How to Make Reading Part of Your Daily Routine

8 ways even the busiest people find time to read

Is that book you’ve been meaning to read still sitting unopened on your nightstand? Or maybe you started a novel that you haven’t picked up again in months. You’re not alone. Finding time to read is hard when you’re busy. But it’s not impossible.

We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council—busy people by definition—how they make time for reading. Here are some of their best tips. Use them, and start reading more today!

1. Do it first and do it last.

With the craziness of our daily schedules, it can be hard to find time to read, but we all know how important it is to our success that we make reading a habit. I have found that if you allocate 15 minutes first thing in the morning and 15 minutes before bed to read, you will start your day with ideas that expand your mind and go to bed with something other than work to think about.

—Rahim Charania, American Fueling Systems

2. Put reading on your calendar.

Reading is no harder to achieve than your weekly conference call if you schedule it on your calendar and take it just as seriously. I’ve found that things that don’t make it onto my calendar typically don’t get accomplished.

—Scott Baxter, PlayYourCourse

3. Read while you work out.

One of the only times I have time to read is while I am working out. I like to take an hour a day on the treadmill while reading and learning something. Work out your body while you work out your brain!

—Torrey Tayenaka, Sparkhouse

4. Get off social media.

You can easily spend 30 minutes browsing emails, answering text messages or watching dog videos on Facebook. Discipline your mind to replace staring at a screen with reading a book (or an e-book). You’d be amazed at how those three to five minutes of updating your timeline to see the newest tweets can add up to a waste of time. We have the time to read; we just don’t manage our time well enough to include it.

—Robert De Los Santos, Sky High Party Rentals

5. Consider audio instead.

Scheduling time to sit down and read is often impossible. Consider replacing reading with audio. Things like audiobooks and podcasts are an extremely efficient way of consuming content. Next time you’re commuting, working out or cleaning, turn on your favorite book. You’ll efficiently fill your dead time and will be blowing through books faster than ever.

—Kyle Goguen, Pawstruck

6. Put e-books on your phone.

You can always find time to read as long as you have reading material with you—and what better way to do that than through your phone? I have books on my phone that I read when I’m waiting for anything, like a new update to load on my computer. It can be hard to find time to sit down and read, but having 10 minutes of quick reading throughout the day can be a great break for the mind.

—Bryce Welker, Crush The CPA Exam

7. Learn to say no.

Reading needs to be a priority, otherwise you’ll never do it. So, start by saying “no” to one task a week and use the time it would have taken you to complete the task to read. Once you have that down, say no to two tasks a week and so on and so forth, until you’re saying no to enough things that you can read every day.

—Michael Burdick, Paro

8. Don’t overthink it.

If you run a business, then you read more than you realize. From reports, to pitch decks, to the news, it’s all reading. This is why it is hard to segregate even more time out of a busy schedule to read books. Rather than striving to carve out reading time, simply allow yourself to go down the rabbit hole and read the content that you find the most engaging, no matter what the outlet.

—Ryan Bradley, Koester & Bradley, LLP

10 Ways to Increase the Dopamine In Your Brain

“Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Dopamine also helps regulate movement and emotional response, and it enables us not only to see rewards, but to take action to move toward them.”  – Psychology Today

Here’s something worth noting (really!): Dopamine is a powerful neurotransmitter in the brain. In fact, it’s the brain chemical directly responsible for motivation and focus. Who doesn’t want to be more motivated and focused?

Another really exciting thing is that dopamine can be increased! Yes, you can effectively improve your motivation, focus and mood by taking natural steps to increasing the dopamine levels in your brain.

So, let’s get to it!

HERE ARE 10 WAYS TO INCREASE DOPAMINE LEVELS AND BOOST PRODUCTIVITY:

1. DON’T GET ADDICTED

Many people get addicted to something because it gives them some kind of instant gratification – drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography, shopping, and other addictive behaviors actually have the opposite effect on dopamine levels in the long-term. In essence, when we get overly addicted to something, the “reward circuitry” of our brain kicks into overdrive and we crave the “quick hit”. This is not a sustainable solution for dopamine production, which can and should be done naturally.

2. CHECKLIST SMALL TASKS

Dopamine increases when we are organized and finish tasks – regardless if the task is small or large. So, don’t allow your brain to worry about things that need to be done. Instead, write these tasks down and then check them off one at a time. It’s been shown that it’s more satisfying to the brain’s dopamine levels when we physically check something off of our to-do list. Also, write down and check stuff off regardless if you can mentally remember the tasks.

