Darren Hardy Intro of The Compound Effect

Interview: the Richard Branson business plan

Toxic Friendships: Accepting, Forgiving, and Moving On

“Judge nothing, you will be happy. Forgive everything, you will be happier. Love everything, you will be happiest.” ~Sri Chinmoy





I used to have a friend who wasn’t good for me. She would put me down at every opportunity. If she saw me laughing and smiling, she would say something to bring me down. If she saw I was making progress, she would try to hold me back.

Sometimes, I’d hear about things she’d said behind my back. Or discover that she had been poisoning other people’s opinions about me. Even worse, I would find that she would tell others about my personal problems—things I’d discussed privately with her.

Obviously, I knew she wasn’t good for me. For a long time, I actually believed in her putdowns and thought there must be something wrong with me. But I tried very hard to rationalize her behavior because I cared about her.
I thought perhaps she hurt other people to lift her own spirits. Maybe she was just miserable and a lost soul herself. No matter what the reasons, I tried on many occasions to talk to her but her defenses would come up and she’d get angry
.
In the end, I grew tired of her negativity, realized she was never going to change, shut her out of my life completely, and moved on.
Months, even years later, mutual friends mentioned her name, my heart would jump and I’d relive the pain.
All the old questions such as “Why was she so angry toward me?” and “What did I do wrong?” would re-emerge and I would torture myself.
For a long time I was extremely bitter and angry about what had happened. I used to fantasize about all the things I would say to her face when I next bumped into her. I’d imagine how great it would feel to really speak my mind.
But then, I saw the light. I realized that my former friend was suffering—just like we all are. I realized that she was unhappy.
It doesn’t matter how or why she was a bad friend. It matters that she wasn’t happy. It matters that I forgive. And it matters that I move on.
I also realized that if I continued to have negative feelings toward her, I would be poisoning myself and prolonging the suffering. I would be making myself unhappy when there really was no need to do it.
Today, I have forgiven my old friend. I am no longer angry or bitter toward her. I don’t take it personally when I still hear negative things she has said to mutual acquaintances. I don’t mind that she is still angry.
I only hope that she finds a way to make her life as positive and as amazing as possible. Don’t we wish that for all our friends?
Sadly, this issue of toxic friendships isn’t uncommon. I bet we all have people in our lives who leave us feeling miserable and drained of energy.
I also think that when we hang around with these characters, we hold ourselves back and increase our odds of becoming negative.
So what do we do? Do we abandon people if they’re bad for us? Or do we stick around to help them out?
The answer lies with the person in question. Only they can make the decision to become happy. It’s literally his or her choice, and no one else can force it.
In the meantime, all we can do is forgive them for their bad behavior and make ourselves happy by surrounding ourselves with positive people.
When we choose to associate with positive people, we tend to become happier and brighter and enjoy better lives.
But doesn’t this mean we give up on those negative friends? Surely, if we are to live a compassionate and kind-hearted life, shouldn’t we be there for them?
Maybe, if they acknowledge their bad behavior, apologize, and make an effort to change. Ultimately, we only want to let people in our lives if they’re prepared to be good friends.
In my case, I chose to move on. I have deliberately created a life that is full of interesting and positive people. My current friends are genuinely happy to see me happy.
They don’t get jealous if I’m successful; they encourage me. They don’t say horrible things about me behind my back; they say kind, loving things. They understand I’m not perfect and forgive me for my flaws. They make me laugh, and they enjoy seeing me happy.
This is what true friendship should be about.

If you choose to still hang around with bad friends, you can take comfort in the fact that they do make excellent teachers.

As the Dalai Lama said: “In the practice of tolerance, one’s enemy is the best teacher.” And Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: “Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend.”
If you’re not ready to let go of an old friend who is bad for you, work hard to be there for them. Be patient and kind. Try to understand where they’re coming from.

If it becomes draining and their behaviors continue, it might be time to let go and move on. You wouldn’t wish to make any of your friends unhappy, so why harm yourself? Sometimes it’s better to understand that letting go is the only way.

