Exercise is paramount to optimum health. Exercising not only burns off excess calories, but it also rushes extra oxygen throughout your body and brain to help in cell function, which keeps your heart, circulatory system, lungs, and muscles in shape.
Exercise releases stress and helps you maintain a healthy metabolism. It warms you up in the winter and makes you look good all year round!

So exercise not only prevents stress, but also helps eliminate it. If you exercise at least 3 times per week, it’ll help you combat stress.
Strive to be active whenever you can: take the stairs instead of elevators, go for a walk with your friends, and play with your kids. The goal is to keep moving and enjoy a healthy lifestyle!

Technorati Tags: Paul Dudley White, personal success, stress, stress reduction

Thankfully, most of us are not facing life or death battles, but the idea still holds true. You need to understand fully both the great gifts with which you have been graced and the inherent shortcomings that accompany those gifts. We must understand that the things we do well and the blind spots that often accompany our gifts. When we understand both our gifts and our shortcomings, we can move beyond the shortcomings, leverage the gifts and motivate ourselves to success in our chosen goals. Always remember that all gifts are double edged swords – they have both a light and dark side.

Wishing you a larger life,
BB

Technorati Tags: blind spots, goals, personal success, Sun-Tzu

Bill, what on earth did you mean by that title?  Well,  I’m glad you asked. Both a bottle rocket and the guide missile both operate using the same basic Newtonian laws of physics. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. But do you why do you understand why the flight’s of the two are so different?

Feedback makes the difference.

The bottle rocket has no real target and no mechanism to direct it to a target. Once fired off, it’s in free flight. Any structural imbalance or shift in the wind can knock it off target. The rocket has no way to tell if it is getting closer or further away from the intended target.

The guided missile has the benefit of a constant feedback loop. The target is very clearly fixed (set) and once fired the feedback directs the missile’s flight mechanisms to constantly adjust the flight to stay on target. At any one point in the flight the missile may be blown off course but, the constant correction brings it back on target.

Fire and Forget

So, I’m suggesting that to achieve personal success, you must choose to be like the guided missile. The most important dynamic of achieving personal success is the “what” (the target), rather than the “how” (the path). Your conscious or thinking part of your mind devises the goal, or target. Stay focused on your goal and the subconscious mind will guide you on the path to its attainment. Put the “fire and forget” mechanism of guided missiles to work for you.

Wishing you a larger life,
BB

Technorati Tags: achieving personal success, Maxwell Maltz, personal success

During my yearly physical in June my physician was pleased, even though he went through all the reasons I need to loss some additional weight. All the numbers that are suppose to be up are and all the numbers that are suppose to be down are headed that way.

Life is interesting isn’t? As we age the things that should be thick get thin – like my hair. Yet at the same time the things that should be thin – like my waist – get thick. Life is just a grand comedy, make sure you take time to laugh.

Wishing you a larger life,
BB

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Technorati Tags: personal goals, personal success, success, tips for personal success

There’s no better way to increase your personal success than by improving  your health. After all, health is one of the most important aspects of life. Taking care of your health is the first step on the road to self-improvement.

1. Eat breakfast- start the day off right with a quick morning breakfast. Fruit and yogurt, granola and milk or whole-wheat toast and peanut butter will ensure you start on the right foot.

2. Relax in the morning- get up a couple minutes early and savor that extra time. Enjoy a cup of coffee while watching the sun rise; take a few extra minutes to yourself in the shower; or go for a quick brisk walk around the block to get your heart pumping. There’s nothing worse than starting your day in a rush. A few minutes in the morning can make a world of difference.

3. Exercise with a friend- Exercise releases endorphins, which can lift your spirit as well as help you maintain a healthy weight. However, sometimes it can be hard to get out of bed and actually hit the gym. Combining your friendly chatter with exercise can make exercise much more fun. Working out with a friend, whether this is a morning stroll, a spin class, an evening run or anything else, can keep you motivated and revved for the rest of the day.

4. Don’t just drink water, enjoy water- tap water is fine, in most instances, but pure water makes a big difference. It’s important to drink 2 litres of water each day; however, this shouldn’t seem like a chore. Add some ice cubes, cordial and enjoy water through a fun straw to make it more indulgent. Water doesn’t have to be just water.
5. Pop a vitamin a day- it’s amazing what one little pill can do for your health.  Multi-vitamins can give your body the nourishment it is lacking. We can’t eat perfect balanced and healthy all the time, which is why vitamins were created.

6. Hide (or throw away) the scale- a scale is the only ingredient you need for a recipe for disaster when it comes to self-improvement. Hide it. Throw it away and don’t think about it. You have more important things to worry about than your weight. If you feel great on the inside, then it will show on the outside, regardless of what that darned scale says.

