Create a Plan Now to Get What You Want

To really achieve your goals, you need to create a plan so you can keep yourself on track. Creating a plan, enables you to clearly see in your mind a solid image of exactly what you want.

Making a plan can be accomplished by doing just a few things. First, you can begin by writing down exactly what it is that you want to attain.
Then, you can sort your items by what's most important to what is the least important.

Numerous items may be on your list but, in order for you to make sure that you really can get to all of them, you must choose one of them.
Now that you have chosen the most important goal to start with, it's time to break it up into smaller tasks. Small tasks are a lot easier to manage and less intimidating.

Next, ask yourself how much time it will take to complete each task. Give yourself some extra time for unforeseen emergencies and errors in judgement.
Even though sudden changes may not occur, it's always good to have a concrete idea of how you would handle the worst situation if you had to. By knowing exactly what you could be encountering, will sooth any anxieties you may feel at first, or later on.

Give your plan a reality check by deciding if it has realistic goals and schedules. Consider what it's actually like to do each step that must be done, so you can complete any given goal.

A crucial part of planning is to define your objectives so you can successfully attain what you want. Objectives help you remember why you are doing a particular task and how very important it is in the final steps to really achieving your desired goal.

Creating a plan will help you to be a better person and achieve of all your goals and dreams

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Tom Straub is a successful author, and webmaster of the Best Self Improvement web site, where you can read more on Goal Setting and more than a dozen other self improvement topics.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Thomas_Straub

Road To Success - 6 Steps That Will Get You Out Of Trouble & Reach Your Dreams

Once you get started in your road to success, soon you’ll encounter roadblocks and barriers. What will happen to your success will depend on how you’ll confront them. Look at the 6 steps that will get you out of trouble and let you finally triumph.

1) Exploit The Barriers For Your Purpose
If you commit and apply your effort towards your goal, signs showing you the direction will pop up. And with them, soon barriers will arise. You’ll have to look beyond the barrier, finding both alternatives and motivation to carry on.

Remember that every barrier has two components: one opposing you and one supporting you. Every barrier help you clarify your goal and understand the real life process underlying it. Think on how the barrier could be supporting you in terms of learned processes and resources you can use and the barrier is showing.

Only those who can see beyond the initial failures and disappointments can transform this painful road into the road to success.

2) Exploit Barrier Weakness Instead Of Quitting
Don’t be another one who makes excuses to quit. If you want success, you have to discard the verb “to quit” from your glossary. Hard work is a necessary ingredient to success. Not quitting is the first step of perseverance.
Not quitting is an art you can learn. There are forces in the difficulties you are facing that stimulate your willingness to quit. Your turning point is in understanding that these forces are different.

Different parts of the barrier are opposing you in a different way. This will help you in understanding where your barrier is weaker and will suggest an attack point on your behalf. Concentrate on this weak spot, and will be easier to not quit.

3) Exploit The Power Of Thinking Small
Thinking big is the great motivator, but will also set big expectations that are going to be easily defeated by the challenges you are going to face towards you success. It seems too much effort is needed, too much time, too much commitment.
The solution is that you have also to think small. Small actions. Do something small towards your goal but do it consistently.

4) Exploit The Power Of Persistence Until Things Become Easier
Not quitting is the first step of perseverance, and perseverance is the most important ingredient of success. The most outstanding example of perseverance is Edison, in his quest for the light bulb (10000 trials before getting a working one is an outstanding effort).

Even if things seem impossible and you have tons of negative feedback, the successful mindset requires you never consider quitting. Once you are in the road, keep running until the next telephone pole. And then until the next one.
This means that you have to keep continuing focusing on the next small step (thinking small) until barriers become first weak, then things become possible. Doing one more step is the second step of perseverance.

5) Exploit Your Own Power
Managing barriers with persistence is the difference between who will do it and who won’t. You have to engage to improve your success skills thus increasing your probability to make it. Your ability to win in the above three points will depend on your ability to improve.

You can improve your ability to overcome barriers and create positive motivation in life for work, health and success on autopilot by just listening your way to success and abundance.

