Success...One Day At A Time

It's Not Good Enough To Just Do 'Enough'

It's been a week since I last posted an entry on this blog.

Why?

Well...for a number of very different reasons...

Firstly - in the space of 24 hours it was subjected to almost 2,500 'rogue' comments.

Originally - it took me a few hours to manually delete them all until I found an automated answer that can now take care of a lot of them at the source...plus clear any that get through in minutes.

Shame I didn't realize that there was something out there that did it the first time!

Secondly - I've made a very conscious decision over the last month or so to really focus on making of the most of the content that I have ALREADY created - before I go ahead and create a load more!

At the last count - I have SEVEN personal development related projects that are at various stages of completion (or re-purposing) - so I figured that it was about time that I spent some time consolidating what I've already done.

Plus...a couple of weeks ago I put on my Internet Success Mindset one-day seminar - for which I've had to edit audios, design covers etc for - which always takes longer than usual!

Now...I'm not for a moment complaining. Far from it.

I am just going through one of my almost-six-monthly changes of 'tack' so that I can constantly work on improving what I have to offer YOU...and also to ensure that I personally don't get 'stale' in terms of what I do.

If you get bored waiting for new content - then just use the 'search' facility on this site - and I'm sure that you'll find something to read from the 500+ entries I have posted over the last 18 months.

It's easy for all of us to get a little complacent - and just keep jumping through the same hoops without really pushing ourselves because it's become relatively 'easy'.

If you know me well enough by now...you'll understand why I firmly believe that standing still is really the same as moving backwards!

Not only that - unless you are constantly improving and challenging yourself - then it's easy to just let life slip you by.

Which, for me, means that it's not good enough to just do 'enough'.

The Wealth. The Houses. And A Nice Sea View.

I watch very few TV programmes these days...but I was fascinated yesterday by one that looked at the houses for sale on Barbados.

The scale of these properties were, in many cases, astounding...but a couple of things really stood out for me.

Many of these huge properties share beach-fronts with what could only be called shacks.

Why?

Well...some years ago - this beach-front land was given to the ex-slaves who worked on the plantations as it was all but worthless.

Not any more. The owners of some of these shacks have been offered millions of dollars to sell.

Many don't because they say that they wouldn't change the view out of their kitchen window for anything!

One of the very wealthy would-be buyers got it spot on when he said that people like him paid tens of millions for the same thing that the poor locals got for free...

- the sea views
- their own deserted beach
- the weather
- the laid-back lifestyle

Just goes to show that once you have made your fortune - you are just as likely to want to buy the things that you CAN quite often (although on a lesser scale) get for free or for very little.

Another interesting point was made by one of the maids who worked in one of the often-deserted mansions on the beach.

She could honestly say that her mult-millionaire employers didn't seem particularly happy - despite all of their wealth.

She observed that, for most people, once you made your millions...it seemed that you had to work even harder and get more stressed so that you could continue to make MORE!

She realized that, even though she was a lowly-paid maid - she had a much better QUALITY of life than those people she worked for.

Interesting stuff...and it certainly got ME thinking about the point of 'collecting' houses and material things if you never stop long enough to take a deep breath, relax, and actually ENJOY them!

Of course...not all multi-millionaires live this way - but many do.

What's the point in working yourself into the ground - WHATEVER you earn - if it doesn't allow you to EXPERIENCE life?

Taking Inspiration From I Can't Be Bothered-Dom!

It's so easy to just accept that you will never quite be able to achieve what you really want in your life.

There's always some reason or excuse why we can't (or won't) do certain things.

Something that I've been finding out about myself recently.

We ALL go through those periods where we just...well...for want of a better phrase - "can't be bothered"!

When was your LAST one?

Well...although I have them a lot less frequently than I used to - I usually find that I am motivated the least when there is something that I know I SHOULD be doing...but doesn't really excite me.

Yet...working for myself as I do - these things still MUST be done!

So...how do you get over those minutes, hours...or even days of can't be bothered-dom?

Well...for a start...don't let the fact that you can't be bothered - bother you!

It's how we react to the things that happen in our life that shapes our future...not what actually happens.

If you keep worrying about why you're not so motivated...then it's just going to make this 'problem' worse!

So...if you can...just do something that DOES inspire you INSTEAD.

Once you get back into the groove of the good old work ethic - then you'll find it so much easier to tackle those things that don't inspire you as much as the others.

