The amount of self-help information available today is virtually unlimited, but it is of little value without first learning to direct your focus and attention. The mind moves constantly from one idea to the next with amazing speed, rarely giving its sole attention to one subject for any length of time. Yet success in anything depends largely on the ability to direct your mind; not only where it goes, but also how long it stays there.

Success, like anything else, must be learned and practiced. A habit starts out as no more than a thought. When this thought is pursued it turns into action. If repeated often enough this action will impress itself on the subconscious mind and form a habit. Once a habit is formed it becomes automatic and no longer requires the attention of your conscious mind.

Take a close look at your routines. Routines are what form your habits. Examine what is working for you and what is not. Just as with a garden cultivating good habits will also take time and attention. You need to nurture the flowers in your life and start pulling the weeds. If something is not working for you, get rid of it!

If you wish to be successful in anything you do, follow the clues.

Study the habits of successful people. It is the habits we create that make us who we are. One habit all successful people have in common is the ability to focus their attention for extended periods of time.

How do you make focus a habit? Start small and work up.

Resist the impulse to jump from one unfinished project to another. Write out a priority list and pay particular attention to the order of that list. Do not let petty distractions interfere with working through each task in the order you have established. When you overcome the temptation to let your focus and efforts become scattered, you are creating the habit of finishing projects and seeing them through to the end.

Situations will always arise over which we have no control but we can choose how we react to them. When you are thrown off course make a habit of returning to the task at hand as quickly as possible.

Learn to use your imagination and create a mental image of your end goal. The importance of mental imaging in attaining your goals cannot be over-stated. This mental image will act as a blueprint for your action plan, bringing your thoughts one step closer to reality.

When you consistently focus on your metal image it will manifest in the physical world. Regardless of whether you are trying to lose weight, succeed in business, or simply trying to improve your life, the more detailed your image, the better your chances of achieving your ultimate goal.

Acknowledge the small things.

Recognize and acknowledge each little success as it comes along. As one success leads to another they add up and you gain confidence in you ability to reach even larger goals.

Everything is learned by degree. Start small and practice daily focusing you attention for ever longer periods of time. As you learn to focus, one small success leads to another until success becomes a habit.

About 90% of people live their lives in fear and never become the person that they dream of becoming. This simply happens because they just fail to take action. They FEAR what they don’t understand. We have to look at FEAR as nothing more then a word or as a learning process. Did you ever know what FEAR was when you were a young child? Probably not, at least until someone that you trusted or looked up to told you what it was. Mankind has simply connected a word to a feeling, giving it life and in turn making people fear it. Mark Twain said it best with this quote, “Do the things that you FEAR most and the DEATH to FEAR is certain.” You owe it to yourself to understand this principle.

To conquer fear start by accomplishing the things that you fear the most. After doing so, you will look back and think how foolish it was to be afraid in the first place.

Learn to leave your comfort zone. When we leave our comfort zone we become a more rounded individual. When we do the things that we fear and look back at them afterwards, we see that what we feared has now turned into part of our comfort zone. This simply happens because we do not fear these things after accomplishing them in the past. The next time similar situations arise we will no longer stress over it, we will just do it.

We must set our minds on always conquering the unknown. Always “think outside the box”. Look fear in the eyes and just do the task. Chances are that you will succeed and soon come to find out that FEAR is nothing more then a word. Every successful businessperson has undoubtedly faced fear many times, yet they have succeeded in their business. So can you!

Think back to when you were a child. Most of us have limitations put on our lives very early. We are taught how to think, what schools to attend, how to make a living, and finally, even how to plan our retirement. Most of us end up fearing anything that is different than what we are taught.

Once we understand and can change some of the beliefs that have been programmed into us by society, we can more fully take control of our lives and our destiny through the power of positive thought.

You to can become successful in any aspect of your life that you choose. You just have to get past one thing, YOURSELF!

When you do this you will start to become the person that you have always dreamed about. Today is the day you are going to take what is rightfully yours. It’s called LIFE! We are here to enjoy every aspect of life, not just to be a part of it.

Believe in yourself and start by conquering FEAR!!