6) Exploit The Power Of The Success Principles
Barriers are a healthy part of the learning process that will lead you from dreams to success. This is a basic principle of success. Every big success is built on overcoming barriers.

Understanding what success means to you and its underlying principles will affect your short and long term performance. Understanding the 7 most important success principles” will improve your ability to cope with barriers and drive your life in your road to success.

If you understand the success principles, persist and improve along the way, your road to success will start tough, but will become easier and easier as you go. You’ll find that your goal is not so far and will enjoy the journey in the meanwhile.
Discover the 101 free success strategies that will help you succeed in life at Mark Tern’s Success Strategy Tips website at http://success-strategy.thesolution2.comArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mark_Tern

An Articles that Will Make You Trully Understand (Begin with The End in Mind)

The principle difference between a human and an animal is that a human possesses self-awareness and conscience while an animal does not. People usually take things for granted. Let me share with you a story...

Bill was at a pub late at night discussing business and realised that it was already very late and that his wife was waiting for him on the bed. Dragging his drunken soul, he rushed back, wanting to make it up for her wife's long wait. Once in the room, he immediately hopped onto bed and satisfied the tired soul. After which, he went to the toilet and was shocked when he saw his wife. "Wasn't that you on the bed?" He shrieked. "That was my mother. She dropped by to visit."

Many a time, we tend to assume and take things for granted.

Now, I have an exercise for you to do. And I hope you do it diligently because through this exercise, you will benefit aplenty. You will appreciate goal setting a whole lot great deal more.

Imagine, you happened to walk pass a funeral ceremony. You saw your family members participating in the ceremony. You joined in the ceremony and could feel the sadness in the environment. Then, you strolled to the coffin and looked at the deceased. You see your face.

Now, (regardless of your religion or beliefs) you read the programme for the ceremony and learnt that 4 different groups of people will be giving speeches on you.

Bring out a pen and a paper now. Write down what you wish to hear (all the good comments) from these 4 group of people.

1. Parents
2. Best Friend
3. Superior in your organisation
4. Your subordinate in your organisation

Spend about fifteen minutes and focus on what you really wish to hear from them, all the good things about you that you wish they will say.

"Begin with the End in Mind"

Take a moment and reflect on the speeches that your recorded. Do you already fulfil all the good points that they mentioned about you?

If you hadn't been communicating with your parents, do you wish to see them on stage and say, "I don't understand him. Ask his friends to give the speech instead."? If not, shouldn't you be communicating more with your parents, more than the yes, okay, ya, sure?

This simple exercise is for you to appreciate "Begin with the End in Mind". With the notes that you written down on the speech, use it as the list of goals that you want to achieve in your life. Start making changes to your life. Unless you wish that no one will speak good of you in your funeral.

Yoong Kheong Fong is the webmaster of We Care Tuition Agency (http://www.wecaretuition.com). He also gives consultation in Internet Marketing and offline Marketing. You can read more articles at http://www.articles.wecaretuition.com/ or visit his blog at http://www.furykid.blogspot.com Yoong Kheong Fong is constantly improving himself by attending inspirational and motivational talks, meeting people with positive mindset and regularly read up books on self-improvement. You may wish to contact him at yoongkheong@hotmail.com for sharing of opinions on such areas. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yoong_Kheong_Fong

7 Steps That Accelerate Goal Achievement

There are common steps associated with goal achievement. They are:

- Aim high.
- Write your goals down.
- Set a time limit or deadline.
- Identify those people, and organizations that can help you reach your goals.
- Consider multiple facets of your life including family, career, health, etc.

I have often been asked if there is more to the process of goal achievement than these steps. My answer? Yes there is.

While the goal setting process outlined above is quite valuable, and perhaps fundamental, I have found nuances to the goal-setting process, typically not discussed. Here are seven steps that will accelerate your goal achievement.

Step One: Assume Success: It All Begins With The Way You Think

Top achievers think differently. First they conceive, plan, and work on their goals with a level of expectation that is foreign to most people. They do not say, “I’ll try this, and see what happens,” or “This might work, you never know.”

