I Don’t Care If You Were Born Rich I care if you were raised lazy

Rich kid syndrome: a kid who was born into great wealth, and doesn’t do shit because of it.

Sound familiar?

It’s a hot button topic, and there have been many debates surrounding it. For a long time I used to talk about it in a very particular way. I basically believed that they didn’t have it in them to build a sustainable business, that they had been given everything too easily.

What I’ve learned, however, is that this doesn’t apply to everybody. I’ve changed my mind. The broad definition given above isn’t always warranted.

The best way to describe my new opinion on this debate is a single phrase: “Everything trickles from the top.”

The way a child sees the world and their approach to life all comes from how they were brought up. Society absolutely plays a role in that, but parents dictate how a child in their formative years experiences society. So when I meet with these “rich kids”, I don’t concentrate on the fact that they are rich. Instead, I spend almost all my time trying to figure out what their past was like. How did their parents raise them? Did they spoil them or did they make them work for what they wanted? Did they teach them the value of having money? What it means as a societal issue? Those are the things that tell me if investing in a business they have made will be a good idea or not.

This is an issue that is very close to me, as I have two young kids at home. But the fact that I grew up in very different circumstances has made me extra self-aware of the issue at hand. I did not grow up rich; my father immigrated from the former Soviet Union when I was very young, and took over a small liquor store. I was able to turn that store into what got me on my initial path to success: WineLibrary.com. My kids are going to be “rich kids”, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to spoil them. Being raised like I was has made me even more conscious of that fact. I will most certainly let them know what it means to work and sweat for something that they want, because I know that it’s up to me to instill those qualities within them from the onset.

Additionally, the “stems from the top” philosophy applies to corporate scenarios as well. The strongest factor in attitude and upbringing comes from those we look up to. Business culture comes from leaders. Bosses can set tones in meetings. When it comes to business, like anything else in life, it all stems from the top. Just like a business’ culture stems from its leaders.

I truly believe that leaders, and subsequently parents, can influence more than we give them credit for. We tend to place the blame on environment solely, and while parents and bosses are part of environment, we don’t scrutinize them hard enough. So while you may be a skeptical about a new app or business created by a so-called “rich kid,” don’t be. First figure out where they’ve come from. Their background might surprise you. On the other hand, their background might make total sense. See what I mean?

Thanks for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts and reactions. And if you enjoyed it, scroll down and click that little recommend button below. ☺

From Gary Vaynerchuk. Visit his website here

The Basics of Money Management

Editor's note: This article was excerpted from 202 Services You Can Sell for Big Profits .

Getting paid and money management can be tricky business because, in addition to customers, cash flow and managing your accounts properly is what keeps your business humming along. Consequently, getting paid in full and on time, as well as understanding money management, has to become a priority, even if you elect to hire an accountant or bookkeeper to manage the books. You will still need to familiarize yourself with basic bookkeeping and money management principles and activities such as understanding credit, reading bank statements and tax forms, and making sense of accounts receivable and payable. You also have to give careful consideration to the purchase payment options you offer customers, including cash, checks, debit cards, credit cards and online payment options, as well as establishing payment terms and debt collection in the event of nonpayment.

Opening a Bank Account

Once you've chosen a name and registered your business, you will need to open a commercial bank account. Setting up a business bank account is easy. Start by selecting the bank you want to work with--think small-business-friendly--and call to arrange an appointment to open an account. There's not much more required than that. However, when you go, make sure you take personal identification as well as your business name registration papers and business license, because these are usually required to open a commercial bank account. The next step will be to deposit funds into your new account (even $100 is okay). If your credit is sound, also ask the bank to attach a line of credit to your account, which can prove very useful when making purchases for the business or during slow sales periods to cover overhead until business increases. Also be sure to ask about a credit card merchant account, debit account, and other small business services.

Bookkeeping

When it comes time to set up your financial books, you have two options--do it yourself or hire an accountant or bookkeeper. You might want to do both by keeping your own books and hiring an accountant to prepare year-end financial statements and tax forms. If you opt to keep your own books, make sure you invest in accounting software such as Quickbooks or Quicken because they're easy to use and makes bookkeeping almost enjoyable. Most accounting software programs allow you to create invoices, track bank account balances and merchant account information, and keep track of accounts payable and receivable.

If you're unsure about your bookkeeping abilities even with the aid of accounting software, you may wish to hire a bookkeeper to do your books on a monthly basis and a chartered accountant to audit the books quarterly and prepare year-end business statements and tax returns. To find an accountant or bookkeeper in your area, you can contact the U.S. Association of Chartered Accountants or the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers . In Canada, you can contact the Chartered Accountants of Canada or the Canadian Bookkeepers Association .

If you're only washing windows on weekends to earn a few extra bucks, there's little need for accounting software or accountant services. Simply invest in a basic ledger and record all business costs and sales. Since you are doing it on your own, be sure to use a commonsense approach when calculating how much to invest in your business vs. expected revenues and profits. Also remember to keep all business and tax records in a dry and secure place for up to seven years. This is the maximum amount of time the IRS and Revenue Canada can request past business revenue and expense information.