To read more,please visit: http://tinybuddha.com/blog/toxic-friendships-accepting-forgiving-and-moving-on/

IT'S POSSIBLE ft. Les Brown [Motivational Video]

“Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = RADICAL DIFFERENCE”

“Small, Smart Choices + Consistency + Time = RADICAL DIFFERENCE”
― Darren Hardy, The Compound Effect 


https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/14343128-the-compound-effect 

Courage: It’s the Secret to Getting Everything You Want in Life

 


When I was in seventh grade, I got beat up by a skinny little girl with an umbrella.

To paint that picture perfectly clear, I’m saying a girl about 3/8 my size took her umbrella and beat the ever-living crap out of me with it. In front of people. It was a Hello Kitty umbrella to add insult to minor injuries. It seemed a little immature to bring a Hello Kitty umbrella to school at that age, but I was in no position to judge.

When I was in junior high, I got beat up by a fifth grader. Bad. I got beat up bad by a fifth grader. Like blood-and-black-eyes bad. I wish this was a joke, but it’s not. It’s history—my personal pathetic history.

All throughout school I did everything I could to avoid fights. I mean, if a skinny little seventh grade girl could do that much damage with a plastic Hello Kitty umbrella, just imagine what a regular boy my own age could do to me with some more normal, heavier inanimate object! Screw that, I laid low. If someone wanted to fight me, I just gave them money. I’m not kidding. I did that a few times.

Now the question you’re asking yourself, which I’d like to answer as quickly as possible so I can get to the part in the story where I learned mixed martial arts and sparred with professional UFC fighters, is this:

“Why were you such a sissy, Preston? I’ve actually never heard of anyone being so much of a sissy as you’ve just described yourself as being.”

Great question. The answer is that my physical impotence was an outward manifestation of my inward lack of courage, the ability to take risks and act in the face of danger either without or in spite of fear. For whatever reason I just didn’t have any.

My lack of courage spilled over into my young adult life and resulted in dysfunctional relationships, financial chaos, emotional instability and a bunch of other stuff that sucks.  And the reason is because it takes courage to be successful in life. I’m tempted to say it’s the root cause of success, but every time I think I’ve figured out the root of success I find something even rootier. Let’s just say it’s one of the core fundamentals.

Eventually I started to work hard to develop this missing attribute. Once I got it solidly in place, everything changed. I now walk with my head high, wallet thick and heart happy. Anyone who pulls that umbrella gimmick on me again will have a serious problem.

Here’s how to go from being wussbag to warrior in 3 easy steps:

1. Figure Out What Happens When You Die

I was at a doctor’s office the other day, and a young intern was asking me questions. I could tell something was wrong.

“Are you OK?” I asked.
“Sure,” he replied. “Just a little nervous about school.”
“Do you have some fears about something?” I queried.
“Of course. Everyone does. Don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. Let me ask you a question. What’s the worst thing that could possibly happen to you on any given day?”
“I could die,” he responded.
“Right. Well, if you know where you’re going when that occurs, and that place happens to be better than this place… then what is there really to fear?”
“Sir, you just made my day,” he said.
“Well, me making your day just made my day. So it’s a great day. Best of luck to you,” I said as he walked out the door with a new look of courage on his face.

Many psychologists believe the fear of death is the number one underlying motive for everything we as humans do. I suggest you get rid of it.

2. Hang Out with Courageous People.

Duh.

3. Write a List of Every Single Thing You Are Afraid Of. Do Them All.

Scared to ask people out on dates? Go to the mall and ask out every single person you see all day long. They’re just people, not vampires. Usually. You’ll be over your fear by probably the 10th rejection or so. Here’s a good pick up line that I just made up ... “Excuse me, do you happen to have directions to Build-A-Bear? My compass is broken. As a matter of fact, I’m building this for a little homeless child that the government is ignoring for some reason. Maybe you should definitely help me build it. C’mon.” Then just grab their hand and walk them to the store. Trust me, this will work. I’ve got a good feeling about it.

Scared of heights? Go bungee jump at the county fair. You have a better chance of getting shot by gang members at that fair than a tragic jump.

Scared of public speaking? Join Toastmasters.

Scared of reading the very very best, most entertaining yet highly educational articles on the Internet? You’re facing that fear right this second! Congratulations!