Achievers proceed toward their goals with a level of confidence that cause others to think they have inside knowledge about how to make their goals a reality. It is this level of expectation that gives them the laser focus needed to see possibilities that most do not see. More importantly, they are actually “living,” their goals long before they are achieved.

Step Two: Identify and Focus On Your Primary Goals

Intensifying your focus on a few goals is often easier for those beginning to refine their own goal achievement process. Having just a few goals makes each goal much more real because you cannot get lost in a lengthy list of plans and projects. As you develop more experience and confidence in the goal setting process, you can expand your goal list and potentially work on 10, 20, or 30 or more goals at the same time. However I recommend that most people trim their goal list down to a very manageable group of 7.

Step Three: Examine And Clarify Your Beliefs and Values

A big obstacle for many seeking accelerated goal achievement is being out of sync with their goals. That is, many “say,” they want to achieve certain things but do not really believe in their ability to achieve their goals or totally value their goals. As a result they unconsciously minimize their ability to achieve their stated intentions. To reach you goals fast you have to be sure that your goals really reflect your true beliefs and values. After setting your goals, be honest with yourself about whether these are really your beliefs and commitments.

Step Four: Immerse Yourself In The Process Daily

This is an important step that many goal setters are unaware of. Top achievers “live” their goals. Many unconsciously work with their goals every day. It’s a good idea for you to take this approach consciously. I believe strongly in working with my goals twice a day at minimum, once in the morning, and once in the evening.

I have spiral notebook in which I write my goals. In that notebook I have also developed my “Statement of Achievement.” This statement opens my goal list and closes my goal list. It sets the tone for the goals to follow. I recommend that you write your own, Statement of Achievement and that you write your statement and your list of goals twice a day. Sometimes you’ll want to even go back more and recite the statement as it occurs to you during the day.

Step Five: Recognize and Act On Your Intuition

Balancing your internal process with your external process is step five of my accelerated goal achievement process. First you want to become sensitive to the ideas and solutions that are presented to you thousands of times daily.

You are always receiving ideas, insights, and greater details that pertain to your goals throughout the day. Once you decide to really focus on your goal setting and achievement this will become more noticeable. It’s important that you capture this information. Carry a journal with you and write down the sparks of insight you receive throughout the day. These are the quickest paths to your goals. When you take action on these items you will be led into circumstances that will, in turn, set you on a direct path to your goal.

Step Six: Overcome Your Resistance

We all tend to hesitate, re-consider, and even procrastinate. We have impulses that we ignore. There are actions we won’t take. We don’t make calls. We don’t write letters. We don’t send emails. Sometimes others will offer ideas and suggestions, but we don’t want to be counseled or coached. There are so many examples of how we resist achieving our own goals. You must become conscious of your resistance and learn to breakthrough this resistance.

Step Seven: Establish Positive Triggers

You can and should train yourself to remain focused on your goals and your ability to achieve them by establishing psychological triggers that bring you to the right focus and state of accomplishment quickly. Pyschological triggers include words that quickly bring you back to your aim, images representing the successful accomplishment of your goals, and even music that affects you emotionally and gives you the feeling of success and accomplishment.

Achieving your goals requires the right thinking and the right actions, sometimes for an extended period of time. However, these tips will help you develop a winning strategy that will keep your progress steady and pointed in the right direction.

André Taylor is an entrepreneur, a highly paid consultant, and one of today’s dynamic voices on business and personal success. He’s the author of a collection of audio and video programs including the business-building system, 81 Lessons of The Natural Entrepreneur. For more than 25 years, André has been involved in enterprise management and the discipline of personal and organizational development. Combining broad range experience in high-growth industries, and an uncommon understanding of the lessons of business and personal resilience, he provides extraordinary insight and commentary on the subjects of entrepreneurship, leadership, sales, marketing, innovation, and growth. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=André_Taylor

How To Define Procrastination to Get the Most of Out of Yourself?

