People who live lives of excellence, on the other hand, make excellent choices (I’m not saying they don’t experience setbacks – I’m saying they approach their day differently).

Imagine with me for a moment: what if there was a way to Ignite the Success Forces within you? Would you practice it?

If we knew something about the difference between those who live in mediocrity and those who live, move and breathe in excellence, do you think that could help us to have more success in our lives?

You bet it could.

So, then: How Do We Ignite the Success Forces Within Us?

The answer may seem somewhat hidden, but I assure you: it is not hidden to men and women of success and achievement.

If you want to have real success in your life, then you absolutely MUST move from moment to moment with a SENSE OF URGENCY.

Have you ever seen a boxer accidently bump heads with his opponent and get a cut over his eye?

I have. And let me tell you: once he gets that cut under his eye, he starts moving with a sense of urgency…big time.

Why? Because he knows the referee can now stop the fight at any moment.

You need to start attacking each hour and minute of the day with the same sense of urgency.

If you never made time for your personal vision, or never followed through on your goals to get in shape and lose weight, and I came along one day and put a gun to your head and said I’ll pull the trigger if you didn’t get your things accomplished in the next 4 hours, do you think that would motivate you and make a difference?

Some of you may say no it wouldn’t…but I’m guessing most people would agree that they’d move with a greater sense of urgency.

It is this type of self-motivation that will move you further and faster than you ever did before in your life.

Approach your day in this way and in no time you’ll begin to see a new person staring back at you in the mirror.

Living in a state of urgency tells the mind that you are going to be relentless until you meet with success.

Urgency provides immediate focus to the tasks that must be done. Before you know it, momentum builds and carries you towards achievement.

Waking up at 5:00 am each morning to some would be unimaginable; to me it is my way of preparing to be an effective dad, mentor and business owner.

With urgency, you perform at a higher level of accomplishment.

It becomes unacceptable for you not to.

Urgency creates a reality that anything is possible or attainable and this is where your creative imagination will uncover a way to make it happen.

Approach your day, your business and yourself as though
your life depended on it.

Because it does!

Only you can decide what you would be willing to do.

Decide today and then act on it with urgency. Success will follow.

Well, for those of us who don’t have a drawer full, here are 4 simple strategies that will help you build confidence.

1. Accentuate the positive.

Be your own best friend. What do you tell a friend who’s tried something new, whether or not it turned out well? At least you tried something new- good for you!

Accentuate the effort it took in doing something, rather than the final outcome. (You’d do it for your best friend, wouldn’t you?) We all have limitations. The key is to accept that you have them without dwelling on them.

2. Don’t be afraid to take some risks.

When you are about to embark on a new experience, do you spend your time worrying so much about the outcome you aren’t enjoying the moment? If you look at new things in your life as a chance to learn something, it opens up the possibility of you becoming good at that something.

If you spend your time dreading the outcome, you’ll turn any opportunity there might have been into a failure. What’s more, we can’t grow when we are frozen with fear. Don’t set yourself up to fail. If you do, look at number one, again!

3. Use self-talk to keep assumptions away.

We all use self-talk. The key is to use it in a way that we don’t form bad thoughts that can lead to permanent doubts. Catch yourself using negative self-talk and cancel it with something positive and not based on assumptions!

Build confidence by not expecting perfection from yourself at all times. You can only do your very best at something. Nobody can do everything perfectly, so why do you assume that you should be able to?

4. Learn to rely on your self-evaluation.

If you always rely on the opinion of others, you’ll always be wondering what they think! That does nothing to build confidence – it tears it down, by giving away your personal power to others.

Focus on the real you, inside, to find out how you feel about your own actions, how you’ve been doing your job, etc. You’ll be developing a strong sense of who you are.

It’s important to remember that no one can be self-confident all of the time. In fact, you’ll build confidence faster and easier once your realize that.

Most people with low self-esteem or who lack in confidence are that way because of unrealistic expectations. They expect more from themselves than they do others.

A person with low self-esteem will think nothing about calling him or herself a ‘stupid idiot.’ They wouldn’t dream of saying that to someone else. To build confidence it’s a good idea to be your own best friend.

You have brought books, CDs, tapes, searched the internet, and maybe even attended seminars, but yet you find that you fall short of your desire or you don’t even come one step closer to what you set out to achieve. You may ask yourself “Why do I keep failing? Am I supposed to just remain who I am today?”

Do not lose hope and sight of your goal. If you have obtained personal development resources before, you have a desire to improve. You have a desire to be intimate in your relationships. You have a desire to look your best. You have a desire to free yourself from debt.