Of course...it takes a little practice to be able to detach yourself from constantly beating yourself up because you're not accomplishing what you need to.

But...at least if you're doing SOMETHING...rather than worrying about this stuff...then isn't that a GOOD thing?

Go On...Complain Instead Of Do...

On Sunday...I'm pushing myself out of my comfort zone.

Why?

Well...I'm presenting my one-day "Internet Success Mindset" Seminar.

Which I'm very excited about.

Even though the most I have ever spoken before was for an hour!

On Sunday - I'm doing FIVE!

Why?

Not for the money - that's for sure. I'm just about covering my costs for the room hire and everything else.

I'm doing it because I NEED to...I NEED to because I NEED to keep pushing myself along that little bit further!

As with most things...life always has a little twist in store.

You see - the initial reason why I felt that I should do this was so that I had something to offer at the 'back of the room' at my first U.S. seminar appearance talking about the Internet success mindset.

Except I found out yesterday that it has now been cancelled!

So - now my ONLY reason for pushing my (self-imposed, mind you) limits on Sunday is to force me to accept that I CAN do a one-day seminar if I CHOOSE to.

Yet - I wouldn't probably have got around to it yet if I hadn't needed to have something to sell at that other seminar!

Believe me - if you look at pushing yourself that little bit further when each new opportunity comes along - you'll find that challenges open up for you in ways that you couldn't possibly imagine!

THAT sort of growing experience doesn't come from sitting on your backside watching TV and complaining about how 'lucky' other people are.

I KNOW - I was THERE for almost fifteen years so I understand that feeling.

And NOW - I just wonder why I wasted so much of my life complaining instead of DOING!

What about YOU?

Looking At WHY These Things Happen...

I always look for the hidden meanings when things happen that I don't personally have control over.

Like today.

Someone with a rather disgusting adult site link automatically 'posted' hundreds of comments to this very blog - the content of which was both disgusting...and, in my opinion, pointless.

Is it me - or can you also see what little 'value' this spammer could get by having porn links on a motivational blog?

Especially when I delete them as soon as I am notified of them automatically via email.

Normally - this wouldn't be such a problem - but this person went one step further by automatically changing IP the address of each posting - knowing that I wouldn't be able to block them as I usually do if it is just a person manually spamming (believe it or not - I've already banned over 250 IP addresses over the last six months).

Sad, really.

So...for me...what's the hidden message here?

Well...as I have mentioned in the past - I have been contemplating changing the format of a few things - and how I do them.

Perhaps it's time to not have such an 'open' forum for people to just spam at the expense of me trying to help others.

So...I might password protect this site...or maybe even charge a very small 'membership' fee for access.

After all...that way I will be able to control who visits...and also be in a better position to give my opinion to those people whom truly want to hear and learn from it.

Of course...I haven't fully decided yet - but it has been something that has been on my mind over the last month or two as the blatant spam has continued to increase.

I don't like to get angry at stuff like this happening...as unfortunately - it seems to go 'hand in hand' with being visible online.

So...that's why I just look at WHY.

I firmly believe that there is usually a reason for everything - good and 'bad' - it's just that sometimes it's harder to find the meaning behind something if your emotions are getting in the way!

So...I'm always fighting against human nature to make sure that I see it!

Mr Contrary And A Lucky Life

On Friday evening we went to see some of Katie's old school-friends and their parents.

Over a few beers and a barbeque...a few swords were crossed...a little light 'banter' taking place between people with completely opposite views!

And...guess who had the MOST 'opposite' views of what most people class as important.

Yep...yours truly!

Now...I've given up trying to 'convert' people to see that there is more to life than money and 60+ hour weeks chasing a career.

I've come to understand that people will only 'get it' when they are READY!

When they're ready to open their minds a little and see that life doesn't have to be a constant push-pull struggle - and instead can, on the whole, be quite pleasant on a day-to-day basis.

Even if you DON'T have much money or a high-flying career!

It IS possible...but only if YOU really want it to be.

Most people aren't quite there yet in terms of going against the common beliefs that generations have shaped...whether 'right' or 'wrong'.

The other night I was actually called LUCKY for being able to work at home doing something that I enjoy.

LUCK doesn't come into it...but that's another epidode entirely!

I work very hard at what I do...and, belief me, the circumstances that got me 'here' I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy in terms of the pain, stress, and upset they caused.

Yet...for me...it's made me realize how LUCKY I really am to have had to gone through all of that with Connor - and roll up here with an understanding that I CAN enjoy my life more than I ever did.