How do you define procrastination? For many people procrastination is something that they associate and identify themselves with far too easily. The challenge is that once you identify with a behavior (positive and negative) it becomes part of who you are and your experiences and actions are filtered through this identity.

We can define procrastination as "task aversion" which is the irrational delay of an intended course of action. Translated from the original Latin meaning, procrastination quite literally means ‘in favor of tomorrow’. As human beings we are always pursuing ways of being better off – everything we do, we do with a positive intent. Although procrastination seems to contradict this fact, it actually illustrates a very important point. What we do, or fail to do, is not purely the result of our conscious choices, but often the result of factors we are not aware of consciously. When you procrastinate, at some level of your unconscious thinking, you believe that taking the action will leave you worse off than actually taking the action.

To change this negative tendency, you need to do two things. Firstly you must remove the association and ‘attachments’ that you might have with procrastination. Realize that you are NOT a procrastinator. Although you might procrastinate at times, you cannot afford to limit yourself by defining yourself by your behavior. Secondly, you must redefine procrastination in such a way that it will motivate and empower you instead of limiting you.

The way we define things for ourselves will determine the way we interact with it. If you see procrastination as a chronic problem that you were born with, then it is likely that you will struggle with it all your life. If you define procrastination as a bad habit that you need to deal with at some point in the future, then it will control you. If you see procrastination as something you cannot overcome then you will probably be right.

If you define procrastination as a negative tendency that you choose to put aside, then you will be empowered to take action despite procrastinating. Whether you CAN do something is rarely the result of your ability. It’s almost always a case of motivation. Motivation is nothing but an inner drive that compels you to action, and gaining leverage on yourself is a powerful way to find the necessary motivation.

There is a definition of procrastination that can do just that. I choose to define procrastination as the thief of time. When you think about it you will realize just how true it is because procrastination is what keeps you immobilized and stuck in inaction. Time is your most valuable and your most precious asset. People go to extreme measures to protect their money and their possessions, but do very little to ‘protect’ their time – the one thing that money can never buy. Learning to value your time, is a powerful strategy for overcoming procrastination and getting the most out of your life. When you value something you will look after it and protect it.

Your time is limited. Have you ever wondered how many days you have in your lifetime? At first blush you might guess that it is a hundred thousand or even a million. In fact, if you grow to be 70 years old your entire lifetime will only have 25 550 days. If you are 30 now, then you’ve only got another 260 000 hours left – and a third of this will be spent sleeping.

You have just as much time as Bill Gates, Mother Theresa, Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey or any other person on this planet. The only difference is in the way you use your time. Don’t allow procrastination to steal your most precious asset.

Instead, see procrastination as a call to action. It is likely that what you are procrastinating about is something that you ‘must’ do. See, what we don’t do and what we don’t face controls us. But when you face it and you do it, you liberate yourself and it no longer has any control over you. If you have this sense of urgency and awareness that your time is precious, then you won’t allow the thief of time to hold you down. What you get out of yourself does not rely on your ability. It relies on how much of your resources you can get access to and this is almost exclusively a psychological exercise. By changing how you define procrastination for yourself you can start to change this internal conversation and empower yourself to take action and make things happen.

Deon Du Plessis from Overcoming-Procrastination.Com is a former chronic procrastinator who never managed to get anything done. He now teaches some of the most powerful strategies for overcoming procrastination in A Course Of Action, a FREE online course. You can Enroll HereArticle Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Deon_Du_Plessis

Are You Unconsciously Limiting Your Wealth Potensial?

Unlimited financial abundance is your birthright!!

Sounds great doesn't it, but do you really believe it? It's not surprising if you don't.

Many of us don't believe we have access to unlimited financial abundance because we were raised in a culture that places severe limitations on our creative abilities to attract money. These limitations begin during early childhood when our basic beliefs about everything are being formed.

Think back to when you were a child. What did you consistently hear and experience regarding money?

Did you hear that "money doesn't grow on trees" or "money is the root of all evil"?

Did people in your household fight about not having enough money?