Accepting Cash, Checks and Debit Cards

In today's super-competitive business environment, you must provide customers with many ways to pay, including cash, debit card, credit card and electronic cash. There is a cost to provide these payment options--account fees, transaction fees, equipment rental and merchant fees based on a percentage of the total sales value. But these expenses must be viewed as a cost of doing business in the 21st century. You can, however, reduce fees by shopping for the best service with the best prices. Not all banks, merchant accounts and payment processing services are the same, and fees vary widely. You can also check with small business associations such as the chamber of commerce to see if they offer member discounts; it's not uncommon to save as much as 2 percent on credit card merchant fees. Just remember, consumers expect choices when it comes time to pay for their purchases, and if you elect not to provide these choices, expect fewer sales.

Cash is the first way to get paid, which is great because it's liquid and there's no processing time required. As fast as the cash comes in, you can use it to pay bills and invest in business-building activities to increase revenues and profits. The major downside is that cash is risky because you could get robbed or lose it. In cases like that, collecting from your insurance company could prove difficult if there's no paper transaction as proof. Even if you prefer not to receive cash, there are people who will pay in cash, so get in the habit of making daily bank deposits during daylight hours. Also invest in a good-quality safe for cash storage for times when you cannot get to the bank.

If you're running a service business, one the most popular way people still pay for services is with a check. You have to take a few precautions to ensure you don't get left holding a rubber check, especially when dealing with new clients. Ask to see a photo ID and write the customer's driver's license number on the check. If the amount of the check exceeds a few hundred dollars, ask the buyer to get the check certified or pay with a bank draft instead, especially if the client is new to your business. Also get in the habit of checking dates and dollar amounts to make sure they are right. I have been caught a few times with wrong dates and dollar amounts and it can be time-consuming to have to get a new check because of a simple error.

Debit cards are another option, but to accept them, you will need to buy or rent a debit card terminal. Most banks and credit unions offer business clients debit card equipment and services. The processing equipment will set you back about $40 per month for a terminal connected to a conventional telephone line and about $100 per month for a cellular terminal, plus the cost of the telephone line or cellular service. There is also a transaction fee charged by the bank and payable by you every time there is a debit card transaction, which ranges from 10 cents to 50 cents per transaction, based on variables such as dollar value and frequency of use.

Opening a Credit Card Merchant Account

Many consumers have replaced paper money altogether in favor of plastic for buying goods and services. In fact, giving your customers the option to pay for purchases with a credit card is often crucial to success. This is especially true if you plan to do business on the web because credit cards and electronic cash are used to complete almost all web sales and financial transactions. To offer customers credit card payment options, you will need to open a credit card merchant account. Get started by visiting your bank or credit union or by contacting a merchant account broker such as 1st American Card Service , Cardservice International or Merchant Account Express to inquire about opening an account. Providing your credit is sound, you will run into few obstacles. If your credit is poor, you may have difficulties opening a merchant account or have to provide a substantial security deposit. If you are still unsuccessful, the next best option is to open an account with an online payment service provider, which is discussed in the next section.

The advantages of opening a credit card merchant account enabling you to accept credit card payments are numerous. In fact, studies have proven that merchants who accept credit cards can increase sales by up to 50 percent. Not to mention that you can accept credit card payments online, over the telephone, by mail and in person, as well as sell services on an installment basis by obtaining permission to charge your customer's credit card monthly or per agreement. Of course, all these benefits come at a cost, especially when you consider that you'll have to pay an application fee, setup fee, purchase or rent processing equipment and software, pay administration and statement fees, and pay processing and transaction fees ranging from 2 to 8 percent on total sales volume. Once again, these fees must be viewed as the cost of doing business.

Online Payment Services

Online payment services allow people and businesses to exchange currency electronically over the internet. These services are very popular with consumers and merchants. PayPal is one of the more popular online payment services with more than 40 million members in 45 countries, offering personal and business account services. Both types of accounts allow funds to be transferred electronically among members, but only the business account enables merchants to accept credit card payments for goods and services. The advantages of online payment services are that they're quick, easy and cheap to open, regardless of your credit rating or anticipated sales volumes, and you can receive payment from any customer with an e-mail account. You can have the funds deposited directly into your account, have a check issued and mailed, or leave funds in your account to draw on using your debit card. The only real disadvantage is that most services redirect your customers to their website to complete the transaction. This can confuse people who in some cases will abandon the purchase. Nonetheless, the advantages of online payment services far outweigh any disadvantages.

Establishing Payment Terms 

Every small-business owner also needs to establish a payment-terms policy. Although you certainly want to standardize the way you get paid, at the same time you will also have to be flexible enough to meet clients' needs on an individual basis. Setting payment terms covers deposits, progress payments and extending credit. It's important to establish clear, written payment terms with clients prior to providing services or delivering product. Your payment terms should be printed on your estimate forms, included in formal contracts and work orders, and printed on your final invoices and monthly account statements.

Securing Deposits

If you're run a service business, you have to get in the habit of asking clients for a deposit prior to providing services, especially if the work also involves product sales that have to be paid for by you in advance. In this case, the deposit should be for at least the value of the materials. If you're supplying labor only, try to secure a deposit of at least one-third to one-half of the total value of the contract in advance of providing any services. Your order form or contract should have the deposit information clearly stated. Information on canceled orders or contracts and your refund policy should also be on your forms. Securing a deposit is your best way of ensuring that, at minimum, basic out-of-pocket costs are covered should the customer cancel the job or contract.

