Figure yourself out

Have you ever met someone in life who just can't seem to succeed at what they have been doing for quite some time?  Maybe this person is you, is there something you just can't seem to get right, like a hobby, business or some aspect of your personal life?

It's happened to me and not because I didn't give it my all but because it wasn't the right "thing" for me.  I can remember trying to become an expert at computers, I wanted to learn how they worked and all the ins and outs. After trying to figure them out it didn't matter how hard I tried I kept losing interest and I wasn't progressing in the field I was perusing.  A year or two went by and I started to experiment with social media and blogging and it turned out I had a knack for it.  I was approached by a few people to do work for them and that was my stepping stone.
I have a creative mind and I hate tradition rules and this is one reason I wasn't very good at getting to learn computers.  The whole step by step process and needing to do the same thing really bored me.  The day I discovered I could use computers in an entirely different way I found my strength and dropped my weakness and have been working at it ever since.

I've discovered three different types of personalities we can be strong in look at the following and take inventory of yourself to find out which you may be the strongest at:
1. TALENT- (Creative, different, artistic)
2. LEADER- (Dominant, influential, authoritative)
3. ENTREPRENEUR (Risk taker, motivated, focused)

We all have aspects of each of these but there is one in which we shine.  We must embrace our strengths and work with it.

Ask yourself what is it I'm perusing in life? And is it matching with your strength?  If after careful consideration you decided it isn't you may need to look at what you are doing in a whole new light.  I'm not saying immediately drop your chosen path but it may help you to understand your struggle in which you have been suffering from for some time.
Just because you think you should be doing something does not always mean you should.

Stay motivated
Shane C.

Secret to success

Last night I was reviewing on of my favorite seminars by Jim Rohn (The man who taught Anthony Robbins) and he explained the secret to success.  It isn't a difficult process, it doesn't even take meditation or affirmations.  It's very simple, it's doing the right things over and over again.

Success is all about taking the tiny steps every single day and continuing with them day in and day out.  Failure is also very easy to attain, it's neglecting the the right things day after after day, it's a simple formula.  The simple things in life often get neglected because they are so simple that we expect success to be a journey filled with complex routines.

I was recently at a company dinner and the president's wife stood to speak about the first store in the company and how her mother made it a success.  Her mother spoke to customers, took time to listen and even baked snacks for customers and it was a successful store!  That's it, no bells. no whistles, no fancy sales trainers or psychological re-wiring. 

I know if your reading a blog on success you must be intelligent, am I right?  If you answered yes (hoping you did) it's time to take responsibility for your own neglect and accept it.  Today is a new day and all you need to do is start with little steps to get you closer to success, starting with right now!

Stay motivated
Shane C

Never settle or else....

Last night I competed in my first public speaking contest and I placed in the top 3.  I will admit my competitive personality would have wanted #1 but I'm defiantly not bitter about it.  When it was all said and done my mind got to work and all I wanted to do was get better.  I could have decided to give up and say to myself that it wasn't worth it but it truly was worth the experience.

Sometimes in life when we work very hard at something and we don't get exactly what we want, we tend to shut down and accept that this is the best we will ever do and we will never amount to anything more.  This is simply a lie we tell ourselves.  The day we accept defeat against ourselves is the day we take two steps back in life.  Grieving a loss is perfectly normal but challenging yourself to do better is helps your grow.

Ask yourself:
"What is it I really want?"
When you truly find the answer make sure no matter what the outside world puts in your way to always go after it with full force.  Know that becoming one of the best at what you do gives you the biggest sense of satisfaction because not only will you be helping yourself but you will inspire others to follow in your footsteps.

Stay motivated
Shane C

Best confidence builder

Brand new week means a brand new start!  Hope you're ready :-)

I wanted to let you in on the best confidence booster I've ever tried! I'm a huge follower of Brian Tracy and his principles, if you don't know who the man is he is by far one of the most successful personal development gurus of our time.  I heard about his technique and attempted it over the years yet never gave it a fair chance till about 3 weeks ago.

Your subconscious mind believes what ever you tell it whether real or not.  Without even realizing it, you repeat statements about non worth and negativity daily so it's no wonder you haven't been trying the simple things to get you ahead in life.  This brings me to the technique, it's simply repeating the words: I CAN DO IT and I LIKE MYSELF on a daily basis.  It doesn't matter how you feel about yourself today, if you repeat those words often to yourself everyday you will see an improvement in as little as a few days.

I had attempted this by repeating the words for 2 days then giving up, but 3 weeks ago I made a promise to myself to do it daily.  I do it when I wake up, when I go to sleep and when I'm bored during the day.  Over the last two weeks I've attempted some things I never would have had confidence to do before.  It's very personal stuff yet it's boosting my level of success at an incredible rate.

I ask you to start this immediately, simply repeat 10 times each statement, I LIKE MYSELF and I CAN DO IT and watch how things will change for you very rapidly.

Stay motivated
Shane C

How do you talk to yourself?

The way we speak about our success is vitally important to our well being and how quickly we achieve what we are going after.  We must talk to ourselves very confidently and know with certainty that we are going to achieve what we are going after.  I will let you in on the three common mistakes we make when talking to ourselves that get us looking at our success in a negative light.  This goes for anything from career right up to relationships.