3. CREATE SOMETHING

For us writers, painters, sculptors, poets, singers, dancers, and other artists, we can identify with this. When we’re in creative mode, we can become hyper-focused. As a result, we can enter a state called flow. Dopamine is the brain chemical that allows us to achieve this state. The lesson is this: take up a hobby or activity in which you actually create something tangible. Try something like arts, crafts, auto repair, drawing, photography, or something else that sounds interesting.

4. EXERCISE

Same ‘ole, same ‘ole, we know. We’ve discussed repeatedly the importance and benefits of physical exercise, and we’re just going to add to this list again. So, not only does exercise help us relieve stress, achieve better physical health and make us more productive; it boosts our dopamine levels. More specifically, exercise increases multiple neurotransmitters – serotonin and endorphins, besides dopamine, receive a boost. Here’s something else cool: the exercise needn’t not be arduous. Simply taking a stroll or climbing some stairs will achieve a good dopamine jolt.

5. GET A STREAK GOING

As with creating a checklist, getting a streak going is a great way to increase dopamine levels. For the purpose of this article, a streak is a visual reminder of how many days in a row you’ve achieved something.

Get a calendar specifically for this purpose: write down whatever goal you have and the days of the week or month when they are scheduled. For example, if you work out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, mark these days on the calendar for the month. As you finish a workout, mark it off on the calendar. Keep a streak going, and you’ll keep the dopamine coming.

6. INCREASE TYROSINE

Of the chemicals that make up dopamine, none are more important than tyrosine. In fact, tyrosine is considered the building block of dopamine. Therefore, it is important that you get enough of this protein. There’s a large list of foods that increase Tyrosine, including:

– Almonds

– Avocados

– Bananas

– Beef

– Chicken

– Chocolate

– Coffee

– Eggs

– Green Tea

– Milk

– Watermelon

– Yogurt

There’s a bunch of good stuff in there, so it shouldn’t be difficult finding something that’ll serve your dopamine levels well.

7. LISTEN TO MUSIC

Do you ever wonder why music makes you happy? I mean, we can be in the dumps one moment but once we put on our favorite jam, we’re swaying and shaking away…feeling pretty good about ourselves too! The reason for this is that listening to music increases dopamine levels. In fact, scientists say that listening to music has the same effect as eating our favorite foods or watching our favorite T.V. show. So, when you’re feeling down, throw on some of your favorite tunes and jam out!

8. MEDITATE

As with exercise, we are discovering more and more benefits to meditation. We are again adding to the list. As we discussed, the human brain is susceptible to a variety of addictions. One other addictive habit that we have is overthinking. In fact, some Buddhists have a phrase for this addiction: ‘monkey mind.’

Overthinking is not merely a distracting habit, it’s also a genuine compulsion that leaves us in a perplexing state, while also having a negative effect on our spiritual development. However, scientists are finally catching up to what Buddhists have known for thousands of years: meditation and mindfulness are essential to a healthy mind.

Also, prayer and self-reflection are show to increase dopamine levels.

9. TAKE SUPPLEMENTS

While there are some great ways to increase dopamine levels, sometimes we’re facing a time crunch. Fortunately, there are natural supplements on the market that have been shown to increase dopamine levels. Here are a few:

Acetyl-l-tyrosine: Another building block of dopamine. A healthy dose of this makes it easier for the brain to produce dopamine.

Curcumin: An active ingredient that’s also common in curry spices and turmeric.

Ginkgo Biloba: A tremendously popular wonder supplement that’s also believed to boost dopamine levels and keep it circulating in the brain longer.

L-theanine: Increases multiple neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine. Green tea is a terrific source for this.

10. TOXIC CLEANSING

As miraculous as our bodies are, we do accumulate toxins and bacteria that is bad for us. Endotoxins are the kind that can cause our immune systems to get out of whack, and it also constrains the production of dopamine. Here are a couple tips for helping cleanse the gut of endotoxins: eat fermented good, get enough sleep, and resist the urge to indulge in fatty or sugary foods.

Perhaps the best way to rid our bodies of these nasty toxins is to do a toxic cleanse. Read up on the process and decide whether or not this is for you.

Source: https://www.powerofpositivity.com/increase-dopamine-brain-boost-productivity/?c=viral

Rohn: 4 Straightforward Steps to Success

Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day.