7. Stop Smoking- quitting is hard; not quitting is even harder. If you are a smoker, start small and get the help you need. Limiting your cigarette intake is the first step to a healthier you and an improved lifestyle.

8. Aim for 30- 30 minutes of exercise each day is recommended by health professionals. This includes simple changes to your lifestyle like incorporating a walk into your evening activities, taking the stairs instead of the elevator and riding your bike to work once and a while.

9.  Stretch- stretching can keep your muscles feeling relaxed and also helps to relieve stress.

10.  Follow the food guide- The health professionals made the daily food chart for a reason. Try to get 2 servings of fruit, five servings of fruit, dairy and protein each day.

11.  Reward yourself (in moderation)- a weekly treat is necessary for all your hard work to remain healthy. Treat yourself to something you love like low fat ice cream or chocolate. On the path to self-improvement, there is always time to stop and eat dessert.

12.  Accept the aging process- many people have trouble coming to terms with their body’s changes as they age. It’s important to understand that aging is a natural process. Learn to love your wrinkles, your grey hair and your less-than-tight skin. George Clooney, Harrison Ford, Demi Moore, Sharon Stone and Brad Pitt are all over 40, and they have never looked better!

13. Limit your alcohol intake- having a glass of wine with dinner is fine; however, when you are drinking a bottle of wine a night, or, even worse, binge drinking, then you are causing serious damage to your body. If you are going to drink, drink responsibility. Make sure you have a designated driver or cab ride and drink plenty of water throughout the night.

14. Don’t neglect your oral hygiene- make it a habit to brush, floss and use sugar-free, alcohol-free mouthwash daily. Make a trip to the dentist once a year too. No one likes going to the dentist- but no one wants to lose his or her teeth either.

15.  De-stress- remaining healthy is not just about go, go, go. You also need to stop, relax and re-stress. Stress is unavoidable at some tim es. The best way to deal with stress is to push away from it for a few minutes, let your body relax, and then tackle it head on.

16. Invest in Sleep- you don’t need us to tell you how important sleep is. This is why it’s a good idea to reward yourself at night with expensive sheets, a perfectly firm mattress and cosy down covers. Your bed is your battery recharger. Make sure it’s in tip-top condition.

17.  Get creative with food- variety is the spice of life, and this couldn’t be truer than in the kitchen. Share recipes with friends, check online cooking forums and have fun with your food. You can still eat a healthy (and affordable) diet that doesn’t just consist of brown rice, grilled chicken and salad. Spice it up!

18.  If you get sick, then be sick- so many people attempt to work through their illness. Stop. If you are sick, then stay in bed. Getting sick is your body’s way on telling you that you are working too hard. You will feel better faster if you just accept the illness and take a break. Plus, you will not be contaminating those around you. So grab some ginger ale, Kleenex and the DVD player and let your body heal!

Wishing you a larger life,
BB

Technorati Tags: Albert Schweitzer, health and fitness, tips for personal success

Have you ever felt overwhelmed by fear?

So full of fear that it prevented you from doing something you wanted or needed to do?  Unfortunately, this a common problem faced by many people daily.

Fear has the power to prevent you from attaining you personal success goals.  It can prevent you from taking risks,  following your dreams, or becoming a success at your chosen profession. If you allow it to control you for long enough, it can eventually erode your quality of life and keep you locked in a prison of inactivity.

Fear is nothing more than a conditioned response. It’s a natural reaction to a frightening or unfamiliar situation. While it is usually automatic, there are things you can do to overcome it.

1) Check your expectations.

One major contributor of fear is the prevalence of negative expectations. Do you usually find yourself expecting the worst in every situation? Do you worry obsessively about what could go wrong, rather than focusing on your strengths and capabilities?

If you make a conscious effort to expect the best, see the positive side of each situation and keep reminding yourself that you can handle more than you often think, you’ll find yourself with much less fear to deal with. Even if feelings of fear do manage to creep into your consciousness, you’ll still be able to keep them in perspective and balance them against an underlying sense of confidence.

2) Discredit your fear.

Experts will tell you that the majority of things you fear will never come to pass anyway. While this may be true, it sure doesn’t feel that way when fear has a choke-hold on you! However, if you look a little more closely at your fears when they arise, you may be able to dismiss at least a few.

For example, if you have a fear of public speaking and your boss wants you to give a presentation at work, you might feel like your life (and perhaps your livelihood) is on the line. You may fear getting fired, or worry that your colleagues will lose respect for you if you don’t do a good job.

But is any of this likely to happen? In most cases, no. Rather than worrying about what “might” happen if you don’t give a solid presentation, you might brainstorm ways to help improve your performance, such as finding a coach, being well prepared, practicing your delivery on friends and family members, writing notes to yourself and so on.

3) Do the very thing you fear.