Talking about the hard road ahead
We talk about the difficulties in using up our time and effort in order to get what we want. A great example is telling yourself a new relationship takes months to develop, the difficulties that lie ahead and even all the cornerstones you will need to develop along the way.
INSTEAD
Focus on how great the journey will be the skills and experiences you will develop.  Think of your time as an investment instead of a burden.

Talking about how things will change
We talk about how things can't remain the same.  I understand preparing for the difficult times, yet we often refuse to even make any progress for we think it will all be taken from us in a frightening way.  A good example is in business we always like to think of the successful fruitful times yet fear the bad times like running out of clients, economy and staffing.
INSTEAD
Know things never remain the same, yet why not look at the positive strides you will make along your journey.  And if you put in a great work ethic from the beginning you will always be a success.

Talking about what people will think
We talk about how our loved ones will be jealous of our success, how we will need to isolate ourselves because people will only talk negatively towards us.  We tend to do this when thinking about making more money.
INSTEAD
Think about the supportive people that will be in your life.  The people in your life who truly are behind you do support your every move in you achieving greatness.

Sometimes it can really help to write out your negative views on paper and review them a day or two later.  Read them aloud because hearing how ridiculous your negativity is towards your own self you may come to realize you are simply feeling sorry for yourself.  Follow up your negative statements with a more positive empowering statement.  Right now at this moment ask yourself what have you been talking yourself out of doing?  And use my 3 examples to steer yourself into the right direction.

Stay motivated
Shane C

One step at a time

I love the drive back to my hometown late at night while the world is sleeping. It's about a nine hour drive from where I live here in Windsor Ontario.  I follow a long highway all night long and there isn't much to see,  all I have is music and the headlights.  There is one thing that gets me through that long drive other than coffee and that's the mile markers every few miles. For each marker I pass, I anxiously await the next one and this goes on for the next few hours. Doing this makes the long drive more exciting knowing each goal is only from one marker to the next, because a 9 hour drive can seem a little daunting.

When we think about our goals in life they can seem a little far away and impossible to reach.  We must break down our goals into tiny goals, just like the markers on the highway.  Each time you achieve something on the way to your larger goal you can celebrate knowing you have achieved a small victory on your way to your big goal. Goals are a collection of tiny efforts made over a period of time.  It takes preparation and effort on your part to get what you want to achieve.

No matter how big your goal is, a business, a relationship, a new body, career, family trip, set your small milestones to achieve each day on your way to your large goal.  It's easier to celebrate each small step than always playing the waiting game in achieving your ultimate goal.

Stay motivated
Shane C.

Reaching your vision faster

A few years ago I won a sales contest that seemed 100% unattainable.  I was fairly new to my industry and not familiar with my product, and in sales knowing your product and having confidence are the cornerstone of being the best.  However the prize (A trip to Jamaica) was all I needed to hear to get my creative juices flowing.
I wanted this vacation so badly I was willing to use every technique to win.  I employed the art of visualization everyday, seeing myself on the beaches, getting off the plane and enjoying the night life.  After 3 months I had not only won the contest but doubled the sales of what second place had achieved.  I 100% give credit to visualization.

Visualization is such an important tool if you ever want to reach your dreams.  Seeing yourself in the situation you want gets you there without you even knowing it.  Close your eyes or simply use your imagination and daydream of being right where you want to be.

THE KEY TO VISUALIZATION
Often times we daydream about what we want and don't seem to achieve what we want on our own timeline.  The key to speeding up this process is mixing emotion with the vision you want.  Excitement, happiness and joy truly accelerate the process of getting you what you want.
What if you can't feel that much emotion?  This is simply where time plays a factor, if you stick with the process long enough you get what you want by implanting the exact things in your mind you want and that way it's easier to spot them in your everyday life.  Mixing in intense emotion only speeds up the process.

Now ask yourself what is it I want more than anything in my life right now?  When you have the answers start your visualization program, you can do it in as little as 5 minutes first thing in the morning or as long as 2 hours a day in split sessions.  It's your imagination now use it to it's full potential because it's not only a fun tool but a very effective tool in achieving anything you want in life.

Stay motivated
Shane C

Obstacles are only one part

Yesterday afternoon I was speaking with someone who told me they want to go to school to begin a career that could potentially change their life.  I seen her face light up as she spoke about her dreams until she suddenly gave up because she had the excuse:

"But I don't have the money"
And just like that her dream was gone.  All to often we look at obstacles first and dreams last.  We are all guilty of this I often do it with time.  I often worry months in advance if something will interfere with a schedule I may have 3 months down the road.  The fact is when you truly want something your actions will get you there.

We miss out on our dreams by not even taking the first step towards something and that leaves us standing still in life.  As the years go by we often regret not going after what we wanted, because in the future it's much easier to see all the possibilities we have missed.  By looking only at our obstacles we forget about all the little things we could be doing to get us towards are dream like sharpening our skills, networking and simply just gaining as much knowledge as possible getting us towards what we want to do.

Whether your dreams are to improve your career, relationship, finances, etc.....Know there are obstacles but there are also possibilities and ways to get ahead that get you over obstacles.  It's a matter of trying, sometimes failing but getting better day by day on your way to success.

Stay motivated
Shane C