Jim Rohn

 

Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.

I’ve said it before, that success is the study of the obvious—but sometimes we need someone to remind us and show us the simplest way to get there.

Here are four simple steps to find your way to more success than you could ever imagine:

1. Collect good ideas.

My mentor taught me to keep a journal when I was 25 years old. It’s the best collecting place for all of the ideas and information that comes your way. And that inspiration will be passed on to my children and my grandchildren.

If you hear a good health idea, capture it, write it down. Then on a cold wintry evening or a balmy summer night, go back through your journal. Dive back into the ideas that changed your life, the ideas that saved your marriage, the ideas that bailed you out of hard times, the ideas that helped you become successful. That’s valuable, going back over the pages of ideas you gathered over the years, reminiscing, reminding yourself. So be a collector of good ideas, of experiences, for your business, for your relationships, for your future.

It is challenging to be a student of your own life, your own future, your own destiny. Don’t trust your memory. When you listen to something valuable, write it down. When you come across something important, write it down. Take the time to keep notes and to keep a journal.

2. Have good plans.

Building a life, building anything, is like building a house; you need to have a plan. What if you just started laying bricks and somebody asks, “What are you building?” You put down the brick you’re holding and say, “I have no idea.”

So, here’s the question: When should you start building the house? Answer: As soon as you have it finished. It’s simple time management.

Don’t start the day until it is pretty well finished—at least the outline of it. Leave some room to improvise, leave some room for extra strategies, but finish it before you start it. Don’t start the week until you have it finished. Lay it out, structure it, put it to work. The same goes for the month ahead—don’t start it until you have a plan in place.

And, the big one, don’t start the year until it is finished on paper. It’s not a bad idea, toward the end of the year, to sit down with your family for the personal plans, to sit down in your business for the professional plans, to sit down with your financial advisor to map out money plans. Plan out your calendar, your game plan, for all of life’s moving parts.

The reason why most people face the future with apprehension instead of anticipation is because they don’t have it well designed.

3. Give yourself time.

It takes time to build a career. It takes time to make changes. It takes time to learn, grow, change, develop and produce. It takes time to refine philosophy and activity. So give yourself time to learn, time to start some momentum, time to finally achieve.

I remember when Mama was teaching me a little bit about the piano. “Here is the left hand scale,” she said. I got that; it was easy. “Here is the right hand scale.” I got that, too. Then she said, “Now we are going to play both hands at the same time.” “Well, how can you do that?” I asked. Because one at a time was easy... but two the same time? But I got to where I could play the scales with both hands. “Now we are going to read the music and play with both hands,” she said. You can’t do all that, I thought. But you know, sure enough I looked at the music, looked at each hand, a little confused at first, but finally I grasped it. Then I remember the day when Mama said, “Now we are going to watch the audience, read the music and play with both hands. Now that is going too far! I thought. How could one person possibly do all that? By giving myself time to master one skill before we went to the next, I got to where I could watch the audience, read the music and play with both hands.

Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity.

4. Change yourself.

Learn to solve problems—business problems, family problems, financial problems, emotional problems. The best way to treat a challenge? As an opportunity to grow. Change if you have to, modify if you must, discard an old philosophy that wasn’t working well for a new one.

The best phrase my mentor ever gave me: “Mr. Rohn, if you will change, everything will change for you.” I took that to heart, and sure enough, the more I improved, the more everything improved for me.

You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.

Source: https://www.success.com/article/rohn-4-straightforward-steps-to-success

10 Ways Successful People Make Smart Decisions

Travis Bradberry

With so many decisions taking up each day, learning to make them effectively is essential to your success and happiness.

Great decisions don’t happen by accident. In this article, originally published on LinkedIn Pulse, Dr. Travis Bradberry shares a proven process we can all follow to improve the choices we make.

Your days are filled with a constant stream of decisions. A study from Columbia University found that we’re bogged down by a good 70 decisions a day.

Some decisions are minor, such as what to eat, which route to drive to work or in what order to tackle tasks. Others are more difficult, such as deciding between two job offers, whether to move to a new city for someone you love or whether to cut a toxic person out of your life.

With so many decisions taking up each day, learning to prioritize and make them effectively is essential to your success and happiness.

Although there are many strategies successful people use for effective decision-making, what follows are the cream of the crop.