Progress Payments

Progress payments are also a way to ensure that you do not leave yourself open to financial risk. The key to successfully securing progress payments is to prearrange your contract and payment terms. Agree on the amount that will be due at various stages of the project. You can use percentages to calculate the progress payments, such as 25 percent deposit, 25 percent upon delivery of any materials, 25 percent upon substantial completion, and the balance at completion or within 30 days of substantial completion. Or you may arrange for more concrete progress payments based on indicators that are relevant to the specific scope of work, the job or the services provided. Regardless of the system you use, progress payments on larger jobs can dramatically lessen your exposure to financial risk.

Extending Credit

In most cases there's no need to extend credit to consumers unless you deliver a service such as pest control that's billed monthly or a major contract that is completed in stages. As a general rule, when a transaction is complete you should be paid in full. However, in the case of business-to-business sales, commercial clients will generally want some type of credit on a revolving-account basis, such as 30, 60, 90 or sometimes 120 days after delivery of the product or completion of the service. Ideally, you want to be paid as quickly as possible, so you might want to offer a 2-percent discount if invoices are paid within one week. And if you do extend credit, make sure to conduct a credit check first, especially when large sums of money are at stake. There are three major credit-reporting agencies serving the United States and Canada:Trans Union, Equifaxand Experian. All three credit bureaus compile and maintain credit files on just about every person, business and organization that has ever applied for credit.

Debt Collection

No matter how careful you are when it comes to extending credit privileges to customers, once in a while you will not be paid on time or at all. What can you do to get paid? The first rule of getting paid is to keep the lines of communication open with your delinquent client, and keep the pressure on to get paid through the use of nonthreatening telephone calls, letters and personal visits. You cannot legally intimidate clients into paying you, but you can explain why it is in their best interest to pay you--namely, to keep your business relationship intact, that nonpayment can hurt their credit rating or that you may sue them if they do not pay.

Another option is to hire a collection agency to collect the outstanding debt. Collection agencies generally charge a percentage of the total amount owed as their fee, which can range up to as much as 50 percent. The Association of Credit and Collection Professionals is a good starting point for finding a collection agency to work with.

Your final option is to take the delinquent account to small-claims court, but remember that small-claims courts have limits as to how much you can sue for in your state or province, ranging from $1,500 to $25,000. Filing fees vary by state and province as well, and these must be paid upfront. But if you win, the fees are added to your award. As a rule of thumb, small-business owners that take people to court for nonpayment generally represent themselves, as the amount of the potential award is usually small and doesn't justify lawyers' fees and expenses. Even if you win, you will not necessarily be paid the amount you're awarded. You may win a judgment, but still have to chase the defendant through garnishment of income or seizure of assets to get paid. You can learn more about the small-claims court process and filing fees by contacting your local courthouse.

James Stephenson invests his 15 years of small business, marketing and sales experience into his books. He has started and operated numerous successful home based businesses, and is the author of Ultimate Start-Up Directoryand Ultimate Small Business Marketing Guide, as well as the 202 Series.

Two Key Actions That Will Change Your Life & Business

As a former athlete I often find myself situations that I come across in business and life in general back to my glory days.

It seems that many lessons my coaches were engraving into our minds are ever present today in my business.

One lesson that comes more often than others is this: you either let external stimuli directly affect you, or you take the fight to the opponent. This might seem a little harsh for everyday business interactions, but let me explain.

In your life and in your business there are only two things that can change the course you are on right now for the better, or for the worse. The two items I am talking about are as follows:

1. Something good comes into your life.

I think about this more in the passive sense, however it definitely can be somewhat controlled by your actions. I would describe these situations as unforeseen or even “lucky.” Let me define luck in the terms I am referring to – luck is where opportunity meets preparation.

A few real world examples would be that new client that called you out of the blue and now is your number one priority, that mentor you met while at a networking event, that $5 bill you found in your jeans while you were doing your laundry. These situations seem to just happen to you, but what is really happening is the culmination of your daily success rituals coming to fruition.

Action Steps:

1. Define your daily success rituals that will attract these “lucky” breaks to happen more often
2. Be PROactive in your life and put yourself in situations that can help you on your path to greatness

“I’m a greater believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.” – Thomas Jefferson 

2. Something new comes from within you!

I really like to follow entrepreneurs who are playing the game at a higher level than I am and work every day to mimic the plans they have used to create success for themselves. Creating high level connections, new opportunities, more business really gets my blood flowing and is why I prefer this method.

We can absolutely control the information/thoughts that we let come into our brains each and every day. The end result is taking the actions that the greats have already laid out for us to reach the success we are working toward.

Action Steps:

1. Be protective of the information you consume every day. Control your thoughts and you will control your actions.
2. Learn from people playing the game at a higher level than you are, READ!
3. Surround yourself with positive, like minded individuals.
4. Be honest with yourself and ask yourself these questions – who can I reach out to that will help me accomplish my goals/dreams/mission? What thoughts or positive affirmations do I need to rehearse every day to elevate my attitude?

 

Stop being REactive and start being PROactive.

Be great, nothing else pays!

Original Article

How Successful People Stay Calm

The ability to manage your emotions and remain calm under pressure has a direct link to your performance. TalentSmart has conducted research with more than a million people, and we’ve found that 90 percent of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control.

