Formula For Success

Today I’d like to share with you New York Times best-selling author Jeffrey Gitomer’s formula for success.

I love this. It is extremely simple but very true. 

If you were to take a look at the things that you have been successful at in your life I bet you would find that all these elements had been present.

1. Find something to do, that you believe in, and that you love.
2. Dedicate the time that it takes to become a world-class expert at it.
3. You have to believe in yourself, and let no one else around you shake that belief. 
4. You have to wake up every morning with an attitude of YES!, and have it be strong enough to shake off the NOs.

And, if you have all of those elements…

     5. You must then be willing to work hard. Not just “do whatever it takes,” but actually see the vision of completion and fulfillment, and work hard towards that with all your heart, every day. 

SUCCESS FORMULA RECAP: If you love it, if you believe in it, if you believe in yourself, and you're willing to work your butt off, you can march to success, doing it YOUR way.”

The first step of course is finding that thing that you are passionate about. Discovering our “burning desire” as Napoleon Hill identifies in Think and Grow Rich.

Take a few minutes today to think about whether you are passionate about what you are doing. If not is it time for a direction change? Is there something you could do to ignite the passion? Have you lost touch with your original purpose?

I know for certain that when you are doing something that you love…..hard work no longer feels like hard work!

www.JoAustin.com  ~ Inspiring Others to Love Life

The 45 Lessons Life Taught Me

I came across these fabulous words of advice this week written by a 90 year old.

(Thanks to my dear friend Hilary for sharing them.)

I think that each of us will be able to identify with them ... the trick of course is to remember them!

I recommend that you copy them and read them a least once a month.

Written  by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer,  Cleveland , Ohio .

"To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most  requested column I've ever written.

My odometer  rolled over to 90 in August, so here is the column once  more:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still  good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short - enjoy it..

4.  Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your  friends and family  will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10.  When it comes to chocolate, resistance is  futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't  screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all  about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it..

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye But don't worry; God never  blinks.

16.  Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

17. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in  many ways.

18. Whatever doesn't kill you really  does make you stronger.

19. It's never too late to be happy. But it's all up to you and no one  else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21.  Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy  lingerie. Don't  save  it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22.  Over prepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be  eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear  purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness  but you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with  these words 'In five years, will  this  matter?'

27. Always choose life.

28.  Forgive but don't forget.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31.  However good or bad a situation is, it will  change.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No  one else does..

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God  is, not because of anything you did or didn't  do.

35. Don't audit life. Show up and make the  most of it now.

36. Growing old beats the  alternative -- dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood.

38. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone  else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

42. The best is yet to come...

43. No matter how you  feel, get up, dress up and show up.

44.  Yield.

45. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's  still a gift."

www.JoAustin.com  ~ Inspiring Others to Love Life 

Consciously Creating Your Future

Success requires us to make conscious decisions that will move us closer to our goals. 

I came across this fabulous article by Deepak Chopra which explains this beautifully and am delighted to be able to share it with you.

Do you have any long term goals that you can start working on by using these principles?

Can you identify the short-term desires that have been stopping you move forward?

I look forward to reading your shares!

In everyone's life short-term desires compete with long-term desires, and whoever finds the right balance will reap the greatest success.  If you focus too much on short-term gratification, the following things become too important: eating, drinking, running errands, keeping everything neat and tidy, micro-managing others, perfectionism, gossip, and trivial distractions.  Experts in time management point out that all of these are inefficient and wasteful, which is certainly true. 

But the larger point is that none of these activities challenges your mind. They require a short attention span, and in place of long-term gratification, you are settling for tiny hits of pleasure.  A stream of short-term gratification is like eating a candy bar every half hour instead of cooking and enjoying a banquet.

Long-term desires are emotionally more mature, because they delay gratification in the service of a bigger reward.  People realize this, which is why they plan for their retirement. Years of hard work lead to a payoff down the road. But too often those years are not gratifying. They are more like putting in your time at the salt mines. The trick is to derive the right kind of short-term fulfillment.  The right kind isn't hard to define. It consists of what you do today to make next year better.

