Leslie Choudhury Blog

What is a winner? For some to be a winner is to be a good sport or having fun. For others, it was about crushing the competition. How you answer this question is a reflection on you. Here are some of my own principles of winners:

Keep learning- If you stay stagnant, people will pass you by. There is always something to learn. If you make it a point to keep up on the patterns, trends, technologies in your field of work, you will have an advantage. If you spent 30 minutes on a particular topic or area a day within 6 months we would be considered an expert in that area! You can always learn something from someone, even what not to do! Simply put there is so much for us to learn so let’s keep learning.

Do your best- Compete against your best self, not others, and you will continue to improve. Too often we look at other people as our measuring stick. Stop comparing yourself to others and compare yourself to your best yesterday self. How have you gotten better? We can learn from others but compete against ourself. Be the best I can be should be our motto!

Communicate truthfully- Being honest is its own reward; it will help you sleep well at night. Don’t oversell yourself. It is so better to have someone else tell you that you are better than you say that you are. Your weaknesses are endearing. So wear them honestly. I find when I open up and be honest people listen, people can relate and i am far more effective in my communication.

Honour your agreements- If your word is trustworthy, you are a winner. People love to work with people that they trust. Trust and honesty go hand in hand. Your word has to be as good as gold. Everytime I can follow-through on something I have promised, I feel good but more than that I have built up my credibility, the trust. Today, when I say to people whom have worked with me, I will get this done, they know I will. It is not about big promises, its about all the little ones as well.

Move steadily forward- Setting goals and moving ahead toward your dreams makes you a winner. If you are actively doing one thing every day to move you toward your dreams you will move steadily toward achieving them. Moemtum is important, which is why winners keep records, of times, achievements, goals etc. Pushing a moving rock to new direction or to speed it up is easy when it is moving but trying to puch something stagnant is a tough task. Momentum is crucial to achieving goals.

Accept blame- People will respect you if you admit your mistakes. No one is perfect, but those who take responsibility for their mistakes are respected. Perfection is annoying because no one is perfect. So, when you mess up, and take your lumps, people will appreciate it. Too many people want to lay blame or someone, something else but really the only time we progress is when we face facts accept blame and then decide how to make it right.

Celebrate the achievements of others- Other people’s successes are not your failures. When you honour other winners, you are a winner. I love watching manchester united play, when one player scores eveyone partakes in the celebration and they hail the person that did it. The power of Praise is too often left unsaid, undone, yet if we learn to recognize another’s achievement, another’s victory, we lift her/him and in the process lift ourselves.

How do you define winning? Are you a winner according to your own definition?

Leslie Choudhury – Int’l Speaker, Trainer, Consultant and Author
Serious fun for serious business

See it, be it, live it !!!

www.lesliechoudhury.com
www.impactfulpresentations.com/blog

http://twitter.com/LeslieChoudhury

CEO – Dreamz Image International
Director – Directive Communication International
Associate Director – ADMC Pte Ltd
Owner’s Representative – Sun Island Group of Resorts
www.sunisland.asia
65 96347354

http://www.communicationgurus.net/Next_Speaker_communicaton.php

http://www.lesliechoudhury.com/what-people-say.html

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If you think you Can

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don’t.
If you like to win, but think you can’t,
It’s almost certain you won’t.
If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost.
For out of the world we find
Success begins with a person’s will –
It’s all in the state of mind.
If you think you are outclassed, you are
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can win the prize.
Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster person.
But sooner or later, the person who wins
Is the person who thinks they CAN.

Leslie Choudhury – Int’l Speaker, Trainer, Consultant and Author
Serious fun for serious business

See it, be it, live it !!!

www.dreamz-image.com
www.directivecommunication.com
www.lesliechoudhury.com
www.impactfulpresentations.com

http://twitter.com/LeslieChoudhury

CEO – Dreamz Image International

A Creed to Live By

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others,

It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important,

Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart

Cling to that as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or the future.

By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Learn to live life in the NOW !

Don’t give up when you still have something to give.

Nothing is really over until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect,

It is the fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks,

It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find.

The quickest way to receive love is to give love.