Most people do not fail because of a lack of education. History is filled with uneducated or poorly educated millionaires who didn’t let this supposed shortcoming hold them back. On the contrary, what they may have lacked in education was obliterated by their overpowering will to succeed, no matter how many times they failed along the way.

It is the lack of determination and will power that is the true reason so many people fail. Just as an athlete trains for a physical game that takes concentrated effort, the mind must be trained with the proper skills to win in life.

The process of obtaining this self-mastery — the complete command of your mind’s powers — is a gradual one. It involves determination and the daily task of making it a habit. Once you have self-mastery, the cost of obtaining it will bring a real sense of accomplishment and a realization how minimal the cost really was in the long run.

You don’t need to be a genius to succeed — just make yourself do the thing you need to do when it has to get done, whether you like it or not. This is one of the best lessons you can learn.

When Henry Ward Beecher was asked how he could accomplish so much more than others, he replied, “I don’t do more, but less than others. They do all their work three times. Once in anticipation, once in actuality, and once in rumination. I do mine in actuality alone, so I end up doing things just once.”

Beecher could concentrate his mind on what he was doing at a given moment. Then he’d go do something else and concentrate on his new task. One of the secrets of a successful life is the ability to focus all of our energies on one thing at a time.

Don’t waste time worrying as it only crowds your thoughts with worthless clutter. Focus on what you’re doing when you’re doing it, and stop worry before it stops you. Worry is an energy vampire. It reduces your chances for success and it can make life miserable for those around you.

Learning to focus your efforts is the only way you will achieve the success you’re capable of achieving. The earlier in life you learn this simple fact, the more likely you will overcome everything that slows you down and prevents you from reaching true success in everything you do.

Here’s a recipe for a wasted life — just go about every day trying to do too many things all at once. Splitting yourself up into a hundred little parts leads to nowhere.

Yes, there are some people who like to juggle a number of tasks, and they may be good at it, but for most of us the need to concentrate on one task at a time is imperative to getting the job done. It’s not the amount of work you get done in a day or week or even a year, but it’s your persistence in constantly moving forward that will get you where you want to go.

Keep at it! And remember …

Focus, Focus, Focus.

We look for external stimuli to make us happy. We expect our significant other to make us happy and divorce her or him when they do not. We expect our children to fulfill our dreams for us and are disappointed in them when they do not. We expect money to solve all our problems and make us happy, then, we can’t understand why it doesn’t once we have it.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I will be happy when…”?

I will be happy, once I am married.

I will be happy, when I get a promotion.

I will be happy, when my children are grown and I’ll have more time for myself.

Pages and pages of examples could be given.

Another way to view this statement is, “I will do this, when that happens.” Have you ever made that type of statement? I hear people say it all the time. You are making your happiness contingent upon an external event.
Happiness is not an external thing. Even once you have something external, the happiness it brings you is short-lived. For example:

You have waited for that special relationship. The significant other is great, but you still have a negative attitude. You were happy during the initial stages, but now it seems routine.

You have always known that a promotion would get that new home for which you and your spouse have been waiting. You got the promotion, the money is great, and you buy that home. After the beginning the excitement wears off, things go back to the same routine, just in a different house. Your happiness falls back to your previous feeling before the promotion.

You and your spouse knows that you will be happy, once the children are grown. You will not have to work so hard to provide for the family, and you will have more time to enjoy your relationship and home. Well, the children have grown up, but they can’t afford to live on their own. The children are still living at home…for free!

Look at all the time in the examples above that people wasted not being happy! Then, when they got what they were waiting for, the happiness was fleeting. Again, it’s because happiness cannot be gained from anything external.

THE SECRET TO BEING HAPPY

It’s incredible how many books have been written on the topic of being happy. Yet, so many people are not. Do they not read the books? There are people who read such books all the time and are still not happy.

With so many unhappy people in the world, being happy must be an extremely difficult thing to achieve.

Haven’t you known or met that person who always has a great smile on their face, a smile in their voice, and a skip in their step? You want that too…don’t you?

So what is the secret to finding happiness?

Believe it or not, the secret is known!

It is easy to do - no complicated actions.

It is quick to do - no long-term procedures.

