It Only Takes 5 Minutes a Day to Keep Your Brain Healthy

Lori Rochino

Starting in your 20s, your brain starts to wither—but you can change that. Here’s how to breathe your way to a healthier brain.

With so much to do in so little time, it’s hard, seeming next to impossible sometimes, to squeeze in some TLC. But, especially for the on-the-go types, creating Zen space is not only good for de-stressing, it’s also good for maintaining good brain health.

A recent study shows that starting from the mid- to late 20s, the brain begins to wither and starts losing some of its functionality. “The brain starts to get smaller from the mid-20s onward,” says Dr. Florian Kurth of UCLA’s Department of Neurology. “It’s probably not something that we notice for a long time. People start to notice this later in life when they start to forget things.”

His team, headed by Dr. Eileen Luders, ran a test between 50 meditators against a control group of 50 non-meditators. The meditators beat out the non-meditators in keeping their brain mass, whereas the non-meditators showed less brain mass in the scanned images.

Harvard Medical School neuroscientist Dr. Sara Lazur and her team also did a longitudinal study on meditation. It showed that meditation changes the brain after eight weeks. A scan image showed increased thickening of four brain regions in the non-meditators after just eight weeks of participating in the meditation program.

A healthier brain is good reason to start a meditation practice if you haven’t begun already. So what first steps can you take?

1. Find a meditation style and make it a habit.

“Meditation has been associated with improved cognitive abilities and reduced stress levels,” Kurth says. “While we may not immediately notice the long-term protective effects of meditation on normal brain atrophy, one may still get these quicker benefits from meditating.”

He suggests finding a style that works for you (whether that be something like Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction [MBSR] or yoga) and keep up the practice rather than find a perfect style and not keep it up. Lazur mentions doing even a little every day is a good thing, and some studies suggest 5-10 minutes a day.

2. Schedule time for it.

As busy as we are, who has time to meditate? Think of it like brushing your teeth—you take five minutes to brush every day so your teeth won’t decay. In the same way, think of it as a way to preserve your brain’s health. You can spare a few minutes either at your desk, in your car, on quick walk outside or sitting on a park bench. Think of spaces in your schedule where you can take a few minutes off.

3. Start with these simple exercises.

Certified Yoga and Meditation Instructor Alexis Pierce suggests breath awareness helps focus the mind and concentration over time. “It's incredibly effective to gently bring the mind back to the breath and the body. It connects you to this moment, which allows you to release the stress and anxiety of the past and future. You may discover calmness, feelings of lightness and elation, and a quieter mind.”

Ready to get started? These calm meditative techniques can be done in five minutes or less:

• V-Shaped Breath Exercise

Close your eyes. Focus on the point between your eyes and imagine air coming in and out in the shape of a wide “V.” Bring it above the forehead, and as you’re inhaling the breath in, have it come wide across the forehead as a “V.” Then exhale it down across the forehead to that point between the eyes.

By starting and ending at this point between the eyes you’re activating the command center calming along the frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision-making. You’re getting oxygen to that area and helping it feel calmer by focusing on the point between the eyes.

• 3-Part Breath

Close your eyes. Start inhaling deep in the belly, air rising to the chest then upper chest near your upper collar bone. Hold briefly, then exhale three counts out the upper chest, chest and belly.

Feel the air moving into the belly, chest and upper chest as you’re breathing in and out through the nose. Relax and feel all the movements. Do this for a few minutes, feeling the breath pass throughout the body, similar to an ocean wave moving then receding as the body softens. 

Source: http://www.success.com/article/it-only-takes-5-minutes-a-day-to-keep-your-brain-healthy

How to Create Positive Affirmations that Work

 Sandy Gallagher

Some people say that affirmations don’t work, but the truth is, they just don’t know how to use them correctly.

Every thought you think and every word you speak is an affirmation. You’re using affirmations in every moment—whether you know it or not. Unfortunately, much of what you are affirming is negative… and that doesn’t create good experiences for you.