If you follow our newsletter, you’ve read some startling research summaries that explore the havoc stress can wreak on one’s physical and mental health (such as the Yale study, which found that prolonged stress causes degeneration in the area of the brain responsible for self-control). The tricky thing about stress (and the anxiety that comes with it) is that it’s an absolutely necessary emotion. Our brains are wired such that it’s difficult to take action until we feel at least some level of this emotional state. In fact, performance peaks under the heightened activation that comes with moderate levels of stress. As long as the stress isn’t prolonged, it’s harmless.

Research from the University of California, Berkeley, reveals an upside to experiencing moderate levels of stress. But it also reinforces how important it is to keep stress under control. The study, led by post-doctoral fellow Elizabeth Kirby, found that the onset of stress entices the brain into growing new cells responsible for improved memory. However, this effect is only seen when stress is intermittent. As soon as the stress continues beyond a few moments into a prolonged state, it suppresses the brain’s ability to develop new cells.

“I think intermittent stressful events are probably what keeps the brain more alert, and you perform better when you are alert,” Kirby says. For animals, intermittent stress is the bulk of what they experience, in the form of physical threats in their immediate environment. Long ago, this was also the case for humans. As the human brain evolved and increased in complexity, we’ve developed the ability to worry and perseverate on events, which creates frequent experiences of prolonged stress.

Besides increasing your risk of heart disease, depression, and obesity, stress decreases your cognitive performance. Fortunately, though, unless a lion is chasing you, the bulk of your stress is subjective and under your control. Top performers have well-honed coping strategies that they employ under stressful circumstances. This lowers their stress levels regardless of what’s happening in their environment, ensuring that the stress they experience is intermittent and not prolonged.

While I’ve run across numerous effective strategies that successful people employ when faced with stress, what follows are ten of the best. Some of these strategies may seem obvious, but the real challenge lies in recognizing when you need to use them and having the wherewithal to actually do so in spite of your stress.

They Appreciate What They Have

Taking time to contemplate what you’re grateful for isn’t merely the “right” thing to do. It also improves your mood, because it reduces the stress hormone cortisol by 23%. Research conducted at the University of California, Davis found that people who worked daily to cultivate an attitude of gratitude experienced improved mood, energy, and physical well-being. It’s likely that lower levels of cortisol played a major role in this.

They Avoid Asking “What If?”

“What if?” statements throw fuel on the fire of stress and worry. Things can go in a million different directions, and the more time you spend worrying about the possibilities, the less time you’ll spend focusing on taking action that will calm you down and keep your stress under control. Calm people know that asking “what if? will only take them to a place they don’t want—or need—to go.

They Stay Positive

Positive thoughts help make stress intermittent by focusing your brain’s attention onto something that is completely stress-free. You have to give your wandering brain a little help by consciously selecting something positive to think about. Any positive thought will do to refocus your attention. When things are going well, and your mood is good, this is relatively easy. When things are going poorly, and your mind is flooded with negative thoughts, this can be a challenge. In these moments, think about your day and identify one positive thing that happened, no matter how small. If you can't think of something from the current day, reflect on the previous day or even the previous week. Or perhaps you’re looking forward to an exciting event that you can focus your attention on. The point here is that you must have something positive that you're ready to shift your attention to when your thoughts turn negative.

They Disconnect

Given the importance of keeping stress intermittent, it’s easy to see how taking regular time off the grid can help keep your stress under control. When you make yourself available to your work 24/7, you expose yourself to a constant barrage of stressors. Forcing yourself offline and even—gulp!—turning off your phone gives your body a break from a constant source of stress. Studies have shown that something as simple as an email break can lower stress levels.

Technology enables constant communication and the expectation that you should be available 24/7. It is extremely difficult to enjoy a stress-free moment outside of work when an email that will change your train of thought and get you thinking (read: stressing) about work can drop onto your phone at any moment. If detaching yourself from work-related communication on weekday evenings is too big a challenge, then how about the weekend? Choose blocks of time where you cut the cord and go offline. You’ll be amazed at how refreshing these breaks are and how they reduce stress by putting a mental recharge into your weekly schedule. If you’re worried about the negative repercussions of taking this step, first try doing it at times when you’re unlikely to be contacted—maybe Sunday morning. As you grow more comfortable with it, and as your coworkers begin to accept the time you spend offline, gradually expand the amount of time you spend away from technology.

They Limit Their Caffeine Intake

Drinking caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline. Adrenaline is the source of the “fight-or-flight” response, a survival mechanism that forces you to stand up and fight or run for the hills when faced with a threat. The fight-or-flight mechanism sidesteps rational thinking in favor of a faster response. This is great when a bear is chasing you, but not so great when you’re responding to a curt email. When caffeine puts your brain and body into this hyperaroused state of stress, your emotions overrun your behavior. The stress that caffeine creates is far from intermittent, as its long half-life ensures that it takes its sweet time working its way out of your body.

They Sleep

I’ve beaten this one to death over the years and can’t say enough about the importance of sleep to increasing your emotional intelligence and managing your stress levels. When you sleep, your brain literally recharges, shuffling through the day’s memories and storing or discarding them (which causes dreams), so that you wake up alert and clear-headed. Your self-control, attention, and memory are all reduced when you don’t get enough—or the right kind—of sleep. Sleep deprivation raises stress hormone levels on its own, even without a stressor present. Stressful projects often make you feel as if you have no time to sleep, but taking the time to get a decent night’s sleep is often the one thing keeping you from getting things under control.