The fastest way to lose love is to hold on too tightly, and the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don’t dismiss your Dreams. To be without dreams is to be without hope.

To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget where you’ve been,

But also know where you’re going.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savoured every step of the way.

It’s not about how fast we get there, it’s about the climb.

motivated

I’m often asked, “What’s the best way to go about keeping my motivation for the task at hand from dwindling down on me?” — it’s an important question, and one that might be best answered by looking at the following example.

First, it’s worth considering that motivation is a state. Just as happiness is a state. Meaning, happiness is less a destination, or a place to “arrive at”, versus a feeling that one experiences in the given moment. You choose to put on that feeling!

To further illustrate, consider just about every time you remember having felt a true sense of joy in your life. It’s likely that it was around some event, or the thought of some event, happening, or experience right? That’s why we can rarely fully recapture that feeling of happiness or joy, at least to the extent we felt it originally, when we think back on, or in advance of, whatever event brings us happiness in the moment that we’re doing it.

Take a moment to pause and give thought to the ideas I just shared if need be. They are worth understanding. Now let’s put a big nice bow around this topic and delve further into exactly how it fits with creating sustainable motivation. Ready? Good let’s go!

While we are each unique and possess our own talents, gifts and life experiences, all of which have gone into making us the people we are, it’s also worth realizing that each of us has our own inner motivators — things that when triggered inspire us to some greater action.

In that respect, we can be motivated by others, sources directly outside ourselves, or something inside ourselves, a memory, or even a fear or past experience which we don’t want to see repeated, or play out in our lives.

In fact, we can go from feeling completely uninspired, to one in which we’re literally ready to take on the world! The change in how we view ourselves, and in particular our ability to achieve a thing can shift in a moment.

I’ve seen people’s perspective shift during the course of one presentation, a coaching session, as well as from reading or listening to a book or audio program. There are any number of different things we can do that are more than capable of inspiring us to action when we need it.

My point is that “staying motivated” has less to do with finding a way to remain in a constant state of inspiration, and more about realizing that inside you, you have the ability to shift from your current state, if it’s not serving to move you forward, to one filled with motivation to achieve whatever your given endeavor happens to be asking of you.

The key to un-tapping your inner motivation and inspiration can be found in a number of different ways. Let’s touch on a few of them now. If you’ll put these ideas to use on a regular basis I’m confident they will serve you well.

The way you begin your day counts — and it counts big time! In fact, it can literally frame what you and I take notice of through out any given day. Consider that for the most part we pretty much have a blank slate when we begin our day. With that said, the first things you do upon waking up can be critical, they can play a much larger part in how your day plays out then you might have ever considered.

What we take in and focus on at least to some degree sculpts our own thinking going forward. If you take in negative ideas and experiences, you’re going to be more aware of them as they happen (and more susceptible to the broken idea that that’s all you seem to be getting — negative experiences).

Fortunately, the opposite is also true. If you proactively begin your day taking in something of a positive nature it’s going to help you develop a positive attitude, you’re going to be more equipped to notice the good that’s around you, you’re going to even look for the good, when perhaps otherwise you may have missed it completely.

To better illustrate my point consider the wise words of Zig Ziglar, “They say motivation doesn’t last, well neither does the effects of bathing. That’s why we recommend it daily.”

As I’ve mentioned before there are countless ideas you can put into practice to maintain and build your motivational muscles. Here are a few more I recommend. As you give these a try keep in mind that personal development is a hands on project, which is to say you should adapt the ideas below so they work best for you.

 Schedule regular points during your day where you refill your mind with material of a positive nature. Starting your day out right is powerful, but it’s equally as important that we “keep our cup full” so to speak.

With the abundance of resources from which we can access personal development resources now there’s simply no excuse for you not to make it a regular part of your day. This is easy to do, but it’s also easy not to do. Make the choice to develop this positive habit and you’ll be infinitely better for it!

Join or put together a group of people who share your understanding of the importance that having positive, inspiring people in their lives can play. A few such ideas might include joining a small group at your church or particular place of worship. You could also seek, or if need be, start a group where you all meet to discuss the latest personal development or audio program you all are reading or listening to.