But you can create positive affirmations and use them to either help eliminate something from your life or help create something new in your life.

But how do you do that? How do you come up with affirmations that allow you to consciously create your life in a way that supports and pleases you?

Very carefully.

You see, words have a very strong effect on the subconscious mind so you must choose them wisely, and make the statement relatively short and simple. Because, although the subconscious mind is extremely powerful, it perceives things in a very straightforward way.

Also, read your affirmation with as much belief and emotion as you can. Emotion is extremely powerful because it raises your vibrational state and makes the attraction process much faster and more efficient. And, of course, you should repeat it often to prime your mind for maximum success.

Now, to help you create powerful affirmations that can put you on a totally new path in life, let’s take a close look at one of Bob’s affirmations that has proven to be VERY effective:

“I am so happy and grateful now that money is coming to me in increasing amounts, through multiple sources, on a continuous basis.”

Let’s break down each part of the affirmation to see why it works so well:

First, “I am so happy and grateful now that…”

This phrase is a powerful introduction to any good affirmation or goal because it immediately puts you into the positive vibration that is necessary to attract the good that you want to show up in your life. A happy and grateful mind amplifies your ability to manifest your desires. As you read the affirmation, feel happy NOW that you are already in possession of your desire.

Second, “Money comes to me…”

This is your request or the demand you are placing on the universe. Notice that it is a very clear command that eliminates confusion in the subconscious mind. When you make your request, don’t worry about how it’s going to come to you. Just accept and expect that the money is coming to you in some way, shape or form. Let the universe handle the details.

Next, “In increasing quantities, through multiple sources…”

These words blow away any limits you may have consciously or unconsciously put on the amount of money coming to you. They give your mind permission to dream really big, thereby allowing your manifestation to materialize in the fullest. You do not have to set a specific target amount of money. The important thing is to feel joyful feelings after you say or think the words. Remember, you don’t need to know how the money will come, only that it will.

And finally… “On a continuous basis.”

This ending phrase impresses into the subconscious mind that you want this to be a permanent condition—that you want and deserve an abundant life where you always have plenty of money.

Go over this process a few times until you really understand the principles. Then start to create positive affirmations that work wonders in your life.

To more and better,

Source: http://www.proctorgallagherinstitute.com/6997/how-to-create-positive-affirmations-that-work

Overnight Success Is a Myth: Here Are 4 Ways to Persist

Robert Glazer

 

When people see what looks like sudden success from the outside, they don’t often think about the vision and persistence required to get there. Instead, they might attribute that success to luck or timing.

These misguided assumptions have prevailed in the age of the startup. Take Pinterest: The startup launched in March 2010 and recently received a valuation of $11 billion. That seems like an accelerated pace, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. Pinterest’s start was more turtle than hare. Two years after founder Ben Silbermann left his job in 2008 to start Pinterest, the site had just 3,000 users—hardly the instant success that many assume.

I can relate to this, too. Although my company is now considered a leader in the affiliate and performance marketing industry, that didn’t happen overnight. In 2005, I was working at a dysfunctional startup where I was micromanaged to the point of misery. I had a vision for what a company could be and saw opportunities to provide more value in an industry that few people understood.

So I quit my job, even though my wife was pregnant and things were uncertain, to launch what eventually turned into Acceleration Partners. It took passion, grit and determination to get AP to where it is today; there was nothing overnight about it.

I understand that it’s easy to look at stellar results in the rearview mirror and forget about the energy that went into achieving them. But if you don’t recognize the time and effort that accomplishing those goals requires, you’ll struggle to reach your own. Even if it looks like attainment is a long way off, these four steps can help you stay the course and lay a solid foundation for your future success.

1. Remain true to your vision even if no one gets it.

You will experience triumphs, but no success story is without its challenges. Even if no one understands what you’re trying to do, stick with the vision you’ve created as long you still believe in it. Remember, most visionaries are ahead of their time, and many businesses fail simply because the market isn’t quite ready to embrace their offerings.

