“If you have no critics, you’ll likely have no success”
Malcolm X

Just reinforces a few reoccurring themes that keep coming up recently for me;

Firstly, if you haven’t got critics then what you are doing is probably not making the difference you think it is. In order for some people to agree with what you are trying to do and Really care, you will inevitably create a negative reaction from those who think the complete opposite to those people – that’s just how it works!

Secondly, constantly be listening to what people are saying about you or your work. Without criticism (hopefully constructive!) you cannot grow as a person. Surrounding yourself with ‘Yes’ men will get you nowhere.

That’s my thought for the day done
L

“…People will draw others to them just in proportion to their interest in them. As soon as they put themselves in another’s place, takes a genuine interest in there welfare, and does not try to shift the conversation to himself and his own affairs, just so soon and no sooner will others take an interest in them.”

Quite cool. I read that and thought ‘yeah that is so true!’

To read a larger excerpt and the full post including Mike Liman’s thoughts click the following link.
http://www.mikelitman.com/blog/?p=111

In summary the eight words (elements) that lead to success are;
Passion
“If you do it for love the money comes anyway”

Work
“Nothing comes easily but have fun”

Focus
“Focus yourself on one thing”

Persist
“Persistence is the number one reason for success”

Ideas
“Listen, observe, be curious, ask questions, solve problems, make connections.”

Good
“There’s no magic its practice, practice, practice”

Push
“Push yourself. Physically and mentally”

Serve
“Millionaires serve others something of value”

“You are the same today as you’re going to be in five years except for two things, the people you meet and the books you read.”

Hang around thinkers; you’ll be a better thinker.

Hang around givers; you’ll be a better giver.

Hang around workers; you’ll be a better worker.

Hang around a bunch of thumb sucking, complaining, griping boneheads; and you will be a better thumb sucking, complaining, griping bonehead!

I encourage you to check out this great little inspiring article

‘Postcards from my son’ written by Charlie “T” Jones,
click here to read.

Article brought to you by Success Magazine
http://www.successmagazine.com

www.successmagazine.com

Dive Into Your Product With Passion Like No Other
Show your burning passion.  People will follow you if you display your real, passionate, and flawed humanity.

Enjoy the Journey
The journey is life.  The destination is just a compass to keep you pointed in the right direction.

Become THE Expert
If you study something one hour a day for one year there will be very few people competing with you who know more.  After 5 years…

Write It Down, Make It Happen
The power of writing your goals, dreams, and thoughts in longhand with pen and paper should not be ignored.  Write it every day.  Dream it.  Be it.

Don’t Trade Your Time For Money
You’ll automatically cap your earnings potential.

Do Less For Success
Practice simplicity.  Focus.  Concentrate.  Do one thing great rather than three things good.

Read Constantly and Learn Everything
Learn without end.  It will help you succeed and it’s personally satisfying.  Human nature requires growth to thrive.

To read the full article and get many more ideas from Stephen Mills (not to mention the people that have commented on the article!) click the link below;
http://www.ratracetrap.com/the-rat-race-trap/random-thoughts-on-success.html

This article was brought to you by The Rat Race Trap
Providing you with the tools and information you need to improve your mind, your body, and escape the rat race.

A good experiment, especially now with the UK elections, is to look out for politicians and world leaders on TV and see if you can begin to identify what that are trying to say with non-linguistic communication. Your be surprised at who many times Gordon Brown wears a blue tie – even though Labour colours are clearly red!

THE SUIT
In a business scenario the following colour can be associated with the following meanings;

Navy Blue
Navy blue insinuates authority and power. With this in mind it is the best colour for negotiations, important meetings and/or presentations.

Charcoal/Black
These tones portray a sense of security so they are best worn when you need to be trusted either in a business situation or interview perhaps.

Beige/Grey-Green – aka Earthtones
These colours do not in any way suggest power so should be avoided if that is the impression you are trying achieve. Instead these tones offer a sense of understanding and compassion, great colours for rapport building or trying to dilute uncomfortable situations. These colours are perfect for internal low key meeting for instance.