If you don’t happen to have such a group in your area, look online, or start one locally, be proactive and get yourself around a peer group that can support and inspire you.

From here on out stop with the broken idea that “this personal development and motivation stuff doesn’t work” just because you have to keep coming back for a refill every now and again.

Consider that the leading experts in any given field or industry, if they’re truly worth their salt, make the ongoing commitment to studying their craft. You just don’t attain the level of mastery without remaining plugged into and in ongoing learning mode. That holds true whether you’re talking about personal, professional or a combination of both.

The old saying, “You gotta’ be in it to win it” is right on!

And so it is with you my friend — if you want to keep your level of motivation at its peak you will need to regularly partake in whatever source you happen to choose, whether that be a book, audio program, or whatever, choose something ongoing that can regularly unleash your inner inspiration. The choice is yours!

www.lesliechoudhury.com       leslie@lesliechoudhury.com   

Are You a Filler or a Dipper?

overflowing

You have heard of the cup that overflowed. This is a story of a really large cup, only larger, it is an invisible cup. Everyone has one. It determines how we feel about ourselves, about others, and how we get along with people. Have you ever experienced a series of very favourable things which made you want to be good to people for a week? At that time, your cup was full.

A cup can be filled by a lot of things that happen. When a person speaks to you, recognizing you as a human being, your cup is filled a little. Even more if he calls you by name, especially if it is the name you like to be called. If he compliments you on your dress or on a job well done, the level in your bucket goes up still higher. There must be a million ways to raise the level in another’s cup.

writing a note

Writing a friendly letter, remembering something that is special to him, knowing the names of his children, expressing sympathy for his loss, giving him a hand when his work is heavy, taking time for conversation, or, perhaps more important, listening to him.                                                                                    

When one’s cup is full of this emotional support, one can express warmth and friendliness to people. But, remember, this is a theory about a cup and a dipper. Other people have dippers and they can get their dippers in your cup. This, too, can be done in a million ways.

Let’s just say I am at a dinner and inadvertently upset a glass of thick, sticky chocolate milk that spills over the table cloth, on a lady’s skirt, down onto the carpet. I am embarrassed. “Bright Eyes” across the table says, “You upset that glass of chocolate milk.” I made a mistake, I know I did, and then he told me about it! He just got his dipper in my cup!

Think of the times a person makes a mistake, feels terrible about it, only to have someone tell him about the known mistake (“Red pen” mentality!  - Tendency to only correct and point out mistakes in others!)

Cups are filled and cups are emptied ? Emptied many times because people don’t really think about what are doing. When a person’s cup is emptied, he is very different than when it is full. You say to a person whose cup is empty, “That is a really nice tie you have,” and he may reply in a very irritated, defensive manner.

Although there is a limit to such an analogy, there are people who seem to have holes in their cups. When a person has a hole in his cup, he irritates lots of people by trying to get his dipper in their cups. This is when he really needs somebody to pour it in his cup because he keeps losing.

The story of our lives is the interplay of the cup the dipper. Everyone has both. The unyielding secret of the cup and the dipper is that when you fill another’s cup it does not take anything out of your own cup. The level in our own cup gets higher when we fill another’s, and, on the other hand, when we dip into another’s cup we do not fill our own … we lose a little.

“The mark of  true humanity is giving more than you get. By giving, we really receive! ” – Leslie Choudhury

For a variety of reasons, people hesitate filling the cup of another and consequently do not experience the fun, joy, happiness, fulfilment, and satisfaction connected with making another person happy. Some reasons for this hesitancy are that people think it sounds “fake” or the other person will be suspicious of the motive, or it is “brown-nosing.”

Therefore, let us put aside our dipper and resolve to touch someone’s life in order to fill their cup.

Have an Awesome week ahead!