You can do it anywhere - no special requirements or equipment are needed.

Anyone can do it!

The secret?

Determine yourself to be happy!

It’s an internal process.

True happiness that lasts is an internal process. Nothing from outside  can make you happy or unhappy. As in any situation, your reaction determines whether the event is stressful for you or not. It is the same with happiness.

If upon waking each morning, you state strongly to yourself, “I am happy today”, then you will be. Whenever you encounter stress, just mentally reaffirm, “I am happy today”, the stress will be there, but your reaction will be minimal.

That person who always wears a smile and has a skip in his step, seldom experiences stress the same way you do. He is happy, and being happy allows the stress to roll off his back better.

So, make your determination every morning.

Tape affirmations that say, “I am happy today” all over your home and at work.

Say it aloud to yourself often throughout the day, especially on those days with many problems. Continue to say it, until you believe it.

Then, put a smile on your face and confront the outside world. When you are happy, you have the world in your hands!

Paul, one of the outstanding figures in the New Testament says in Philippians 3:13-14 “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus”.

For Paul, this was an amazing feat. Recall that Paul, before being saved, persecuted Christians and was a major factor in many of their deaths. Just imagine how these memories could have haunted him. But Paul learned how to forget supernaturally. How did he do that? How do we do it?

Paul gives us the answer in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds,) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; and having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience…”.

We are guided through life by our thoughts. What you think about will direct what you say. What you say will direct your actions. When you have thoughts that come against you, you need to do what the Bible says to do. Cast down those thoughts and replace them with what God wants you to think about.

To help with this process, here are three things to remember.

First, your sins are none of the devil’s business. The devil will remind you of your past sins and will even try to get you to think it is God reminding you of them. Rebuke the devil, resist him and he will flee from you.

Second, when you confess your sins, God will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Many times you will confess your sins but you do not feel that you are forgiven. God never lies, so if He says he has forgiven you, then you are forgiven. It is your feelings that are lying to you.

Third, begin to eradicate the memory of it by speaking the Word. Do what Jesus did. Say, “It is written …” and say what God has to say about it. Find verses in the bible that addresses your situation and say those verses out loud. Do not just read them, say them out load. Your words are more powerful than your thoughts.

You have to do this aggressively. You cannot just sit there and let your thoughts control you. You may have to say it and say it and say it. You can rid yourself of the thoughts of past sins and of those old hurts you have had with people, but you must take action.

Train yourself to control your thoughts and take a step toward a more victorious life.

Most of us underestimate the power of gratitude. As we constantly strive to add more and more to our lives it is easy to forget about being grateful for things and talents we already possess. Making gratitude a habit will enrich your whole outlook on life, even in the most turbulent circumstances.

What we focus on grows. The more we focus on what we appreciate, the more we will have to appreciate!

Gratitude is a learned skill that must be practiced daily to develop its full potential. Practicing gratitude does not require elaborate rituals or a huge amount of spiritual awareness; simply taking a few moments to note every time something goes right is enough.

At first this may take a conscious effort, but as the habit takes root, seeing things to be thankful for becomes as natural as breathing.

Although grateful people tend to be happier people, being grateful is not the same as being happy. When life is turning out all wrong, being grateful allows you to focus on that ray of sunshine coming through. It allows you to take an honest look at a situation and say, “even in this there is reason to hope.”

Do not confuse being grateful with settling for less. Gratitude should never interfere with your efforts to improve and grow. Expressing gratitude simply gives you a better outlook on life, making it easier to attract the true happiness you deserve. By focusing attention on what is going right, more things work out for the best.

Be grateful even for the trials in life. Your trials are what made you the person you are today. It is those very same trials that made you strong enough to cope with the difficulties in life.

A big problem in today’s world is that we have been conditioned to think we have to live a certain way, look a certain way and have certain things just to maintain a status quo. If we don’t then we should be dissatisfied. While dissatisfaction can be a great motivator, without action or personal effort it only leads to frustration, anger and bitterness.

Grateful people have a way of looking at the misfortunes and failures in their lives and turning them into opportunities. These opportunities may not be readily apparent at first, but when the pain and frustration have passed, there they are. Every cloud has a silver lining if only we take the time to look.