Did your dad grow surly and silent when it was time to pay the bills?

Was your mom afraid to ask your dad for more money if an unexpected financial emergency came up?

Were vacations eagerly anticipated or were they actually stressful because the family was going on vacation even if they "couldn't afford it"?

Whatever the situation, you consciously and unconsciously absorbed those beliefs about money and wealth. This became your belief system or paradigm.

Many of us are completely unaware of the unconscious belief systems that are governing our attitudes, behaviors, expectations and comfort level regarding how much money we think we deserve and actually attract.

Do this little exercise with me.

Imagine for a moment that a complete stranger walks up to you on the street and hands you a cashier's check for one million dollars. This stranger tells you that the money is a special gift and is unconditionally yours-no strings attached.

How would you instantly react?

1. Would you nervously look around for the hidden cameras?

2. Would you absolutely refuse the gift and even feel some resentment towards the stranger for putting you in such a predicament?

3. Would you accept the gift but then feel guilty and make immediate plans on how you were going to give the money away?

4. Would you graciously accept the money with heart-felt thanks and happily go to your bank cash the check and enjoy the money?

Your initial "gut reaction" to the above scenario allows some of your unconscious core beliefs about money bubble up to the surface.

If you picked one of the first 3 answers you definitely have some inherent beliefs that are severely limiting your birthright of prosperity. But the good new is-they are only beliefs. Keep in mind that beliefs are not truth. They are just a perception and an acceptance of the truth. What's great about beliefs is that you can change them and choose ones that support you and are in alignment with unlimited wealth potential

If you picked number four, congratulations!!! You're well on your way to unlimited financial abundance!!!

About The Author Becky Kimes is a professional coach, speaker and author who specializes in helping women break through the invisible barriers keeping them from manifesting their dreams. She works with individuals, and conducts live workshops and tele-seminars. More information can be found at http://www.goingforsuccess.com

Your Imagination is Your Greatest Asset

You and I have talked about the importance and value of having a true purpose in life, and how best to remain dedicated to realising it. We've talked about the problems you can face and the challenges you may have to overcome in reaching your goal.

Always remember that you have a gift you can use to uncover the deeper levels of your purpose and your vision, which can sustain you through times when it seems impossible and you falter a little. It's a gift that all of us have and we use it every day as children, but as we get older so many of us put it away and forget the joy it can bring to our lives.

It's your imagination.

Imagination is what drives us to dream dreams and follow our goals. It colours the landscape of our day to day existence, and informs us of our passions and our creativity.

It is also fundamental in helping you open your heart and live in the most profound and loving of ways, because without imagination you cannot feel empathy or sorrow for another person's circumstances, or joy in their triumphs and achievements. Being able to put yourself in someone else's situation means that you can live in a totally non-judgmental way and accept all people for who they are.

What's even more amazing is that you no longer have to ask yourself why you should pursue your chosen path - you can visualise the journey and put yourself in the position of having completed it. Your imagination can actually help you achieve what you think is impossible.

Does that sound impossible?

Here’s what I mean. Remember a time when you tried over and over again to achieve something but never quite hit the mark - maybe it was exams in school or perhaps a driving test. The more you kept trying, the more difficult it appeared to be, until you started to tell yourself that you were no good and you may as well give it up as a bad job.

You know that's not true, right? You know you can do it - but it's just not happening. And yet, by using that wonderful gift of imagination, you can visualise yourself achieving whatever it is you want to achieve. Visualising it often reminds you that you're not a failure; that you can do it, because you've visualised yourself doing it.

You are in control of your own achievements and your own depth of commitment to others. All you have to do is use that amazing asset of yours, and rediscover the childlike joy in a world of potential and endless possibilities.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neel_Raman

Living A Thoughtful Life

It's so easy isn't it, to get caught up in daily living, making a career for yourself and chasing achievement, and not pay too much attention to asking questions about how you live. In fact, you can choose to let everyone else make the decisions about politics and ethics, and just go with the flow. Why should matters like that concern you? Surely, you say, it's not up to you to ask at all - that's for politicians and philosophers and people who know what they're talking about.