Leslie Choudhury – Int’l Speaker, Trainer, Consultant and Author 

Serious fun for serious business                                    

www.impactfulpresentations.com

www.directivecommunication.com

www.choudhury-consultancy.com

www.lesliechoudhury.com

http://twitter.com/LeslieChoudhury

CEO – Dreamz Image International

Director – Directive Communication International

Associate Director – ADMC Pte Ltd

CEO – LC International ( BVI)

65 96347354

http://www.communicationgurus.net/Next_Speaker_communicaton.php

http://www.lesliechoudhury.com/what-people-say.html

Connect to me on http://www.facebook.com/leslie.choudhury

What others say to you, what you say to yourself

“Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” This little rhyme was one my mother told me and I used many times as a child when someone was taunting or teasing me or calling me names. I was trying to convince myself that the words of another did not matter, but the truth is, their words did hurt me. I could pretend otherwise, but inside it hurt. The words cut, they create damage within and knowing that someone said something to intentionally hurt me, did not help.

To this day however, the words of others are nothing compared to the meanness and hurt of some of the words I’ve said to myself. I don’t always say these words out loud, but the inside of my head is not a safe neighborhood to hang out, especially at night. If I had an action figure that represented myself and every time I had a negative or self-critical thought I whacked that action figure, I doubt it would make it through the day. It seems this is common among people I’ve talked to. I’ve worked with dozens of clients who refer to themselves as their own worst critic, but never as their own best friend.

Many psychologists discuss the concept of the inner critic. It’s referred to by many different names, but most agree that it can be directly linked to how our parents talked to us when we were growing up. Throughout our childhood experiences of interacting with our primary care givers, we imitate the parenting we received inside our own heads, continuing the practice of praising, disciplining, etc. One of the ways that shows up is as that critical inner voice. It’s also possible to have a nurturing, supportive voice but this softer, gentler voice for most people is drowned out by the louder, critical one.

In addition to self-criticism, I notice there are times when it seems everything going through my head is negative. No one around me is doing anything right, things are going wrong, and the world is a dark and scary place. When my inner self-talk goes down the fear spiral my mind can really go to town with what’s going on with the economy, and how I have been affected personally. The ‘what if’s’ completely take over and my inner neighborhood becomes a dark storm of disastrous possibilities that show up as loss, scarcity and catastrophe.

The good news is we can actually change our inner self-talk AND we can change what comes out of our mouths. Catching the inner critic before it starts beating us up and shifting our words to nurturing, supportive direction, like a coach would give, can lead to more positive outcomes in our lives. Being conscious, deliberate and intentional about what we say and what we think takes raising awareness, making a choice and acting differently.

Raising awareness starts with becoming an observer of yourself, noticing what you’re saying to yourself, how you’re interpreting situations, and what is actually coming out of your mouth, especially at those moments when no one is there to witness it. I have found the practice of journaling to be very useful in this. There are times when I don’t feel comfortable telling another person what I’m really thinking, but I would write it in a journal I knew was safe from the eyes of others. Once my thoughts and words are down on the page I can often see how my thinking is distorted.

Once I have recognized a negative or disempowering pattern, I can make a different choice. But what choice do I make? After all, my best thinking got me here. It can be really helpful in the beginning to get input from an objective friend or advisor since we can’t always be objective about ourselves. For example, I told a friend of mine that not as many people have been signing up for classes lately. She reminded me that I could look at this as something personally to do with me or I could more accurately conclude that people are reserving funds because of the economy. I realized she was right. If I take it personally, it feels negative, discouraging and disempowering, but with the latter interpretation I can look at it as an opportunity to do some work that I haven’t had time to do because I’ve been training so much.

Acting differently, of course means we don’t just raise our awareness and do nothing with it, it means we follow through and declare our new interpretations out loud. It’s a way of establishing a new pattern.

The most powerful way I have found to make these ideas work for me is by being proactive vs. reactive. If I wait for the moments when my thoughts are negative and self-critical it is much harder to direct myself to a positive direction, but by deliberately choosing to be gentle and supportive of myself as a matter of course, I can create a positive foundation to build from.

To do this, I have developed a daily practice of saying positive, uplifting and empowering statements to myself as soon as I wake up in the morning (typically the most negative time of day for many people). Statements like these are commonly called “Affirmations” because they are validating a positive truth we wish to emphasize and expand. The most gratifying result for me is a reduction in fear and depression, in spite of the constant influx of negative input so prevalent lately in the news and by doing this on a daily basis I have started a new, more positive pattern of thinking that leads to raised self-esteem and more positive outcomes.