Here is a fantastic analogy to help you see the problem. By not defining the problem correctly you can not provide a correct solution, leaving you to wonder your whole life about “what could have been”. Think of the books you read, the cds you listen to, the seminars you attend, as a spark. This spark has an extremely powerful potential. It has the potential to ignite and create fire. Can you see the relation between the spark and the resources you read and listen to? These personal development guides create an internal spark in you. They pump you up guiding you towards your goal’s correct path.

However, it doesn’t take long until you find yourself not moving forward on the path toward your goal, or that you have totally moved off the path. You may have even lost ground by feeling so beaten up after failing you enter into a state of depression and fear. What you need is to turn the spark gained from the personal development resources into a roaring fire. A fire so dominant and independent that it will continue to burn and not require outside help in keeping it that way. To see what can fuel that spark into a fire, ask yourself, “this internal desire I have to improve, where is it coming from?” Are you sick of arguing with your partner or friends and you want to have more intimate relationships? Is it that you’re tired of worrying about being able to put food on the table, provide clothing, and shelter? Are you embarrassed by how those additional pounds make you look?

Now that it is apparent as to why you want to improve, make it a strong fear. Using the financial example: you are struggling to create and provide the necessities. Create the fear that one day you will be unable to provide, or that for once in your life you want to give without worrying about the financial burden. This is your fear. This is your fuel for the spark to ignite it into a roaring fire and keeping it burning strongly.

So the next time you feel you do not have what it takes to achieve that elusive goal, recall the fear of what could be. Pull out that fear and use it to propel yourself forward. By asking yourself “what could be”, you will avoid yourself saying later “what could have been”.

You will always learn from mistakes.  When you see them clearly as a test, examine the results, and study them closely for the reason why they went wrong.

Whether it is a lesson plan, trying mantras, Hot Yoga, Gentle Yoga, a pro shop, or trying anything new, it is better to make mistakes than do nothing at all.

Some of the most successful Yoga teachers, I know, deal with mistakes as part of the learning curve. They turn all of their defeats into learning experiences. This is extremely powerful when you consider the cost of learning anything of value.

After all, what did you spend on your education, so far? Did you think you would stop learning at a certain point in life? Did you learn from your past mistakes? Of course you did, and now you are stronger due to the corrective adjustments, you have made.

When a child learns to ride a bicycle, there are plenty of falls along the way, and then the falling stops. However, even skilled adults fall off bicycles, sometimes.

So, don’t take past failures personally. Put them behind you and learn from each one.

Henry Ford and the Wright Brothers had failures, but nobody seems to remember that. Just like them, you are not a failure, but you may have failed in the past, just like they did. When you get down on yourself, look back at what you have accomplished.

When you take on your next project, do the research first, assemble a team, make a full commitment to succeed, and never mentally quit before you start.

Lastly, whenever it is possible, learn from the mistakes of others. This is why Yoga businesses approach me for consulting services: To save money by avoiding known mistakes, pitfalls, and traps.

So what is important? Enough, not more.

“Think of what you have rather than of what you lack. Of the things you have, select the best and then reflect how eagerly you would have sought them if you did not have them.” – Marcus Aurelius (121-180)

There is, here and now, much to appreciate. There is life itself with friends, family, and everything that is naturally before us. We just have to look around and take it in. Perhaps it is time to make a list of all the good things we have to grateful for.

Are there people in your life that you would miss dearly if they were not here? When you go for a walk don’t you see, hear, and smell, many things to appreciate and feel nice about? Like the flowers, trees, birds, and the clouds in the sky. A caterpillar crossing the sidewalk or your neighbor waving. A cute pup or child enthusiastically enjoying that moment in life.

“Whether in favor or in humiliation, be not dismayed. Let your eyes leisurely look at the flowers blooming and falling in your courtyard. Whether you leave or retain your position, take no care. Let your mind wander with the clouds folding and unfolding beyond the horizon.” – Hung Tzu-ch’eng (1593-1665)

It just makes good sense to be satisfied and at peace with yourself and others, and to enjoy life now.

Should I really change?
Asking yourself this will help you decide if you are already doing something that you do well and enjoy.  Maybe you just aren’t concentrating on an area of your life that you’d like to see grow.

What’s the bright side in all of this?
With so much is happening around us there seem to be no room for even considering that light at the end of the tunnel. And if it’s a train at the end of the tunnel, take it for a ride and see what makes the world go round!

Am I comfortable with what I’m doing?
There’s always the simple way and the correct way when it comes to deciding what goes with which shoes, or purse, shirt and whatnot. It doesn’t take a whiz kid to perceive yourself as someone exceptional.

Have I done enough for myself?
Unhappiness in each phase can be hazardous in huge doses, but in tiny amounts you’ll be able to see and do stuff you could never imagine doing.

Am I happy at where I am today?
If the answer is yes, then grab onto this and become the best you can be.