Think of it like writing a book. If you write a page every day, your manuscript will be done next year. A page doesn't sound like much, but the catch is that it must fit into the final product. Ernest Hemingway set himself a daily goal of half a page only.  If you can do anything today that consciously goes toward fulfilling a long-range vision, plan, project, or mission, you will become the Hemingway of your own life.

Here are some suggestions:

1. Set down a single vision, project, or mission.

2. Set time aside to work on it every day.

3. Work consists of doing research, making connections, investigating your target audience or market, learning from projects similar to yours, challenging your assumptions, writing a proposal, seeking a mentor, partner, or confidant to bounce your ideas off, and raising capital if needed.

4. Set interim deadlines that you can reasonably meet every month.

5. Be adaptable about changing your project as it unfolds.

Each of these steps should be interesting and, one hopes, exciting to you.  Consciousness expands whenever a person feels creative, passionate, and joyful.  If you don't have these qualities, you won’t wake up every morning eager to fulfill your long-range goal.  The value of following the five steps I've suggested is that you become action oriented; your goal doesn't drift or become an empty dream.  

To your success

Jo

www.JoAustin.com  ~ Inspiring Others to Love Life 

Learn How to Be a Super Hero in Your Child’s Eyes!

It doesn’t take a lycra body suit and flowing cape to be an Inspiration.     

Holding your newly born child for the very first time is a truly magical moment.

As I gently uncurled the tiny little fingers it dawned on me that for many years I was going to be one of the most important people in this little person’s life. They would be dependent on me for food, shelter and of course love. These I was ready to give in un-boundless quantities…..and I did.

What I hadn’t realised was how big an influence I would be in the way they think, the way they behave and ultimately the person they become.

My desire to be the very best Mum ever had always been my goal. My own Mum had worked as I grew up and I hated that she wasn’t there for sports days, assemblies or for us to have friends come to play after school.

I was determined that I would be a stay at home Mum and not miss a single important event in my children’s lives as they grew up. Fortunately I was able to do this and I will forever be grateful.

But over time I found that I had lost myself completely in the role of motherhood and I was no longer a fun, spontaneous person. The day I answered “Mummy” to the question “Title” on a credit card application was the day I understood that something had to change.

And change it did. I am now proud to introduce myself as Jo Austin, mother of 4 delightful children and a successful business woman.

Embracing an online business opportunity I’ve been an Entrepreneur working from home for 3 years now. During that time I have not only learnt how to run a very lucrative business but have also enjoyed massive personal growth. Through using our Personal Development program I have discovered a ME that I didn’t know existed….a ME that I love.

• I am full of self confidence.
• I have a real sense of where I am heading and what I want to achieve in life.
• I have enormous goals and understand the actions required to reach them.
• And I have a positive attitude that enables me to enjoy life and have fun.

Considering I was someone who would walk back out of a cake shop without buying anything because there was too much to choose from I think I’ve come a very long way!

But what I really love. What truly makes my heart sing … is that I know I am now a far better role model for my children.

My desire to be the perfect Mum had actually been dis-empowering them because I felt I had to do EVERYTHING for them. My lack of self belief and personal self worth meant that I couldn’t teach them how to make strong decisions. My lack of direction resulted in a lack of motivation and consequently meant I was being a negative influence in their lives.

These days our household is much more positive, communication is calmer and we have lots more fun once again. By teaching my children some of the principles in our Personal Development program I have seen an improvement in their school work, in their friendship choices and in their contribution to the family.

I absolutely love what I do because I now get the best of both worlds; I am still a hand’s on Mum and I am also a confident business woman assisting others to improve their lives.

No I don’t wear a lycra body suit!  But I know for a fact that I am now a huge inspiration to my children and I’d be proud to write “Super Mum” as a title.

Contact me today if you would like more information on either our Award Winning Personal Development program or the opportunity to Work from Home.

“The greatest Gift you can give your Child is a Positive Mental Attitude!”

www.JoAustin.com/parents.html  ~ Inspiring Others to Love Life