The Art of Win / Win Negotiations !!! by Leslie Choudhury

Begin with the end result in mind

Ever heard someone say that they ‘gave away the store’? Despite our best intentions, we sometimes give away too much  to arrive at an agreement. Even when we go into our talks with high motivations and a grandiose, exuberant spirit of cooperation, we have to be wary and dip our toes cautiously into the waters to make sure we aren’t about to be devoured by piranha.
Today, many of us have heard the concept of win-win negotiations but do we know what that really means? All too common, most negotiators fail to understand that this term represents both parties achieving a satisfactory negotiated settlement.

“Negotiation needs to start with the assumption that both parties want more to agree than to disagree and there is a meeting point.” – Leslie Choudhury

Yes, win-win is less about the process, less about the “how” of getting there, and more about the destination. How best to get you a win-win outcome, whilst keeping your eyes fixed on that elusive win-win negotiation outcome or goal. Steven Covey’s  quote: “Begin with the End in Mind!” is very appropriate.

The Win-Win Concept
The true meaning of a win-win settlement is a negotiated agreement where the agreement reached cannot be improved further by any discussions. Win-Win does not mean absolute equal outcomes but acceptable so each party walks away with perceived value. So your outcome cannot be improved for your benefit, and similarly, the agreement for the other party cannot be improved further for their benefit either. By definition, there is no value left on the table and all creative options have been thoroughly explored and exploited. It’s what both parties can live with.

What does not constitute a win-win deal?
Many people falsely delude themselves into believing they have a win-win approach and settlement when they adopt many of the strategies described below. However, if we put their agreement under our microscope and look closer, they may have wasted their efforts. Positional and tactical negotiators love less experienced negotiators who do not fully understand win-win. Why? Inexperienced negotiators make for easy targets to be shot down, simply due to their lack of understanding of the win-win concept.

What pitfalls can lead you, your company or team to miss the rich rewards promised by a win-win settlement? (see 1-4). What should we then focus on? (see 5-8).

1. Cookie-Cut Approach
People are not the same, they are motivated differently. We cannot approach each negotiation identically. It’s fine to have a positive mindset going into the talks, but we must be realistic that we do not get bogged down into ‘the end justifies the means’ mentality by sacrificing resources or funds to get that agreement. I do not advocate a win-win in all situations. Where win-win would be an inappropriate commercial strategy to employ would include:
(a) Hostile or die-hard positional negotiation counterparties who only look at you through win-lose lenses.
(b) When you’re negotiating the purchase of a widely available commodity type product or service that makes neither a strategic impact upon your business, nor carries a large price tag.
(c) For business negotiations – either there is no room to manoeuvre (company policy) and/or one party has all the power or options. Neither works.

2. Compromise
Many negotiators falsely believe that compromise is a positive approach to gain a win-win deal. This is plainly incorrect. If you look at the definition of the word ‘compromise’, it means ‘A settlement of a dispute in which two or more parties agree to accept something less than they originally wanted.’ If one or both parties agree to lower their aspirations, this is hardly a win-win outcome, is it? Over-ambition is due to lack of experience or lack of research on the product/service /party.

3. The Relationship
Possessing the desire to create a durable relationship in a negotiation is admirable, but it does not guarantee that you will walk out of the negotiation with a win-win agreement to hand. Mutual relationships are the ideal, with each side creating value for their organisation and for the other’s organisation. If you find that you’re getting the short end of the stick over and over again, then you’ll need to think through how the other side perceives you, and the negotiation frame that’s been set. Almost everyone agrees that it’s important to have good relations with your business partners, but few will agree with what “good” really means. Its best you explore this separately as a company and or team, as assumptions are dangerous.

4. Take Your Time
Many negotiators are under the impression that if they take extra time to negotiate they are more likely to achieve a win-win settlement. The truth is that many studies on this very subject have revealed that extra time does not make much difference to the quality of the negotiated agreements.