1. They turn small decisions into routines.

Decision-making works like a muscle: As you use it over the course of the day, it gets too exhausted to function effectively. One of the best strategies successful people use to work around their decision fatigue is to eliminate smaller decisions by turning them into routines. Doing so frees up mental resources for more complex decisions.

Steve Jobs famously wore a black turtleneck to work every day. Mark Zuckerberg still dons a hoodie. Both men have stated that these iconic images are the simple result of daily routines intended to cut down on decision fatigue. They were both aware of our finite daily ability to make good decisions, as is Barack Obama, who said, “You'll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing, because I have too many other decisions to make.”

2. They make big decisions in the morning.

Another great way to beat decision fatigue is to save small decisions for after work (when decision fatigue is greatest) and to tackle complex decisions in the morning, when your mind is fresh. When you’re facing a stream of important decisions, a great trick is to wake up early and work on your most complicated tasks before you get hit with a bunch of distracting minor decisions (phones ringing, emails coming in). A similar strategy is to do some of the smaller things the night before to get a head start on the next day. For instance, lay out your outfit at night so you don’t even have to think about it when you wake up.

3. They pay attention to their emotions.

There’s an old saying: “Don’t make permanent decisions based on temporary emotions,” and it definitely rings true. Successful people recognize and understand their emotions (including their intensity and impact on behavior) so that they are able to look at decisions as objectively and rationally as possible.

Unfortunately, most people aren’t good at managing or even recognizing their emotions. TalentSmart has tested more than a million people and found that only 36 percent of us are able to accurately identify our emotions as they happen. Strong decision-makers, on the other hand, know that a bad mood can make them lash out or stray from their moral compass just as easily as a good mood can make them overconfident and impulsive.

4. They evaluate their opinions objectively.

When really wrapped up in a decision, successful people weigh their options against a predetermined set of criteria because they know this makes decision-making easier and more effective. Here are some helpful criteria to consider:

• How does this decision benefit me?
• How does it hurt me?
• How does this benefit ___?
• How does it hurt ___?
• Would I regret making this decision?
• Would I regret not making this decision?
• Does this decision reflect my values?

5. They sleep on decisions.

Sleeping on your decision ensures you have clarity of thought when you approach it the next day. It also allows time for your emotions to run their course. When you act too quickly, you tend to react, but when you give more focus and time to your decision, you expose important facets of it that you didn’t see before.

6. They don’t wait too long, though.

Successful people know the importance of gathering as much information as they can, but at the same time, they make certain not to fall prey to analysis paralysis. Instead of waiting for the stars to align, successful people know that they need to have a timetable to follow in reaching their decision. Once they set that date, they are motivated to do their homework and some soul-searching in order to meet that deadline.

7. They use exercise to recharge.

The stress of a major decision naturally produces cortisol, the chemical that triggers the fight-or-flight response. Cortisol clouds your ability to think clearly and rationally. When you find yourself stressing about a decision, try exercising. As little as 30 minutes is all it takes to get a good endorphin-fueled buzz to return to mental clarity. Exercise also helps you get past that fight-or-flight state by putting the cortisol to practical use. Research shows that long-term exercise improves the overall functioning of the brain regions responsible for decision-making.

8. They always return to their moral compass.

Successful people know the importance of sticking to their morals when making an important decision. Morals serve as trusted guides when your emotions pull you in a different direction.

9. They seek outside counsel.

When approaching a decision, we have a natural tendency to pick an alternative and then gather information to support that decision, instead of gathering information and then choosing a side (this is called confirmation bias). A great way to beat confirmation bias is to seek outside opinions and advice from people who bring different perspectives to your situation. Their perspectives help you weigh your options more objectively and spot your subjective or irrational tendencies.

10. They reflect on previous decisions.

Mark Twain described the complicated nature of decision-making as follows: “Good decisions come from experience, but experience comes from making bad decisions.” This isn’t to say that the only way to become a great decision-maker is to make a ton of mistakes; it just means that it’s important to keep past decisions front of mind. Successful people are aware enough of past decisions to use them to their benefit when something similar comes up.

With repercussions that can last days, weeks and even years, making great decisions is an effort that’s worth every bit of your time and energy.

Source: https://www.success.com/article/10-ways-successful-people-make-smart-decisions

5 Things Not to Do Running a Small Business

Maria Rapetskaya

I've been a creative entrepreneur since 2005. My first design company was a partnership with my significant other. It was largely a freestyle experiment in running a business, conducted live over the course of five years. As a business, it was marginally successful. As a learning experience, it was my equivalent of a masters of business administration. 