It’s not a bad thing to have a few people around who don’t see your vision clearly, especially in the early stages. Just ensure they’re asking thoughtful questions that will help you further clarify your goals and strategies. These devil’s advocate partners can help you bridge the gap between the past and the future to make your vision a reality in the present.

In my company, I’m known as a visionary. My brain has a hard time shutting off, and I’m constantly sharing those ideas with my colleagues. I rely on them to question those notions and ensure they’re sound before we invest time, energy and resources into bringing them to fruition. Only 20 percent of ideas will ever amount to anything, but hopefully they move the business forward.

That said I’ve had many ideas that no one gets at first. If I strongly believe in an idea, I see it as my responsibility to remain true to it and figure out a better way to explain it. For example, we released a white glove affiliate management service before anyone was really looking for that. My team wasn’t immediately on board, but I knew in my gut that this was where the market was headed. And it was.

2. Track every no and learn from them.

No doesn’t necessarily mean never. Often it’s more of a not right now. Every sale or approval can be a struggle. In fact, 80 percent of prospects decline an offer four times before agreeing to a proposal; persistence pays off.

Don’t burn bridges. Use your failures as motivation and use what you learn from them to improve your pitch or evaluate your process. You have to nurture those no relationships and keep them updated on your progress. For example, a celebratory message could stoke interest: “Hey, you know that crazy thing we said we were going to do? Well, we did it!”

I’ve had plenty of potential clients and partners initially say no. Many of them later said yes, and I’m still in business with them today. A no, thanks from years ago could turn into a yes, please today if you nurture that relationship and demonstrate to the naysayer that your idea is a proven success.

3. Be willing to change as needed, but don’t lose sight of your goal.

You have to learn to adapt without compromising. Every once in a while, a true visionary like Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs comes around and builds a product that people didn’t even realize they needed, but this is extremely rare. No matter how bold your vision for personal success is, you must listen to your early critics, customers and clients (as much as the market) and evaluate whether they have a point.

Pinterest, for example, initially prohibited affiliate links on its site, but Silbermann changed that stance after many users and the market voiced reasoning for why Pinterest should allow them.

I have experienced this, too. A few years ago, my company beta launched a service called RAMP that unfortunately didn’t ramp up as we were hoping. We wanted to optimize engagement with smaller companies, but RAMP wasn’t hitting the mark.

So I went back to the drawing board. I put the rollout on hold for a year, took a step back and explored different approaches. Today we’re preparing to relaunch a more valuable service by keeping what worked from the original version and omitting what didn’t. Stick with your vision but remain adaptable.

4. Don’t give up on your idea, or someone else will make it real.

History is full of stories about people who quit right before their big ideas became major breakthroughs, only to watch somebody else fulfill their dreams.

If you truly believe in your vision and know failure is not an option, your chances of success will increase. According to CEO Brian Chesky, his team at lodging startup Airbnb actually had to do some scrappy odd jobs (like make custom cereal boxes) to scrape together enough cash to keep going. As one Silicon Valley investor after another declined to invest, Chesky’s friends in the app design industry just shook their heads, hoping he had more tricks up his sleeve.

But from Chesky’s view, “In January or February 2008, there were enough ordinary people who wanted to do this. From there, we pretty much believed in the idea. Because all you had to believe was, if I like it, I have to bet that I’m normal enough that other people will like it, too.” So he and his co-founders stuck it out, got into Y Combinator with Paul Graham and eventually found the necessary funding to turn Airbnb into a gig-economy empire.

As sudden as some business success stories might appear, almost all were hard-won. Nurture your vision by putting in the hours behind the scenes, so that when opportunity arises, you’ll be ready to cash in on all your hard work. People might call you lucky, but you’ll know better.

Source: http://www.success.com/blog/overnight-success-is-a-myth-here-are-4-ways-to-persist

7 Reasons Why It’s Never Too Late To Follow Your Dream

BY KATHERINE HURST

When people first come across the Law of Attraction, their hearts and minds often immediately think of one specific thing that they’d love to manifest in their lives. However, the next thought is often “But I can’t do that.”

