How to Develop a Successful Mindset

Success is mostly achieved in your mind first. Develop a successful mindset with these tips.

Scientists, theologians, coaches, philosophers and winning people from around the world agree, the key to success is contained inside you. Your thoughts are your biggest limitation or your strongest asset. Here are five steps to gain control over your life and career and develop a successful mindset.

Recognize your negative thoughts.

Every day negative thoughts sneak into our internal language. We say or think things like, “This is a bad day,” or “I’m not being very productive,” or even, “I’m terrible at _________.” These negative thoughts permeate our life and have a strong influence on what we believe deep down. When we say things like, “I’m terrible at saving money,” it becomes true.

The first step to eliminating negative thoughts is to recognize them. Whenever you have a negative or limiting thought try to pause and reflect on it. Ask questions like:

* Do I really believe this?

* Why am I having this thought?

* Is this a common thought for me?

By stepping back and taking a look at your negative thoughts, you begin to take away their power. It takes practice and patience to recognize them however as you begin to watch your thoughts, you’ll become better at catching those negative thoughts before they happen.

Practice positive affirmations.

Another practice which fills your mind, heart and spirit with positive thoughts and helps to eliminate the negative ones are positive affirmations. Affirmations can be created to help you through anything. If for example, you found yourself thinking you are terrible at saving money then a positive affirmation to eliminate that limiting belief might be “I love to save money and am so grateful for the savings I am building.” Or “I am masterful with money.”

An affirmation practice can be approached in two ways. Many people prefer to recite the affirmation in the morning and throughout the day, making it a practice. While others prefer to use affirmations as a counterbalance to negative thoughts. Thus when they feel themselves thinking negative thoughts about money, for example, they would recite their positive money affirmation.

Listen to an interview conducted by popular speaker Tony Robbins on the subject of the successful mindset. Tony takes it a step farther into conditioning your mind to see it first, and then follow through. If your "why" is big enough you'll overcome fear and be successful at what ever your task or the undertaking you attempt to execute.

Be grateful.

Gratitude may very well be the most positive success tactic available. It’s amazing the calm and peace which comes over you when you feel truly grateful for what you have. When you embrace a practice of gratitude the feeling of “I’ll be happy when I’m _________” or “I’ll be successful when I’m _________” goes away and you’re allowed to be happy and feel successful right now, today. Now that doesn’t mean you can’t or shouldn’t have goals. Gratitude simply makes it possible to focus on those goals as goals and not needs.

Practicing gratitude can take many forms. Some people find great power in the daily ritual of a gratitude journal. This idea works because it makes recognizing all that you have a daily practice. However, others prefer to tic off what they’re grateful for in their head or to simply recognize all they have on an ongoing basis. Try a gratitude journal and see how it changes your life.

Recognize myths.

There are many people who believe success is a combination of luck and hard work. Or who believe that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. What myths about money and success did you grow up with? What myths do you still hold onto, either consciously or unconsciously?

Spend some time exploring your success myths. Ask yourself what do you believe, why do you believe it and is it really true? You may find that much of what you hold onto as true, you don’t really believe, they’re just things you picked up as you grew and for one reason or another stuck with you. If you’re able to let go of these myths and embrace new beliefs, empowering beliefs about money and success, you will be one step closer to the success you desire. Which brings us to the final step in developing a success mindset – how do you define success?

Define success for yourself.

Often when we are asked to define success, we look at those around us who we consider to be successful. Maybe it’s the person down the street with the million dollar home, two new cars in the driveway and a houseful of beautiful well mannered children or maybe it’s the person who owns their own real estate business and is always smiling and wears the best suits.

Additionally, if you pay close attention, we often define success in material forms. “Success is having_________.” And we compare what we have to what others have to determine whether or not we feel successful. Spend some time analyzing your definition for success. Where did it come from? Who do you consider to be successful and why? Then take a look at what you want for your life separate from what others have. You may find that you already fit your personal definition of success.