So, by the time I had started my second and current company, I had a pretty good blueprint of don't's for running a small business. I had been fortunate enough to make the mistakes that have yielded five valuable lessons learned -- lessons that have truly paid off the second time around.

1. Don't rush into partnerships.

It was only after my original partner and I parted ways did I recognize that we should never have had a professional partnership in the first place. Just because someone is your best friend, long-time coworker and / or significant other hardly qualifies them as the perfect candidate for maintaining a business. I say “maintaining” because it’s far easier to get excited about the prospect starting a company than being able to handle the day-to-day reality of running it efficiently.

The best partner is typically someone whose skills and approach are the polar opposite of yours. The first ensures the you are able to cover a lot more ground without additional employees. The second may create conflict, but it'll force you both to defend your business instincts and weed out lesser ideas before you waste resources.

2. Don’t get discouraged.

Running a company isn’t a goal -- it’s a long, winding road. Enjoy the process! Unless your goal is to cash out, and you’ve got some built-in exit strategy, chances are you want a long-term entrepreneurial career. You will have ups, and you will have downs -- possibly in the same week or even day. You will gain amazing clients and lose others for reasons fair and unfair. That’s all part of having a business.

I’ve yet to encounter a single business owner who’s reached some grand, stable plateau beyond failure, disappointment and doubt. We all experience it. Instead of discouragement, focus on becoming more resilient, on learning how to handle stress productively.

3. Don’t forget why you wanted to start a business in the first place.

Whether it’s following a passion or having more control over your time to devote to family, always remember why you started down this road in the first place. It’s easy to get carried away and forget what it was you wanted from your own business. I, for example, was driven by quality-of-life factors, especially time off for my other passion -- travel. At times, temporary sacrifice may be truly necessary, but it pays to be conscious of when you’re in danger of permanently shelving the very thing you wanted most.

4. Don't try to do everything yourself.

I started my first company with $500 -- barely enough to cover the costs of incorporation. So, right away, I developed an addiction to doing everything myself. My partner was only capable, willing and able to do so much, and I found myself doing a lot of admin tasks I never anticipated. Those tasks came with learning curves, and they took up valuable time and energy -- energy that could have been directed at helping the business grow.

I didn’t make this mistake twice. With my second, far more successful attempt, I contracted my business half just a couple of months in. Although my expenses grew, now I could focus on doing better work as well as devote time to business development. Both actions helped to grow the company far quicker than my former money-saving attempts at being my own bookkeeper. 

So, resist the urge to cover all the ground alone. Saving financial resources is important, but don't let your task list undermine your big goals.

5. Don't stop evolving.

Your strategy, your marketing plan, your target market -- nothing is set in stone. The world is changing more and more rapidly each day. Your industry will likely experience a shift, whether slight or monumental, at some point. As a small business, you are at a disadvantage, because your resources are a lot more limited. But you have a priceless advantage in ability to change course and adapt far quicker than a larger organization.

The best way to remain relevant is keeping your eyes open for changing tides, your mind open to new ideas and staying flexible. 

And, of course, don't be too afraid of making your own mistakes!

Source:https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/253073

 

Rohn: How to Start a New Discipline

Success starts by becoming the master over the small details of our lives.

Jim Rohn

 

Everyone has a mental list of “I should have’s”:

I should have written to my mother this weekend.
I should have told her how much I really care long before now.
I should have called that creditor and told the truth last month.
I should have started working out years ago.

Any day we choose we can go to work on the basics—on any one of a host of small activities that will start the process of self-discipline. The joy that comes from this small achievement will start the miracle process.

The early inspiration that comes from the practice of new and simple disciplines will start a process called “soaring self-worth.” It does not matter how small or how insignificant the activity is because it is within those obscure but important disciplines that the great opportunities exist.

This kind of simple progress will build a ladder leading out of the abyss of failure and neglect that once was our dwelling place. With each new discipline we will have constructed a new rung that will enable us to climb out of darkness where the failures, the complainers, and the confused and misguided gather to share their sad stories of how unfair life is.

Building the ladder is easy to do.

The smallest of disciplines, practiced every day, start an incredible process that can change our lives forever.