If I (and YOU) choose to, that is.

Success - It Isn't Really All That Bad, Is It?

Success is one of those things that is aimed for - yet very rarely reached!

Why?

Well...the trouble with 'chasing' success is that it is a moving target.

What you may have defined as success five years ago - you might class as a failure now.

That's why it's so important to keep a little perspective on your life...and where you're going.

It's so easy to focus on the things that we haven't done...instead of giving ourselves a huge 'pat on the back' for what we HAVE achieved!

Of course - it's human nature to dwell on the what could have beens - but nevertheless - it's certainly worthwhile taking the time and effort to challenge your ingrained thinking about who you are and what you have achieved.

By all accounts (and perhaps by many other peoples' standards) you may ALREADY be a 'roaring' success...you just don't realize it.

If you're happy and content in a at least one area of your life whether it's work, your family, your fitness, your hobbies, or your friends then...

THAT IS A GOOD THING!

Remember...don't 'infect' the good areas of your life with the 'bad'.

Life is all about how YOU react to the challenges that are thrown your way...and how you deal with them in relation to how they impact the other areas of your life.

So...life can't be ALL that bad can it, really?

If it seems that way - just spend some time looking at what WORKS for you right now - this very moment...and work from there.

It WILL be worth it.

We Only Get ONE Chance...

Motivation is a funny thing.

One minute you could be 'firing on all cylinders'...the next you're drowning in the depths of despair and feeling sorry for yourself.

It's easy to forget that life itself is ALWAYS made up of 'ups and downs'. Rough and smooth. Hot and cold. Easy and difficult. Feeling ill and bursting with energy.

It's easy to focus on the negative stuff...so much so that quite often you can easily miss the 'good' stuff.

Are YOU missing out on the good stuff because you perhaps don't even realize that it's there?

You wouldn't be alone if you did.

I'm sorry to say that too many people just seem to 'shuffle' through life - just 'going through the motions' - counting the work days until they retire.

But wait!

Aren't WE here to EXPERIENCE and ENJOY life?

Shouldn't we be making the most of what we're good at - instead of looking at improving what we obviously are never going to be that good at.

And forever falling short and feeling miserable because of it!

The material things in life begin to mean a lot less when you compare them to being able to wake up in the morning without a fear of dread (I know - I've had both - and I know which I prefer!)

So...why not CHOOSE to make YOUR life something more, well, happy and FUN?

We only get ONE chance at every short second we have on this Earth.

Isn't it worth making the most of every single one you have?

Clicking Into Place With Tony Robbins?

There's no accounting for taste...

What may be the most exciting thing to ever happen to me...might just be the most pointless and boring then you've ever heard!

That's why YOU should always be careful if you are following any expert (or 'guru') religiously.

Remember...even though Tony Robbins has sold something like 200 million of his latest tape set - I reckon that less than 0.01% of people have changed thier lives dramatically because of it.

Now...I'm not saying this to slate Tony Robbins.

No. I just want to put YOUR own personal development into a little perspective.

All of those hundreds of millions of people for whom his program didn't really work are STILL therefore searching for the 'keys to the success kingdom'.

Although I haven't heard much of his latest stuff - I'm sure that Tony Robbins isn't necessarily saying that much different to what I, or anyone else involved in personal development might.

It's just that Tony's VERSION of what works might not work for YOU...when Zig Ziglar's, Jim Rohn's or Brian Tracy's MIGHT.

Or - (you never know) something that I write may well make thing crystal clear for you.

So...if things are necessarily working out 'as promised' - just remember that it's not that it doesn't work - that particular WAY of doing (and understanding) it doesn't work for YOU.

So...just because it seems that things aren't falling into place - don't give up.

Keep searching...because I guarantee that, if you search hard enough - eventually you WILL find something that just 'clicks' everything else into place.

You'll see.

It's Never 'Plain Sailing' - But Does It Make Sense?

Although I have been writing less recently - I haven't entirely been not doing much.

I've spent so much time, energy, and money over the last couple of years on my internet (and marketing) education...that now I have decided that I should actually devote more time to APPLYING this new knowledge instead of purely creating new content (like this).

I can tell you...as someone who has been known to write every single day for months on end - it's not always easy to do.

But...in my business...it's always necessary to make the most of what (and who) you know - in order to leverage your time better.