Having a successful mindset is not only the key to being successful it is the key to joy and living your best life. Embrace these steps, be patient with yourself they’re not easy, and live the successful life you were destined to live.

http://www.legitimate-work-from-home-business.org/successful-mindset.html 

17 Counterintuitive Things the Most Successful People Do

You’re always going to get the same results, doing what everyone else does.  Sometimes you have to know when to zig where others zag.  These are some of the counterintuitive lessons I’ve learned and applied from the most successful folks I’ve met. 

Pick Fights – to test others’ resolve in their own beliefs.  In business you can’t turn over the reins to someone who doesn’t know how to defend their own ideas and plans.

Isolate Yourself – to reenergize.  Many seemingly extroverts are introverts.  If you recharge when by yourself, you need to seek out isolation from time to time.

Purposefully Offend – sometimes the only way to get someone’s attention is to call him or her out.  But, you can always positively turn the relationship around with persistence and some mea culpa.  Tech entrepreneur Jason Calacanis is a master of this.

Hyper Self-Critical – of your own standards and choices.  I once watched George Carlin berate himself on stage, in a rehearsal standup performance, for missing the timing of one of his jokes by a few seconds.  He nailed the follow-up HBO special.

Peacock – don’t give others the option not to see you or hear your message.  The pick-up lesson from “The Game” applies to business as well.  Nobody buys a product they’ve never seen.  (TIP: more of my thoughts on marketing and publicity).

Repeat Mistakes – enough times until you really learn the lesson.  Sometimes, mistakes do need to be repeated if the payoff is big enough.  We hardly ever learn anything truly worthwhile after one try.

Seek Out Rejection – to get desensitized to the fear of it.   Once we lose the fear of rejection we more easily go after what we want, and thus get more of it.  (TIP: more details in the 5 Steps Sales Process)

Ignore Consensus – when your own data and foresight is convincingly contrary to the wisdom of the crowd (like Jobs, MLK, Gandhi).  Consensus bonds us together and creates harmony, but it rarely moves us forward.  Progress sometimes has to come at the hands of an individual’s decisive disruption.

Expect Nothing – in return for helping your peers. Karma points are dispersed unexpectedly over decades, not in a scorecard of dollars.

Quit – those endeavors you’ll never win at, and take a new swing at the plate.  Don’t double down on a losing effort by not knowing when to walk away.   (TIP: watch How to Make the Right Business Decisions)

Play Possum – with your competitors.  Don’t be so eager to show off your strengths until it’s the perfect time to strike.   If rope-a-dope worked for The Champ, it will for you too.

Get C’s instead of A’s – if you excel in non-traditional environments (like entrepreneurs) & can justify the opportunity cost of your time.  Oddly enough, more of the C students I went to school with, employ our A student classmates, than vice versa.  (TIP: I explain this point in more detail in video here)

Become Indifferent to Slights – because time and energy are too valuable to waste on petty matters.  Attention being paid to wounds of our ego is precious energy diverted from achieving our goals.  You can win the argument, or win the game.  I know what I’d choose.

Self-Sabotage – yourself when you find yourself mired in complacency.  Don’t ever get too comfortable with the status quo, always be willing to blow it up and start all over again to truly create something better.

Abstain from Work – which others can do for you.  Delegate every task that others can do 80% as well as you, and focus on those items that only you can achieve that have big payoffs.   (TIP: focus on The One Most Important Thing)

Plot & Scheme – your next couple moves ahead.  If you don’t see the whole landscape of the playing field, you’re bound to get sideswiped.  Know where you’re going far in advance of making your first move.

Underestimate Demand – for your products and services.  Don’t ever assume people want what you got, and you’ll always have the appropriate amount of urgency and hustle to validate what you’re trying to achieve.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar/2013/03/19/17-counterintuitive-things-the-most-successful-people-do/ 

Anthony Robbins: What you must do to Motivate NOW

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_robbins