Until we have learned to take care of the little opportunities life brings our way, we will never master the disciplines for becoming happy and prosperous. The major accomplishments in life begin with the mastery of the small disciplines. The mental, emotional and philosophical “muscles” required to write a letter, clean the garage or pay our bills on time are the very same “muscles” involved in running a company or managing a department. As a wise prophet has written: “Be not weary in well-doing, for in due season you shall reap if you faint not.”

We cannot rule the city until we can rule our spirit. We cannot rule the nation until we can rule ourselves. We cannot design our future until we have redesigned our habits. We cannot increase our rewards until we increase our level of intelligent activity.

The place to start is within ourselves through the development of new disciplines. That is where success really starts, by becoming the master over the small details of our lives. All of the great rewards in life are available to each of us, if we will discipline ourselves to walk through those early stages of growth without neglecting any of the disciplines. We must not permit any small activity to rob us of our future health and wealth and friendship and lifestyle. We cannot allow any error in judgment to delude us into thinking that “letting the little thing slide” would not make a major difference. We cannot say to ourselves, “This is only area where I am letting down on my self-discipline.” It is this “only area” that will start the process of erosion on all of our other disciplines.

One of the great challenges facing us all is disciplined activity. We must discipline ourselves to maintain a proper attitude, for we are surrounded by sources that can quickly erode the attitude we have worked so hard to develop. And we must discipline ourselves to convert dreams into plans, and plans into goals, and goals into those small daily activities that will lead us, one sure step at a time, toward a better future.

Finally, we must use the power of our imagination. We must ponder all that is possible. We must remind ourselves that to do what is possible we must sometimes challenge ourselves with the impossible. As an ancient warrior once wrote, “It is better to aim the spear at the moon and strike the eagle, than to aim at the eagle and strike only a rock.”

Planning, imagination and intense activity are awesome forces that have the power to dramatically change the quality of our lives.

Activity is a major part of the life puzzle. It is the power that gives substance and meaning to our philosophy and our attitude. Intelligent, planned, intense and consistent activity creates new energy and keeps us moving toward the exciting future that our thoughts and desires have already designed for us.

Source: https://www.success.com/article/rohn-how-to-start-a-new-discipline

7 Crucial Mindset Shifts to Achieve Everything You Want

Change is scary. Learn to embrace that fear and watch your dreams unfold.

Cristina Bold

When you decide to embrace a profound life change, it’s scary, because change is scary. But the only way to successfully deal with change is to master it, and once you do, launching your life forward will eventually come easily and naturally.

You can start with these seven mindset shifts:

1. Take time to define your vision and your passion.

There is no vision without seeing. So step out of your comfort zone. Experience, feel and taste what you are passionate about. Get out there and discover yourself, what you stand for and what you stand against. Then ask yourself what you want in life and why it’s important to you. Find what gets you fired up.

Your vision is about you and your desires, and it has to be complete, clear and brutally honest.

2. Become clear and very precise about what you want.

People are usually vague; they have only a pale vision of what they want. Try stopping and taking a break from the day-to-day race. Take a notebook, choose a quiet place and time, and write down what you specifically want to achieve and how you’ll know when you’ve achieved it.

Write down everything. Your brain will do what you want, but in order to get there, you need to be very specific about your mission. So start writing your dreams in full detail.

3. Continually reinforce your motivation.

Often you know precisely what you want, but after surfing the “go get it” wave for some time, you can start to lose momentum. That’s when you slow down and enter a slump. Sometimes you need to reach outside of yourself to pull the best out. Ask yourself: Who is impacted by my dream? Who stands to benefit from it?

Think of all your loved ones. How would they be influenced one year down the road after your dream is fulfilled? What about two years? You’re getting stronger, the benefits to your loved ones are growing and the impact on the community around you expands. Visualize how it all accumulates after five years. Ten years. Focus on that vision and feel the energy.

Return to this visualization exercise each time your motivation needs a boost.

4. Make a plan for achieving your dream and set a start date.

How will you get to your dream? What is the complete skills set you need? What new knowledge do you need to acquire? One of the simplest ways to create a roadmap for your journey toward your dream is to model the actions of the people who already succeeded what you wish to achieve.

Find those people. Interview them. Read about their journeys. Replicate their steps. Learn. When you start, you’ll hit the ground running.

5. Work on your beliefs.

Our beliefs are external (what we say aloud) and internal (what we feel deep in our hearts). The internal beliefs are the ones calling the shots about what you really feel about yourself, who you are and what you are capable of. Saying you’ll run a marathon when you don’t believe you’ll even be breathing after five miles is not a winning situation.