Think about this for a moment. Were it not for the fact that ordinary people like you and me ask questions, and examine the way we live, and seek change for the better, it would be down to a handful of remote people making decisions on your behalf. About everything! About human rights. Community issues. Foreign trade. Care of the elderly. War.

Everything that you see and experience in the world is worthy of question.

That's why you really can believe in your ability to be a politician and a philosopher, and add to the conversation about what it is to be a human being in the global community. You are truly capable of it. And you have the courage to do it.
Giving someone a label doesn't mean that no-one else has the right to challenge what that person believes or how they act - you have the opportunity to make a difference by being always mindful of what you believe are fundamental requisites for living a truly compassionate and thoughtful life.

You can do this because you are committed to your journey to find the truth in your life and you have asked questions of yourself to understand what holds you back from achieving your goal. It's only a step away from really examining the beliefs and opinions you hold and questioning them to ensure that they are based on your inner truth and your commitment to it.

Living a thoughtful life is about understanding the ethics of how you live, and what you can change to improve the quality of life for all life on the planet. It means always re-evaluating your beliefs and having the humility to reassess them if you find that there is a more loving and compassionate way of thinking.

You have the power to change things for the better. Think about it.

Neel Raman, is an author, keynote speaker and coach to many. He has written ‘Hoops and Freedom’, an informative and powerful self-improvement book, in the form of an entertaining fiction story, targeted at those who want and demand more from life. To find out more about this book and his FREE offers, visit: http://www.HoopsAndFreedom.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neel_Raman

How Do You Deal With Fear

Some people don't seem to be afraid of anything. They run up vertical mountain crags, tunnel their way through inky black underground caverns, and throw themselves out of aeroplanes to hang from a silk canopy and a few bits of string. They revel in physical and mental challenge. They get a kick from the adrenaline rush and the high of pushing themselves to their limits.

What is it about people who appear to have no fear at all? Is fear something you learn from growing up and constantly being reminded to take care of this and beware of that? Or do you have a choice whether or not to feel fear? Can it be overcome?
What about the fear you feel when you undertake a personal quest to discover more about yourself and become a more rounded and spiritually aware human being, knowing that you are going to challenge all the comfortable realities of your current life and strike out into unknown territory where nothing is known or familiar?

Fear is a healthy response to danger. It lets you know, with that sudden crackle of electricity through your body, that what you're about to attempt is big and very possibly dangerous or groundbreaking. So big, that there appears to be a deep chasm between you standing on the edge, and the safe haven on the other side.

It doesn't matter whether you're about to climb Mount Everest for the first time or change the way you live your life - the common factor is that fear is a barrier to the unknown. This is out of your experience and out of your comfort zone; perhaps you don't feel fully prepared or ready to take on that challenge.

Mountaineers, potholers and skydivers prepare so that they minimise the risks and protect themselves. Sure they still feel fear when they put a foot wrong, or a rope snags. It's a reminder that they need to take care and to pay special attention. But they have learned from experience not to let that fear control them so that their vision, commitment and skill become clouded.

You have that experience right there inside you to recognise when fear clouds your purpose and you falter. You really do. That experience comes from having understood that you have a journey to make and a goal to accomplish and that you are ready for the task ahead. You prepare yourself by learning how to live your life better and in an open hearted, loving way. You anticipate difficulties by learning how to deal with your emotions so that you can face the world without fear of the unknown.

And in reaching your goals you need have no fear, because you have replaced it with courage.

Neel Raman, is an author, keynote speaker and coach to many. He has written ‘Hoops and Freedom’, an informative and powerful self-improvement book, in the form of an entertaining fiction story, targeted at those who want and demand more from life. To find out more about this book and his FREE offers, visit: http://www.HoopsAndFreedom.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Neel_Raman

Kick Your Self Out of Your Comfort Zone

One of the great things about teaching improv comedy is that I get to see people stretch themselves and do things they never thought possible. For most people, improv comedy is out of their comfort zone. Watching a person step out of their comfort zone and gradually (or sometimes even rapidly) expand their comfort zone is a wonderful thing.