They Squash Negative Self-Talk

A big step in managing stress involves stopping negative self-talk in its tracks. The more you ruminate on negative thoughts, the more power you give them. Most of our negative thoughts are just that—thoughts, not facts. When you find yourself believing the negative and pessimistic things your inner voice says, it's time to stop and write them down. Literally stop what you're doing and write down what you're thinking. Once you've taken a moment to slow down the negative momentum of your thoughts, you will be more rational and clear-headed in evaluating their veracity.

You can bet that your statements aren’t true any time you use words like “never,” “worst,” “ever,” etc. If your statements still look like facts once they’re on paper, take them to a friend or colleague you trust and see if he or she agrees with you. Then the truth will surely come out. When it feels like something always or never happens, this is just your brain’s natural threat tendency inflating the perceived frequency or severity of an event. Identifying and labeling your thoughts as thoughts by separating them from the facts will help you escape the cycle of negativity and move toward a positive new outlook.

They Reframe Their Perspective

Stress and worry are fueled by our own skewed perception of events. It’s easy to think that unrealistic deadlines, unforgiving bosses, and out-of-control traffic are the reasons we’re so stressed all the time. You can’t control your circumstances, but you can control how you respond to them. So before you spend too much time dwelling on something, take a minute to put the situation in perspective. If you aren’t sure when you need to do this, try looking for clues that your anxiety may not be proportional to the stressor. If you’re thinking in broad, sweeping statements such as “Everything is going wrong” or “Nothing will work out,” then you need to reframe the situation. A great way to correct this unproductive thought pattern is to list the specific things that actually are going wrong or not working out. Most likely you will come up with just some things—not everything—and the scope of these stressors will look much more limited than it initially appeared.

They Breathe

The easiest way to make stress intermittent lies in something that you have to do everyday anyway: breathing. The practice of being in the moment with your breathing will begin to train your brain to focus solely on the task at hand and get the stress monkey off your back. When you’re feeling stressed, take a couple of minutes to focus on your breathing. Close the door, put away all other distractions, and just sit in a chair and breathe. The goal is to spend the entire time focused only on your breathing, which will prevent your mind from wandering. Think about how it feels to breathe in and out. This sounds simple, but it’s hard to do for more than a minute or two. It’s all right if you get sidetracked by another thought; this is sure to happen at the beginning, and you just need to bring your focus back to your breathing. If staying focused on your breathing proves to be a real struggle, try counting each breath in and out until you get to 20, and then start again from 1. Don’t worry if you lose count; you can always just start over.

This task may seem too easy or even a little silly, but you’ll be surprised by how calm you feel afterward and how much easier it is to let go of distracting thoughts that otherwise seem to have lodged permanently inside your brain.

They Use Their Support System

It’s tempting, yet entirely ineffective, to attempt tackling everything by yourself. To be calm and productive, you need to recognize your weaknesses and ask for help when you need it. This means tapping into your support system when a situation is challenging enough for you to feel overwhelmed. Everyone has someone at work and/or outside work who is on their team, rooting for them, and ready to help them get the best from a difficult situation. Identify these individuals in your life and make an effort to seek their insight and assistance when you need it. Something as simple as talking about your worries will provide an outlet for your anxiety and stress and supply you with a new perspective on the situation. Most of the time, other people can see a solution that you can’t because they are not as emotionally invested in the situation. Asking for help will mitigate your stress and strengthen your relationships with those you rely upon. 

Read Original Article Here

The 3 Step Formula for Living In The Moment

Have you ever heard someone talking about how entrepreneurship can be a bit of an emotional roller coaster?

I have too, a lot. It seems that more and more often entrepreneurs are berated with this painful paradigm around the lifestyle that says it’s going be hard and it’s going be suffering, but it will all be worth it one day.

I have a bit of problem with the one day philosophy. The truth of the matter is one day is today. That special day you have been waiting for to let yourself feel good has come today. It was here yesterday as well and maybe you grasped it or maybe you didn’t, but today I am here to let you know that you made it. You made it to that day where you can be truly happy about where you are. That doesn’t mean you give up your ambition and goals for the future. It just means you’re finding joy today, right now, where you are. Allow yourself to feel into that.

How does it feel to know you made it?

I’m sure it’s incredibly freeing. It’s like an enormous pressure has been lifted off your shoulders. You’re still going to crush it in the business world going forward, but you’re going to do it from a place of freedom instead of anxiety.

If you were able to make that leap into truly feeling at peace with where you are right now over the past few paragraphs, then you may have felt a beautiful smile spread across your face. If you weren’t able to make that leap it’s probably because it’s much easier said than done.

Everyone always says “live in and enjoy the moment”, but how do we do this?

I’m about to show you how with my 3 step formula for living in the moment.

1. Identify what in your life that is stealing your present moment (causing you pain)

Most people make the mistake of ignoring or avoiding issues in their business or personal lives. That is the worst thing you can do, because even when you are not thinking about it you will still have it swirling around in your unconscious mind potentially sabotaging you.

Instead of avoiding the issue, identify exactly what it is that is bothering you.