The good news is that beliefs can be rewritten through diligent internal work: meditations, daily affirmations, journaling, creative visualizations. Use whatever works for you.

Remember that beliefs drive perceptions, perceptions drive habits, and habits drive actions and success. You are who you think you are.

6. Embrace discipline.

If you want to master something, you have to work consistently and with discipline. That includes 1) consciously setting and following the daily habits we need to reach our goals, and 2) being keenly aware of distractions.

The habits you have right now are specifically geared to help you achieve everything you’ve already achieved. If you want something new, you have to change your habits. So what new habits can you set for yourself in the pursuit of your dream?

Discipline also means developing a distraction alarm. You need to be consistent not only in maintaining habits, but also in the conscious decision to achieve the right things and stay away from the unproductive ones. Multitasking is just a modern myth. The truth is that the most successful people are focused.

7. Decide each day to take three small steps toward your dream life.

By consistently making seemingly small actions, you plant seeds of achievement into your conscience. You start feeling the progress you’re making, and in time, these feelings grow into a belief and then into an attitude.

Before you know it, you’ll be flying toward your dream life.

Source: http://www.success.com/article/7-crucial-mindset-shifts-to-achieve-everything-you-want

5 Money Habits You Need to Adopt Today to Build Your Wealth

There is no single solution or way to become rich.

In all honesty there is no single solution or way to become rich. Many of us assume you just need to lock in a cushy job at an established company. Truth is, you need to develop certain habits around your money if you want to build wealth regardless of your paycheck (to an extent). If you become disciplined early on then you’ll give yourself a huge leg up when the real bucks start rolling in.

Here are five money habits you need to adopt today if you want to build wealth.

1. Don’t always pay for convenience

With technology at our fingertips that can deliver us a fully cooked meal or even an in-house massage, our generation has become accustomed to paying for convenience. Thing is, that convenience will always come at a hefty price. For example, if you’re a big coffee drinker you should buy whole coffee beans and make your own at home instead of going to Starbucks every morning. If you can create a budget and be disciplined about it you’ll be able to easily identify where you need to make cuts. Remember, every little bit counts.

2. Live below your means

You may equate fancy cars and big homes to success and happiness. Sometimes it’s true, however even some of the richest individuals in the world live modest lifestyles. Warren Buffett for example has lived in the same home since 1958 and drives a 2006 Cadillac. That’s pretty modest for a man worth over $70 billion.

Regardless of your income it’s always good to live below your means. You’d be surprised how many individuals may appear to be wealthy on the surface but have little saved up. It’s okay to buy yourself something nice once in a while but try to stay modest you’ll be happier (and wealthier) in the long run.

3. Avoid debt at all costs

If you want to build substantial wealth you need to do whatever it takes to avoid debt. Even if disaster strikes you should explore every other option before taking on debt. For example, try and borrow from friends or family if necessary you can even offer to pay them back with interest. The difference is your credit won’t be affected nor will the interest compound if you miss a payment.

I use my credit cards as a way to build credit rather than a means of borrowing money. I recommend setting up automatic payments on all your credit cards and be very diligent about making sure your pay-to account has enough funds.

4. Sell things you no longer need

Everyone has a little bit of “hoarder” in them. Especially in America individuals accumulate a ton of, for lack of better words, crap throughout their lives. Instead of letting all that stuff sit in your basement why not sell it? There are plenty of online marketplaces for used goods that make it a breeze to sell your unused items. In Steve Job’s words it’s always good to clear out the old to make way for the new.

5. Start a side hustle (or two)

Regardless how secure you think you are at your current job it’s always good to put a couple more irons in the fire. If you think you don’t have time then you aren’t spending your time wisely. There are plenty of ways you can start your side hustle. It doesn’t have to be a part-time job, rather a project that you can manage on the side of your full-time job. You can use affordable automation tools instead of doing all the legwork yourself. If you want to truly get ahead financially you need to have multiple sources of income. A side-hustle is a great place to start.

Final thoughts

Building sustainable wealth takes time. There is really no such thing as a “get rich quick scheme” and it requires much more than hard work. It requires smart and strategic work. Along with the five habits listed above you need to develop a plan that works well for you and your lifestyle. If you’re disciplined you’ll make your millions, I promise.

Source: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/300829