You may come up with all kinds of excuses, from the belief that you’re too old to find love to the assumption that you don’t have the skills to reach the top in the career of your choosing. Luckily, the truth is that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.

Here are seven reasons why you should believe you can use the Law of Attraction to manifest whatever you want.

1. Your Identity Is Not Set In Stone

You probably have lots of internalized ideas about who you are and where your limits might be, but many of these will be inaccurate. For example, some of your insecurities will come from difficult times in childhood, and others from repeated negative message you received in your formative years.

Think about what you believe about yourself, and take a critical look at whether these things are really true. In many cases, people will have projected their own fears and disappointments onto you. Are you going to let those destructive beliefs hold you back? You have limitless potential for change and growth, so celebrate that fact and dream big.

2. Small Steps Create Big Changes

One of the most common reasons for abandoning dreams is that they simply seem too huge to achieve. However, this is a highly intimidating way of looking at the situation—it’s equally accurate (and much more manageable) to think of following your dream as taking a series of significant but small steps.

For example, challenge yourself to write down the path to success in ten stages, then look at the each of the stages. Not so unrealistic now, is it?

3. Law Attraction Success Stories

Go ahead and read some of the best Law of Attraction success stories, and think about what the central people have in common. So often, they’ve been through decades of disappointment and led thoroughly unfulfilled lives, and have discovered manifestation techniques in middle age or later. This suggests not only that it’s never too late to try and get what you want, but that you might even have an advantage if you’ve been through tough times—you have the resilience, life experience and self-knowledge to pursue your dreams with grit and determinations.

4. You Can Avoid Regret

When people are interviewed on their death beds or write about their lives in autobiographies, it is often observed that major regrets tend to relate to things that were not done. In older age, it’s likely that you will be uncomfortable with the idea that you didn’t ever try to do the thing that you loved or attempt to obtain what you truly wanted.

It is painful to feel like you haven’t ever found your true purpose—but you don’t ever need to feel this way! Make today the first day of your new journey towards avoiding regret.

5. It Secures Your Legacy

On a related note, whether (and how) you follow your dreams has a huge influence on the mark you leave on this world. You might be motivated by the thought of how you will be remembered, or what you can secure for younger members of your family—whatever your reason, choosing to aim high and live passionately has the best chance of creating a meaningful legacy.

Thinking about the type of lasting impression you’ll leave can also help you figure out what your dream is, if you’re not sure what you want from your life.

6. Steps Towards Dreams Are Never Backwards Steps

Another common worry is that if you follow your dreams, you’ll be “taking steps back.” This excuse often comes up when people are at the top of careers they hate, or in relationships that leave them cold.

However, what look like backwards steps in your old life can more productively and accurately be seen as forward steps in the brand new life you’re creating.

7. Others Will Stand With You

Finally, no matter what it is you want to do with your future, you can find others who will accompany you on your journey. Some will be people who are already in your life and want to support you in becoming the best version of yourself, while others will be new friends and partners you’ll meet along the road to success.

And don’t forget, there are also members of the worldwide Law of Attraction who are similarly determined to take control of their lives and create something wonderful—even if they’re working on something completely different from your dream, they will be there to cheer you on and share their most effective manifestation techniques.

Source: http://www.thelawofattraction.com/7-reasons-never-late-follow-dream/

Rohn: The 4 Powerful Ways to Change a Bad Habit

Jim Rohn

What feelings truly push people outside their comfort zone?

No one understands as I do the inherent difficulty in changing old and persistent habits. But habits begin to change when we begin to change our perceptions.

Most of us don’t experience a cataclysmic transformation. No, for most of us change comes as an evolutionary process of almost imperceptible changes. We just keep nudging ourselves in the right direction, forming one or two better habits.

But what really makes us sit up and take notice? What really causes us to shed our old habits and take action?

Disgust with ourselves.
Making a decision when our backs are to the wall.
Desire that won’t be extinguished.
Resolve to do or die.