2. Feel into the pain

Now that you have identified what it is that is stealing your present moment, feel into where that pain is located in your physical body and feel into it all the way. Imagine the worse case scenario plays out with this thing that is causing you anxiety.

Close your eyes and feel into this pain all the way until you feel like you just can’t take it anymore. When you get to that point the pain disappears and freedom takes it’s place.

It may take 10 seconds or 5 minutes, but eventually that feeling plays out and all that stored negative energy disappears. It’s damn near the most relieving feeling you’ll ever feel.

3. Create a new truth

Once you find this feeling of freedom replace your current state with one that empowers you. State to yourself an affirmation of truth. Something that is most likely the opposite of what it was that was stealing your present moment.

You can say something like “I am free” or “I am whole and complete” or “I am more than enough”. I’ll let you choose the exact wording, but have fun with it and choose the exact truth that feels right for you.

If this was a powerful tool for you then why not use it every time you have a hard time living in the moment?

You have the power now. Live it up!

I’ll leave you with a quote from the one and only Alan Watts about why it’s so important to develop the emotional fitness to live in the now.

“For unless one is able to fully live in the present, the future is a hoax. There is no point whatever in making plans for a future which you will never be able to enjoy.” –Alan Watts

Read The Original Version At Addicted2Success 

The Secrets to Spiritual Money Making: Interview w/ Dr. Joe Vitale (Part 2)

How to Attract More Money Now: Interview w/ Dr. Joe Vitale (Part 1)

How Caffeine Can Hurt Your Potential for Success

If you’re reading this in the morning, it’s likely you’re cradling a steaming cup of coffee in your hands. While putting in long hours at work causes many entrepreneurs to nurse the coffee pot, studies show caffeine has some serious side effects that can hinder your performance at work.

Push the cup of joe aside and decide whether you still want it when you finish reading this.

Interrupted sleep.

Caffeine can take a while to leave your system. If your first cup is at 8 a.m., 25 percent of caffeine will still be in your body at 8 pm. Any amount of caffeine left in your body will result in reduced REM sleep – the deep sleep your body needs to recharge. Research by Wayne State University published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine showed drinking coffee on the way home from work can impair sleep quality. Caffeine consumed six hours before bed reduced sleep by at least one hour.

Withdrawal symptoms.

Your afternoon slump may just be you coming off your caffeinated high. Research from Johns Hopkins Medical School suggests that energy jolt you get from your morning cup of coffee are the result of temporarily reversing symptoms of caffeine withdrawal. In fact, the researchers found caffeine-related performance improvements were non-existent without caffeine withdrawal, suggesting that cognitive performance decreases and mood worsens throughout the day when caffeine leaves the body and the only way to get back to feeling “normal” is to drink more caffeine.

Impair your objectivity in decision-making.

Caffeine triggers the release of adrenaline – a hormone which triggers a fast response. This fight-or-flight mechanism is great if you’re being chased by a bear, but not so great when you’re responding to a curt email from an angry customer. When adrenaline is released, your brain is put into a hyper-aroused state, causing you to circumvent rational thinking in favour of a fast response.

Difficult to work with.

Caffeine can remove your ability to manage your emotions and may make you more irritable and anxious. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University found that large doses of caffeine can raise your blood pressure, stimulate the heart, and produce rapid shallow breathing, which deprives the brain of the oxygen needed to keep your thinking calm and rational.

Stress.

If you find yourself stressed out all the time, your caffeine habit may be to blame. In a 2002 study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center, caffeine was shown to exaggerate stress levels in people who consume it every day. The effects of caffeine taken in the morning were shown to persist until bedtime and amplify stress consistently throughout the day.

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One Is Greater Than Zero

Rohn: A Good Life Contains These 6 Essentials

The values that make up the foundation of a life well lived—and, no surprise, money isn’t one of them Jim Rohn

The ultimate expression of life is not a paycheck. The ultimate expression of life is not a Mercedes. The ultimate expression of life is not a million dollars or a bank account or a home. The ultimate expression of life is living a good life.

Here's what we must ask constantly, "What, for me, would be a good life?" And you have to keep going over and over the list—a list including areas such as spirituality, economics, health, relationships and recreation.

So, what would constitute a good life? Jim Rohn has a short list:

1. Productivity. You won't be happy if you don't produce. The game of life is not rest. Yes, we must rest, but only long enough to gather strength to get back to productivity.

What's the reason for the seasons and the seeds, the soil and the sunshine, the rain and the miracle of life? It's to see what you can do with it—to try your hand to see what you can do.

2. Good friends. Friendship is probably the greatest support system in the world, so don't deny yourself the time to develop it. Nothing can match it. It's extraordinary in its benefit.

Friends are those wonderful people who know all about you and still like you. I lost one of my dearest friends when he was 53—heart attack. As one of my very special friends, I used to say that if I was stuck in a foreign jail somewhere accused unduly, and, if they would allow me one phone call, I would call David. Why? He would come and get me. That's a real friend—somebody who would come and get you.

And we've all got casual friends, friends who, if you called them, they would say, "Hey, if you get back, call me and we'll have a party."

You’ve got to have both real friends and casual friends.

3. Your culture. Language, music, ceremonies, traditions, dress. All of that is so vitally important that you must keep it alive. The uniqueness of all of us, when blended together, brings vitality, energy, power, influence, uniqueness of all of us, when blended together, brings vitality, energy, power, influence, uniqueness and rightness to the world.