This concept applies to much more than just improv comedy. Getting out of your comfort zone is vital to any kind of success and to your own development, because all success lies outside of your comfort zone. Here’s an important fact that most people never think about: unless you are 100% satisfied with everything in your life, you must get out of your comfort zone!

To rephrase that: if there is any area of your life where you are not getting the success you want and deserve, you have to get out of your comfort zone to get it.

There is a quote that sums up why this is true. “If you keep doing what you’ve always done then you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten.” If what you’ve always gotten (and are currently getting) is not what you want, then you need to do something different. Unfortunately, “different” is usually outside of your comfort zone. If you could just do what you were already comfortable with to achieve your success, you’d already be doing it.

The problem is that we don’t like getting out of our comfort zones. The word “comfort” is used deliberately. That means that getting out of your comfort zone is “uncomfortable.” Naturally, we don’t like to be uncomfortable.

The mentality that keeps us in our comfort zone is subtle though, and often comes up in the form of avoidance. That is, we don’t say, “I could have what I want, it’s just that it’s outside of my comfort zone.” Instead we blame externalities, “If people would just hire me then my business would be successful,” or we limit ourselves, “Oh, I could never do that.” In the worst case, we ignore it all together. We don’t think about what we want or could have, and we refuse to talk about. It remains a dream buried deep down in the back of our heads for years (regrettably, sometimes forever).

In my years of doing improvisational comedy, I hear the same suggestions over and over (audiences love to yell, “bathroom” for a location and “spatula” for an object – don’t ask me why!). There is a strong temptation to “re-use” old material. If I have done a joke or scene based on that suggestion previously, I may want to repeat it since I know it worked before. In fact, I have seen many; many improvisers go down this route. Re-doing on old scene is a classic “comfort zone” technique.

I learned early on however that a joke or scene never works as well the second time around. In improv, it’s the act of doing something new (stepping out of the comfort zone) that increases the enjoyment and quality. Once it has been done and is comfortable, something is missing.

Life works the same way. Staying in the comfort zone feels safe and good, but the quality is never the same. If there is *any* are of your life that you want to improve, then you must get out of your comfort zone!

*** This article is an excerpt from Avish's book, "Improvise to Success!" To learn about the whole book, visit http://www.AvishParashar.com/store.asp Avish Parashar is a dynamic professional speaker who shows organizations and individuals how to get what they want using the Art and Science of improv comedy. He weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated! For more free articles, downloads, and resources, visit: http://www.AvishParashar.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Avish_Parashar

5 Ways To Give Up Improper Habits

I use the word “improper” because I hate using the word “bad”. Bad sounds evil or terrible, and some habits just aren’t that bad; they might be annoying but they are not bad. What improper habits do you have? We all have improper habits that we exhibit occasionally, especially with our spouse. For this particular article, I’m not talking about sins or addictions. I’m talking about the annoying little idiosyncrasies that we carry around on a daily basis that may or may not frustrate those we live with.

1. Identify Your Habits

First, identify your habits. If you’re not sure if you have any annoying habits, ask your spouse, I’m sure they will tell you. Maybe you leave the toilet seat up after using the restroom. Or, maybe you always have to be right in an argument. Or it could be that you leave your dirty laundry lying around the house, rather than putting it in the laundry basket. Maybe you like to put the medal to the pedal and drive too fast. Or, maybe you are compulsively late for appointments. You get the idea, right?

2. Write Down Habits

Headline your habit on an index card. Next write down a short statement to yourself on how you are not going to do that particular behavior anymore. Write something along the lines of, “Today I will not leave the toilet seat up. I will be considerate of my wife and daughters and put the toilet seat down for them”. Wherever your habit takes place, in the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, car, or work, take your index card with you and tape it up where you can see it during the day, so you can defeat it once and for all! Do this for one month and watch your habit go away for good.