It wasn’t until I was well into my adult years that I realized I was still scared to fight. I was rich, happy and healthy, but I decided I needed to face my biggest fear … fighting.

So I did what any abnormal personal would do in that situation… I paid a professional UFC fighter to beat me up on a regular basis—literally. I told him if I wasn’t bleeding or bruised significantly at the end of each session, I would stop paying him.

I got black eyes at least once a week. I got a broken nose that leans to the left now. I got broken ribs. I got beat up so bad that I literally cried like a baby one time—in front of people.

But I also got courage.

The cool thing about courage is that if you gain it in one area, it trickles over into every other area of your life. Ever since I learned how to pretty much kill a man with my bare hands, things like “speaking in front of people” have gotten a lot easier.

“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” –Muhammad Ali


- See more at: http://success.com/blog/courage-it%E2%80%99s-the-secret-to-getting-everything-you-want-in-life#sthash.rezsXHzv.dpuf

When I was in seventh grade, I got beat up by a skinny little girl with an umbrella.
To paint that picture perfectly clear, I’m saying a girl about 3/8 my size took her umbrella and beat the ever-living crap out of me with it. In front of people. It was a Hello Kitty umbrella to add insult to minor injuries. It seemed a little immature to bring a Hello Kitty umbrella to school at that age, but I was in no position to judge.
When I was in junior high, I got beat up by a fifth grader. Bad. I got beat up bad by a fifth grader. Like blood-and-black-eyes bad. I wish this was a joke, but it’s not. It’s history—my personal pathetic history.
All throughout school I did everything I could to avoid fights. I mean, if a skinny little seventh grade girl could do that much damage with a plastic Hello Kitty umbrella, just imagine what a regular boy my own age could do to me with some more normal, heavier inanimate object! Screw that, I laid low. If someone wanted to fight me, I just gave them money. I’m not kidding. I did that a few times.
Now the question you’re asking yourself, which I’d like to answer as quickly as possible so I can get to the part in the story where I learned mixed martial arts and sparred with professional UFC fighters, is this:
“Why were you such a sissy, Preston? I’ve actually never heard of anyone being so much of a sissy as you’ve just described yourself as being.”
Great question. The answer is that my physical impotence was an outward manifestation of my inward lack of courage, the ability to take risks and act in the face of danger either without or in spite of fear. For whatever reason I just didn’t have any.
My lack of courage spilled over into my young adult life and resulted in dysfunctional relationships, financial chaos, emotional instability and a bunch of other stuff that sucks.  And the reason is because it takes courage to be successful in life. I’m tempted to say it’s the root cause of success, but every time I think I’ve figured out the root of success I find something even rootier. Let’s just say it’s one of the core fundamentals.
Eventually I started to work hard to develop this missing attribute. Once I got it solidly in place, everything changed. I now walk with my head high, wallet thick and heart happy. Anyone who pulls that umbrella gimmick on me again will have a serious problem.
Here’s how to go from being wussbag to warrior in 3 easy steps:
1. Figure Out What Happens When You Die
I was at a doctor’s office the other day, and a young intern was asking me questions. I could tell something was wrong.
“Are you OK?” I asked.
“Sure,” he replied. “Just a little nervous about school.”
“Do you have some fears about something?” I queried.
“Of course. Everyone does. Don’t you?”
“No, I don’t. Let me ask you a question. What’s the worst thing that could possibly happen to you on any given day?”
“I could die,” he responded.
“Right. Well, if you know where you’re going when that occurs, and that place happens to be better than this place… then what is there really to fear?”
“Sir, you just made my day,” he said.
“Well, me making your day just made my day. So it’s a great day. Best of luck to you,” I said as he walked out the door with a new look of courage on his face.
Many psychologists believe the fear of death is the number one underlying motive for everything we as humans do. I suggest you get rid of it.
2. Hang Out with Courageous People.
Duh.
3. Write a List of Every Single Thing You Are Afraid Of. Do Them All.
Scared to ask people out on dates? Go to the mall and ask out every single person you see all day long. They’re just people, not vampires. Usually. You’ll be over your fear by probably the 10th rejection or so. Here’s a good pick up line that I just made up ... “Excuse me, do you happen to have directions to Build-A-Bear? My compass is broken. As a matter of fact, I’m building this for a little homeless child that the government is ignoring for some reason. Maybe you should definitely help me build it. C’mon.” Then just grab their hand and walk them to the store. Trust me, this will work. I’ve got a good feeling about it.
Scared of heights? Go bungee jump at the county fair. You have a better chance of getting shot by gang members at that fair than a tragic jump.
Scared of public speaking? Join Toastmasters.
Scared of reading the very very best, most entertaining yet highly educational articles on the Internet? You’re facing that fear right this second! Congratulations!
It wasn’t until I was well into my adult years that I realized I was still scared to fight. I was rich, happy and healthy, but I decided I needed to face my biggest fear … fighting.
So I did what any abnormal personal would do in that situation… I paid a professional UFC fighter to beat me up on a regular basis—literally. I told him if I wasn’t bleeding or bruised significantly at the end of each session, I would stop paying him.
I got black eyes at least once a week. I got a broken nose that leans to the left now. I got broken ribs. I got beat up so bad that I literally cried like a baby one time—in front of people.
But I also got courage.
The cool thing about courage is that if you gain it in one area, it trickles over into every other area of your life. Ever since I learned how to pretty much kill a man with my bare hands, things like “speaking in front of people” have gotten a lot easier.
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.” –Muhammad Ali
- See more at: http://success.com/blog/courage-it%E2%80%99s-the-secret-to-getting-everything-you-want-in-life#sthash.rezsXHzv.dpuf