4. Spirituality. It helps to form the foundation of the family that builds the nation. And make sure you study, practice and teach—don't be careless about the spiritual part of your nature because it's what makes us who we are, different from dogs, cats, birds and mice.

5. Don't miss anything. My parents taught me not to miss anything, not the game, the performance, the movie, the dance. Just before my father died at 93, if you were to call him at 10:30 or 11 at night, he wouldn't be home. He was at the rodeo, he was watching the kids play softball, he was listening to the concert, he was at church—he was somewhere every night.

Go to everything you possibly can. Buy a ticket to everything you possibly can. Go see everything and experience all you possibly can.

Live a vital life. If you live well, you will earn well. If you live well, it will show in your face; it will show in the texture of your voice. There will be something unique and magical about you if you live well. It will infuse not only your personal life but also your business life. And it will give you a vitality nothing else can give.

6. Your family and the inner circle. Invest in them, and they'll invest in you. Inspire them, and they'll inspire you. Take care of the details with your inner circle.

When my father was still alive, I used to call him when I traveled. He'd have breakfast most every morning with the farmers at a little place called The Decoy Inn out in the country where we lived in Southwest Idaho.

When I was in Israel, I'd have to get up in the middle of the night, but I'd call Papa. I'd say, "Papa, I'm in Israel." He'd say, "Israel! Son, how are things in Israel?" He'd talk real loud so everybody could hear. I'd say, "Papa, last night they gave me a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean." He'd say, "Son, a reception on the rooftop underneath the stars overlooking the Mediterranean?" Now everybody knew the story. And giving my father that special day only took five or 10 minutes.

If a father walks out of the house and he can still feel his daughter's kiss on his face all day, he's a powerful man. If a husband walks out of the house and he can still feel the imprint of his wife's arms around his body, he's invincible all day. It's the special stuff with your inner circle that makes you strong and powerful and influential. So don't miss that opportunity.

The prophet said, "There are many virtues and values, but here's the greatest: one person caring for another." There is no greater value than love.

So make sure in your busy day to remember the true purpose and the reasons you do what you do. May you truly live the kind of life that will bring the fruit and rewards that you desire.

- See more at Success Blog

Want to Be Successful? Quit Being So Positive.

“You might be tempted to avoid the messiness of daily living for the tranquility of stillness and peacefulness. This of course would be an attachment to stillness, and like any strong attachment, it leads to delusion. It arrests development and short-circuits the cultivation of wisdom.” 

- Jon Kabat-Zinn, Professor of Medicine Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Medical School, from the best-seller Wherever You Go, There You Are

What do you get when you combine positive psychology and strengths-based leadership? Deluded people who will never realize a fraction of their full potential. And if they happen to be entrepreneurs, there’s a very good chance they’ll fall flat on their faces and take their businesses down with them.

Truth is, any fad that teaches you to focus on one aspect of reality and ignore its opposite is likely to be destructive.

There is a natural balance to all things: life and death, good and bad, happiness and sadness, pleasure and pain. The very idea that you should focus on positives and ignore negatives, likewise with strengths versus weaknesses, is not only delusional; it’s a recipe for disaster.

Let me tell you a couple of stories to show how dealing with reality as openly and genuinely as possible is the path to success and happiness, while focusing only on the positives and strengths can destroy your career and your company.  

It’s no secret that Steve Jobs was forced out of Apple in 1984 because his management style had become toxic to the company. Much later, Jobs would come to realize that getting fired from the company he cofounded “was the best thing that could have ever happened” to him. He called it “awful-tasting medicine” that “the patient needed.”

He also likened it to life hitting him in the head with a brick.

That forced Jobs to look in the mirror and see the truth – that he wasn’t as capable or as strong a leader as he could be. And as he addressed the issues that stood in his way, the result was the founding of NeXT and Pixar, his eventual return to Apple, and the greatest turnaround in corporate history that built the most valuable company on Earth.

He also met the love of his life.

It’s sort of easy to miss the obvious connection staring us right in the face, that it wasn’t just Apple that had hit a wall, fallen on hard times, and found itself in need of a turnaround. The same was true of Jobs. And there was an undeniable connection between the two.

It’s also easy to miss the insightfulness of Jobs’ realization that none of his later achievements would have occurred if he hadn’t faced reality. That sort of introspection only comes from someone who’s had some sort of intervention and gone through gut-wrenching change as a result.

Not to compare myself with Jobs, but the truth is I’ve gotten a couple of those bricks to the head myself. I’ve been fired more than once and lost my wife early in our marriage. But in every case I looked in the mirror, faced what I saw, made some changes, and bounced back stronger than ever.

If I’d just tried to stay positive, focused on my strengths, and searched for the silver lining in the clouds, I never would have figured out what was wrong and become a better person, a better husband, and a better leader. I never would have achieved so much in my career or won my wife back. (We recently celebrated our 25th anniversary.)

If only those two success stories were the norm. I’ve known dozens of CEOs, founders, and business owners who were never willing to upset the apple-cart of their fragile egos. They instead chose to focus on the positives and lived in denial. As a result, they never achieved self-awareness and self-destructed along with their companies. 

