How many times have you had a goal in life, but were halted in your progress towards attaining it by the little voice in your head telling you that you were not good enough, strong enough, smart enough, or fast enough? Those little gremlins living within you are your own personal demons, guarding the road to success by turning you away. In order to reach your goals and realize your dreams, you need to learn how to kill those demons dead in their tracks.

Those gremlins are the voice of your insecurities, and many of them are very deeply rooted. Some are instilled in you during childhood, when parents teach you the difference between acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Unfortunately as times change, what may have been deemed unacceptable as a child may now be absolutely necessary to succeed. Even so, the voice will remain as a reminder that the behavior is improper.

There are many other sources for such discouraging voices, and another big one is school. We are very impressionable during our earlier school years, and the voices of teachers and school kids go a long ways towards us forming our own image of ourselves. Much of what we believe about ourselves can be traced back to these early, formative years. Beliefs we acquire during that period tend to remain with us throughout our lives.

You may find yourself having to overcome many little voices inside your head in order to succeed – in business, in sports, or in relationships. With a little effort, though, you can muzzle those little demons, rendering them quiet once and for all.

How? Read Post

Click HERE for details.

For one time only, I’m offering the Intensive Empowerment System workshop FR.EE !!!

Do you have a personal plan for success?

Most people today are completely overwhelmed by everything that life throws at them on a daily basis. Because the boundaries between work and personal life have become so blurred, we become lost, confused and derailed from our goals.

Personal success is attained in gradual increments by setting and achieving goals.

At SlowDownFast.com, we have developed a comprehensive, customizable and highly flexible program which addresses such a need: The Slow Down Fast Intensive Empowerment System (IES).

The Slow Down FAST Intensive Empowerment System helps individuals achieve their goals.

Here’s how you can benefit from this program:

• You’ll realign yourself with your purpose.
• You’ll once again connect with your values and talents - and this will ignite your passion and drive to succeed.
• You will leverage your own, unique learning style for quicker retention and more rapid advancement.
• You will be empowered in your personal life, which in turn fuels you professionally and brings you greater commitment and dedication on the job.

For one time only, I’m offering the Intensive Empowerment System workshop FR.EE Read Post

Many people go through life in pursuit of happiness and fulfillment, without ever having a clear picture of what those things mean to them. Each person has unique ideas regarding what constitutes happiness, based largely on that person’s individual values and past experiences. In order to be truly happy, you must first determine what it is that makes you content, fulfilled, and satisfied. Only then can you take steps to achieve your own personal state of happiness.

In order to determine what you want out of life to give you a sense of fulfillment or contentment, try the following exercises.

1. Find out Where You are Stuck

Ask yourself what aspects of your life make you feel like you are in a rut or that you feel need to be changed. In doing so, try to determine how long you have felt you were stuck in these particular habits, and ask yourself why you have not yet changed them. Read Post

Have you ever caught yourself daydreaming about the good times you’ve had in the past or the events you have planned for the future?

Many of us live most of our lives in the past or future, missing out entirely on the present moment. Remembering how good you felt or what fun you had in some past experience often eases the aches of current disappointments. Projecting into the future how you would like your life to be or onto some upcoming plans, offers hope and reassurance if your present is not meeting your satisfaction.

However, if you’ve ever studied the mind and the aspects of time, you would know that the present moment is all that is real, all that actually exists. The past and future only exist in the mind, while the present exists in real time. It’s true the mind is very powerful and can play tricks on us. It can pull up a memory that seems so vivid, you actually experience it through your senses and can even feel an emotional response. Similarly, you may get all excited thinking about the vacation you will be taking next summer, and almost smell the suntan lotion.

Yet, living anywhere but the present can be a form of escape or denial. It’s sticking your head in the sand instead of facing the truth–your life today sucks and you better do something about it if you want it to get better.

What are some ways you can stop time traveling and learn to enjoy living in the moment? Read Post

I’m presenting tomorrow at the Biz Tech Expo in Milwaukee. Topic: Personal Development in a Professional World.

Here are the details:

A writer instinctively knows or quickly learns that he can learn just about anything through writing about it. In his book Writing To Learn, William Zinsser says, “… we write to find out what we know and what we want to say. I thought of how often as a writer I had made clear to myself some subject I had previously known nothing about by just putting one sentence after another – by reasoning my way. I thought of how often the act of writing even the simplest document – a letter for instance – had clarified my half-formed ideas. Writing and thinking and learning were the same process.”

Not only can we learn about the outside world and complex subjects through writing, we can also look inward. Journaling is the act of putting pen to paper to learn about yourself.

I’ve kept a journal for as long as I can remember. It’s a living document, not a diary, but place to pose questions, to theorize, to create, and even to play. My journal holds the high and low points of my life. It shows what I’ve learned over the years, as well as what I’ve appreciated and what my hopes are for the future.

It’s not as structured as a habit. Journaling doesn’t have to be a daily commitment. Some weeks you may write every day, and then not again for a month or longer. The value of journaling isn’t in the frequency of writing, but the process of discovery.

Read Post

When you lead a busy life that includes a rewarding or demanding career, combined with the responsibilities that come along with having a family, it can seem like you never have a moment to spare for yourself. You hit the ground running when the alarm goes off in the morning, and never sit still until you drop, exhausted, back into bed that night.

It is important to remember that you need to make time for yourself somewhere in your busy schedule. Whether you use a half-hour during your lunch break to sit outside and read a book, or go for a solitary walk in the evening, you need to ensure there is at least some time in your day dedicated to you. Allowing personal time is an important aspect of achieving a healthy work life balance. Read Post

The dinner table isn’t just a place to sit down and refuel. It’s the center of family discussion, a place to reconnect with friends and family and a catalyst for social cohesion. And one of the joys of sitting down to dinner with friends and family is the anticipation of good conversation.

Unfortunately, creative, witty and intelligent dinner conversation is an art that is on the wane. In this day and age of take out, fast food and eating in front of the television, people have lost the need and ability for enlightening talks over the course of a good meal. Learning this art will not only serve you well in professional and social situations, it will enhance your own enjoyment of life and improve the enjoyment of those around you. Read Post

From my guest post Take the Road Less Traveled at Dumb Little Man:

“In life, there are two paths available to each of us. Which path we travel is determined entirely by our own actions, our decisions, and our priorities. It is decided by our character – the ability to make the right choice, even if it is not the easy choice.

In life, we are faced with decisions each day, some that are easy, and some that may be very difficult. The decisions we make and how we choose to deal with individual circumstances determines which road we are traveling. Remaining on the narrow road takes a great deal of thought, concentration, and dedication. An important step in the ongoing process of personal development is to be able to discern between the broad road and the narrow road, and then choose the correct path.”

Read the rest of Take the Road Less Traveled.