Robin Williams' Funniest Moments

Pharrell Williams - Happy (Official Music Video)

How to Believe in Yourself

How to Believe in Yourself

By Leo Babauta

There was a long time when the lack of belief in myself was a major factor in my life.
I didn’t pursue an ideal career, or start my own business, because I didn’t think I could. I didn’t stick to habits because I didn’t really believe I had the discipline. I was shy with girls, I had a hard time making new friends, I didn’t assert myself in the workplace. I didn’t push past my comfort zone.
All because I didn’t really believe I could.
While I’m not free of self-doubt these days, I can honestly say I believe in myself like never before. That doesn’t mean I think I’ll never fail or quit: I will. Probably often.
And that’s OK.
The trick is that I learned it’s completely fine to try and fail, to put yourself out there and not be perfect, to say hello to someone and have them not instantly love you, to create something and have people judge you.
Failure, not being perfect, mistakes, not having people agree with me, not being completely accepted: these are not negative things. They’re positive.
How is failure positive? It’s the only way we truly learn. For example: you can read a book on math, but until you try it and fail, you’ll never see where your lack of understanding is. The best way to learn something is to study it a bit, then try it, take practice tests, make mistakes, then learn some more.
How are mistakes positive? They’re little pieces of feedback necessary to grow and learn.
How is being rejected positive? It means I’m growing beyond the absolutely socially acceptable realm. The best people in history were not socially acceptable: truth-tellers like Socrates, Jesus, Gandhi, Proudhon and Bakunin, Martin Luther King Jr., animal rights philosopher Peter Singer, unschooling pioneer John Holt, women’s rights activists, abolitionists, and many more.
These things we’re afraid of — they’re actually desirable. We need to learn to see them that way, and embrace them, letting go of the fear.
When we can get better at this — which takes a lot of practice — we can start to remove the things that hold us back.
So practice:

• Push past your discomfort, growing your discomfort method.
• Put yourself out there, and be OK with not knowing if people will accept you.
• Stick to a habit, not listening to the negative self-talk that normally holds you back.
• Stick to it some more, and learn to trust yourself.
• Go into situations not knowing, and learn to be OK with that.
• Learn through repeated attempts that it’s OK to fail, that you can be OK in failure.
• Learn through repeated experiments that you are stronger than you think, that you are more capable and more tolerant of discomfort than you think.

And in this practice, you will find yourself. And realize that you were great all along.
http://zenhabits.net/

How to Ask for (and Get) Everything You Want

The best way of getting what you want is thinking about your request before you actually make it.