Emotions are the most powerful forces inside us. Under the power of emotions, human beings can perform the most heroic (as well as barbaric) acts. To a great degree, civilization itself can be defined as the intelligent channeling of human emotion. Emotions are fuel and the mind is the pilot, which together propel the ship of civilized progress.

In this excerpt from 7 Strategies for Wealth & Happiness, Jim Rohn describes four basic emotions that can trigger the most incredible activity. The day that you channel these emotions to fuel your desire is the day you’ll turn your life around.

1. Disgust

One does not usually equate the word “disgust” with positive action. And yet properly channeled, disgust can change a person’s life. The person who feels disgusted has reached a point of no return. He or she is ready to throw down the gauntlet at life and say, “I’ve had it!” That’s what I said after many humiliating experiences. At age 25, I said, “I don’t want to live like this anymore. I’ve had it with being broke. I’ve had it with being embarrassed, and I’ve had it with lying.”

Yes, productive feelings of disgust come when a person says, “Enough is enough.”

They’ve had it with mediocrity. They’ve had it with those awful sick feelings of fear, pain and humiliation. They decide they are not going to live like this anymore. Call it what you will, the “I’ve had it” day, the “never again” day, the “enough’s enough” day. Whatever you call it, it’s powerful! There is nothing so life-changing as gut-wrenching disgust!

2. Decision

Most of us need to be pushed to the wall to make decisions. And once we reach this point, we have to deal with the conflicting emotions that come with making them. We have reached a fork in the road. Now this fork can be a two-prong, three-prong or even a four-prong fork. No wonder that decision-making can create knots in stomachs, keep us awake in the middle of the night or make us break out in a cold sweat.

Making life-changing decisions can be likened to internal civil war. Conflicting armies of emotions, each with its own arsenal of reasons, battle each other for supremacy of our minds. And our resulting decisions, whether bold or timid, well thought out or impulsive, can either set the course of action or blind it. I don’t have much advice to give you about decision-making except this:

Whatever you do, don’t camp at the fork in the road. Decide. It’s far better to make a wrong decision than to not make one at all. Each of us must confront our emotional turmoil and sort out our feelings.

3. Desire

How does one gain desire? I don’t think I can answer this directly because there are many ways. But I do know two things about desire:

a. It comes from the inside, not the outside.
b. It can be triggered by outside forces.

Almost anything can trigger desire. It’s a matter of timing as much as preparation. It might be a song that tugs at the heart. It might be a memorable sermon. It might be a movie, a conversation with a friend, a confrontation with the enemy or a bitter experience. Even a book or an article such as this one can trigger the inner mechanism that will make some people say, “I want it now!”

Therefore, while searching for your “hot button” of pure, raw desire, welcome into your life each positive experience. Don’t erect a wall to protect you from experiencing life. The same wall that keeps out your disappointment also keeps out the sunlight of enriching experiences. So let life touch you. The next touch could be the one that turns your life around.

4. Resolve

Resolve says, “I will.” These two words are among the most potent in the English language. I will. Benjamin Disraeli, the great British statesman, once said, “Nothing can resist a human will that will stake even its existence on the extent of its purpose.” In other words, when someone resolves to “do or die,” nothing can stop him.

The mountain climber says, “I will climb the mountain. They’ve told me it’s too high, it’s too far, it’s too steep, it’s too rocky, it’s too difficult. But it’s my mountain. I will climb it. You’ll soon see me waving from the top or you’ll never see me, because unless I reach the peak, I’m not coming back.” Who can argue with such resolve?

When confronted with such iron-willed determination, I can see Time, Fate and Circumstance calling a hasty conference and deciding, “We might as well let him have his dream. He’s said he’s going to get there or die trying.”

The best definition for “resolve” I’ve ever heard came from a schoolgirl in Foster City, California. Many years ago, I was lecturing about success to a group of bright kids at a junior high school. I asked, “Who can tell me what ‘resolve’ means?” Several hands went up, and I did get some pretty good definitions. But the last was the best. A shy girl from the back of the room got up and said with quiet intensity, “I think resolve means promising yourself you will never give up.” That’s it! That’s the best definition I’ve ever heard: Promise yourself you’ll never give up.