You don’t have to wait for good things to occur to express gratitude. Gratitude does not mean jumping for joy about everything in your life, but rather, that you see and take note of whatever is put before you. It means taking advantage of every opportunity that comes your way, whether presented as fortune or misfortune.

Enhance your life. Take a few moments right now and actively notice things you can be grateful for.

Do not worry or become stressed if you do not always achieve your goals, remember you’re only human. However it is imperative that you dissect why you failed, were they genuine reasons beyond your control or simply excuses? If the answer turns out to be excuses then double your resolve and effort that they will not stand in your way the next time.

Always remember that the harder the goal you set yourself the greater the reward, not just in reaching the goal but in personal development and inner belief, making the next goal you set yourself that little bit easier. Do not be afraid of hard goals as these will bring you more reward than half a dozen smaller triumphs.

Too many people who fail when trying to achieve a goal become defeated and believe they just do not have what it takes. Nothing could be further from the truth. What they do not understand, or have not fully grasped, is that all they need is to instill within themselves a little extra determination, an honesty with themselves why they failed, and then to have another go.

The secret to success is to always try to improve yourself - no matter what life may throw in your path. Sure, there will be obstacles, however, do not view them as insurmountable, be gritty and work around or over them. Everyone really wants to do something, but there are few that will put forward the needed effort to make the necessary sacrifice to secure it. There is only one way to accomplish anything and that is to go ahead and do it. A person may accomplish almost anything if they just set their hearts on doing it and let nothing interfere with progress. The “bigger” the person the smaller the obstacle appears. The “smaller” the man the greater the obstacle appears. Always look at the advantages you gain by overcoming obstacles, and it will give you the needed courage for their conquest. Look back at obstacles you have overcome and realize that the present obstacle will soon be added to the list.

Winston Churchill summed up all the above in two sentences:

“Never give in — never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

The fundamental law of human achievement is the law of belief. It suggests that you always behave in a manner consistent with your beliefs. If you believe you are a Roman Catholic, then you are. If you believe you are a Buddhist, you are. If you believe you can ride a bicycle, then you can ride a bicycle. Even if you can’t ride a bicycle as long as you believe you can, but if not then you will persist in failing until you can actually ride. Unfortunately, once you decide you can’t ride a bicycle, then you can’t. Even though we are all capable of riding a bicycle, once you believe you can’t, you can’t.

You then suffer from the self-limiting belief that you just cannot do it. Your belief is not based on fact it is just a belief. Even though our self-limiting beliefs are not based on fact, we always behave in a manner consistent with our beliefs. If you believe you can drive a car, be creative, set goals, implement a successful life strategy, or marketing strategy, sell well, negotiate, be a leader, understand the financial implications, manage your time well, etc., then you can master all these skills.

Even if at the present time you have not mastered these skills, as long as you believe you are excellent, then you will make the necessary efforts. You will set goals, design a personal development plan, and set personal and family goals and resolve to pay the necessary price.

Another vitally important aspect of the law of belief is that you can believe anything that you want to believe. You can believe that you are brilliant at marketing, selling, finance, relationships and time management. You can believe that you are successful in business. You can believe that you are a millionaire. As long as you truly believe, then you will hang on to that belief, despite setbacks, until your beliefs become your reality. Without a doubt, your beliefs are your reality.

Make a decision to adopt beliefs which are consistent with achieving your goals. All successful people have beliefs consistent with what they want to achieve. Join them! Make a decision to change your beliefs. The beliefs you hold at the moment are largely responsible for the position you hold at the moment. If you change your beliefs, then you change your reality. Changing your beliefs about yourself means changing your self-concept. Your self-concept is your bundle of beliefs about yourself. Make a decision to adopt the self-concept which is consistent with achieving your goals. We get our beliefs from our culture and what other people tell us. When we are little our most significant others tell us things which describe us. If the parent tells the child he is useless he will grow up believing it and manifesting that uselessness in his life. If the daughter was told she is beautiful and sings like an angel, she will grow up believing it whether it is true or not.