The big reason many people fail to get what they want is that they are too afraid to ask or they view their requests as all-or-nothing gambits—instead of a series of negotiations and compromises.

But there is a middle ground. Here are strategies to help you begin the “asking” process and avoid becoming upset if things don’t go exactly as planned.

 

Steps to Success

1. Tell yourself there is nothing to fear except fear itself. Fear of punishment or rejection is why most people hesitate to ask for what they want. They are afraid that going out on an emotional limb will result in humiliation if they fail.

Strategy: Before making your request, take plenty of time to remind yourself of the importance of what you are asking for. Tell yourself the only thing that matters is whether or not you are making good and well-articulated points. By focusing on the merits of your request, not on how you will appear to others, many of your initial fears will fade away.

2. Before you try to sell others, sell yourself. Two of the most important elements involved in asking for what you want—and-getting it—are self-confidence and determination. Unless you believe in your heart that you will eventually win over the other side, you will likely falter or become troubled at the first sign of resistance.

Strategy: An extreme emotional reaction to any hurdle will almost certainly doom your mission, causing the other side to take you and your points less seriously.

Tell yourself from the outset that you may not immediately get what you want. The statement is not the same as saying that you will never succeed, which could hurt your morale and determination. Instead, you are merely facing reality—accepting the fact that you may face a setback. By acknowledging this possibility, you will not be surprised or upset if you are turned down.

3. Organize your thoughts. You can’t expect to get the results you want if the other side doesn’t understand your request.

Strategy: Write out exactly what you want. Then redraft your points until your reasoning is clear, ordered and can be easily related. Practice in front of a mirror, or discuss the points with friends to be sure they make sense and you didn’t leave anything out.

4. When you ask, ask from your heart. Important requests are always better received when those making them are passionate, friendly, polite and firm. Such a stance is difficult to resist. It increases your odds of success... or at least minimizes the chance that your personality or attitude will sabotage your request.

Strategy: Ask in an enthusiastic manner and voice. Maintain steady eye contact to show that you mean business, but also exhibit respect and admiration for the person to whom you are speaking. In general, you stand a much better chance of getting what you want when you make people feel at ease and show them that you are truly excited about what you are requesting.

5. Prepare to deal with resistance. Even if you do everything right, you might still meet resistance. The person you are asking might want to confer with someone else before he/she makes a final decision... or he may want to table his answer, hoping that you’ll retreat from your position once you have had some time to think about it... or he might just say no.

Strategy: If someone resists or challenges your request, be polite and gracious. Do not lose your temper or become discouraged. Instead of seeing the other person’s resistance as a dead end, view it as part of a continuing conversation. Translate every no into a next. Realize a no doesn’t mean stop—it simply means not yet.

6. Learn the art of saying thank you. Whether or not you get what you want, say thank you. Gratitude will leave the other person open to giving you what you want—or more of what you want—sometime in the future.

Strategy: Say thank you directly to the person and follow up with a written note. In some cases, flowers or a gift may be appropriate.

Learning the art of expressing gratitude will force you to focus on the positive. It will also keep you from holding a grudge, which is difficult to hide and only works against you in the long run.

See more at: http://www.success.com/article/how-to-ask-for-and-get-everything-you-want#sthash.xqWGNH3W.dpuf

6 strategies to overcome the obstacles of requests

How to Ask for (and Get) Everything You Want

12 Weekend Habits of Highly Successful People

 

1. Robert Iger: Get up early

This Disney CEO is not the only executive claiming to rise at 4:30 every morning. Successful people do not stay in bed until 2 p.m. on a Sunday. Or even 11 a.m. Research shows that our brains are sharpest two and a half to four hours after waking. Get up early on a weekend and you’ve got a head start on the rest of the world.

2. Benjamin Franklin: Have a plan

Apparently, this founding father asked himself every morning, “What good shall I do today?” Successful people know the importance of even daily goals — the weekends are no exception. Sure, they can be a time for (planned and purposeful) rejuvenation, but you don’t have to be President to know that general slacking off is not an option.