“During a negotiation, it would be wise not to take anything personally. If you leave personalities out of it, you will be able to see opportunities more objectively.” – Brian Koslow

5. Ask Open Directive Questions
When we enter a negotiations prepared, we need to know the other parties’ intentions, interests, timeline and priorities. It is a sad truth that in reality, many negotiators do not ask questions to gain a better understanding of the underlying ambitions that lie beneath the other party’s position.
We need to determine whether our goals can be connected to the business goals of the other party. The more we know about their aims, the more we will be able to put together settlement package that better addresses the business goals and priorities of both parties. When we know what’s important to the other party, we can build a beneficial and productive agreement that ensures the concerns of both parties have been taken on board.

6. Play Fair
What do we tell them about our goals and interests? Reciprocation is essential. We have to tell them about our goals and interests so they may better understand how they might not only meet their needs, but ours as well. Best we begin at outset with setting the frame of a cooperative mood to increase mutual interaction. Only then should we progress into fact-finding and option generation. Our counterparts will usually mirror our behaviour, the virtuous and less than virtuous.

“ We cannot negotiate with those who say, “What’s mine is mine and what’s yours is negotiable.” – John F. Kennedy

If we start by openly offering information, they will normally reciprocate in kind. Our initiating the volunteering of goals and interests does not necessarily put us at a strategic disadvantage. Provided we set the frame of reciprocation and gain agreement at the outset, and provided we don’t put all our cards on the table. Reciprocation will prevail. If the other side refuses to reciprocate at any point, and refuses to give a valid reason, this should be our red flag to stop. It’s a bad idea to reveal your BATNA at the outset.

7. Pesent Multiple Options
The best win-win agreements often spring from presenting multiple offers rather than a single, lone offer or proposal. The reason is that a single offer or proposal often has an anchoring effect. Multiple offers tend to stimulate communication. Multiple offers will often prompt or nudge our counterpart into providing vital information about their objectives and the true nature of their business ambitions. Negotiating will be more energetic and productive because several options will likely enhance the possibility of finding even more creative solutions than would otherwise have been possible.

8. Third Party Involvement
Another innovative strategy to maximize your resources effectively is to use a neutral third party to help both parties tease out all goals and interests. In addition, you can ask this third party to suggest an agreement, or for ways in which to improve your existing agreement. Each side should of course have the option to veto the third party’s proposals if they uncover better alternatives. A third party proposal can bring a number of benefits:
Both parties can safely share more sensitive information. Since information is the building blocks required for creative alternatives, this in itself can open doors that were previously not seen.

Trust is fostered under the experienced third independent party’s direction. Often parties don’t share suspicions openly with each other. This format of negotiation is conducive to sharing doubts. With a third party looking out for both sides’ interests, it prevents one sided gains and fosters a free thinking creative process, and reduces risks.
We need to appreciate that not just any agreement leads to a win-win scenario or outcome in our negotiations. Time constraints affect how long and far we can explore. Attitudes, positions and skills set invisible boundaries that constrain what we see as possible. Win-win deals are more likely when set up correctly through effective use of framing, research and building relationships. Ultimately, it’s essential that we remember the end objective is to reach an agreement that both parties can walk away without their tail between their legs!

“The most important trip you could ever take in life, is learning what is important to them and meeting them somewhere in the middle.” – Leslie Choudhury

Leslie Choudhury has been a GM or CEO of 4 different corporate companies in 4 different countries. He has won countless awards for his ability to motivate, influence and inspire changes in staff mentality and results. His awards include: Westin Business Innovation award, the President’s/CEO’s award for running the best Sales team in the world for Sheraton Hotels, Best Service Company of the year award in Singapore, and “EBIT & ME Personality Award for Asia & Pacific. Choudhury holds a BBA from the University of Hawaii, Manoa, USA and is certified in NLP & Directive Communication psychology, recognized by the American Institute of Business Psychology, the only person in Asia awarded with ‘CITE’ status; and the author of two self-help books – ‘Once Upon A Time’ series. Voted as the world’s number 6 Communication Guru by Gurus International. Leslie is the CEO of Dreamz Image International and Director for Directive Communication International ( ASIA) Pte Ltd. For more info see www.lesliechoudhury.com

We were born to succeed

“Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success.” – Dr. Joyce Brothers

We were born with all the tools to succeed and enjoy a wonderful life.

We were born with all the potential to succeed, we can achieve any goal we want… or can we?