THE SHOES
The general rule of thumb is that the darker the suit the darker the shoes. Getting this wrong can sends out mixed messages and just screams that you either are dressing out of character with regards to your suit. Always ensure shoes are in good condition and that means clean and no visible scuff marks!

THE TIE
A tie believe it or not is the first thing that is seen when wearing one so the colour is very significant. A tie can effect much more than your personal impression but can directly influence the tone of conversation. An extreme example of this wouold be – imagine walking into a meeting with a big flowery tie or a regular black tie – the first would imply the conversation is going to be light hearted and almost humorous – black on the other hand would insinuate the complete opposite.

Here is a quick review of the what the colours can mean;

Black
A solid black tie is a colour for formal occasions. This colour should be reserved for these occasions only.

Red
This is a power colour, a colour depicting wealth, strength and passion. Also considered the colour of a fighter – someone who doesn’t back down. Orange and Brick Red colours are also included in this category. The darker the red the deeper the think apparently!

Blue
This is a colour to wear for a calming a situation. Blue and definitely lighter shades create an atmosphere of soothing, peace and co-operation. With all this in mind it is a colour that is not associated with weakness more with constructive thinking. With this in mind it is a great colour to wear in a hostile situation.

Yellow
Although this is a colour of vitality in general when it comes to a tie colour it can express a feeling of being insincere, unprofessional and even as far as being cowardice and angry. If you are going to wear yellow make sure you are in an upbeat mood and have a vibrant character – this will ensure that the colour will be associated with the positive connotations rather than the negative.

Green
Green is the colour of money! So using the ‘Laws of Attration’ what better way to attract wealth than by wearing the colour that depicts it. This colour can also be associated with growth and rebirth suggesting you are on the road to success but you have not quite reached it yet – i.e you are still learning and growing.

Brown
Avoid brown if you don’t want to put out the following vibes; boring, down-to-earth, heavily academic, sensible. On the bright side it is associated with being reliable.

YOUR STYLE
The Power Dresser
A ‘Power Suit’ is a dark coloured suit with sharp edges, broad shoulders, well groomed. A typical power suit designer is Ralph Lauren. Shoes are always dark and although tie colours can range but for this example lets use red. This kind of dressing can intimidate before you have even spoken. It also says you are serious, professional, trustworthy and are most probably wealthy. Be weary of coming across arrogant though – if that not what you are trying to be that its!

Open Shirt
By open shirt we mean no tie and generally the top two buttons undone. Because of the lack of tie you remove any expression from an accent colour so your suit cut and fit can be the difference from looking scruffy to just relaxed and informal. If this is your look then to get the positive insinuations from this style ensure shoes are clean, you are well groomed and you suit fits! This style depicts someone that is relaxed, comfortable, non aggressive, informal when necessary and friendly. However be careful because all of the above in someway or another mean you are slower in business as you don’t not portray urgency.

T-Shirt aka no collar
In a business environment avoid this look where possible. It says everything a business man should not be, informal, lazy, lack of pride, easy going – not a style that give you the upper hand basically.

Above all no matter what you style all will be useless if you don’t groom well. Be well shaven, fresh breath, tidy hair, ensure everything is ironed and try to look as healthy as possible – NOT tired and drained of energy.

So using the guide above you can now be sure you know what you are saying before you’ve even said a word!

This extensively researched article written by Marj Galangco on her website is a MUST read if you want to learn about how you can change your language to be more successful. The article provides a wealth of extra resources including books, links and some great quotes to help explain certain areas of this topic.

“Words have the power to move us to action, to shape our destiny, give us hope, uplift our spirits, even change history. Language is a tool that, if used properly can propel us towards the things we truly want. Equally, words can be used to hurt us, crush our resolve, suck our energy, and weaken our conviction.  If used unwisely or without clear intention, language can keep us stuck, away from the things we want the most.” says Marj

The article itself is split into two halves, the first covering an investigation into the use of successful language;

1. Winners and achievers speak differently compared to losers.
Marj explains in detail how losers tend to speak a language that conveyed fear, uncertainty, and insecurity and truly successful people tend to  speak a language that is rich with certainty, confidence, enthusiasm

2. The language we use for self-talk directly influences our self-concept and vice versa.
Here Marj discusses how the words we use to talk to ourselves are greatly determined by your sense of self-esteem and self-worth.