3. Timothy Ferris: Don’t multi-task

Multi-tasking is so 2005. It may be tempting to maximize your weekend productivity by running on the treadmill while calling your mother and trolling your newsfeed, but successful people know that this just reduces efficiency and effectiveness. Instead, be present for each single activity. Ferris recommends a maximum of two goals or tasks per day to ensure productivity and accomplishments align.

4. Anna Wintour: Stay active

Vogue’s editor-in-chief commits to playing tennis for one hour every day. And she’s not the only big-shot making time for exercise. Richard Branson stays active with kite surfing and India’s fourth-richest billionaire is a serial marathon runner. Successful people know the importance of an active body for an active mind — weekends included. If nothing else, it will also counteract that glass of wine and cheese platter from Saturday night.

5. Steve Jobs: Prioritize what’s important

“Things don’t have to change the world to be important.” Weekends are the time to remind yourself of the forgotten little things — to keep your work-life harmony (the new ‘balance’) in check and reset if needed. Spending time with your friends, children or partner might not directly increase profits that day or propel you into the limelight, but that doesn’t make it any less important. Even the current US President famously makes time to sit down for dinner with his family.

6. Warren Buffet: Make time for hobbies

He may be considered the most successful investor of the 20th century, but in his “spare” time Buffett likes to play the ukulele. Successful people are often interesting people — and their hobbies have a lot to do with that. Sure, golfing on Saturdays can be a great way to network and source business opportunities. But, even solo hobbies — knitting like Meryl Streep or oil painting like George W. Bush — can aid success through fostering creativity and relieving stress.

7. Oprah: Practice stillness

Forbes’ most powerful celebrity of 2013 still finds time to sit in stillness for 20 minutes — twice a day! This once-best-kept secret of the yogis is now common knowledge. Even the corporate world is acknowledging the benefits of meditation and mindfulness for reducing stress, improving productivity, facilitating creativity and maintaining general well-being. The weekends can often be busier than week days with attempting to cram in chores, exercise, family commitments, social engagements and more into a 48-hour period. The most successful people take daily time out for stillness, weekends included. They don’t call it a meditation “practice” for nothing.

8. Randi Zuckerberg: Forget FOMO, Embrace JOMO

We’ve all done it — posted a tastefully filtered snap of our weekend antics or checked in on social media to elicit “likes” and envy from our friends/followers (#bragging). Enter, the era of FOMO (fear of missing out). On weekends, we’re even more prone to FOMO. But the founder and CEO of Zuckerberg Media (and, you guessed it, the sister to Facebook’s creator) says people should be focusing on JOMO (the joy of missing out) — the mantra that “there is nowhere I’d rather be than exactly where I am.” Successful people are often competitive, high achievers by nature — practicing an attitude of gratitude and resisting social-media-induced FOMO is key for a happy weekend. And isn’t happiness the real marker of success?

9. Bill Gates: Take time to reflect

The founder of Microsoft famously said, “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.” Reflection should be a daily practice but the weekends are a perfect opportunity to step back and reflect on the lessons of the previous week and to make improvements for the next. Author of “The Happiness Project,” Gretchen Rubin, suggests starting a “one sentence journal” to encourage daily reflection. Make Saturday or Sunday your day to flick back through the week’s entries!

10. Richard Branson: Give back

This billionaire entrepreneur says that “it is amazing how focusing your mind on issues like health, poverty, conservation and climate change can help to re-energize your thinking in other areas.” Successful people agree with Anne Frank: “No one has ever become poor from giving.” Tom Corley studied the rich for five years before writing his book “Wealthy Habits: The Daily Success Habits of Wealthy Individuals.” He found that 73% of wealthy people volunteer for five or more hours per month. Nothing helps put things in perspective and reduce stress more than helping those less fortunate. Weekends are a great time to get involved in local and community volunteer events.

11. Jack Dorsey: Get ready for the rest of the week

The Twitter and Square co-founder is notorious for 16-hour work days from Monday to Friday but says, “Saturday I take off. I hike. And then Sunday is reflections, feedback, strategy and getting ready for the rest of the week.” Forget Sunday blues, let’s call it “Sort-Your-Life-Out Sunday.” Laura Vanderkam, author of “What the Most Successful People Do on the Weekend,” says successful people know that weekends are actually the secret weapon in professional success: “You need to hit Monday ready to go.”