When you remember that fear is simply a feeling, it loses much of its power. It can’t harm you and except in truly threatening situations you can choose to ignore it and move forward anyway.

If you weigh the pros and cons in any situation, you may decide that the possibility of negative consequences is minimal so there’s nothing to stop you from ignoring your fear and going for it! This will be determined by you on a case by case basis, of course. The point isn’t to become reckless with your decision-making but rather to empower yourself to know when a fear is groundless and easily overcome.

Wishing you a larger life,
BB

Technorati Tags: coaching, fear, Mark Twain, personal success

Our careers take up more than one third of our lives.

Here in the United States, most individuals work at least 40 hours each week. No wonder so many aspects of our lives are heavily influenced by our career success. Your entire sense of self can be negatively impacted if you are not fully satisfied with your personal success in the work place. This is why it’s so important to gain control of your career success in order to gain control of your personal success goals.

1. Ask questions- in order to get ahead, you need to know what you are doing and what you can do differently. You need to take control of your career and ask the right questions. Talk to your co-workers and your bosses what it takes to move up.

2. Determine your skills- when it comes to self-improvement in the work place, you need to determine what makes you a good worker. What thrills you? What interests you? What are you good at? Perhaps you are a good writer; perhaps you are a great salesperson. You need to find dig deep within yourself and determine your strengths, which will lead to a successful dream career.

3. Prioritize – at work it’s important to prioritize what needs to be done now and later. It can be easy to do the simple tasks first and push the harder tasks to another day. However, this is going to just bring you more stress in the end. To improve your work schedule, you need to set deadlines and meet these.

4. Keep a schedule- many people carry around a diary or a calendar of their meetings and things that need to be done. This is one of the most important things you can do to keep control of your tasks and make the day run smoother. Do not just schedule work-related events; keep one step ahead of all your daily chores and errands. If you see what needs to be done, the workload can be a lot less overwhelming. Just take it one step at a time.

5. Make a To- Do list- at home and on the job, to-do lists are one of the most effective ways to get things done. Make a list of everything, from cleaning the house and laundry, to writing that report and making the presentation at work. One of the best things about To-Do lists is that you get to check off each item once it is finished. Seeing what you have accomplished throughout the day with checked to-do lists is liberating and therapeutic. It can improve your self-confidence and your stimulate motivation to successfully get the job done.

6. Accept your weaknesses and work towards strengthening them – everyone has weakness. While some people cannot spell without a computer spell check, others are terrified of public speaking. Accept your weaknesses and then work towards strengthening them. You may need to attend a course, put in extra hours and ask for help from your superiors, but all of these things can improve your self-esteem and break the barriers of your weaknesses.

7. Step away from the social networking! Stay away from these distractions – Attention Facebook, MySpace, and MSN users. For those who work in an office environment where you are constantly on the computer (and internet), it can be a challenge to stay away from fun distractions such as games and chatting to friends. You need to block these sites to stop yourself from using them at work. This is not good for your self-improvement, and, if your employer catches you, it also won’t be good for your career. Other distractions come from gossipy co-workers and text messages. Steer clear of these distractions to improve your work ethics. There’s a time and a place for distractions- it’s called “after work”.

8. Take baby steps- big projects are hard to tackle. However, the hardest part is always starting it. If you have to tackle a big project, break it up into smaller sections. A book is really only several different chapters. Think about this when you need to tackle your next big project. This can make the project a lot less overwhelming and greatly increases your chance of success.

9. Relax, once in a while – it’s okay to take a few minutes during the day for yourself, as long as it is not stopping your productivity. Many people can motor through a 10 hour working day without a break; most people, however, cannot. Use your breaks to their full potential but relaxing and recharging.

10. Take advantage of your peak time- everyone has a certain time during the day that they get the most work done. For many, this is in the morning. For others, this may be after lunch. Take advantage of your peak time by working through the hard tasks then.

11. Stop procrastinating – it’s just so easy to procrastinate. But it’s also so bad for your work performance to do so. Setting daily goals, using ‘To Do’ lists and small rewards for a job well done can all beat procrastination before it beats you.

12. Never stop learning- you are never too old to continue your education. Many people assume that they chose one career path and are stuck with this choice. Not true, especially not anymore. There are so many different ways to increase your education including online courses, distance education and night classes. Book clubs and other clubs can also increase your brainpower and help with self-improvement.