How much could I have?
I assume in this case there is no such thing as having too much or too little, but it’s more on how much you actually require it.

What motivates me?
What motivates you? It’s an answer you have to discover for yourself. There are so many things that can make everybody content, but to decide on one may be the hardest part.

There are no guarantees. This is one of the most essential things you must understand about life. Nobody alleged that choosing to do the right thing all the time would always lead you to happiness. Loving someone with all your heart does not guarantee that it will be returned. Gaining fame and fortune does not guarantee happiness.  There are many potential outcomes, which you cannot control. The only thing you have power over is the decisions that you will make, and how you react to different situations. 

Had you known that you were making an erroneous decision, would you have gone along with it? Definitely not, why would you choose a particular path when you know it would get you lost? However, think about results that occurred because you did make that decision?  Was there something good that came from it?  Did you learn a lesson?

You can’t allow indecision about whether your choice is right or wrong cause you to be immobile.  You need to keep moving along your life’s road and sometimes that means having blind faith in yourself and your decision-making. If you have taken the time to know yourself and what you want from life, you can better your chances of making correct decisions, even when there are unknowns involved.

Life can be an exciting, albeit, bumpy at times, ride.  Don’t let indecision find you sitting on the curb and watching everyone pass you buy.  Risk it, take that chance, and you will not regret that you did.

*The physical part involves having a healthy body, less stress and more energy

*The intellectual part involves learning and other mental growth actions.

*The social part involves developing personal relations and being an active contributor to society.

*The career part involves school and work.

*The emotional part involves suitable feelings and desires and manifesting them.

*The spiritual part involves a personal search for meaning in your life.

Each area contributes to create the whole you. If you are ignoring one area then you are ignoring an essential piece of yourself.

A grand method of learning time management and improving your personal life is to follow a number of basic actions.

*Always settle on which task is essential and which are not necessary in achieving your goals and which activities are helping you preserve a balanced life style.

*Learn to say “No”. You in reality see this advice often. Pay attention to it even if it involves saying the word to family or friends.

*Pat yourself at the back or just reward yourself in any manner for an effective time management result.

*Try and get the cooperation from people around you who are actually benefiting from your efforts of time management.

*Don’t procrastinate. Attend to necessary things immediately.

*Have a positive attitude and set yourself up for success. But be realistic in your approach in achieving your goals.

From the moment you integrate into your lifetime management skills, you have opened several options that can provide a broad spectrum of solutions to your personal growth. It also creates more doors for opportunities to knock on.

Follow the beat of your own drum. Allowing for the suggestions of others will only bring disharmony to the music you are trying to create. If you have an unique idea, don’t squander your time and effort trying to make people appreciate. The help you will in all probability come in the form of negative feedback. If all those geniuses listened to their peers, we would probably still be living in the Middle Ages.

Exercise. Take a walk. Run a mile or two. Send all those endorphins coursing through your veins. Exercising certainly clears and relaxes your mind and allows for anything to pop up.

Record your dreams. Those dreams may just create a creative spark in you. Many a book started just this way.

Discover your own style. People will welcome your originality more because it is uniquely yours. Being unique will allow people to see how important an asset you are.

Don’t hide behind fancy gadgets or tools. The true artist in fact reduces the number of tools he has, as he gets better at his craft: he knows what works and what don’t and only uses the few perfect tools.

Nothing will work without passion. What wakes you up in the mornings? What keeps the flame burning? What is the one thing that you’ll die if you don’t do? Sometimes you just want something so bad you become a virtual unstoppable. And that is passion. Passion will keep you going.

You can’t force inspiration hits when you least expect it to, for those unpredictable yet inevitable moments you should prepare..

* Know your values
What do you value most? Is it love, family, freedom?  Knowing exactly what is important to you will reassure you in times of doubt.

*Know your needs
Do you have a need to be acknowledged, to be correct, to be in control, to be loved? There are so many people who lived their lives without realizing their dreams and most of them end up being stressed or even depressed.

*Know your passions
What gets your blood flowing?  What makes you angry?  Determined?  Knowing what fuels your emotions will help you know what you need to do.

*Know your inner being
Increase your awareness of your inner wisdom by regularly reflecting in silence. Breathe deeply to quiet your distracted mind. Don’t shun silence and alone time. Relish it. It is during these moments that your true self makes an appearance.

*Know your strengths
What are your positive traits? What special talents do you have? You can increase your self-confidence when you can share what you know to others.

*Give freely
When you are true to yourself, living your purpose and giving of your talents to the world around you, you give back in service what you came to share with others -your spirit – your essence.

They say “To thine own self be true.”  This is one of the truest statements ever made.  Know yourself and be the you you were born to be.