We may not think or believe that we can achieve our goals and have a better life.

When we were born we had no negative thoughts.
No Limiting Beliefs.
No self doubts.
We could do anything.

“You can do anything you wish to do, have anything you wish to have, be anything you wish to be.” – Robert Collier

Sometimes we need to observe and listen to children. They are irrepressible. They at an early age think they can do anything, they feel they can conquer the world. My son Zackery, when asked what does he want to become says, ” An Actor, A Movie Producer, A Director, An Inventor ……”  somehow I get the feeling the list keeps growing larger, bigger, but all he sees is possibilities!

We however tend to see limitations, hurdles, prohibitions ….. we see boundaries, problems, we prevent ourselves from moving forward even before we start.

But on our journey through life, we stopped believing. We even sometimes stopped trying!
We started to doubt ourselves.
We started to let negative thoughts fill our mind.
Maybe somebody told us that we can’t succeed or that life is hard and we believed them.

We started to develop limiting beliefs and you began to think we no longer have the potential to succeed.
We may even believe that we were not born to succeed, or worse, that we were born to suffer.

The truth is we still have all that potential, we’ve just burried it, we’ve dismissed it and we’ve let negative thinking, limiting beliefs and self doubt convince us that we can’t or won’t succeed.

So how do we unlock the potential that we were born with?
How do we turn things around and succeed?

Start by changing the way we see ourself, or changing what we think about ourself.

If we feel that we can’t succeed, that we’ll only fail, and that no matter what we do things won’t be better… then change this thought pattern.

“It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.” – Edmund Hillary

Dismiss it.
Don’t accept those thoughts.
None of it, is true.

No matter how bleak things may seem we can and will succeed because we were born to succeed.

We need to tell ourselves,  yes …..say it out loud:

I was born to succeed.

Say it again, only this time with a slight change:

I am born to succeed.

We are born to succeed.

When we think of past failures, or if we think we’ll only fail again, change those thoughts. Think of the times we did succeed. Go back as far as we have to.

I want us all to do this right now, thibnk about the times we succeeded, I do not care in what, or how far back we have to go. Think about those times, see ourselves in that moment, how we looked, how we felt, how we felt others saw us, felt about us.

Our mind will tell us things like: “Yeah but that was then, we can’t succeed now.
Who are you kidding. We can’t do this. There’s no way.” Stop this thinking and stop this right now!

Change those thoughts.
Let’s push our mind to find ways to succeed.
Tell ourself, this time I’m doing things differently.
Give ourself reasons to succeed.
Create affirmations that will help us succeed.

The only reason our mind comes up with these excuses for not succeeding is because that’s what it’s used to doing.

Over the years we’ve developed a pattern of thinking and a set of beliefs that have created our current outlook and our current life.

If we keep the same thought patterns and the same beliefs we’ll always have the same life – I guarantee it. Nothing will change… and that’s not good enough! Is it ?

“The person who gets the farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.” – -Dale Carnegie

But if we change our thoughts, change our beliefs, change our outlook we will change our lives – and I can guarantee that as well. I am living proof of that. Let me say this as simply as I can; “If I can do it, then anyone can!”

We need to understand, our subconscious follows our current thoughts and beliefs like a roadmap.
If we think we’re going to fail or that life is difficult, then our subconscious simply says: we expect failure, we therefore want failure, and guess what we will have failure. Our subconscious will make sure we get it.

So if we change what’s in our subconscious, give it a new road map and we’ll get new results.

But first we have to decide what that map, that path, that direction, that trip  is going to look like. We also have to know what we want, then we can create the thoughts, beliefs, outlook and actions that will help us succeed.

When we do that on a regular basis we’ll be living up to our full potential.
We’ll begin succeeding because that’s what we were born to do.

So don’t believe the naysayer in your head.
Believe in yourself and your ability.
We were born to succeed. You are born to succeed.
You have all the ability to achieve your goals and live your dreams.

Direct the power of your mind and subconscious mind to create the happiness, success, wealth, relationships and life you want today. You have the power, the ability, it is your choice.

Nothing happens unless you take responsibility and make that choice, take the steps and keep on that path and head in the direction called ‘ SUCCESS.’