think that we’re using our fullest mental capacities and expressing our unique talents and genius, we certainly won’t believe that we’ve attained success. This can add even more stress to our lives.

Although the word success takes many forms and can mean various things, in this book, it will be more inclusive than exclusive and will signify overall fulfillment. Would you love to experience more success in each of the seven areas of your life? Do you wish to feel less stress? Then keep reading. . . .

The first step to achieving a more successful and fulfilling life is to alleviate stress, and this book is designed to do just that. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to just follow simple daily steps that will reduce stress and produce more success? Well, you can!

The following list comprises the 31 secrets that are your steps to success. You may be wondering, Why are they called “secrets”?

Well, even though some people have heard many of these statements before, few seem to take them to heart or live by them. Their wisdom is simple yet profound, and they’re the secrets of the individuals who live more self-actualized lives.

Those who don’t follow these simple steps often live their lives at the whims of others, each day experiencing quiet desperation and reaction. But those who implement these secrets daily enjoy empowering inspiration. The former endure lives of stress filled with strangling weeds, and the latter savor lives of success overflowing with blooming flowers. Which type of life would you rather lead?

Let’s take a look at the daily stress-to-success secrets:

On a daily basis:

1. Write and read your goals.
2. Clear away your goal’s obstacles.
3. Prioritize your activities.
4. Act on top priorities.
5. Visualize your success.
6. Write and read your affirmations.
7. Practice deep breathing and stretching.
8. Do selective and collective reading.
9. Groom for success.
10. Dress for success.
11. Love what you do and do what you love.
12. Surround yourself with succeeders.
13. Drink lots of water.
14. Eat light, moderate meals.
15. Reduce the four “addictors.”
16. Contract and then relax all muscles.
17. Help others fulfill their goals.
18. Save 5 to 10 percent of your earnings.
19. Write three thank-you letters.
20. Reward yourself for your accomplishments.
21. Express feelings of love.
22. Hug someone special.
23. Clean and organize your environment.
24. Eliminate low-priority “unnecessities.”
25. Study the subject you’d love to master.
26. Spend time in total meditative silence.
27. Massage your body or scalp.
28. Take a hot bath before retiring.
29. Count your blessings with gratitude.
30. Get a good night’s rest.
31. Follow a Stress-to-Success Checklist.

Carefully study these secrets. Implementing them into your life will reveal the magic inherent in each step and help you transform your stress into success.

The following excerpt is taken from the book From Stress to Success by Dr. John Demartini. It is published by Hay House (July, 2009) and will be available at all bookstores or online at: www.hayhouse.com

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