Not only are none of us perfect, we all have significant issues that stand in the way of achieving our full potential. Besides, life is full of challenges and pitfalls. That goes for your personal life and your business life. And if you’re an entrepreneur, the life of your company will tend to mirror your own.

While life is full of ups and downs, one thing is certain: If you attempt to filter your consciousness and disallow negative thoughts or make believe the weaknesses holding you back don’t exist, you’ll never get past those hurdles and get to the next stage in your personal and professional development. And neither will your business.

Master Your Mindset To Achieve Your Goals

Being a People Pleaser is a Strength, Not a Weakness

“I’m a people pleaser” is not something you expect for someone to say with much pride.

Am I wrong? When you think, “He’s a people pleaser”, what kind of person do you think I’m talking about? A push over? Someone who is too eager?

The truth is, many people see a desire to please people as a weakness. But I don’t see it that way at all. It’s time to start thinking about it as a strength.

We’ve been told by society that it is a negative trait, that it’s a flaw. It’s been perceived that way and reinforced for so long that it’ll take a long time to change that perception. But I truly believe that it can be one of your greatest strengths.

What is wrong with wanting to give? Being positive? Making sure everyone around you is happy? To me, these sound like the furthest things from a “weakness” and it blows my mind why people would want to label it as such. However, it can become a problem, but not in any of the ways I just listed.

When does it become a problem?

When you don’t know how to ask for something in return.

You can give give give all you want, but if you never step up and ask for something back, you’re not going to win. Life is about making connections, finding opportunities, and working hard. When you give someone something they need, when you make a dream a reality for them, they, in a sense, owe you. And they will be much more willing to do something for you because of it. It’s a give and receive scenario, and it’s as old as time. But you have to ask. Nothing will ever happen if you don’t just step up and ask.

So stop trying to overcome the people pleasing part of yourself. You don’t want to, and you shouldn’t let people tell you otherwise. Truly wanting to be able to make others happy is a tremendous personality trait. But you can’t forget to look out for yourself. Be vocal about what you need. You can’t forget your right hooks with your jabs.

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10 Behaviors of Genuine People

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Whether you’re building a business, a network, or friendships, you always want to look for people who are genuine. After all, nobody wants to work or hang out with a phony. On the flipside, that goes for you, as well. Bet you never considered that. 

In case you're wondering, genuine means actual, real, sincere, honest. Genuine people are more or less the same on the inside as their behavior is on the outside. Unfortunately, it's a tough quality to discern. The problem is that all human interactions are relative. They’re all a function of how we perceive each other through our own subjective lenses. 

Being genuine is also a rare quality. In a world full of phony fads, media hype, virtual personas, positive thinkers, and personal brands – where everyone wants what they don’t have, nobody’s content to be who they are, and, more importantly, nobody’s willing to admit to any of that – it’s becoming more and more rare all the time.  

To help you identify this rare breed -- in yourself, as well -- this is how genuine people behave. 

They don’t seek attention. They don’t need constant reinforcement of their own ego. Where attention seekers have a hole that constantly needs to be filled, genuine people are already filled with self-confidence and self-awareness.

They’re not concerned with being liked. The need to be liked is born of insecurity and narcissism. It creates a need to manipulate your own and other’s emotions. Confident and authentic people are simply themselves. If you like them, fine. If not, that’s fine, too.

They can tell when others are full of it. Perhaps naïve folks can be easily fooled, but genuine people are not naïve. They’re grounded in reality and that gives them a baseline from which they can tell when things don’t add up. There’s a big difference. 

They are comfortable in their own skin. In his late 70s, actor Leonard Nimoy said he was closer than ever to being as comfortable with himself as Spock appeared to be. Most of us struggle with that. As Henry David Thoreau observed, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.”

They do what they say and say what they mean. They don’t tend to overreach or exaggerate. They meet their commitments. And they don’t parse their words or sugarcoat the truth. If you need to hear it, they’ll tell you … even if it’s tough for them to say and for you to hear.

They don’t need a lot of stuff. When you’re comfortable with whom you are, you don’t need a lot of external stuff to be happy. You know where to find happiness – inside yourself, your loved ones, and your work. You find happiness in the simple things.

They’re not thin-skinned. They don’t take themselves too seriously so they don’t take offense when none is intended.

They’re not overly modest or boastful. Since they’re confident of their strengths, they don’t need to brag about them. Likewise, they don’t exhibit false modesty. Humility is a positive trait but it’s even better to just be straightforward.

They’re consistent. You might describe genuine people as being weighty, solid, or substantial. Since they know themselves well and are in touch with their genuine emotions, they’re more or less predictable ... in a good way.  

They practice what they preach. They’re not likely to advise people to do something they wouldn’t do themselves. After all, genuine people know they’re no better than anyone else so it’s not in their nature to be self-righteous.  

All those seemingly different behaviors have the same thing at their core: self-awareness that’s consistent with reality. Genuine people see themselves as others would if they were objective observers. There’s not a lot of processing, manipulating, or controlling going on between what’s in their head and what people see and hear.

Once you get to know them, genuine people turn out to be more or less consistent with the way they initially hold themselves out to be. What you see is what you get. It's sad that, in today's world, such a positive quality is at risk of becoming endangered. Not only is it harder to find in others, it's becoming harder to be genuine ourselves. 

Read The Original Article At Entreprueneur