Think about it! How long should a baby try to learn how to walk? How long would you give the average baby before you say, “That’s it, you’ve had your chance”? You say that’s crazy? Of course it is. Any mother would say, “My baby is going to keep trying until he learns how to walk!” No wonder everyone walks.

There is a vital lesson in this. Ask yourself, “How long am I going to work to make my dreams come true?” I suggest you answer, “As long as it takes.” That’s what these four emotions are all about.

Source: http://www.success.com/article/rohn-the-4-powerful-ways-to-change-a-bad-habit

How to Read Like Your Success Depends on It

Tom Bilyeu

 

I credit my success to reading. And I read a lot. A LOT. So the question that I naturally get asked all the time is how I manage to read as much as I do while still keeping up with the demands of running a company. So here is my definitive guide to reading like your success depends on it, because, well, it does.

1. Start with why.

Why do I read so much? Because there is a critical math equation at work here and it goes like this: Ideas In = Ideas Out. I actually used to have a sign hanging over my desk that read II = IO to remind me. What I mean is I’m not worried about thinking new thoughts. I’m simply trying to make unique connections between old ideas. I believe that’s what makes all of us unique: We make different connections than the next person.

That’s important for two reasons:

1. It means I don’t need to memorize facts from the book; I’m just trying to truly understand the overarching themes that will then act as reactive molecules in the chemistry of my mind.
2. I always read the whole book (versus an abridged or CliffNotes version) because I’m looking for the ideas that stand out to me, which might be very different than the ideas that stand out to someone else. So I don’t skim, but I don’t get hung up on things that don’t resonate or I don’t understand.

2. Improve your reading speed.

I am a ridiculously slow reader. I once had a teammate at Quest show me something he had written. I read it and told him I liked it, but he didn’t believe me, “Something must have bothered you; you read it three times.” I had to laugh out loud, because I had only read it once. That’s just how slow I read.

Reading that slowly, however, simply wouldn’t do. So I had two choices:

1. Learn to speed read. Tried that, and though I could move my eyes across the words faster, I couldn’t understand or retain the information.
2. Use audiobooks.

I went with audiobooks. I use the Audible App. So when I say I “read” something, I actually mean I listened to it. The advantage here is that I can assimilate information aurally, very, very quickly. Also, the magic of the Audible app is that it allows you to speed up the playback—allowing you to go all the way to 3x the normal speed. That’s where I live: 3x. To be clear though, I had to work my way up to that. I started at 1.5x, then pushed myself to 2x, then ultimately to 3x. So don’t expect 3x to be intelligible from day one. But like anything, if you push yourself and stick with it, you will get better. So push yourself.

3. Always be reading.

There’s a saying in sales that I hate: ABC (always be closing). But I live by the mantra ABR—always be reading. Audiobooks are a huge help with this, because as long as I have my phone and headphones, I can read literally anywhere. As such, I not only read during stretches of free time, I also read in the transitional moments of life. Here is a nearly exhaustive list of the times and places I read:

• Driving
• In an Uber
• On an airplane
• Walking the dogs (or walking, period)
• In the shower
• While brushing my teeth
• While getting dressed
• While waiting anywhere (if I’m alone)

Without a doubt, I prefer to read when I can read for long stretches of time, but I’ve just found that all of the little moments add up to a lot of reading (especially at 3x), and thus a lot of new and exciting ideas.

4. Cover a topic from all angles.

I don’t memorize books; I get the big ideas and move on. Don’t get me wrong, I lament that I don’t have a naturally prodigious memory (Kim Peek, anyone?), but since I don’t and I continue to get great results from simply focusing on the big ideas, I haven’t invested the energy into improving my memory, or felt it necessary to back off from digesting books at 3x.