And...as my time is VERY important to me...I always try, wherever I can, to make the best use of it wherever possible.

Even if that time spent resulted in failure (or as I call it - temporary defeat).

Funnily enough - I have had more than my fair share over the last few months - but I'm very philosophical about the whole thing.

I know that these temporary defeats are just pushing me towards something that DOES complement me 100%...whether I realize it yet or not!

It's only with retrospect that seemingly unconnected events make sense...and I am more than convinced that this year will be one of those that I look back on and see that my 'path' was defined more clearly than in the years before.

Even if it isn't always 'plain sailing'!

Isn't that part of the fun?

Work And The Mind-Numbing Challenge...

Perhaps more than ever before...I am looking at whether something is not only a good use of my time...but also whether it is something that I actually ENJOY doing.

Of course...it's not always easy to balance both against earning an income to survive on...but I firmly believe that, unless I am actually focusing on what I REALLY want to do - then the money side becomes much less important.

Why?

Well...I used to be paid a fair amount of money as a consultant - yet it almost cost me my marriage and sent me spiraling down towards depression.

A 'good' position with all the material things that go with it (as well as bigger time constraints on my free time) didn't do much for my sanity - I can tell you!

The thing is...because it is almost EXPECTED of you to leave school, get a good job, carve out a career, work hard until retirement...and THEN enjoy life - then when I talk about doing things a different way around - people just don't get it!

Now - you may well not be working for yourself like I am - and are therefore more able to have more CHOICE in terms of what you DECIDE to do.

But, you do STILL have a choice about whether you stay in a job you hate - or whether you push yourself that bit harder to get that position you REALLY want - yet always complain that you don't get.

Even if you are working in a factory or McDonald's - there are ALWAYS ways that you can either -

1) Make more of what you do
2) Show yourself to be someone who is 'going places'

When I used to work in a mind-numbing check-processing 'machine room' in a bank from the age of 16 to 18 - I used to challenge both myself and my colleagues to see who could 'code' the most cheques (with the amount of the cheque on the bottom).

I can tell you - the process of doing so was like tapping away at a calculator whilst picking up a cheque and inserting into the machine every few seconds.

It could EASILY have been soul-destroying - especially around Christmas when we would work 14-hour days just processing checks all day long.

Except it wasn't.

One year I broke the bank record (unofficial because we'd made it up the year before!) for check processing.

Something like 9,185 checks. That is a LOT of checks!

I can tell you...at the time...it was perhaps my finest hour of my then-short working life!

But...didn't I (and my competing colleagues) have FUN doing it!

It IS possible to make ANYTHING more exciting - just be making it more of a challenge.

And...if you ARE in a position to have more control over what you do during your working day - then PLEASE make sure that you try to do stuff that you actually ENJOY doing and find CHALLENGING.

I've often said that 'life's too short'.

Well...as you're spending a massive chunk of it working - why not try at least to make that time something that, on the whole, is a POSITIVE experience?

Isn't it worth a try?

How To React To Your 'Off-Days'

We all suffer from lack of motivation every now and again.

Anyone who doesn't is a liar!

But...it's not the fact that some days we can't be bothered...what's important is how we DEAL with those days.

It's easy to let the day turn into a week...and the week into a month.

The key is to LET yourself have days where you may not quite be firing on 'all cylinders'.

Yep. The problems only really start when you talk yourself into believing that you are depressed/fed-up/miserable/bored.

What if your mind actually NEEDED a day away from going a hundred miles an hour?

What if your mind actually NEEDED some time away from 'working' so that it could spend time to process what you've been learning non-stop since the day you were born.

Now...I'm certainly NOT giving you an excuse to feel sorry for yourself.

Nor am I suggesting that you just let those 'I can't be bothered' days take over your life.

Not for one moment!

The biggest problem with what we do in life is how we REACT to what we do.

For example...I KNOW that I will have some days that are less productive (and positive) than others.

But...I also KNOW that there will be a day around the corner (if not tomorrow) where I will be on top form - so I don't beat myself up about TODAY!

(easier said than done, of course...but at least I'm getting you thinking about how you REACT to those sorts of days, aren't I?

If you constantly worry about WHY you aren't feeling 100% focused...then guess what more of you're going to get?

That's right - more not-so-100% days!

So...just ALLOW yourself the OCCASIONAL 'off day'.

Just make sure that you make the most of the ON days when they come around - and appreciate what you CAN really achieve when you're really going for it!