3. Reward Yourself

For each annoying behavior you defeat, reward yourself with something you enjoy, whatever that may be. Just make sure that you do not reward yourself with something else that could turn improper later. Ah!

4. Don’t Accept Your Habits

The biggest reason we don’t try and change our behavior is we have accepted the habits as a part of who we are. But that’s not true. Habits are not “who we are” but rather “what we make ourselves be.” We choose to make ourselves the habits that we have. If we truly believe that we cannot stop doing a particular behavior then we won’t even try to eradicate it from our lives. It is up to the individuals to change themselves if they can acknowledge they have improper habits and behaviors then they can also choose to get rid of those things completely from their lives. We have choices.

5. Talk To Your Spouse

I cannot say enough how important it is to have additional support from the person we married. Let them know ahead of time the behaviors you are trying to conquer, and show them ways, in which they can help you. If your spouse is trying to break one of their habits, be encouraging and uplifting for them. If they slip try to not nag or rub it in their nose. Help them back up and tell them to not give up! Be there for your spouse!

Do not let unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Ephesians 4:29 NIV)

Angie is the author of three marriage books offering marriage tips and wisdom filled answers tackling such issues as addiction, adultery, pornography, emotions, beliefs, feelings, marriage, children, forgiveness, communication, submission and spiritual influence in the home. **Love The Man You Married** is a great teaching tool for couples. Every Christian wife and husband should read this informative book on marriage. ISBN: 1411677501 **Love The Woman You Married**This is a great book on finding and putting to work your purpose for mariage, and understanding the aspects of submission and spiritual influence in the home. A wonderful teaching guide about how God designed marriage to be. Excellent resource for husband and wife to read together. ISBN 978-1-4303-0047-2 To preview these books go here: http://www.lulu.com/AngieLewis/ **Journey on the Roads Less Traveled** A Very inspirational book! Meet Jesus Through the Author's own spiritual journey. ISBN:1-4137-8890-4 Marriage Resources-http://www.heavenministries.com/ Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Angie_Lewis

5 Questions to Get Your Mind Focused

Since this is the start of a new year, many people go through the "New Year's Resolution" drill that usually never makes it thru the month of February. To help those "Resolutioners" create a realistic goals list and a plan to achieve it, I thought I would provide the first step in "The Wise Grappler" Philosophy: Getting Your Mind Focused. I think this step is key because it will set the tone for whatever goals you want to achieve, whether they're martials arts training or life goals.

When you're "getting your mind right", you're asking yourself some questions that will give you an indication of whether you'll succeed or not. So, before you write down any goals that you want to accomplish during the year, you need to ask yourself these 5 questions to get your mind focused:

Question #1: What do you want to achieve this year and have a realistic chance of achieving? I'm not talking about an unreasonable wish list that you have no chance of achieving, but things that will bring immediate improvement to your lifestyle.

Question #2: Why do you want it? Why are you trying to achieve the thing you want and what's the motivation behind it? Are you doing it for yourself (your idea) or for someone else?

Question #3: How will it affect your life? What benefit will this goal bring to your lifestyle? Every thing that you focus on should add immediate benefit to your life once achieved.

Question #4: How determined are you to get it? How much do you really want to achieve the things you want? If your determination is weak, how do you expect to succeed?

Question #5: Are you REALLY going to do the work necessary to achieve the goal? Be honest with yourself, are you really going to put forth the effort to get what you want or is this another New Year's Resolution that will be gone by Valentine's Day?

If you can answer these questions, while being completely honest with yourself, you'll be on track to focus your mind on what you really want to accomplish this year. And be able to execute your plan more effectively to achieve your goals, this year and in the years to come.

(c) 2007 Paul M. Greenhill

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Paul M. Greenhill, "The Wise Grappler", is the creator of The Wise Grappler System and author of The Wise Grappler Ezine, a weekly ezine that provides martial arts training and personal development tips for the older (over 35) and non-traditional martial artists. To learn more about "The Wise Grappler" and to sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit his site at http://www.ihateyoungpunks.com or contact him at paul@thewisegrappler.com. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Greenhill