3. The language we use shape other people’s concept of us.
The concept and importance of that fact that the language we use works like an advertisement is explained in this section.

4. Words people use often reveal their beliefs and values.
Think about the fact that you draw conclusions about that people simply by listening closely to the words they use. What conclusions are people making about you?

5. We can change our experience by changing our words.
The quote from Anthony Robbins explains what this section is all about. “Simply by changing your habitual vocabulary – the words you consistently use to describe the emotions of your life – you can instantaneously change the way how you think, how you feel, and how you live.”

6. If you work with people, words is one of tbe most powerful tools you can use to impact others.
Ever bought something really expensive on impulse? Marj shares her research on why this happens.

The second half of the article gives 6 well explained tips on how you can start speaking the language of success today! Visit her website to read all the tips, but here is just one example to wet your appetite;

Example Tip: Act “as if”
There is a behavioural-change technique in NLP called ‘reframing’. Reframing simply means changing state, and one effective way to reframe is by ‘acting as if’. For example, you can choose to act and speak in abundant ways even if you are broke. By doing so, you stimulate the neurological structure that supports your chosen behaviour. Positivity, abundance, wealth, etc. are going to be associated and ‘get wired’  into your brain simply because of your new language and empowering behaviour. So you see, when you change your language, you’re changing your thought pattern, you’re unconditioning your mind, you’re retraining yourself to think in a new way. You can also use language to consciously reprogram yourself and link pleasure to things you previously linked massive pain to.

For the full article written by Marj Galangco please click on the following link;
http://www.thewayofmoney.com/do-you-speak-the-language-of-success/

This article was brought to you by;
TheWayOfMoney.com

Just over half (55%) defined success as having a good work-life balance.

Click here to read more on this story
http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/Business/Success-Means-More-Than-Wealth/Article/20060111207645

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This article was brought to you by Sky News Business

This is a great clip to demonstrate the inspirational messages Will Smith is trying to spread across the USA and the world. The acceptance speech in the video was filmed whilst receiving an award at a Nickelodeon event in front of thousands of kids.

The moral of the clip is to inspire the kids to dream and believe about being a success in life. He breaks down and explains why everything to do with success can be achieved by running and reading!

Plus there is the bonus of a nice piece of chilled music in the background

Stand out quotes:
“Running and reading – The Keys to Life!”

“…learn how to not quit when things get hard…”

I’m sure we can all relate to moments when we felt stuck trying to tap into our own creativity. Did you know that this block is merely your mind at work? Your mind is creating all sorts of assumptions, self-imposed constraints and self-limiting inhibitions. I have found that we can remove these assumptions just by being in the moment; start doing, and stop thinking.

Below is a summary of the seven habits Tina from ‘Think Simple Now’ has found in highly innovative and creative people organized and summarized from Scott Berkun’s “the myths of innovation“.

1.Persistence
Thomas A. Edison “Invention is 1% inspiration, 99% perspiration”

2.Remove Self-Limiting Inhibitions
Encourage ourselves to be open to new ideas and solutions without setting limiting beliefs.

3.Take Risks, Make Mistakes
Thomas A. Edison “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.”

4.Escape
Our environment can and does effect how we feel.

5.Writing Things Down
Many innovators and creative people keep a journal to jot down ideas and thoughts.

6.Find Patterns & Create Combinations
Ideas come from other ideas.

7.Curiosity
Practice seeing things differently!

To read the full article that explains the points above in more depth and also goes onto sharing some of her own techniques that you can  apply to cultivate creativity . To read the full article written Tina click on the following link;

http://thinksimplenow.com/creativity/7-habits-of-highly-innovative-people

This article was brought to you by www.thinksimplenow.com

ThinkSimpleNow.com