Everything starts with ideas or thoughts. Thoughts and ideas become feelings which eventually become beliefs. Your beliefs have a powerful effect on your expectations. Your expectations have a powerful effect on your attitude. If you believe you are destined to become successful then this has a strong effect on your expectations which in turn become very positive. Your positive expectations are translated into a very positive attitude. Your attitude is the major determinant of your success in achieving your goals.

Everything comes back to beliefs. Successful people have the beliefs of successful people; unsuccessful people have the beliefs of unsuccessful people. Make a decision to adopt the beliefs consistent with being successful. Make a decision to shake off self-limiting beliefs and negative emotions. This drains energy and is time wasting. Replace them with positive beliefs and positive emotions. Start now! And belief in yourself!

Compare your brain to a computer. If a new PC is loaded up with virus contaminated programs would you expect it to run smoothly? Of course not, because you get out of the computer exactly what you put in - your brain is exactly the same.

Your every thought determines the direction of your life. If you are moving backward then take time to analyze your thoughts. Make a determined effort to recognize negative thoughts and treat them as your worst enemy. Try not to dwell on them. Putty can be molded into any shape or form and so too, your life can be shaped and your destiny set by your thoughts.

Remember, the potential for change is the same for everyone. It only takes acceptance of the idea that change is possible coupled with the determination to follow-through. It’s not always easy to control our thoughts, but certainly not impossible, and the rewards can last a lifetime.

There are many books on the subject of self-help, but remember, you must take action to succeed. Your thoughts will not change simple by reading an article or book. You must apply what you learn to your everyday affairs. Allow what you read to awaken the possibility of change within you, then take action.

One of the most beneficial practices for positive thinking is to look for the “good” in everyone and everything. Remember to encourage others everyday by a kind word or deed and be ready to offer (or receive) compliments.

Find opportunities to put the power of your positive thinking to work. For example, you might be standing in a long line at the supermarket checkout. Rather than get upset, do your utmost to help-out and encourage others with a kind word or compliment. You will be surprised at the positive reaction and at how many people will bless you with a wonderful smile in-return.

Taking the time to notice others and look for the “good” in every situation will not only life your spirits, but will brighten the day for everyone around you - it’s a win-win situation to be sure. There are a 1001 ways to look for the good in others, be they family, friends or those you may only meet once. So, get the lead-out, get rid of those negative thoughts and become a winner.

Begin today to change your thought patterns one step at a time. Set yourself a goal for the week or month and devote full attention to controlling your thoughts. Start with at least one hour each day and increase the time as your confidence and thinking improve. It is a habit that needs nurturing and a habit you’ll come to cherish.

Perhaps we could set aside five minutes of ‘thinking time’ a day. Some people might just ‘be’ while others may choose to meditate or pray. We might also do well to engage in a solitary activity from time to time or even develop a hobby that we quietly enjoy ourselves. Instead of only reading work-related journals, we should read outside of our area of expertise and read for pure pleasure.

Many of us are performance-oriented and driven by success and competition. We should acknowledge that one day we may be at a loss to know what to do with ourselves when our career is over, retirement beckons, or perhaps we become physically unable to actively pursue the same interests. Can we still be happy even when we’re not busy? We need to slow down and savor life – not rush through it and miss so much potential beauty and happiness along the way. It is entirely possible to discipline ourselves to slow down and be more fully present in each human interaction and each solitary moment of our day.

Being fully present is impossible if we are constantly rushing about, going over our ‘to do’ list or mentally reviewing the meeting we just left. To be fully present is to give 100% attention to the task at hand or to whomever we’re talking. It means maintaining a comfortable degree of eye contact, verbally showing comprehension and asking open-ended questions. Applied to family life, trying to slow down and be more present brings irreplaceable rewards. The dignity of each family member is recognized and deeper relationships result. The next time your child or a young person asks for attention in some way be reminded that nothing is more important or sends a message of love more than willingly giving them your time. It’s a gift of self.

Do not miss the truly important parts of life by being too preoccupied and busy. Slow down! Resolve today to:
• Look for the beauty around you
• Begin to read a book for pleasure
• Spend some quiet time alone
• Listen better
• Spend some time visiting with family and/or friends