Another thing that keeps me from worrying about remembering certain facts is that I usually read as many books on a given topic of interest as I can. When you do that, you’ll find that themes emerge, and those themes become very familiar. And when you collect them from many different points of view, they firm up in my mind in a much richer way than they would if I slowed down and read a book like I was preparing for a final exam. This approach also ensures that I don’t fall prey to the confirmation bias (reading only ideas that agree with what I already believe).

This is how I read and these are the hacks I use to absorb as many new ideas as possible. May those techniques serve you as well as they’ve served me.

Source: http://www.success.com/blog/how-to-read-like-your-success-depends-on-it

7 Mistakes Successful People Don’t Make Again

This is your life and you only get one of them. Make it count.

Kimanzi Constable

Success often comes from the knowledge and experience you receive when you make mistakes. We are human and are bound to make mistakes and in that moment, when nothing seems to be working out, you can decide to give in to what you feel or you can learn and move forward.

Successful people don’t let mistakes hold them back from taking the necessary action required to hit their big life goals. They view mistakes as invaluable life lessons and experiences that shape who they are. They also learn what not to do again.

Here are seven mistakes successful people have experienced, learned from and won’t repeat.

1. Successful people don’t allow toxic relationships into their life.

The relationships in your life are an indicator of your success. As Jim Rohn said, “You’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” The negative relationships will drag you down to their level. The positive ones will push you further than you felt like you could go. If you want to make this one of the most successful phases in your life, evaluate the relationships that are in your life. Get honest about who needs to go. Don’t make the mistake of allowing toxic relationships to stunt any progress toward your success goals.

2. Successful people don’t spend years doing work that doesn't fulfill them.

Most of us will spend at least 40 hours per week in some form of work. It can be a traditional job or a business, but if what you’re doing during those 40 hours doesn’t fulfill you, it will affect every other area of your life. Before you know it, you’ve given years of your life to something that is slowly eating away at your resolve and determination to live a better life. It’s not easy—especially in our current economy—to find work that fulfills you and pays well, but nothing that’s worth it comes easy. Spend time finding or creating work that supports the kind of life you want to live and one that gives you freedom.

3. Successful people don’t let doubt and fear dictate their choices.

Doubt and fear are a normal part of anyone’s life. But your reactions to these emotions will affect your success journey. Successful people make decisions from a place of value and strength. They know what values are most important to them and make decisions that align with those values. Doubt and fear are not a factor when they are making decisions.

4. Successful people don’t chase other people’s dreams.

It’s natural to want what seems and feels like success. You see someone else do something and you want that for your life. But dreams, goals and freedom have to be personal. You have to figure out what your dreams are and why they are important to you. Successful people don’t waste time and energy on shiny objects. Don’t let the allure of someone else’s dream derail you from discovering yours.

5. Successful people don’t underestimate the power of physical fitness.

What you eat and how active you are has an effect on the energy you have and that will affect how to tackle your goals. Your physical fitness is closely tied to your success journey. Successful people make their fitness and health a priority because they realize it’s one of the keys to living a long and happy life. It goes beyond just maintaining your fitness; harness the power that comes when you are in tune with your body.

6. Successful people don’t do things they know they don’t want to do.

There are a lot of things you could be doing, and even things that seem important but aren’t if you were honest with yourself. Successful people cut those things out of their life and make it a point to create a life of freedom. They spend each moment on the things that lead to and support the kind of life they want to live. Time is precious and life is short. Don’t waste either on the things you don’t want or need to do.

7. Successful people don’t copy someone else who is successful.

It’s natural to want to mimic or even copy success. Those who are successful see the value in modeling success, but they understand copying won’t produce the same results. Just because something worked for someone else doesn’t mean it will work the same way for you. Your goals, dreams and aspirations have to be personal.

Learn from your mistakes. We all make them and will continue making them for the rest of our lives—so view them as life lessons. The key is to not repeat where you stumbled before. Fall and get back up determined to work on your goals harder and smarter.

This is your life and you only get one of them. Make it count.

Source: http://www.success.com/article/7-mistakes-successful-people-dont-make-again