12. Jay Z: Keep up the momentum

He’s made an empire as a highly successful rap artist and entrepreneur, and the secret is right there in his lyrics: “You can want success all you want, but to get it, you can’t falter. You can’t slip. You can’t sleep. One eye open, for real, and forever.” (Decoded) Jay Z didn’t become worth $520 million by only wanting it five out of seven days of the week. If you want to eventually spend your weekends on a luxury yacht in the Caribbean with Beyoncé, unrelenting grit and persistence might just get you there. Well, we can always dream, right?
It’s settled then. Success is a 24/7 lifestyle choice — weekends included!

To read more,please visit: http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/12-weekend-habits-highly-successful-people.html

Gratitude: Affirmations for an Abundant Life.

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How to Succeed: 5 Steps for Getting Ahead

2014 - Anthony Robbins 5 keys to an Awesome Life!

The Fastest Growth Tool on This Planet!

Business

I would like to introduce you to a concept that is extremely valuable as it relates to marketing your company. It is a phenomenal tool to demonstrate your unique experience.  It is a fast growth tool because it makes it easy for a maximum number of people to “sample” your service.
The tool that I’m referring to is called, “The Free Trial Offer.” This concept gives your prime target market the opportunity to experience your product or service before purchasing it. In the best case, it is an actual sample of a product or a service. For example, Chick-fil-A began to offer a free trial in shopping malls. Now everyone does it. If you own a residential cleaning business, you would clean a room for free. If you own a golf facility, offer a free round of golf to attract new prospects.
Did you know that Lexus has a free trial offer? When you go to the Lexus dealership and express interest in a car, they encourage you to take it home for the weekend. If you say, “I’m not sure I can get it back in time,” they say “Don’t worry! Bring it back when you can.” You may say, “We’ll I’ve got to go out of town this week.” “Don’t worry.  We’ll fill it up with gas. Take the car on the trip with you,” they say.
What’s happening here? They want you to take that car home with you because once you “experience” how it drives, you are going to want to keep it! And when you see how it looks in your driveway, now you really fall in love with it. But the kicker is when your neighbors come over and begin to ooh and ahh over it—there is no way that car is going back! Especially if you’re a male! You know how that male ego is!

Zig Ziglar called that the “puppy dog” close. You know how it is when you bring a cute little puppy home. You fall in love with it and that little dude ain’t going nowhere!
You might consider offering a free consultation, a free report, a free CD, video, webinars, or a free newsletter that offers tips and solutions to your prime target market’s biggest frustrations and insights into helping them fulfill their biggest desires.
Make your free trial offer as impactful as possible. You want it to be informative, emotional, and you want it to get them to buy without pressure. This is a wonderful way for them to experience your product or service in action.
Instead of trying to take someone from suspect (someone who may or may not be a good prospect) straight to paying customer, the free trial offer takes them from suspect to prospect and allows you to do a very important thing—collect their contact information! Now you’re in control of the follow up, not them. Plus, they have “raised their hand” for more information so to speak. They are telling you, “Hey, I’m a prospect! I’m interested!” All too often, prospects are skeptical and they want to “check you out.” The free trial is the perfect way for them to get to know, like, and trust you.
What if people take advantage of your free trial? What if you have a free trial offer and it costs you money to provide the free product or service?  What if there is a cost in delivering or installing the product? If you are a restaurant, a free meal costs money. How do you know if they will come back? You don’t. But your goal is to create so many more clients as a result of your free trial that even if you get a few “freebies” who take advantage, you are still making more money.
Important to Note: Don’t confuse the concept of the free trial with a discount! This is a completely different concept. A discount is “conditional” and causes prospects to respond to get a “deal.” They still have to buy. The concept of a free trial offer is different because it allows them to experience you without risk.
To read more, please visit: http://www.ziglar.com/business/fastest-growth-tool-planet

Hope

"Hope is the power that gives a person the confidence to step out and try."

 

 

 

Zig Ziglar 

 

 

To read more, please visit: http://www.ziglar.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/hope-0