13. Get a success coach or mentor. Or maybe two or three. Maybe this is a parent, or the CEO of the company where you work. It could be a professional or a friend from a civic group. In many cases you’ll need someone with specialized knowledge and/or skills. Someone who’s been there and done that, and who is interested in helping someone else do the same. If you ask, you’ll be surprised at how many are willing to help you along the way.
Wishing you a larger life, BB

Technorati Tags: career, personal success, productivity, success coach, Tom Peters

What are do we mean when we say “mind-set”, anyway? Generally, mind-set refers to your predominant state of mind, or way of thinking day to day. It’s what you think about, focus on, and expect from your daily experiences. Think negatively, expect the worst, feel pessimistic about your options and that’s exactly what you’ll seem to draw into your life. Likewise, think positively, expect the best and focus on a successful outcome and you get it most of the time.

Makes sense, right? But how exactly does this work? Why is a success mind-set so important? There are three big reasons:

1) A success mind-set boosts your self-belief and makes you confident.

A lack of belief in yourself usually comes along with a sense of powerlessness and futility, which is the exact opposite of a success mind-set. This can result in a “victim” mentality. Lack of confidence means you see no point in trying to be successful because it won’t happen anyway. This type of mind-set is a clear recipe for failure.

Having a true success mind-set, means you believe in yourself and your abilities. You believe you can succeed at nearly anything you try, and you’re willing to give it your best shot. Even better, the more you do try, the more confidence and self-belief you build until you’re virtually unstoppable!

2) A success mind-set makes you persistent.

Without a success mind-set, one failure is enough to convince you that pursuing your goals is a waste of time. Persistence and determination don’t exist in your world. If you don’t become a raging success the first time you try, you decide that it simply wasn’t meant to be. Unfortunately, few things worth having are obtained so easily!For those with a success mind-set, failure is not the end of the story – it’s just one more way that didn’t work out the way you planned. Those with a true success mind-set know that the only true failure occurs when you quit trying.

3) A success mind-set results in more fruitful actions.

Ever been confused because you didn’t know the best way to approach a specific goal? Maybe you knew the best course of action but you felt intimidated by some of the action steps required. As a result, you may have kept sabotaging your efforts as you searched in vain for an easier or less frightening way to your goal. With a true success mind-set, you’ll always take the most effective action steps that will lead directly to your goal. You’ll also have the inner confidence and determination to pursue them. Which after all, is a sure recipe for . . . you guessed it; success!

If I had to sum up how to develop a success mind-set into as few words as possible, I’d say this:

- Go for your dreams.
- Think positively.
- Believe in yourself.
- Believe you can do better.
- Learn, grow and develop yourself.
- Be willing to take chances.
- Give it your all.
- Expect the best in every situation.
- Be willing to fail.
- When you fall down, get back up and try again.

Keep doing that and you can’t help but become successful, from the inside out.

Technorati Tags: mindset, persistence, success, tips for personal success

It’s generally true that in order to experience personal success, we need to notice what is working and what is not. We need to be ready to change our approach in order to reach our personal success goals –that is the essence of flexibility.

Anthony Robbins is credited with saying, “If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got“. That is a wonderfully true statement – in other words, if you continue doing exactly what you are now doing, then don’t be surprised when you don’t see any increase or change in your results.

It is the law of cause and effect in operation. Simple physics. The results you are now getting (effects) are the product of the causes (efforts) you have made in the past. To enjoy greater personal success in the future, you need to change what you are doing in the present.

While persistence is a necessary characteristic, persistence without flexibility can indeed be futile. Without some flexibility in your approach, you could end up trying to move an immovable object for the rest of your life. The willingness to change what we are now doing while demonstrating persistence is what gets us around seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

So notice exactly what is working for you; and notice what is not. Change your approach in some way – if you can’t move the boulder – go around it. Brainstorm various approaches – then continue to track your results. By continually adjusting your approach and finding what works and what doesn’t, you will literally become unstoppable in your quest for personal success.

Wishing you a larger life,
BB

Technorati Tags: Anthony Robbins, Earl of Chesterfield, flexibility, tips for personal success

Have An Open, Receptive Attitude

On your journey of personal success try to cultivate an attitude of openness or receptiveness. Be willing to receive what the universe has in store for you. Some people call this principle the Law of Attraction, but whatever you call it, it is quite true that you will absolutely set in motion unseen forces which will definitely assist you with the manifestation of your dream. You’ll be surprised to see how many people will be willing to assist you.

Rest assured, you too will be able to touch the hearts and minds of the people around you in much the same way; and it is a truly wonderful and uplifting experience when you find out for yourself that the universe does indeed help you to achieve your goal.

Join or form a “Master Mind” group! Napoleon Hill in Chapter 10 of “Think And Grow Rich” defines the  “Master Mind” as: “Coordination of knowledge and effort, in a spirit of harmony, between two or more people, for the attainment of a definite purpose.” It’s surprising how many more and better ideas ideas can be generated by two people working cooperatively as opposed to one person working independently. Till next time.

Withing you a larger life,
BB

Technorati Tags: master mind, Napoleon Hill, Stephen R Covey, tips for personal success